Chapter 158: Exchanging Intel
The Kumo elite jōnin—Storm Release user Tanimoto Naoto—was in a foul mood. The previous three-on-three match had been a blow: though the Iwa shinobi were clearly weaker individually, they still won, and in a way Naoto found hard to accept.
The tactics Iwa used seemed simple on the surface, but their effectiveness was undeniable. If the first match had been a fluke, two consecutive victories painted a different picture.
Could it be… Iwagakure has really found a method to compensate for their individual weakness?
"Third match," Naoto called out, trying to test that very thought.
"No, no, no, Tanimoto-dono," Ishiro quickly interrupted. "That's enough for today. Let's meet again in two days."
Naoto didn't flare up this time. It was obvious he'd reined in his temper after realizing he couldn't easily defeat Ishiro.
"Two matches a day? How are we supposed to reach thirty like that? Don't play games with me, boy."
"If Kumo were winning every match, I wouldn't stop you. Blame your own side's lack of strength," Ishiro replied with a cheeky grin.
"Hmph." Naoto clearly didn't want to argue further. "So, what's this intel of yours about?"
"You think information from me is so easily obtained?" Ishiro frowned. This guy was awfully direct.
"We can exchange intel," Naoto countered immediately.
Ishiro hesitated. Using intel as bait to stall Kumo had been part of his plan. He never actually intended to hand over valuable secrets this early.
Keeping the bait just out of reach ensured Kumo remained cautious and hesitant. If he gave it up too soon, there was no guarantee they'd honor the match terms.
"I'm not ready to trade information yet, Tanimoto-dono. Let's stick to the agreement."
Naoto narrowed his eyes, then said, "Very well. Two days from now, we continue."
With that, he led the Kumo-nin away toward the sea.
Whew. Ishiro let out a breath of relief. He wasn't afraid of Naoto—but if the man chose to start a real fight, many of Ishiro's subordinates wouldn't make it.
Thankfully, Naoto's brutish attitude was a facade. Once Ishiro showed sufficient strength, the man became much more reasonable.
After confirming Kumo's full retreat, Ishiro granted B-rank mission credits to the second match's participants and led everyone back to camp.
At the Eastern Division headquarters, Kitsuchi frowned after hearing Ishiro's report. "What intel would you give them if we really lost thirty matches?"
It was a fair concern. Iwa wasn't known for individual strength. Their prowess came from teamwork and numbers.
Ishiro thought for a moment, then answered, "If it comes to that… I'll give them intel on Namikaze Minato."
Kitsuchi nodded. That was valuable—intel on Minato hadn't yet spread widely. But its time-sensitive value had already diminished somewhat.
He didn't press further. Instead, he brought up a new assignment.
Pointing to a map, he said, "Over here—between the Land of Grass and the Land of Waterfalls—there's a small country called the Land of the Moon. Multiple villages have reported mass disappearances. Go investigate. I'll assign someone else to handle the next Kumo matches."
Ishiro accepted the mission and studied the report.
The Land of the Moon was insignificant—no ninja village, and previously not worth Iwa's attention. But now it sat between Konoha and Iwa's war fronts. Kitsuchi worried it could involve Konoha.
Ishiro didn't delay. After reviewing the intelligence, he took off immediately using flight jutsu.
The Land of the Moon was tiny. Ishiro barely remembered it from geography texts and had never visited it during missions.
However, since arriving at the Eastern Division, he had studied the local maps. The Moon Country's location, lying between two great nations, made it tactically relevant.
With his aerial mobility, Ishiro reached it swiftly. Comparing the map to the landscape below, he quickly pinpointed the affected villages.
First, he stayed hidden and used sensory techniques. After confirming there were no life signs, he entered the first village.
As a trained shinobi, it didn't take long for him to detect something was off.
The villagers had disappeared suddenly. There were no signs of a struggle—no blood, no broken furniture. Based on clues, Ishiro concluded the abduction happened at night—almost all villagers were taken from their beds.
There was no resistance whatsoever.
This wasn't surprising. For shinobi, subduing civilians without alerting them was easy. Ishiro himself could cast a large-scale genjutsu to do it.
While his illusions weren't top-tier, with prep time, he could easily learn a low-powered one effective on civilians.
Ishiro investigated the remaining villages. Inside the homes, he found no clues. But outside, he uncovered something useful.
"Poison," he muttered. In less ventilated corners, he detected lingering toxins. He also found wildlife corpses nearby that contained trace amounts of the same poison.
From there, he deduced the chronological order of the attacks—and predicted the next likely target.
He then positioned himself high above that region, lying in wait.
With camouflage and Light-Weight Boulder techniques, Ishiro remained practically invisible in the sky. So long as he didn't move erratically, he was undetectable from below.
He wasn't worried for his own safety—he was more concerned the perpetrator wouldn't show, making the trip a waste.
But before the culprit appeared, something else caught his attention.
From high above, Ishiro noticed something strange about the Moon Country's terrain.
One nearby valley, for example—it looked… too round.
Circular valleys weren't common. And this wasn't the only one—he spotted at least four such valleys.
Then there was the river. It ran unusually deep for its location—and far too straight.
It didn't look natural.
"An artificial canal?" Ishiro mused. "Could a nation this small have built something that massive?"
"Unless… it's from the Warring States era? Or even older?"
He studied the area further, frowning.
"No… Even a rookie engineer wouldn't choose this path for a canal. The terrain doesn't support it."
A chill ran down his spine.
"Was this… cut by a sword?"
What kind of blade could cause that kind of damage?
As he stared toward the round valleys again, names and concepts surged into his mind:
Shinra Tensei, Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion… Rinnegan, Tenseigan… Ōtsutsuki, Hagoromo, Hamura, Kaguya.
"Could this be the remnants of that war from a thousand years ago…?"
There were no written records anymore—only legends passed down by oral tradition.
The establishment of the ninja villages buried those ancient tales. In the Land of Earth, stories of the First Tsuchikage were far more prominent.
Only minor countries, ones without ninja villages, still maintained rituals and oral lore. Some still retained traditions from the Warring States period—like priesthoods.
These miko (shrine maidens) weren't exclusive to the Evil God cult. Many ancient faiths had them.
The most widespread current deity was the Goddess of the Hare, clearly inspired by Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
Beyond her, other gods appeared in scattered mythologies. Perhaps they, too, were real.
These oral traditions had been passed down by shrine maidens across generations.
Maybe I should investigate these old shrines… see if I can dig up more clues, Ishiro thought.
Just then, he spotted something.
In the region he had marked, a faint black mist began rising from one village.
It was nearly imperceptible—especially as the sky darkened. But Ishiro had been watching for it.
He slowly descended, stopping at about 100 meters above the village.
And there—he saw it.
A figure, shrouded in a black cloak, stood in the center of the village.
From his aerial angle, Ishiro couldn't make out the person's face—or even their gender. So he studied the figure longer.
Perhaps sensing the scrutiny, the cloaked individual suddenly snapped their head up and locked eyes with Ishiro.
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