Asuma looked at the map and lightly tapped it with a finger. "It's so close, and there's cursed powder and chakra from Impure World Reincarnation. Could those people we fought last time have come back?"
He frowned. "
But we clearly drove them off last time. How did they dare show up here again so soon?"
Kawaki Aoba set the clay jar on the table, lightly tapping the tabletop with his fingertips as he sank into thought.
He recalled the disturbance he had sensed in the attic and connected it to the discovery before them. A guess suddenly surfaced in his mind. "Could it be... their target isn't us, but something else?"
He looked up at the others. "
Think about it. When we fought them last time, their attacks were fierce, but it always felt like they were stalling for time. And they seemed to be constantly paying attention to the surroundings, rather than simply wanting to fight us."
Yamano Yuto froze for a moment before nodding. "Now that you mention it, I did find it strange.
During the last battle, there was someone wearing a mask who kept secretly observing the surrounding terrain. I thought he was looking for an escape route at the time, but now that I think about it, maybe he was searching for something."
Mikazuki Rukuu echoed, "Right, I noticed that too. And when they retreated, they headed toward the pine forest west of the city—the same direction as where we found the clay jar this time."
He paused, a trace of worry flashing through his eyes. "
Could they have hidden something important in the pine forest? Or are they conducting some secret ritual there?"
Kawaki Aoba picked up the map and carefully examined the location of the pine forest. Then he remembered