"Damned rain, damned Land of Rain!"
In a long-abandoned village, Aburame Shikuro sheltered in the only house that wasn't leaking. He glared at the curtain of rain outside, which showed no sign of stopping, and let out a string of curses.
After being stalled and played by Nara Shikashin for the better part of a day, he was feeling more than a little restless. Though his strength was already on par with a Jonin, he was only sixteen years old—an age where one is still prone to the arrogance and volatility of youth.
He had lost them. He had actually lost his tail on the target.
When the Aburame clan performs tracking, it is similar to the Inuzuka clan in that both rely on scent. The difference is that while an Inuzuka's canine partner can naturally sniff out a trail, an Aburame must first discreetly plant "pheromones" on the target.
As an elite of the clan, Shikuro had successfully tagged Minato, Choza, and Inoichi before they departed. However, due to Shikashin's deliberate delay, the trio had gained too much of a lead. Between the distance and the relentless, non-stop downpour, the lingering pheromones had long since been washed away.
In fact, the rain had been so thorough that even the natural scent of the trio would have been scrubbed clean. Had it not been for that, the wind might have carried their scent to Hatani the moment they reunited. In a way, the rain wasn't entirely a bad thing for Shikuro's secrecy, but he didn't see it that way.
Usually known for being calm, steady, and man of few words, Shikuro was currently undergoing a rare meltdown. He was leaning dangerously close to becoming a "keyboard warrior," venting his spleen with a vocabulary that would have made a sailor blush.
During the thirty minutes he'd spent sheltering here, he had cursed nearly everything in existence. Fortunately, just as he was about to reach the peak of his mental tirade, his Kikaichu sensed an incoming chakra signature. To maintain his "cool, silent powerhouse" persona, he snapped his mouth shut and regained his stoic composure.
Soon, a figure cut through the rain and stepped into the room. Shikuro didn't move to stop him; the dog mask the man wore was enough to confirm his identity. It was Inu, who had returned to the Land of Rain ahead of the delegation.
"Lord Shikuro."
Facing the black-robed, sunglass-wearing Aburame, Inu didn't dare be careless. He stepped forward quickly and gave a respectful bow. Although Shikuro was younger than him, strength was the only metric of status within the Root. Furthermore, he hadn't forgotten that it was Shikuro who had put in a good word for him before Danzo.
"What's the situation? Any useful news?"
Shikuro hadn't come to this specific ruins just to hide from the rain; he was hoping to cross paths with his subordinates at this pre-arranged contact point.
"Reporting to Lord Shikuro: the target, Senju Nawaki, is currently at a location where Jiraiya is staying in seclusion."
Inu didn't disappoint. He brought exactly the news Shikuro needed.
"Jiraiya?! Intel said he had already left to travel the world."
"The previous intel was incorrect. According to information Tsunade leaked to Orochimaru, Jiraiya is living in seclusion somewhere within the Land of Rain. Along with the target, Namikaze Hatani and Dan Kato are also there recovering from their injuries."
Inu remained perfectly deferential as he answered.
"Somewhere?" Shikuro's brow furrowed behind his glasses, a hint of dissatisfaction creeping into his voice.
"We were incompetent, my Lord. We failed to pinpoint the exact coordinates," Inu whispered, lowering his head in apology.
Shikuro didn't fly into a rage. After a moment's thought, he realized the exact location was likely a secret known only to Tsunade. If even these operatives couldn't find it, Danzo himself probably couldn't have pried the answer out of Tsunade's mouth.
However, he asked one more time with a shred of hope, "You don't even have a general direction?"
The Land of Rain was a small country, but wandering around like a headless fly was a waste of time. By the time they found the place, Minato's rescue team would have already escorted the targets back to Konoha. If they had a general area, they at least stood a chance of intercepting them on the road.
"Based on intel from Amegakure, it is highly likely they are near Mistrain City," Inu said, sounding slightly relieved as he offered a lead. "A patrol squad from Mistrain—consisting of one Chunin and three Genin—went missing recently. It is believed the targets and Namikaze Hatani were responsible. At the time, Amegakure was preparing a full-scale search around Mistrain City using that as a lead, but the search was called off once news broke that Orochimaru had crushed the Suna camp."
To prove he wasn't just making things up to excuse his failure, Inu explained the logic behind his conclusion in detail.
"Mistrain City." Shikuro believed him. "Fine. Get me a detailed map of the Mistrain City area."
"Ah... that... please wait a moment, Lord Shikuro. I don't have one on me."
Inu hadn't expected Shikuro to ask for a map immediately, and he hadn't even been sure he would find Shikuro at this rendezvous point. He began to panic.
"Useless. Get moving!"
Having been thwarted several times today, Shikuro's face darkened again. He looked ready to revert to his "keyboard warrior" mode as he snapped at the operative.
"Yes, sir!"
As Inu vanished into the rain, Fumikawa was inside a dilapidated inn within Mistrain City itself, taking a map from the hands of the innkeeper.
Compared to the frustrated and irritable Shikuro, Fumikawa's mission was going perfectly. Having had no initial lead on Nawaki's location, he had headed straight for the nearest major settlement, Mistrain City, the moment he entered the country. He intended to check in with the Iwa sleeper agents embedded there.
The results spoke for themselves.
If even a Root operative at the main camp could dig up this information, how could an Iwa spy embedded in Mistrain City not know about it? Naturally, they had a map of the surrounding area ready.
After all, if a spy's identity was ever compromised, a map was the difference between life and death. They wouldn't dare be careless with such a tool.
"It seems the heavens are on Iwa's side this time!"
Looking at the detailed map in his hands, Fumikawa's earlier anxiety vanished, replaced by a surge of confidence.
"If we complete this mission smoothly, you will receive the top merit. I will personally report this to Lord Onoki and have you transferred back to the Land of Earth. You won't have to live this life of constant fear anymore."
Satisfied with the intel and the map, Fumikawa immediately offered a reward to the spy.
"Thank you, Lord Fumikawa! We wish you a swift and victorious return!"