Reconnaissance

Haku and the others watched the nearby outpost from outside Konoha's border post.

[Let's scout it first. There's no need to rush over. Something about this mission feels strange to me.] Haku said hesitantly.

[Byakugan, activate!]

Hearing Haku's hesitation, Hyuga Riko immediately activated his Byakugan and looked toward the outpost.

[What? According to the information we received, there should be one Chunin and two Genin guarding this outpost, right?]

[Yeah? There should only be one team of ninjas here. What's wrong? Is there something wrong with the outpost?]

Hearing Hyuga Riko's question, Haku asked anxiously.

[Looks like we're in trouble. There's only one ninja in the outpost now, and judging by the strength of his Chakra, he's a Jonin. This is completely different from our intelligence. I think we could be in serious trouble.]

Hearing the results of Hyuga Riko's Byakugan scan, Haku gestured for the other two to retreat.

In an open area five kilometers away, the three of them wrestled with what they had just observed.

[Besides the Jonin Riko spotted inside the outpost with his Byakugan, there are signs that more than one person has been living around it. Based on the intelligence for our mission, the enemy must have taken over this outpost.]

[We don't know how many people are with the enemy Jonin. They're most likely Iwagakure or Kumogakure ninjas. Rogue ninjas wouldn't be Jonin, and the village's missing-nin wouldn't pick a fight with Konoha right now.]

After they had analyzed the situation, Haku asked the most important question.

[What do we do about our mission now? Go around the outpost and continue on to the Land of Grass, or return to the village and report what we've learned?]

[I wonder how Captain Morino and the others are doing. If we could meet up with them, we'd have more options.]

Uchiha Yu brought up the Mori Squad, who had been assigned to the mission alongside them.

[Captain Morino and the others... I think they may be in serious danger.]

Hyuga Riko hesitated as he said this. They were all ninjas from the same village, and he couldn't bear to voice the worst possibility.

[Given their abilities, they should be moving through the forest at about the same speed as us. Even if our Byakugan gives us an advantage when scouting and clearing the way, they should have arrived by now. If they haven't...]

Hyuga Riko left the rest unsaid, but Haku and Uchiha Yu understood what he meant. Haku interrupted before Riko could say it aloud.

[Whether we continue the mission or return to the village to report, we need to gather enough intelligence first. Right now, we know far too little about the enemy.]

[Then I'll keep watch on the outpost. My Byakugan can cover a range of 800 meters now, so I can monitor it from a distance without being detected. You two search the forest for Captain Morino and the others. Whatever happens, let's meet here at this time tomorrow.]

Hyuga Riko volunteered to watch the outpost.

Seeing that Hyuga Riko had taken on the task of monitoring the outpost, Haku and Uchiha Yu didn't object. It was the best arrangement for now.

After briefly discussing a few precautions, Haku and Uchiha Yu left to scout along another route commonly used by Konoha ninjas.

Watching Haku and Uchiha Yu leave, Hyuga Riko let out a quiet sigh. It looked like he was on his own this time, with no one to rely on.

[Riko, you're the best! Keep it up! Show Father what you can do! And show Haku how strong you've become.]

Encouraging himself, Hyuga Riko moved to a spot 500 meters from the outpost and hid. Every two minutes, he activated his Byakugan to check on the outpost.

In the forest.

Before the two squads split up, they had told each other roughly which routes they planned to take, so they could come to each other's aid in case of trouble. That route was now the main lead Haku and Uchiha Yu had to search for them.

Haku and Uchiha Yu searched along the route they had agreed on with Morino No at the start. About four hours later...

[Haku! Come look at this.]

Uchiha Yu had spotted something first.

[He's another member of Captain Morino's squad. Judging by his condition, someone killed him with a single blow from behind. They must have run into an enemy they couldn't handle, then been ambushed from behind while retreating.]

Looking at the body Uchiha Yu had found, Haku gave his assessment.

[Let's look around and see if Captain Morino and the others are nearby.]

Ten minutes later, they found Morino No's body.

[Based on what we've found, the Mori Squad must have run into the Jonin from the outpost and his companions. They've all been killed. The squad that went on the mission before us may have been killed by this same group of ninjas.]

After hearing Haku's words, Uchiha Yu pointed to a depression in the ground.

[That pit was probably left behind by a ninja using Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique. It's popular in Iwagakure, so there's a good chance these ninjas are from Iwagakure. They may have been sent here by Iwagakure to harass Konoha's rear.]