After Shinonome left, Aoki Tsuki gathered the members of his squad.
Mieko said, "Captain, it looks like another group from the Iron Fang Group arrived today."
"Yes. They're rotating shifts, so we need to follow Yotaka Squad and see where they go."
Aoki Tsuki paused. "Shinichi, Ryōta, you two continue guarding the residence."
"Okay."
Ryōta and Shinichi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Sending them to follow a Jonin was as good as sending them to their deaths.
Fortunately, their captain had held on to the bare minimum of decency. A thumbs-up for the captain!
When you were a ninja in Amegakure, all it took to earn praise was being a decent human being.
With the work assigned, Aoki Tsuki and Mieko settled down to wait.
Mieko was a little uneasy. "This mission is dangerous, isn't it?"
"Would a safe mission ever fall to me? For bottom-rung ninja like us, the only way to get a chance to climb higher is to do the jobs nobody else is willing to do, and do them well."
Too many ninja died on missions that were impossible to complete.
There was no choice at all.
Mieko nodded. "Yes, I understand."
She had noticed that Aoki Tsuki had said "me," not "us."
Aoki Tsuki thought Mieko was under too much pressure and hurriedly explained, "Your job is to help me track the enemy. Once we get there, come straight back."
"I know. You've always been like that. Those two were lucky to join your squad, or they'd have died long ago."
During the war, there had been many high-risk missions, such as border skirmishes and operations to wipe out hostile forces. Fewer than half the ninja from Ryōta and Shinichi's batch were still alive.
In all of Amegakure, Aoki Tsuki was probably the only one who told his squad members to run first when they encountered danger.
Aoki Tsuki smiled. "You're taking it too seriously, aren't you? That's just how a ninja's life is. Do your best and leave the rest to fate."
"Yeah."
Mieko thought quite highly of her captain. He might usually play it a little too safe, but he could put everything on the line when it mattered.
After waiting for about two hours, Mieko rose to her feet. "They're on the move."
"Let's follow them."
Aoki Tsuki didn't know whether Yotaka Squad had a sensory ninja. All he knew was that they would definitely be on guard against them.
As it turned out, he was right.
The tail went smoothly at first. Their targets were cautious, but still within expectations, suddenly stopping to wait or changing direction.
"Wait, Captain, they're heading back the way they came!" Mieko suddenly said.
"What? These guys are way too careful." Aoki Tsuki had been put through the wringer.
Fortunately, they had been trailing them from an angle from the start, rather than actually following Yotaka Squad's route. That was the benefit of having a sensory ninja.
"This isn't safe. Let's follow them on a parallel course, keeping our distance to the side."
Mieko asked, puzzled, "If they have a sensory ninja too, won't that make us easy to spot?"
Aoki Tsuki countered, "If they had a sensory ninja, they wouldn't be going to all this trouble."
He was betting that they didn't have a sensory ninja. If they did, they would be spotted outright and the mission would fail.
He even hoped they would be discovered, but unfortunately, after all those maneuvers, their targets still hadn't noticed them. That proved there was no sensory ninja in their squad.
Three hours later, Yotaka Squad entered a small city. Aoki Tsuki checked his map and found that it was called Nagano.
Could this be the place?
He didn't rush in after them. If it really was their base, there was a ninety percent chance he would be discovered if he followed them inside.
After studying the area, he took Mieko on a scouting circuit around the city.
They found an underground drainage outlet on the west side of Nagano City. There hadn't been much rain lately, so they could just about get through.
He planned to use it to sneak inside.
Naturally, it couldn't have smelled good inside, and the water was very murky. Fortunately, it was dark. Out of sight, out of mind.
"Captain, you really do play it safe," Mieko complained.
All women loved cleanliness, and ninja were no exception.
"It's not very sanitary, but at least it's safe. Bear with it for now."
Aoki Tsuki went first, crawling into the wide pipe. The water submerged more than half his body.
Mieko was shorter than he was, so even more of her was underwater. She shivered all over.
"Ugh... I'm going to bathe three times when I get back."
"Mm-hmm, me too."
The city was small, and it didn't take them long to get inside. At every exit, they surfaced to investigate.
A little over two hours later, they found a clue.
A manhole cover near an izakaya was quietly opened a crack from below.
Mieko had only just started using Sensory Ninjutsu when her expression changed. She hurriedly stopped probing. "There's a strong Chakra signature inside. There are quite a few ninja, and Yotaka Squad is there too."
At a base like this, the enemy was sure to have sensory ninja too.
Sensory ninja could easily detect one another.
"Good. This is very likely one of the Iron Fang Group's important bases. Head straight back the way we came. Don't wait for me."
"Understood. If you don't return in three days, you're considered killed in action, right?"
"Right."
Mieko nodded and headed back through the underground pipes. Her combat ability was limited, so she wouldn't be much help if she stayed.
Aoki Tsuki didn't rush into action. The mission was already half complete, but he knew Shinonome wanted far more than just the location of the Iron Fang Group's base.
He also needed to find out how the base was staffed and, most importantly, obtain evidence of contact with Iwagakure. That last part was actually unimportant, because Root would provide him with the evidence.
All he had to do now was find out who the key core members inside were and how strong they were.
