Night was like a vast black net, providing the perfect cover for infiltrators.
Jinin Akebino moved swiftly through the darkness. After evading several of Iwagakure's defensive lines, he approached one of its prisons.
Mist rose, obscuring the guards' vision in the cold night as he slipped inside without a sound.
He was extremely fast. About ten minutes later, he emerged again and returned under the cover of night.
From the dark shadows, Xing Ruluo watched coldly the entire time. She did not follow him inside. Akatsuki possessed countless ninjutsu, including records of many secret techniques lost during the Warring States Period or even before it, and quite a few of them were surveillance techniques.
Therefore, Xing Ruluo knew that he was stronger than she was. Coupled with the cramped terrain, which made exposure more likely, she chose to observe from afar. Once he left, she followed at a distance—not too close, not too far—close enough to see his back, yet far enough to avoid detection. Only after he returned warily to his lodgings did she turn back, endlessly speculating about his purpose and how she could use him to achieve her own.
At around four in the morning, the waiting Xing Ruluo met with her younger sister and asked softly, "What did they say?"
Xing Ruyu took out a prepared intelligence report. "Here, this is what they gave me. They conducted extensive internal investigations. There's also the latest defense map of Iwagakure, as well as the most likely location of that divine artifact."
Xing Ruluo accepted it without changing her expression. The intelligence was remarkably detailed, covering nearly every angle. That was the advantage of having someone on the inside.
"By the way, Sister, did your surveillance of that mysterious ninja yield anything? What is he after?" Seeing Xing Ruluo