With a clear idea in mind, Natsuhiko and Kakashi began preparing for the mission.
This assignment only provided a general outline, without detailed specifics.
That meant much of the intelligence had to be gathered by the two of them.
It was precisely for this reason that ANBU had given them half a month to complete it.
Half a month was no small amount of time.
ANBU didn't have many members to begin with, and every single one of them could be considered elite.
In two weeks, they could normally complete multiple missions.
Natsuhiko and Kakashi were not the kind of ANBU sent to infiltrate other villages for long-term espionage.
In Konoha, that sort of work had largely been taken over by Root.
That arrangement had originally been made by the Second Hokage to prevent ANBU from becoming too dominant.
Although the Third Hokage had always tried to reclaim that authority, the results had been mediocre at best.
For Natsuhiko, however, this was actually a good thing.
At least he didn't need to worry about being sent abroad to infiltrate another village—waiting three years after three years in deep cover.
Gathering intelligence was a relatively dull task.
But it was also a perfect opportunity to slack off.
And Natsuhiko wasn't going to waste it—even if he already roughly knew what was going on.
In fact, after several days, his sealing-type chakra seed had already reached twelve percent maturity.
That was roughly in line with his expectations.
Still, even while slacking, appearances had to be maintained.
And besides—
Natsuhiko had begun to sense something was off.
From the moment they entered Kubisaki Town, he had felt someone observing them from the shadows.
His sensory ability was something he trusted absolutely.
He was certain he wasn't mistaken.
What puzzled him was who exactly was watching them.
Especially when they approached the castle in town—and the barren graveyard outside it—the surveillance became even more intense.
"Who exactly is it? Could there be some unexpected variable here?"
Natsuhiko wasn't sure.
After all, his arrival here was sixteen years earlier than when Naruto and the others would eventually get involved.
It was entirely possible that many things were different.
That night, in Natsuhiko's room, he and Kakashi sat together, exchanging information and compiling their final assessment.
"We can basically confirm now that it isn't some organization conducting human experimentation," Kakashi said calmly.
"There's no trace of that whatsoever.
If it were human experimentation, there would inevitably be evidence left behind.
For example, signs of personnel transfers.
The experimental site wouldn't be far either—it's impossible for there to be no traces at all.
And there's also the issue of disposing of the bodies after the experiments are complete.
There's no evidence of that either.
So I think we don't need to focus too much on that possibility anymore."
Human experimentation was an extremely complex undertaking.
No matter how careful one was, some trace would always remain.
After realizing they were being monitored, Natsuhiko had carefully inspected the area himself.
He had genuinely suspected that some hidden organization might be involved.
Even if someone used sealing techniques to conceal evidence, he didn't believe anyone could do it more perfectly than Konoha's Root.
Take the Akatsuki, currently the most dangerous organization in the shinobi world.
Their research into sealing techniques wasn't particularly impressive either.
Even their method of sealing the tailed beasts relied primarily on the power of the Rinnegan.
As for the Kara organization—
Natsuhiko had no idea whether it even existed yet.
The timeline was far too early.
In the end, however, he had found nothing.
Except for one fact—
Someone was definitely watching them.
"So, we're assuming it's a monster?" Kakashi asked softly. He had conducted quite a bit of investigation over the past few days. "But I haven't found any signs of a monster's movement. Not even any traces of waste."
"Maybe the creature doesn't need to leave waste at all. Its stomach acid might dissolve even bones directly," Natsuhiko replied casually. "Monsters like that aren't uncommon. For example, Lord Orochimaru's giant snake."
Orochimaru's snake was quite famous in Konoha. If Natsuhiko remembered correctly, it was called Manda.
During the war, he had heard that Orochimaru used that snake on the battlefield in the Land of Whirlpools, where it devoured more than fifty shinobi in one go—severely crushing Kirigakure's morale.
Although the snake had an awful temper and was later blown to pieces by Deidara, there was no denying it was a strategic-level existence.
Veterans from the battlefield had said that after swallowing over fifty shinobi, the snake showed no adverse reaction whatsoever.
There wasn't even any sign of waste.
For a creature of that size, such numbers probably weren't even enough to make it feel the need to relieve itself.
Moreover, Natsuhiko knew that the giant lizard disguised as Kubisaki Castle had maintained its state for over a decade without being discovered.
That alone suggested it didn't have such problems.
Although people had periodically gone missing over the years, the number was likely just enough to sustain its basic needs.
"Captain, speaking of monsters, something just came to mind," Kakashi said after thinking for a moment.
"There's a legend that the last lord of Kubisaki Castle—Kubisaki Kōza—had a massive summoning beast. Captain… could it be—"
"Yes. Very possible."
Natsuhiko narrowed his eyes slightly, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
"Massive size. Great strength. Starving. Forced to feed on humans.
Even though it attacks people and feeds on them, it still shows restraint and passivity in its behavior.
Combined with the information you just mentioned, I'm fairly certain what we're dealing with."
Since Kakashi had already reached the answer, Natsuhiko had no problem confirming it.
As for Kubisaki Kōza, the name wasn't particularly memorable to Natsuhiko.
Remembering the giant lizard was enough.
Where was that man now?
Natsuhiko didn't know.
But since Kubisaki Castle had already been annexed, it was reasonable to assume he was dead.
Perhaps before dying, he had been unwilling to accept defeat and ordered his enormous summoning beast to guard this place.
If that was the case, then Natsuhiko had one less major problem to worry about—
The summoner of the beast.
Truthfully, Natsuhiko had already set his sights on the lizard.
Even if it had committed questionable acts—like feeding on humans.
The shinobi world itself was a world that devoured people.
Natsuhiko had no idea how many lives were already on his hands.
He wouldn't judge a beast for acting on instinct.
If anything, the invasion by the Land of Fire—and Kubisaki Kōza leaving the creature behind—might deserve more blame.
The fewer complications, the better.
After all, who knew how strong Kubisaki Kōza had been?
"Now the only trouble left… is the people watching us."
Natsuhiko's gaze grew slightly colder.
"But I might have a way to deal with them."
...
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