The Yamanaka clan's secret technique excels in memory reading.
Yamanaka Inoichi didn't need much time to retrieve the dying memories of the Hyuga main family member.
He then recounted everything that the Hyuga ninja saw before dying.
Upon hearing that the three Jonin who were supposed to guard the Hyuga had struck a deal with Kirigakure ninja, Nara Shikaku's expression changed dramatically.
"This is a serious problem!" he said grimly.
"A single Byakugan falling into the hands of the Mist is troubling enough," sighed Inoichi.
"No, Inoichi. I think both Byakugan were taken," said Shikaku.
"Both? But according to what you read from the memory, didn't the Jonin guarding the Hyuga ninja say: 'We'll keep the other eye as a token of trust,' and then refused to sell it to the Mist ninja?" asked Akimichi Chōza.
"One of the Mist ninja there was Kuriarare Raiga of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. If I were him, facing one Jonin and two Special Jonin, I'd go for a betrayal," said Orochimaru.
Shikaku nodded in agreement. "I thought the same."
"So those three Jonin…"
"Most likely dead. Or, if they realized they couldn't defeat the Mist, they may have defected," Inoichi offered.
"There's another possibility. Inoichi just mentioned that one of the Mist nin said: 'You brought too many people.' If each side only brought three, they wouldn't have said that," said Orochimaru.
Shikaku glanced calmly at Orochimaru, then replied, "That's a valid possibility."
"Should we keep pursuing those three?" Chōza asked.
"I think we should first investigate those in the camp who were close to them," Inoichi suggested.
"That won't be easy," Orochimaru noted. "They were originally members of Lord Hiruzen's ANBU. They were reassigned to the Bear Country front due to age and the need for manpower."
"Orochimaru-sama is right. It was precisely because of their ANBU background that I allowed them to guard the Hyuga main family member when no branch members were available," Shikaku said.
"They were part of the Third Hokage's ANBU? Why would they betray the village? Weren't they supposed to be among the most loyal?"
"Who knows? Only they can answer that."
"So, what should we do next?" Inoichi asked.
"What do you suggest, Orochimaru-sama?" Shikaku passed the responsibility to him.
"Report to the village first. Then send out search teams for the three, and also review anyone in the camp who had close ties to them. Even if they were connected to Lord Hiruzen, we can't leave it uninvestigated."
Shikaku breathed a sigh of relief. With that statement, the investigation could proceed smoothly.
Had Orochimaru tried to protect the Hokage's reputation and blocked the inquiry, things would've been much harder.
Fortunately, Orochimaru seemed cooperative. He had earlier pointed out a detail Shikaku had overlooked and now fully supported the investigation. That likely meant neither he nor the village leadership was involved.
"Let's hope this was just a case of three guys wanting money and trying to run," Shikaku thought.
That night, under Shikaku's orders, the Bear Country camp began investigating the social connections of the three missing Jonin.
At the same time, a message was dispatched to the village reporting the Hyuga death and the lost Byakugan.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Yuan and his team were fast asleep, unaware of the developments.
Namikaze Minato had established a night watch rotation, with each team taking a two-hour shift.
Minato's team took the first watch, followed by Guy's, and lastly Yuan's.
Yuan took advantage of their shift to open the sealed scroll and copy all the Water Release techniques inside using his Sharingan, planning to study them later.
The night passed without incident. At dawn, everyone resumed travel.
Yuan wanted to ask why Minato wasn't using Flying Thunder God to teleport them back, but hesitated—there wasn't much public intel on the technique. He wasn't sure if that kind of question would touch classified details.
That question, however, was answered when the group paused again.
This time they stopped because Rin, Minato's student, seemed exhausted—likely due to a past injury.
Obito asked about her condition. Rin said she was fine.
Then Kakashi asked, "Sensei, why don't you just teleport us back with Flying Thunder God?"
Minato smiled and explained, "I haven't left any Flying Thunder God markers near the village. There are plenty inside the village, but during wartime, suddenly teleporting in could disrupt village security."
Yuan was speechless. So that was the reason Minato didn't use the technique—they were just walking.
Given Minato's prestige, who would actually reprimand him for something like that?
Still, this showed a lot about Minato's character. He was truly the ideal successor of the Will of Fire.
Honestly, having someone like him become Hokage was good for the village.
If Minato had succeeded the First Hokage instead of the Second, the village might look very different today. But unfortunately, time couldn't be reversed.
"Yuan, why have you been staring at Minato-senpai this whole time?" Hyuga Asana asked quietly.
"I just think his reason for not using Flying Thunder God is a bit odd. If it were me, I wouldn't care about that."
"I probably wouldn't either," Asana replied thoughtfully.
After resting for an hour, the group resumed travel at full speed.
After twelve continuous hours of marching, they finally returned to the Hidden Leaf Village.
(To Be Continued...)