Aoki Tsuki found a concealed spot nearby and hid, waiting patiently.
Several hours later, the sky grew light and the city gradually came to life. Residents who had risen early began appearing in the streets.
People also began leaving the izakaya one after another.
From a distance, Aoki Tsuki even saw several members of Yotaka Squad leave in succession, all looking fairly relaxed.
That convinced him that this should be one of the Iron Fang Group's important bases.
After all, people only let their guard down when they returned home.
He had no intention of attacking them, because if anything happened to them, Yotaka would quickly realize they had been followed.
By the time the Rain Ninja extermination force arrived, everyone would be long gone.
He set his sights on a man who left with a member of Yotaka Squad named Hanashōmaru. The two had their arms around each other's shoulders and were chatting and laughing, looking very familiar with each other.
Ryōsuke had no idea he was being watched.
He had spent most of the previous night drinking at the tavern. After saying goodbye to Hanashōmaru that morning, he staggered home, still a little drunk.
His home was a rather old house, where he lived alone.
Once home, he flopped onto his bed and fell fast asleep.
Soon, he was snoring...
"Heh... That went surprisingly smoothly, didn't it?"
Aoki Tsuki, who had quietly crept up to the bed, struck in an instant, seizing the sleeping Ryōsuke by the throat.
At the same time, he quickly severed all four of his limbs.
"Hm? This doesn't feel right."
Sure enough, Ryōsuke's body on the bed turned into a puddle of clear water. Aoki Tsuki was all too familiar with this move.
Click. The wooden door shut, and the real Ryōsuke emerged from the doorway, saying smugly, "Got you."
"How did you spot me?"
Ryōsuke said, "I knew from the moment you stepped into this house. Now die."
One moment Ryōsuke was speaking from behind the door; the next, he was right in front of Aoki Tsuki.
Clang...
A Kunai collided with a long blade, sending sparks flying.
"So fast!"
Aoki Tsuki was shaken. He had drawn his blade almost entirely on instinct.
His opponent was actually faster than he was, even though he had mastered the Body Flicker Technique.
Now it was Ryōsuke's turn to be surprised. "Oh, I didn't expect you to be able to keep up with my speed. Quick reactions. How about this, then?"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
The room was suddenly filled with Ryōsuke's afterimages. He was moving so fast that the eye couldn't keep up.
Bang, bang, bang...
Aoki Tsuki fought entirely on instinct, but his opponent was too fast. No matter what he did, he couldn't block every move.
He could only protect his vital points.
"I picked someone at random, and he turned out to be this monstrous?"
As if he had guessed what Aoki Tsuki was thinking, Ryōsuke said as he attacked:
"Did you think I was some little nobody? Hahaha... Do you know what my code name in the Iron Fang Group is? Phantom Civet."
Pfft, pfft, pfft...
Several more wounds opened across Aoki Tsuki's body, slashed by the Kunai.
At one point, Ryōsuke suddenly stopped and swayed, nearly losing his balance. Clearly, he hadn't completely sobered up.
If the guy hadn't been drinking, he might have been even faster.
Aoki Tsuki seized the opportunity and quickly formed hand seals. "Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique!"
He opened his mouth and exhaled a thick white mist that quickly filled the room, until he couldn't see his own fingers in front of him.
He had only just acquired the ninjutsu, and he hadn't expected it to come in handy so soon.
"You bastard..."
Ryōsuke realized the malicious intent behind Aoki Tsuki's move. Once he lost his speed advantage, things would go very badly for him in such an enclosed space.
The next moment, a blade flashed through the spot where Ryōsuke stood.
Did he dodge it?
Aoki Tsuki held his breath and used his powerful mental strength and the thick mist to pinpoint Ryōsuke's position again.
He had created the white mist, and it contained his Chakra. The enemy had nowhere to hide.
"Whew..."
He gently slowed his breathing, suppressed his presence, and crept closer to his opponent. This was the essence of the Silent Killing Technique.
"Misty Rain Breathing: Cutting Rain!"
Pfft...
"Aah...!!"
The slash came from too close and was too fast, exceeding Ryōsuke's current reaction speed. He had only darted half a step away when one of his legs was severed.
He fell to the ground, howling in pain.
"Mmph..."
Aoki Tsuki quickly covered Ryōsuke's mouth, disabled both his hands, and used bandages to stop the bleeding.
In moments, the latter's face turned pale, evidently from excessive blood loss.
"You despicable bastard! If I hadn't been drunk and messed up, how could you have taken advantage of me? Kill me!" Ryōsuke shouted in despair.
"Blame yourself for breaking the Three Prohibitions of Shinobi. You're definitely not getting out of today alive, but I have a few questions before that. I hope you'll cooperate, and I'll give you a quick death."
"Dream on, you Amegakure lapdog! Our Iron Fang Group will replace you sooner or later and save this country."
"You'd better worry about yourself right now. Don't make things difficult for me. We're all just pawns of those important people; there's no need to fight to the bitter end. If you'd won just now, I would've honestly told you everything even if you hadn't asked."
Aoki Tsuki coaxed him step by step, hoping to save himself some trouble.
"Dream on. I won't fall for that. Kill me." Ryōsuke was unmoved, intent on dying.