They followed the scattered clues along the way.
As an elite ninja of Kirigakure, Hozuki Mangetsu lived up to his reputation as a genius. He was skilled even at tracking, always managing to determine the direction from the initial clues.
Shinji also noticed something else.
The guy seemed to have started trying to shake them off.
How naive...
At a glance from Shinji, Hidan and Tobi immediately understood and formed a triangle with him, keeping Hozuki Mangetsu in the middle.
That way, whichever direction he tried to run, he could not shake them off right away.
Hozuki Mangetsu immediately realized they had seen through him.
He wanted to lead them in another direction, but that would only buy him a little time.
After thinking it over, he decided to find Suigetsu first and make sure he was safe before doing anything else.
If he could escape then, all the better. If he could not... at worst, he would join that Jashin Cult or whatever it was called.
In any case, he could not defect from his village, nor would he do anything that harmed the interests of his village or country.
If he eventually discovered he had been deceived, he would simply leave that Jashin Cult.
Even a starving camel was bigger than a horse. He did not believe they would dare fight Kirigakure to the bitter end.
Once he had thought that through, Hozuki Mangetsu felt considerably more relaxed and picked up speed again.
By the time it was nearly dark, the clues had led them to a village with a somewhat strange atmosphere.
They had only just stepped through the village entrance when a dark figure suddenly darted out from the side.
"Leave! Outsiders aren't welcome here! Leave!"
It was a filthy woman with disheveled hair and a