They hurried back to camp, only to find it deserted.
They had only been gone two or three days. How could things have changed so drastically?
Zhu Senju rushed over. "Senior Kawadera! The Medical Department is gone too! They left with the main force!"
Kureya Inuzuka and Ken Aburame came over as well, looking to him for answers.
Kawadera Uchiha said, "We'll catch up with the main force. At the very least, we have to reach the Medical Department."
As they hurried through the camp, Kawadera Uchiha spotted Orochimaru's tent.
The lamplight cast Orochimaru's silhouette against the canvas. He was busy at his experiment table.
For an instant, Orochimaru seemed to raise his head and look toward Kawadera Uchiha.
Kawadera Uchiha hurried away.
After finding a staff ninja at the command tent and obtaining permission to pursue the main force along with the recognition codes, the squad quickly departed.
Two days later, Kawadera Uchiha was checking the map more and more frequently.
Ken Aburame said, "This isn't right! We're too close to the Land of Waves' eastern coastline! Where's the main force? Are they at the shore?"
The shore was the Mist Ninja's home ground.
"Isn't the commander-in-chief being too reckless?"
Kawadera's squad moved swiftly—so swiftly that, before they knew it, they seemed to have entered a thick fog.
"Senior Kawadera, is this the Mist Ninja's Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique?"
"No... this is natural fog, caused by a drastic change in the weather. What happened up ahead? Why is there so much fog?
Even without the Hidden Mist Technique, Konoha would be at a severe disadvantage by the shore.
Look down! Check the tracks on the ground!"
Visibility kept dropping.
Brownmaru suddenly barked several times. They followed him and found two bodies.
A Konoha ninja and a Mist ninja