Hinata Hyuga's pupils abruptly contracted the instant she saw the hair ribbon.
"This is..."
She took the ribbon with trembling hands, turning it over and over as she examined it carefully.
"It's Hanabi's!"
Hinata's voice shook noticeably. "This is Hanabi's hair ribbon. I recognize it. I've tied it for her myself!"
"And this!"
"This was torn from the jacket Hanabi often wears, too."
Good!
Hōmon Hyuga breathed a sigh of relief.
Hinata's confirmation truly settled the matter.
The others had identified these things as having belonged to Hanabi Hyuga through other means, such as the Inuzuka Clan's sense of smell and the Hyuga ninja's memories.
But none of them were like Hinata, Hanabi's sister, who spent every day with her and knew her younger sister's belongings very well.
"Since two items were found nearby, that suggests we're not far from the enemy's location," Shikamaru surmised, surveying their surroundings.
Hōmon Hyuga nodded beside him. "Yes, that's what I think, too."
"Everyone has started searching an area several kilometers around where these two items were found."
"All right, we'll help, too." Naruto Uzumaki punched his palm and spoke loudly.
Rock Lee, Tenten, and the others joined in as well. The two teams combined their efforts and began searching the surrounding area with everything they had.
As time passed, although they still hadn't found the passage the enemy had concealed, they found another scrap of clothing Hanabi had torn off.
Now everyone was certain.
Hanabi Hyuga had woken up and was deliberately leaving markers for the searchers following her.
As for why Hanabi hadn't escaped from the enemy after waking up, it mainly came down to strength.
Working together, those puppets could handle even an experienced jonin like Hyuga Hiashi, let alone a child who had yet to grow up.
One item belonging