"Almost there."
When he was about three hundred meters away from the laboratory he remembered, Natsuhiko finally stopped.
He knew he couldn't continue forward. If he got any closer, there was a real chance he might be discovered.
In truth, this distance wasn't particularly safe either. But compared to other safer spots, this location was more suitable for him to operate from.
He wasn't completely sure how far the connection distance between himself and the small lizards was.
The link between him and Lizardmaru could extend quite far, but that was because Lizardmaru was extremely powerful.
Whenever Natsuhiko connected with Lizardmaru, it was mainly through Lizardmaru's chakra that he could sense its condition.
But how could a small lizard possibly compare with Lizardmaru?
Although Natsuhiko had never summoned one before, he estimated that such a small creature probably couldn't maintain the connection over a long distance. Three hundred meters was likely its limit.
Taking a deep breath, Natsuhiko didn't summon the lizard immediately. Instead, he carefully used his sensory ability to examine everything around him.
Whether it was insects or plants, they were all targets he needed to inspect closely.
He checked insects to guard against Aburame Tatsuma, and plants because Root was conducting experiments using Hashirama Senju's cells.
Who knew if they had created some kind of monster capable of sensing enemies through plants?
As for animals, although it wasn't specifically stated which clans could control them, Natsuhiko didn't dare lower his guard.
After all, quite a few clans were capable of doing such things. For example, members of the Yamanaka Clan could achieve it.
Natsuhiko remembered that in the original story Yamanaka Ino had once controlled birds to search for Kakuzu's location. And Root was more than happy to recruit ninja from various clans.
Even though they hadn't yet begun openly breaking the rules of the ninja village like they would later, their lies could still deceive people who held ideals.
Those people would join them, only to slowly become Danzo's private army.
"It seems there really aren't many defensive measures right now."
After carefully sensing the area, Natsuhiko confirmed that he hadn't detected any trace of chakra from animals, plants, insects, mosquitoes, or flies.
The result satisfied him greatly. Opportunities like this were rare, and he didn't want to miss it.
Taking another deep breath, Natsuhiko quickly formed hand seals.
Forming seals at such a close distance would normally create chakra fluctuations that might attract unwanted attention.
Fortunately, he was only summoning a small lizard, so it wasn't too risky.
Poof!
With a puff of smoke, a tiny lizard appeared before Natsuhiko.
The little creature flicked its tongue toward him, and then a very subtle stream of chakra flowed from it into Natsuhiko.
Natsuhiko knew this was the communication method of the lizard clan.
Through this method, the summoner could also learn what abilities the summoned lizard possessed.
The lizard clan was truly fascinating. They possessed a wide variety of abilities.
The strongest combat-type among them was obviously Lizardmaru.
But the intelligence-gathering types came in many varieties—whether it was communicating with animals or disguising themselves to collect information, they were capable of all sorts of tasks.
However, the lizard he had summoned this time was not the one that could communicate with animals through chakra resonance.
Animals think very differently from humans. More importantly, what Natsuhiko needed this time were materials—actual documents and files.
He didn't believe those animals would be able to understand such things. Moreover, they wouldn't be under Natsuhiko's direct control, and that was the most critical problem.
If they weren't under his control, it meant they might give up halfway through the task or even cause all kinds of unexpected problems—something Natsuhiko absolutely didn't want.
Therefore, the best option was to use a well-behaved creature that could recognize human writing and also possessed strong stealth abilities.
After thinking it through, Natsuhiko ultimately chose a summoned lizard to serve as the main tool for this operation.
"Stealth, camouflage, and rapid memory, huh?"
Through the chakra connection with the lizard, Natsuhiko quickly learned quite a lot about it, especially regarding its abilities—which surprised him somewhat.
When selecting the lizard, he had already considered its abilities carefully, which was why he chose this one.
However, the information he gained through the summoning contract scroll was far less clear compared to holding the lizard in his hand and hearing its abilities directly from it.
After understanding all this, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Natsuhiko's mouth.
He had to admit, Masashi Kishimoto's world-building regarding summoning beasts was impressive. Even a creature with zero combat viability could provide utility that far outweighed raw power.
In fact, if Natsuhiko were a bit more ruthless, he could even use these lizards to carry out assassinations that he himself might not be able to accomplish.
The simplest form of assassination in Natsuhiko's modern world was attacking from a distance and leaving silently without being noticed.
But in this world, some problems made that difficult. For now, the best method was poison.
The lizard clan also had members that possessed extremely potent venom. If used properly, he could silently poison quite a few people—and it wouldn't necessarily lead suspicion back to him.
Shaking his head, Natsuhiko quickly dismissed the thought.
Strictly speaking, using poison wasn't anything shameful. For ninjas who focused purely on efficiency, the simplest way to eliminate an enemy was the best way.
And within the ninja world, unless someone was a figure like Hashirama Senju, who practically feared no poison, most people were extremely vulnerable to it.
During previous missions, the Sasori he encountered had been a master of poison. Among the ANBU and Root members who acted together in that operation, only a small number had returned alive.
And even those who survived were left with many lasting side effects.
That alone showed how terrifying poison could be.
Natsuhiko didn't reject the idea of using poison to deal with unnecessary trouble, but he wouldn't use such methods against enemies inside the village.
At least for now, he had no intention of trying it.
"Are you ready?"
After settling his thoughts, Natsuhiko looked at the lizard in his hand.
"This mission is extremely important. You must not leave any traces. Do you understand?"
"Hiss… hiss."
The little lizard flicked its tongue at Natsuhiko, looking almost like a small snake.
"I need their documents—important ones. If possible, bring all of them back."
Natsuhiko continued speaking expressionlessly. At this moment, it was difficult for him to maintain the usual smile on his face.
"Especially their experiment lists, and the records of their experimental materials…"