Taking a small team directly into Kirigakure was not something Uchiha Shunichi would do so foolishly.
Although his subordinates were fairly capable in combat, they were far too weak compared to an entire village. If a fight broke out, not only would they be unable to help, they would also become a burden to Uchiha Shunichi.
It was safer for them to gather intelligence in the surrounding towns instead.
Upon hearing Uchiha Shunichi's instructions, Second Pillar was clearly somewhat unhappy, while Karin and Yakumo Kurama were quite pleased.
"Lord Shunichi, be careful," Karin urged.
Uchiha Shunichi gave no further instructions. After agreeing on a meeting place and date, he once again disguised himself as an ordinary merchant from the Land of Water and headed toward Kirigakure.
After going through inspections similar to the ones before, Uchiha Shunichi successfully entered Kirigakure.
He had observed the place a few hours ago, but even now, Uchiha Shunichi still felt that something was off.
How should he put it? It was clearly a place that looked quite good, yet it was unusually desolate. Uchiha Obito had obviously put Kirigakure through hell over the past few years.
Disguised as an ordinary merchant, Uchiha Shunichi wandered the streets asking about prices, while secretly analyzing Kirigakure's situation.
Based on what he had learned so far, Kirigakure had very few ninja. It seemed that many had been deployed elsewhere, and some ruins... likely indicated that fighting had taken place.
"Boss, did something happen in your village? Has business been affected lately?" Pretending to be a curious merchant, Uchiha Shunichi asked the owner of a fruit shop.
"That's ninja business. It has nothing to do with us. Want to buy some? The fruit here is..." The fruit seller was rather welcoming, but clearly avoided discussing ninja matters.
"Not bad.