Returning to the beach where the battle had just taken place, Fuguki Suikazan was already long gone.
Nonō Yakushi had been swatted away by the Great Sword Samehada and slammed into a rock; that same rock had since been washed further down the coast by the receding Water Style waves. Yagami examined the stone meticulously, searching for clues.
A scrap of cloth!
In a jagged crevice of the rock, he found a tiny fragment of fabric torn away during the impact. Yagami used a kunai to pick up the scrap and placed it carefully into a ninja tool pouch, ensuring his own scent wouldn't contaminate it. He hurried back to find Ram.
Outside a cluster of trees, Yagami located the Fox Squad's secret signal and followed it to find the hidden Ram.
"Ram, this is fabric from a Mist spy's clothing. Use the parasitic insects to track them!"
"Understood!"
Parasitic insects could distinguish scents; while not as sensitive as the Inuzuka clan's ninken, they were more than sufficient for most missions. The insects gnawed on the fabric, memorizing the scent, before scattering into the air.
Soon, Ram found a trail. Yagami and Ram pursued the scent relentlessly, tracking it until the following afternoon, where they finally reached a desolate stone cliff. On the cliff face, there were only rows of bird nests.
Yagami suddenly had an ominous feeling. A swarm of parasitic insects killed a sea bird and brought it down. Ram untied a small strip of cloth bound to the bird's leg and said, "Captain, we've been played."
Yagami thought to himself, *As expected of the Walking Miko.* She had set a false trail before escaping, wasting half a day of his time.
"Let's go. We're heading back."
Yagami was preoccupied with worry during the journey. Although B was dead, Nonō Yakushi knew the truth. If she exchanged information with Root, he could still be exposed. As they walked, Ram noticed the Captain had stopped moving and waited quietly.
Yagami suddenly snapped, "Move! We're going back to the main camp immediately!"
He had remembered kurumi. She was an orphan from the Leaf Orphanage; perhaps she held a clue to Nonō's whereabouts.
Yagami rushed back to the camp and checked the records for Chunin Kurumi. He found that her squad had taken a mission to patrol a certain stretch of the coast. Without stopping for rest, Yagami left the camp again, racing toward her's mission objective.
...
By the shore.
Kurumi was leading three Genin on a routine patrol. She noticed that when they left the camp today, the tension among the ninja seemed to have slackened. Rumors were flying that the ANBU brigade had achieved a massive victory, dealing a heavy blow to the Mist that might bring a swift end to the war. There were even whispers that Lord Orochimaru might be coming to the Land of Whirlpools front. All signs pointed to the war's conclusion.
A Genin nearly two meters tall walked up beside the 1.5-meter-tall Kurumi.
"Captain, can we head back early today? I'm about to vomit from eating soldier pills. I want to go back to camp, even if it's just for a bowl of clear soup." The tall boy's stomach let out a loud growl.
"Of course not!" She snapped. "Eat another soldier pill right now. Don't try to fight Mist ninja on an empty stomach!"
Despite the height difference, the giant had to obey her. He looked aggrieved as he pulled out a pill, hesitated, and swallowed it. She thought to herself that it would be wonderful if the war really did end.
The squad continued forward until they spotted a fishing village. War had ravaged the coastline of the Land of Whirlpools, so seeing an inhabited settlement was unexpected. Most of the houses were empty, but two chimneys were actually emitting cooking smoke.
"Someone's cooking!" the tall Genin shouted, then looked cautiously at Captain.
Kurumi said, "Don't think about food. It's suspicious that people are in this village. We need to investigate. It could be refugees returning home, or it could be a Mist bait."
Using bushes and overturned fishing boats for cover, kurumi led the squad into the village.
"Fish soup... it smells like fish soup..."
As soon as the tall Genin spoke, his vision blurred, and he slowly collapsed.
She yelled, "The scent of the soup is poisoned!"
Medical chakra shimmered in Jūri's hands as she quickly began to detoxify herself. To poison an open area via scent required masterful skill; She suspected they had run into a Mist Jonin. Her other two teammates fell one after another.
From three different houses, three identical people emerged. Clones! Two shadow clones popped, leaving only one person behind. The enemy had realized that smoke from only one house would look fake and had used clones to create a more convincing illusion.
"Kurumi, it's me. Don't be nervous."
She rubbed her eyes, looking at the middle-aged woman before her. She didn't recognize the face, but the voice was one she would never forget as long as she lived.
"It's me, kurumi. I'm using a disguise technique."
"Is it... really you, Matron?"
The woman said, "It's really me. The orphanage is poor; you were malnourished as a child and never grew tall. That is my greatest regret regarding you."
Kurumi was now certain the woman was the Matron. Nonō Yakushi pulled out a scroll. "This is the money and ninjutsu I've gathered this year. Take it back to the orphanage."
"Matron, what about you? Aren't you coming back? Don't you come back for a month or two at the end of every year?"
"Me..." Nonō's eyes downcast. "I can't go back for now."
She had to work for Danzo; otherwise, he would drag all the children from the orphanage into Root. The weak would be used for experiments, and the talented would be trained as his private subordinates. Especially this year—with the mission failed and Yellow Dog gaining massive credit, Danzo would not let her go easily. That orphanage was her final obsession.
"Matron! Several of us are ninja now! We can earn money to support the orphanage! Please come back, we all miss you so much!" Kurumi threw herself toward Nonō just as she used to as a child.
Nonō stroked kurumi's head. Even though she was grown, she could still hold her in her arms—poor kurumi, who would never grow tall. "Kurumi, you're an adult now. Take good care of your younger brothers and sisters. I have a mission; I cannot return to the village."
Kurumi looked up at the Matron. The woman was disguised as a stranger, but the voice was so warm—it was the Matron from her memories.
Just as she was savoring the reunion, the Matron suddenly pushed her away with force. A figure erupted from beneath their feet, wedging himself between kurumi and the Matron.
Kurumi instinctively lunged with her kunai, trying to stab the sudden intruder. The blade struck the enemy's back, but it felt like hitting a steel plate; the tip snapped off.
'This ability?'
The Self-Curse Binding Seal instantly locked Nonō Yakushi in place. Yagami looked at her.
"As expected of the Walking Miko. Not only did you leave misleading clues, you even disguised yourself as someone else. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have known who you were even if you stood right in front of me."
Yagami's fist turned a reddish-copper hue as he raised it high.
Kurumi let out a desperate cry, "No! Captain Fox!"
***
Read 30 Chapters early on P-atreon.com/Redestro666