In the Forest, a figure bowed low and moved swiftly and cautiously, carrying a touch of elegance.
This was because Hashimoto Yasunari and the others were fighting hard in the competition. At this moment, Mirai, having escaped last night's predicament, first found a concealed spot to rest briefly before setting out to search for Kurenai, Gou, and their other companion.
But things were not so simple. The easiest and most effective way to track them was to return to where they had split up and follow the trail from there. Once they fled, they would not have had time to erase their tracks.
However, that method was clearly impossible. The Mist likely had already done the same, so the entire route was unsafe for him. Thus, while he was still weak, he could only move in a general direction. In this situation, efficiency came second; safety came first.
If one's combat strength could not sustain them, leaving them half-crippled and even vulnerable to being pursued by a group of enemies, what would be the point?
"Rustle..." The sound of his feet brushing against fallen leaves suddenly stopped. Mirai, who had just been moving forward, abruptly froze like a machine that had lost power.
He had not been attacked, but his reaction was quick. He noticed that there seemed to be people ahead.
He slowly crouched down, completely concealing himself, then moved forward bit by bit. His eyes could not see through the thicket to make out the situation ahead, but his ears could hear the voices.
"...We haven't found anything for so long. Are we going in the right direction?" said a male voice with a medium pitch.
"There shouldn't be a problem. Someone was specially assigned to obtain information along their route. Our information came from there. Many teams