By the time Kakashi and Ling Yue returned to the base with the torn pages and marked map, it was already afternoon.
The atmosphere at the base remained tense, but with a clear objective, there was less confusion.
"There really is something fishy about those mines!" The scarred jonin stared at the glaring red dots on the map and slammed his fist onto the table.
"These places are all long-abandoned mines or ancient ruins. Nobody ever goes there!"
Naruto leaned over and pointed at the map. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go wreck those bastards' hideout!"
Sakura was more composed. "Wait, Naruto. If they set up altars, they must have defenses. We don't have enough people. Splitting up recklessly is too dangerous."
Kakashi nodded. "Sakura's right. We should first confirm the exact situation at these red dots. Sai, did your ink hawks find anything?"
Sai had just finished scouting the southeastern area. At Kakashi's words, he unfurled another scroll bearing a finely drawn terrain map with several locations marked upon it.
"Deep in the eastern forest, I found traces of a temporary camp. It was not large, but it held similar energy residue. No obvious stronghold was found in the southern canyon, but I detected several faint, unstable chakra signatures, likely traps or observation posts."
Sai delivered his report in an even tone. "In addition, while scouting, one of my ink birds detected a powerful chakra signature roughly twenty kilometers to the southeast. It appeared briefly before vanishing quickly. It felt... very cold and sinister, similar to an Akatsuki member, but I was unable to confirm their identity or location."
"Akatsuki really are spying nearby!" Naruto gritted his teeth.
Ling Yue noticed that when Sai reported the powerful chakra signature, his gaze seemed to casually sweep over her