"In these expansive mountain ranges, how could I possibly find a single clue about her?"
At the peak of a remote mountain, Yoichi started to narrow down the likelihood of Kaedehara Yumiko's location.
Cupping his chin, he then fell into a further focused contemplative state with time marching against him.
"She should be in a much secure place like the academy or the headquarters."
For a while, the densely packed chunk of clouds began to shift as the winds turned ferocious and tempestuous more like Yoichi's overclocking brain.
"Oh well. Eavesdropping should be manageable with my perception. But if I struggle to find her, I'll take the chance to threaten somebody!"
He was truly troubled until Yoichi let out a soft sigh.
His profile unexpectedly hardened, his silhouette sprinted through the zenith of the mountains with nimbleness.
"Let's begin the hunt!"
Phantom Steps!
*Siuuu!*
In his mind, threatening a shinobi was his last choice. Coughing out intel on his target's position against a shinobi hailing from Kumogakure wouldn't be feasible in the first place.
These people are very adamant even in the face of death, tempered by conflicts inside out.
If they aren't stubborn, then why can't they move beyond their ethnical and class differences?
Moreover, Yoichi considered the fact that if he killed a shinobi, this might elicit an aggressive approach against Konoha, tarnishing the peace treaty earlier than he anticipated.
What he wanted was to finish this task, not to be the catalyst for an early Second Great Shinobi War.
Call it delusions or a huge oversight, but once a small domino started to fall, the next bigger dominoes would ensue.
Phantom Steps!
"Not here!"
Phantom Steps!
"Where the hell did that woman go?"
Phantom Steps!
"Got her! She might be that person!"
*Crunch!*
After utilizing movement techniques for far too long, Yoichi popped a pill into his mouth before he eventually found a clue that would lead him to his target's current location.
Based on the gossipy mouths of the public, he took notice that there was a white skinned woman in the academy, very protected thanks to the top-notch security within the school's periphery.
"Comprehensive protection huh. Let's put that conjecture once and for all!"
Yoichi's body flickered amidst the dreary atmosphere, departing from his original position in an instant.
The Kumogakure Academy wasn't hidden in plain sight, an actual and immoderate establishment perched atop a mountain near the base of the headquarters.
Easy to look after, harder to infiltrate.
Hooohh... Calm down. It'll take time for them to realize that it was a shadow clone.
"Authorization slip, kid."
After Yoichi took a deep breath, he then went inside with a composed vibe before a shinobi reached out his hands, very serious about his job as a guard.
!!!
"H—here it is, good sir."
Yoichi stuttered after giving his forged documents. His sensitive instincts distinguished irregular gazes carefully examining him from top to bottom.
Such powerful sensory signatures! It is coming from the headquarters itself!
A little bit surprised by the event, he behaved like a nervous child with an innocent expression on his face.
Unlike the regular shinobi around, the sensory type shinobi were extremely rare. Well-versed in tracking and intel gathering, their perception allowed them to differentiate unique Chakra signatures at a far distance.
That's why Yoichi calmed himself down for a bit since his transformed figure wasn't developed through the Transformation Jutsu principles, a chakra-based jutsu compared to his striking face-changing technique.
「Name: Yone」
[I hereby allow this guest to have an opportunity and participate in being a part of the academy for the upcoming days.]
「Stamped by: Yotsuki Clan」
The guard then glanced in a certain direction and keenly saw the nod from far away, letting the child get inside.
"You're allowed to go now, kid. But don't do anything crazy, alright? Just learn what you need to understand and that's it." The guard spoke in a subtle tone, throwing a serious look.
Yoichi repeatedly nodded in accord, eyes shining brightly.
With the green light, he prompted to move slowly but surely, making sure those watchful eyes weren't entirely concentrating on him.
Right before his eyes, the vast area within the Academy streamed as the children ranging from 6 to 12 were constantly conditioning in the training grounds.
"Got it! There's a large portion of unused space beneath this solid floor. A basement level!" Yoichi exclaimed, sprinting yet silent in each stride.
The inaudible oscillations below the ground were perceived by his senses along with the cool air escaping to the surface as the ground acted like a natural insulator, cooling down the temperature.
Phantom Steps!
Lightning Spear Thrust!
"Who?"
*Shlick!*
Once Yoichi went into the guarded source, a shinobi guard was shocked until a hand pierced straight through his chest without even a chance to resist.
"...Bastard..."
The shinobi guard coughed up blood violently, looking at Yoichi's indifferent face with extreme hatred churning in his mind.
Yoichi then dislodged and wiped the blood dripping down his arm, ignoring the shinobi's body lying on the ground, lifeless as ever.
「Soul Power +1」
"Is this the so-called 'security' that they proudly said? This is nothing more than a joke!"
Yoichi muttered, step by step moving downwards to the basement level.
The underground level consists of almost nothing. With dim lighting and stools around, an individual might subconsciously call it an abandoned warehouse or something.
"Wh— who are you?!"
At the sounds of incoming footsteps, a feminine voice thundered. Soon enough, Yoichi's figure appeared from the darkness with a smile on his face.
"Are you Kaedehara Yumiko?"
An adult woman with black hair and a prisoner's get-up was unveiled in his presence.
Hearing this, the woman suddenly shuddered a bit before she recovered.
However, nothing escapes Yoichi's inquisitive eyes.
Lightning Spear Thrust!
*Shuck!*
The woman's eyes widened as she stared at Yoichi's face with disbelief, ultimately falling down to the ground.
"Sorry, but I don't have time to deal with you any longer..."
A childish yet cold voice rang deep within the woman's mind until she passed away, filled with endless regret and hatred towards Konoha.
「Soul Power +1」
"Phew! This mission might be effortless if I hadn't triggered that shinobi's sharp intuition. Oh well, time to leave!"
Yoichi stored the woman's corpse in the pouch and separated it from his available food.
As for the questions, it's better to leave this place without anyone chasing him rather than have a talk with her, wasting all of his time for almost nothing.
Phantom Steps!
*Shua!*
"An enemy infiltrated our village!!!"
A sudden loud voice echoed across all Kumogakure, spreading the urgent announcement.
Yoichi sped out of the Kumogakure as soon as possible.
The shinobi from all around the village became intensified, checking each other's authorization slips with a copy of a ledger.
Meanwhile, the sensory shinobi and other personnel commenced without any prior directives, tightening the security in a matter of seconds.
"What the hell happened here?!"
"Raikage-sama!"
The 3rd Raikage came in with a commanding voice as the shinobi around knelt.
Ever since the death of the Second Raikage, Ay has been the de facto leader of Kumogakure.
This position was passed through the combination of strength, merits, and achievements.
Similarly, with his close relationship to the 2nd Raikage, Ay's status had solidified over time.
"Raikage-sama! That girl we abducted left within the perimeter along with that tiny rat!"
"THEN WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Chase them and while the rest must increase their vigilance!"
Therefore, the Kumogakure began to hunt any kind of shadowy figures fleeing in their village like maniacs.
Any points of interest became greatly investigated including some of the innocents who didn't have contact with the said infiltrator.
"He's here!"
_____________
(Current Progress)
「Soul Power: 36」+2
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