At Konoha's base in the Land of Rain.
"Whoosh!"
A ninja suddenly appeared, looking somewhat anxious.
"Captain Sosuke!"
As soon as he spotted the tall figure inside the base, he called out urgently.
Hearing him, Sosuke turned from the other ninjas he had been speaking with. A gentle smile appeared on his face as he asked softly,
"What is it, Sosuke?"
The ninja glanced around with a grave expression, hesitating to speak.
Seeing his reaction, Sosuke's smile faded slightly. He gave him a look, signaling that they should speak elsewhere.
The other Konoha ninjas caught on and tactfully slipped away, though they were curious about Sosuke's demeanor.
Had something happened?
The two walked slowly to a secluded corner of the camp. Sosuke looked grave as he fixed his gaze on the ninja and asked in a low voice,
"Go ahead, Sosuke. What happened?"
With no one else around, Sosuke wiped the few beads of sweat on his brow and spoke urgently.
"Captain Sosuke, Captain Sakumo and several other ninjas from the base have gone missing!"
Sosuke's expression changed. He asked gravely,
"Missing? Are you sure? Could they have been assigned to a secret mission?"
Seeing Sosuke's puzzled expression, the ninja grew anxious. His face darkened as he hurried to explain,
"That's impossible. Even for a secret mission, Captain Sakumo would usually leave some sort of coded message."
"But he's suddenly disappeared without a trace, and he's not the only one. Several other ninjas from the base have mysteriously vanished too. There wasn't a single sign of anything unusual beforehand!"
Sosuke's expression turned grave. He said,
"Let me think this over... I'll secretly send people to investigate."
"Go back for now, and don't let word get out. You'll temporarily take over Captain Sakumo's duties. This may well be connected to the