Chapter 87 The real mastermind behind the scenes!
The progress of completing the raft was faster than Fujiwara Tetsuya had expected!
Fortunately, today's wind direction and speed were good, so there was no need to worry about strong headwind causing waves!
"Tetsuya! The tracks of the cart have vanished!"
After crossing the lake, all the previous traces disappeared without a trace.
Despite the Thirteenth Squad's meticulous search along the lake shore for a long time, they couldn't find any clues.
"Tetsuya-kun! Should we continue searching forward?"
Gradually, Uchiha Mikoto, Torune Ryoui, and Aburame Mokujin gathered beside Fujiwara Tetsuya.
Their eyes, though showing some caution, held no hint of retreat.
"Chase! But not now!"
"Since those Amegakure Ninja could eliminate all traces, it means they've already met up with their Amegakure Ninja reinforcements."
"The enemies we face next might be even more troublesome than what Jonin Oboro's intelligence suggested."
"Everyone, rest for three hours!"
"Once it's completely dark, we'll pursue them westward!"
Based on their speed, the distance between them and the Amegakure Ninja team ahead was not far.
If they pursued at full speed, they could catch up in at most two hours.
However, looking at the distant sky, Fujiwara Tetsuya's expression became extremely serious.
Ahead, the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain was not far.
As time passed, the distant sky gradually darkened.
After lighting a bonfire, the Thirteenth Squad finally had a hot rice ball since leaving Konoha.
Although it was a bit tough, it didn't affect the four's enthusiasm for eating.
...At night, while visibility was significantly affected, the dark night also provided considerable cover for Fujiwara Tetsuya and the other three, greatly reducing their chances of being discovered.
However, some things exceeded normal expectations.
According to Fujiwara Tetsuya's estimation, they should have encountered the Hidden Rain Village team an hour and a half ago.
But despite their extensive search, they hadn't found any trace of that team.
"Tetsuya! We've searched north! No trace of the Amegakure Ninja!"
"We've searched south too! Still no discoveries!"
Under the cover of night, the four's expressions gradually turned grim.
"Tetsuya-kun! Could it be that the Hidden Rain Village Ninja traveled through the night, thus increasing the distance between us?"
"How about we continue searching westward for a while?"
Beside him, Torune Ryoui tiptoed and leaned close to Fujiwara Tetsuya's face, seemingly wanting to comfort him.
However, Fujiwara Tetsuya at this moment clearly wasn't in the mood.
"No! We can't go any further west!"
"Perhaps we were wrong! And Senior Oboro and the others were also wrong!"
After a moment of thought, a few flashes of light suddenly appeared in Fujiwara Tetsuya's eyes, clearly indicating he had figured something out.
"Tetsuya! What do you mean by that?"
"Did you discover something?"
Fujiwara Tetsuya's words immediately drew the attention of the three, and Uchiha Mikoto's gaze, which had just flickered towards Torune Ryoui, instantly retracted.
"Yes! I did discover something!"
"No, I should say I have a new theory!"
Meeting their gazes, Fujiwara Tetsuya suddenly pulled a topographic map from his Huai.
It marked the mountains, rivers, and various large and small passages in the nearby area.
"Actually, we've all been blinded by preconceived notions!"
"Because we learned from Jonin Oboro that the culprits who robbed the merchandise from North Wind City were Amegakure Ninja, we've been heading west all along, completely ruling out other possibilities!"
"Tetsuya! Don't look at us! Just continue!"
Looking at Fujiwara Tetsuya's gaze, Aburame Mokujin was still a bit confused, clearly not understanding Fujiwara Tetsuya's meaning.
As for Uchiha Mikoto and Torune Ryoui, they both lowered their eyes, seemingly having some other thoughts because they couldn't help Fujiwara Tetsuya.
"Alright! I'll explain now!"
At Aburame Mokujin's urging, Fujiwara Tetsuya could only sigh helplessly.
One must know, thinking is very tiring!
"According to my guess, the culprits who robbed the merchandise from North Wind City are not from Hidden Rain Village."
"Even if we really chase them to the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain, we won't find any traces."
"Not from Hidden Rain Village?"
"But Jonin Oboro clearly said..."
"Wait, Tetsuya-kun! Do you mean that someone impersonated Hidden Rain Village Ninja to rob the merchandise from North Wind City?"
At this moment, Uchiha Mikoto, Aburame Mokujin, and Torune Ryoui all had a sense of belated realization, as if they understood something.
"Tetsuya! We understand what you mean!"
"But who sent these Ninja impersonating Hidden Rain Village Ninja?"
"And what was their purpose in impersonating Hidden Rain Village Ninja?"
"Mokujin! That's why I asked you to look at this topographic map!"
"The mastermind and the direction we need to pursue next are hidden within this topographic map!"
Under their puzzled gazes, Fujiwara Tetsuya's finger landed on a lake.
"This lake is the one we just crossed!"
"That's right! It's the lake we just crossed!"
"Look here!"
"Although this lake is separated by mountains to the north and south, after crossing the lake, besides the westward passage, the northern area is still passable!"
"And at that time, all our attention was focused on the western area, neglecting to investigate the northern area!"
"Wait! Tetsuya-kun!"
"The northern area! Do you mean that the culprits who robbed the merchandise from North Wind City, those who impersonated Amegakure Ninja, are from Kusagakure Village?"
Aburame Mokujin was still a bit confused, but Uchiha Mikoto reacted first.
Intelligence is clearly not something that can be cultivated overnight.
"Exactly! Mikoto is right!"
"If my theory holds true, the mastermind this time is the Grass Ninja Village Ninja!"
North of the lake, along the continuous mountain range, leads directly to the Land of Grass.
If it were any other Ninja Village, Fujiwara Tetsuya might still be very cautious.
But for the Grass Ninja Village, Fujiwara Tetsuya had complete confidence and certainty.
After all, they were the most famous opportunists during the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars, without any principles; everything they did was based solely on immediate interests.
"Mokujin! As for why they impersonated Hidden Rain Village Ninja, I don't need to explain it anymore, do I?"
"No! No need!"
Meeting Fujiwara Tetsuya's gaze, Aburame Mokujin helplessly waved his hand.
If he had explained it that way earlier, he would have understood.
The reason those Grass Ninja did that was nothing more than to frame others and confuse their pursuers!