Normally, having incompatible brainwaves would be one thing, but once they aligned, Yugito and Hidan were instantly captivated by Hidan's utterly incomprehensible artistic masterpiece.
Although Yugito could only vaguely recognize a figure that resembled Chinatsu, an indescribable sense of familiarity continued to assault her mind.
"These markings on the ground... they were definitely carved recently. But why... why do they feel so familiar..."
Yugito frowned slightly, unable to understand why traces connected to that girl would appear in a place like this.
Four years ago, after returning to Kumogakure, Yugito had secretly searched for information regarding Chinatsu. She investigated mission records, casualty reports, missing-nin lists, and even intelligence archives, but because she knew almost nothing about the girl besides her appearance, she ultimately found no clues.
Yugito had also considered the possibility that Chinatsu wasn't a Kumogakure ninja at all.
However, she had personally witnessed Chinatsu collapse in front of her after taking an attack meant for her. The amount of blood she lost and the severity of her injuries were things Yugito would never forget.
By all logic, those injuries should have been fatal.
Yugito refused to believe that the kind-hearted girl she remembered had been some infiltrator from another village. If she truly had been a spy, then she was the most incompetent spy Yugito had ever seen. Sacrificing herself before gathering any useful intelligence made no sense whatsoever.
Yugito stared at the drawing before narrowing her eyes and extending her senses.
Soon, she discovered two faint sets of footprints.
"Should I investigate...?"
Yugito hesitated.
"The mission is already finished. All that's left is reporting back to the village..."
"No. I'm the jōnin leading this squad. How can I act so recklessly?"
She took a deep breath and turned around.
After taking several steps away, however, her body suddenly froze.
It was as if some mysterious force had grabbed her shoulders and forcibly spun her around.
Yugito stared once more at the bizarre drawing Hidan had left behind.
Her lips tightened.
Inside her mind, two miniature Yugitos immediately began arguing.
Yugito (Rational): Mission first. Nothing is more important than completing the mission.
Yugito (Emotional): But... the mission is basically over already...
Yugito (Rational): Basically over isn't the same as over. Submit the report first. You can investigate afterward.
Yugito (Emotional): What if the trail disappears before then?
Yugito (Rational): And what exactly are you expecting to find? Even if those people know something, what does it change? Face reality. That girl is dead.
The two tiny Yugitos argued endlessly.
Meanwhile, the real Yugito held her forehead in frustration.
At that moment, several Kumogakure shinobi approached.
Although they had no idea what Yugito was thinking, they could tell she was struggling with something important.
"Captain Yugito, if there's something you need to do, just do it."
"We can handle submitting the mission report."
"Yeah, don't worry about us."
The surrounding shinobi nodded one after another.
The rational Yugito immediately faltered.
The emotional Yugito seized the opportunity.
Taking a running start, she launched a flying kick straight into Rational Yugito's face.
Bang!
The rational side instantly collapsed.
Victory.
"Then... I'll leave the report to all of you."
After speaking, Yugito followed the footprints without hesitation.
The Kumogakure shinobi watched her leave before turning their attention toward the drawing on the ground.
"Can anyone tell what this thing is supposed to be?"
"No idea."
"It's completely incomprehensible."
"But if Captain Yugito reacted like that, it must mean something important."
"You're all thinking too narrowly."
One shinobi suddenly crouched beside the drawing.
With a serious expression, he pointed at Hidan's masterpiece.
"This is clearly some kind of ancient religious symbol."
"What?"
"Look carefully. Doesn't it resemble a forgotten evil god?"
Everyone looked again.
The crooked figure, the distorted proportions, and the strange lines surrounding it suddenly seemed much more mysterious.
"...Now that you mention it..."
"It really does look like some evil deity."
"No wonder Captain Yugito reacted so strongly."
"This could be important intelligence."
The group immediately became serious.
"Let's hurry back and report this to Lord Raikage."
"Agreed."
The Kumogakure shinobi quickly departed, completely misunderstanding Hidan's artistic abilities.
Meanwhile, Yugito followed the trail alone.
The footprints were easy enough to track across dirt paths and muddy terrain.
Unfortunately, once they reached the town streets, the already faint traces became almost impossible to distinguish.
Yugito stopped in the middle of the bustling street.
People moved around her from every direction.
Merchants shouted.
Children ran past.
Travelers came and went.
Finding two unknown individuals among such a crowd was practically impossible.
After searching for quite some time without success, Yugito finally lowered her head.
"...Forget it."
She sighed softly.
Her expectations had never been particularly high anyway.
At most, she had hoped to find the people responsible for the drawing and ask them who that girl had been.
As for actually meeting Chinatsu again
That possibility had never crossed her mind.
The dead could not return to life.
At least, that was what Yugito believed.
Thinking this, she turned around and prepared to leave.
Then she froze.
Several meters ahead, among the crowd, a figure wrapped in a cloak was walking directly toward her.
Most of the person's face was hidden beneath the hood.
The moment the cloaked figure noticed Yugito staring, however, her body visibly stiffened.
She immediately lowered her head and attempted to walk past.
Yugito's pupils contracted.
That reaction.
That strangely familiar feeling.
Without even realizing it, her body moved before her mind could process anything.
Snap!
Her hand shot forward and firmly grabbed the girl's wrist.
The instant their skin touched, the sense of familiarity became overwhelming.
Yugito knew this was rude.
She knew it was unreasonable.
But at that moment, her emotional side had already beaten her rational side unconscious several times over.
It would probably take hours before the rational side recovered.
Taking a deep breath, Yugito looked at the cloaked girl before her.
"Excuse me..."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"Could you remove your hood for a moment?"
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