Dense mist was the Land of Water's eternal curtain-and Shinji Uchiha's best cover.
The closer he drew to Kirigakure's core, the heavier the invisible pressure hanging in the air became.
This pressure did not stem from tight defenses, though Kirigakure's patrols and hidden sentries remained formidable, but from a deeper, systemic disorder.
Delays in relaying orders, fleeting looks of confusion during guard changes, and almost imperceptible instabilities in the energy fluctuations of chakra barriers in certain areas.
All these details formed a clear picture of abnormalities within the system in Shinji's analytical mind.
His infiltration relied not on brute force, but on meticulous calculation and patience.
He did not keep his Mangekyō Sharingan active throughout; that would consume too much mental energy and easily attract the attention of sensory ninja.
Most of the time, he relied on the perfect concealment afforded by his supreme chakra control, along with precise predictions of the environment and people's behavioral patterns.
But the Mangekyo was like the most useful tool, capable of solving problems he had once lacked the ability to handle.
Like a wisp of a ghost, he slipped through the shadows of Kirigakure's buildings, amid stone, steel, and dense mist.
Avoiding the main roads, using ventilation ducts, abandoned sewer systems, and narrow gaps between buildings.
He observed that security in the clan districts had noticeably increased, with guards wary of one another rather than cooperating; the administrative building was brightly lit, yet exuded a frantic, disorderly air; even near the Mizukage's office building, he detected several deeply concealed chakra signatures bearing a sense of suspicion and scrutiny. These were not standard ANBU guards, but seemed more like additional eyes planted by certain factions.
All of this further confirmed his suspicion: the heart of the problem was very likely inside that building symbolizing