After explaining Kabuto Yakushi's whereabouts to Yakushi Nonō, Qingyun left with Kakashi and Shisui Uchiha. They found a concealed spot near the Orphanage and quietly waited for nightfall.
Examining the maze of underground passages, he detected two chakra signatures within them. One belonged to Orochimaru, while the other belonged to an unidentified ninja.
It was also this unidentified ninja's chakra that appeared most frequently in and out of the Orphanage. Although Qingyun did not know what the intruder wanted with the orphans, the residual chakra told him that the intruder would definitely return tonight.
Time slowly passed, and night gradually fell. A bright moon rose slowly into the dark sky, and scattered stars draped the Shinobi World in a silver cloak.
Everything around them was silent, save for the occasional cries of cats and dogs, which lent the night an added stillness.
Just as Qingyun was growing bored and idly sipping his wine, a faint sound suddenly came from the underground passage. It was so quiet that even Kakashi and Shisui Uchiha failed to detect it.
Unfortunately for the intruder, Qingyun's mental power had been strengthened many times over. Coupled with his years of practicing the Marrow-Cleansing Classic, it had become exceptionally active. Not even the slightest disturbance could escape his senses.
Upon detecting that faint sound, Qingyun closed his eyes and activated Heavenly Eye. Sure enough, before long, an image appeared in his mind. In a dim passage, a dark figure was cautiously creeping toward the Orphanage.
Clearly, the mastermind had learned of the ANBU's recent, intensive patrols and had no choice but to act carefully. The figure moved through the Underground Passage very slowly, taking powder from its robes every so often and scattering it along the route.
Wherever the powder fell, all traces of the figure's passage