Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the New Year had arrived. White snow blanketed nearly all of Konoha, and the usual bustle gave way to a brief spell of peace and quiet.
Even on days like this, Uchiha Shisui still had to keep watch over the Nine-Tails. The only thing he could do to stave off boredom was study the Uzumaki Clan's Yin Seal and the Senju Clan's Strength of a Hundred Technique.
"Is it already the 47th year of Konoha? The war must be coming soon. Looks like I need to start training in these two jutsu. For now, they can make up for my shortcomings in chakra and taijutsu.
"That way, I won't have to hide away for lack of chakra like I did in Kirigakure during the Third Shinobi World War."
Leaning against a tree trunk, Shisui calculated how much time had passed, then began training according to the scroll.
If someone looked at him with the Byakugan, they would see the chakra throughout Shisui's body beginning to converge on his forehead.
As the chakra built up, a diamond-shaped mark gradually appeared in the center of his forehead. Until this Sealing Jutsu was fully formed, it would continue absorbing the chakra his body produced.
But forming the mark would take more than a day or two. During that time, Shisui would only be able to use about a tenth of his chakra.
In other words, right now, even some random Genin could take him down.
Just then, through a gap in the leaves, Shisui spotted a familiar figure knocking on Namikaze Minato's door.
"Kakashi? Given my current position in Anbu... I hope you won't be too useless when the war comes."
Shisui tamped down the urge to meet him, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
At that moment, Namikaze Minato opened the door, wearing an apron and holding a spatula. Kakashi's usually impassive face showed a rare smile.
"You're here, Kakashi. Come on in. Dinner will be ready soon."
Minato smiled like a little sun driving away the darkness.
"Sorry to bother you, Minato-sensei." Kakashi took off his shoes and went inside.
Minato's sunny expression instantly darkened as he looked toward a nearby treetop. A moment later, he shut the door and headed into the kitchen to start cooking.
"Did he notice me? He's certainly sharp."
Shisui marveled. After all, he had spent nearly a year hiding in Kirigakure without ever truly being discovered.
But then he reconsidered. Perhaps it wasn't Minato who had noticed him, but Uzumaki Kushina.
The Uzumaki Clan's Mind's Eye of the Kagura, along with the Nine-Tails' ability to sense hostility, could explain it.
At dusk, Shisui watched Kakashi leave. The Anbu member coming on shift then relieved him of his duty.
At the Hokage Building, Shisui reported to Hiruzen Sarutobi everyone the Jinchuriki had come into contact with that day and everything she had done. He also returned the S-rank Yin Seal.
Hiruzen nodded, accepted the jutsu scroll, then took out another scroll and handed it to Shisui as he said:
"Shisui, I trust your intelligence-gathering. Recently, a number of unfamiliar shinobi have appeared in the Land of Rivers for no apparent reason.
"I suspect the Third Kazekage may be planning something. Take a squad to the Land of Rivers and gather concrete intelligence."
Shisui took the mission scroll, skimmed it, then used the Body Flicker Technique to leave the Hokage Building.
The next day, they used the Body Flicker Technique, darting through the woods like three black bolts of lightning. The fallen leaves beneath their feet barely had time to stir.
Along the way, Shisui explained the mission in detail to his two teammates:
The situation in the Land of Rivers had grown suspicious. Sunagakure shinobi were suspected of infiltrating the country in secret. They were to sneak in, investigate, uncover the truth, and report back promptly.
As they drew closer to the Land of Rivers, the air grew increasingly damp. The dense forest gradually gave way to wet riverbanks and a crisscrossing network of waterways.
Though the Land of Rivers was a small country, it had its own hidden village. Unlike the larger, famous villages, renowned for their many powerful shinobi, this one had only a small number of ninja.
Yet, blessed by nature, it had become the Shinobi World's largest destination for hot-spring inns and vacations.
At Yugakure, steam billowed through the air, accompanied by the splashing sound of water, as if performing a unique melody. Mist hung over the hot-spring pool like a veil, shrouding the whole place in a dreamlike haze. Uchiha Shisui and the two Anbu members accompanying him still wore their signature Anbu masks as they reclined in the hot spring, savoring this rare moment of ease.
One of the Anbu members stretched his limbs contentedly and couldn't help sighing. "Ah, this mission feels like a vacation. Who would've thought an investigation could come with perks like these?"
His voice brimmed with relaxation and enjoyment.
The other Anbu member wasn't so relaxed. His brow furrowed slightly, and his voice held a hint of confusion and worry:
"Captain, we've been tracking them for five days, but we still haven't found a single trace of the Sand shinobi. Could the intelligence be wrong?
"These past few days of investigating have felt like searching for a needle in the ocean. We've got nothing to go on."
He sat up a little and looked toward Shisui, who was resting with his eyes closed.
Shisui slowly opened his eyes and shook his head, unhurried. "It's only been five days. What's the rush? The Land of Rivers may not be very large, but its terrain is complicated, and there are still plenty of places we haven't searched.
"If the enemy dared to sneak in here, they can't be fools. They're not going to show themselves right under your nose.
"We can't let our guard down. The more things seem like this, the more vigilant we need to be."
The Anbu member wearing a bird mask leaned toward the other. His deliberately lowered voice was full of doubt and discontent:
"I wonder what Lord Hokage was thinking, putting someone so young in charge. Can he really handle it?
"I've heard he's from the Uchiha Clan, but he's still so young. How much real combat experience or leadership ability could he have?
"This mission is so important, too. I just can't feel confident about it."
With that, he glanced toward Shisui, who was resting with his eyes closed nearby. He couldn't hide the skepticism in his eyes.
The other Anbu member remained calm, idly fiddling with a smooth pebble he had picked up beside the hot spring.
He neither agreed nor disagreed when his teammate questioned the captain, merely thinking to himself, *It's better to rely on yourself than on someone else. The captain's young; I'm not counting on him to get me through this mission.
I've spent years working my way up through Anbu. I only trust my own abilities. I'll treat this mission as a solo operation, keep my eyes open, and make sure I don't get dragged down by anyone.
As he thought this, he glanced at Shisui, his eyes distant and cool. Then he turned his attention back to the pebble in his hand, as if nothing around him had anything to do with him.
Immersed in the warm spring water, Shisui had no idea what his teammates were thinking. He lowered his eyelids slightly and began carefully sorting through his memories.
Several long years had passed since the end of the Second Shinobi World War. Under the gentle passage of time, the hidden villages ravaged by war had mostly come back to life and recovered their former strength.
The Third Kazekage was renowned throughout the Shinobi World as the "strongest Kazekage." It was hardly surprising that a powerful figure like him might make some small moves to expand or test the waters beneath the appearance of peace.
After all, in a world where the strong preyed on the weak, who wouldn't want to secure more resources and room to survive for their village?
Yet something about the investigation was deeply strange. The Sand shinobi who had previously left traces in the Land of Rivers had suddenly vanished without a trace, as if they'd been wiped from existence.
Shisui considered the matter in silence. Given the Sand shinobi's usual way of doing things, they would never abandon their plans in the Land of Rivers for no reason.
That left only one reasonable explanation: something had gone terribly wrong within Sunagakure, so badly that they had been forced to recall all their forces in the field.