In a valley on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water.
"I've handed those two men's heads over to Konoha's border patrol. They'll arrange for someone to send them back to Konoha," Maruboshi Kosuke said.
His expression was somber.
If he could, he would have wanted to find out immediately whether there were any other members of that organization.
If there were, he wanted to root out every last one of those depraved bastards.
But he couldn't.
Extracting intelligence through interrogation was the Yamanaka Clan's specialty. They could only wait until the village obtained the information.
Shibi Aburame and Nonō fell silent for a while.
The scene they had witnessed not long ago had shaken them deeply, too.
Seeing how subdued Shibi Aburame and Nonō looked, Maruboshi Kosuke sighed inwardly.
After a moment's thought, he rallied his spirits. "We've reached our destination. According to the agreement, Kumogakure's Envoy Mission will arrive tonight. While we have time, let me teach you a few things."
With that, he found a secluded spot.
"Have you practiced Water Walking and tree climbing?"
Liu Yun and Shibi Aburame nodded, while Nonō shook her head.
Maruboshi Kosuke considered it. "You're at slightly different stages. How about this? I'll teach you a basic Water Release Ninjutsu first."
A dozen or so minutes later, they split up to practice.
Since Liu Yun had already mastered it, Maruboshi Kosuke focused on teaching Shibi Aburame and Nonō.
Liu Yun found a quieter spot and took out a pendant.
He examined it for a moment. A triangle inside a circle-its design was rather distinctive.
It looked a lot like the one Hidan wore in the original story.
It was the one he had found on the leader's body.
``` [New equipment material detected]
[Fake Jashin