The letter contained nothing particularly urgent.
Recently, as the Tailed Beast Merchant Association expanded abroad, it had encountered interference from quite a few rogue ninja. Some smaller shinobi villages were involved as well, coveting the association's wealth.
Disguising themselves as rogue ninja was hardly uncommon. Small shinobi villages did it, and the great villages were no exception.
The great villages simply used much cleaner methods, usually moving in under the guise of providing protection.
Kisame also mentioned something else in his letter. According to information from the black market, a group of bounty ninja had been unusually active. They seemed willing to accept any mission, even those involving the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
There was no doubt that those bounty hunters were Akatsuki. The description of their black robes with red clouds made Zou Hyuga all the more certain.
After instructing Kisame not to stir up trouble, Zou Hyuga handed the letter to Kisame's shark summoning beast.
With those minor matters settled, Zou Hyuga was in no mood for self-pity and turned his attention back to himself.
Over the few days since returning to the village, he had become increasingly sensitive to natural energy. Even without deliberately sensing it, he could detect the natural energy that permeated his surroundings.
He did not know whether it was because of Moryo Chakra or the growth of his black markings.
In any case, his sensitivity to natural energy had grown to the point where he could no longer ignore it.
To his senses, the natural energy in the sky seemed relatively sparse, while that in the earth was extraordinarily dense. Deep underground, vast quantities of natural energy seemed to be flowing.
They flowed like streams, and Konoha stood atop one of their enormous branches.
On this branch, Zou Hyuga could clearly feel that