Just after the two groups parted, one Iwagakure ninja could not help saying, "I don't know why, but I still think there was something wrong with those people."
"What was wrong with them? There wasn't any sign of combat on them. The details in their answers all matched the clues from our investigation, too. They probably weren't lying," Kurotsuchi replied somewhat distractedly.
"But wasn't that guy a little too arrogant? Not only was he unafraid of us, he even dared to demand money from us."
"Haha, I knew that was what this was about. Honestly, you're not the only one who's pissed off. I am, too."
"True, I've never seen a rogue ninja with that much nerve before. Was he really not afraid of angering us?"
"If you ask me, Lady Kurotsuchi was just too kind. If it had been me instead, heh!"
"The way those people kept their cool really made me want to punch them. It was like they thought we wouldn't dare do anything to them..."
Arrogant, gutsy, composed?
Composed?!
Kurotsuchi suddenly found herself losing her composure!
She finally realized exactly what had felt off throughout that earlier encounter.
Those people had been a little too composed!
Under normal circumstances, shouldn't people be frightened and wary when surrounded by a group of unfamiliar ninja?
But whether it was Akagi Shinji or any of the others, they had all been unusually composed, as though they had known in advance that her group was coming.
And throughout the entire encounter, none of them had shown any fear, not even the women and children among them.
That was far too unusual.
Moreover, every time her patience had worn thin and she had wanted to lash out, she had unconsciously suppressed the urge, as though doing something impulsive would lead