Gray Bell Relay Station was not a relay station.
It was an old bell foundry built in a mountain hollow.
After the war ended, the craftsmen left, leaving only half a defective iron bell hanging beneath a beam.
When wind swept through the broken walls, the bell gave off a low, dull resonance, and nearby merchants had given the place its name.
By the time Shisui arrived with his team, no one remained inside.
But the furnace ash was still warm.
Seven empty medicine crates were piled in a corner, with traces of the same purplish-black powder found in the bodies of the dead in Liuchuan Town clinging to their bottoms.
The Anbu found several burned shipping manifests inside a wall cavity.
The Hyuga jonin spotted a narrow passage buried underground, its exit leading straight to a riverbank two li away.
This was indeed a transfer point.
The other side had left less than four hours earlier.
Shisui did not immediately pursue them through the passage.
They had only half the map, and three waterways branched off beyond the exit.
Choosing any one of them rashly could lead them toward the national border again.
The Cross-Verification Squad first sealed the medicine crates and furnace ash as evidence.
Akito discovered a fresh engraving inside the half-ruined iron bell.
It consisted of a single word.
Akatsuki.
Beside the word, half a wooden contact token had been nailed in place.
The token bore no shinobi village insignia, but its reverse was engraved with the same numbered dots as the Iwahashi map.
"An organization's name?" Akito asked.
No one could answer immediately.
A refugee from the Land of Rain who was serving as their local guide saw the word, and his expression suddenly changed.
The Anbu did not let the others crowd around to