"What is it?"
Yagura Karatachi felt something was off, but he couldn't pinpoint it. He merely asked in confusion.
"We need to discuss this outside the village."
"It's highly confidential."
"It concerns Clan Head Fugaku, who left the village, as well as Xia Le and the others."
White Zetsu spoke gravely.
"Fugaku and Xia Le? Didn't they go to Konoha?"
Yagura Karatachi sounded surprised.
"Precisely. They've stirred up quite a mess there this time."
"That's why I've come to invite you to meet them on their way back and discuss the matter together."
"We must hurry. Otherwise, by the time they enter the village, word will probably have spread. That would be bad."
White Zetsu's expression was solemn.
"Is that so?"
Yagura Karatachi still felt something was wrong, but Sakumo Hatake held a high position in the village, and he felt awkward refusing him.
In the end, he could only nod.
"All right!"
White Zetsu smiled at his response. "Follow me!"
Yagura Karatachi followed.
Nothing seemed unusual along the way. The two soon left the village, then headed south through the forest.
"Do you know their route?"
Yagura Karatachi asked.
Ahead of him, White Zetsu's lips curled into a faint smile. "Of course."
"What exactly did they do in Konoha? Weren't they going there for the Chunin Exams?"
Yagura Karatachi asked again, puzzled.
"Unexpected things happen, don't they?"
White Zetsu replied.
But the moment he finished speaking, Yagura Karatachi stopped dead, his expression turning icy.
"What's wrong?"
White Zetsu turned to ask.
"Something's wrong. You're not Sakumo at all!"
Yagura Karatachi shouted.
White Zetsu froze, then asked in confusion, "Yagura, what's gotten into you?"
"Your scent, your presence, your appearance—even your mannerisms are almost identical."
"But you still can't fool me."
"Who are you? Why did you impersonate Sakumo to