Chapter 131: Waiting 【45】
Chapter 131: Waiting 【45】
Two days later.
In a highland of the Rain Country.
Feng Ye, donning a conical hat and a raincoat, took a step onto the highland. He placed his foot in a puddle, but not a single drop of water splashed; only a ripple formed.
He climbed to the highest point and scanned his surroundings, but he didn't spot a single person. All that remained were traces of a camp.
"So, where is everyone?"
Feng Ye walked forward and crouched down to inspect one of the traces.
According to the intelligence, such a large camp should have been here, but it had vanished without a trace by the time he arrived!
After obtaining the exact location of the Rain Ninja's camp from Orochimaru, he had left the Leaf Village's camp and hurried over. Yet, there was nothing here.
Just as Feng Ye furrowed his brows, a shadow appeared in the distance and rushed towards him. It soon came to a stop not far away.
The figure wore a bizarre animal mask and clothing similar to the Leaf Village's Anbu, but the mask's pattern was more intricate.
"A Root ninja?"
Feng Ye glanced at the figure and calmly asked.
The Root ninja bowed slightly to Feng Ye. After confirming his identity, he said, "Danzo-sama ordered me to monitor the Rain Ninja's camp from a distance. Two days ago, the Rain Ninja packed up and left. I received Danzo-sama's order to meet you here."
"They left?"
Feng Ye frowned slightly and asked, "Which direction did they head in?"
The Root ninja replied in a low voice, "My companions continued to track them, but there has been no news for a day now. Perhaps they've been discovered... According to the last report yesterday, the Rain Ninja seemed to be heading back to the Rain Ninja Village."
Back to the Rain Ninja Village?
Feng Ye's eyes narrowed slightly as he fell into thought.
It was unlikely that Sanshouo Hanzo had known about his arrival in advance and decided to retreat. Perhaps he didn't want to stay in one place for too long.
The Rain Ninja Village was just a small ninja village, with a total of only about two thousand ninjas. Considering that they had to leave a portion of their forces in the village, they could only mobilize around fifteen hundred at most. It was understandable that they would be concerned about being suddenly surrounded by the Leaf Village while stationed at the border of the Rain Country.
"Do you have their specific route?"
Feng Ye asked the Root ninja.
The Root ninja replied in a low voice, "Only their route from a day ago..."
As he spoke, he threw a scroll towards Feng Ye. Inside was a map of the Rain Country and the Rain Ninja's marching route.
Feng Ye glanced at it and nodded. "I understand."
The Root ninja crouched down and used a teleportation technique, turning into white smoke and disappearing without a trace.
Watching him leave, Feng Ye carefully examined the map and determined his location before following the Rain Ninja's evacuation direction.
...
Leaf Village Camp.
Orochimaru looked at the sand table map in the center of the tent and placed a flag on it. "As expected of Hanzo's style. It seems that not long after the negotiations with you fell through, he decisively evacuated his camp, unwilling to give us any chance for a surprise attack."
Danzo sat calmly in a chair beside him and said, "I would have done the same."
Orochimaru studied the map for a moment and said, "Based on what we know about that person, he will likely lead his forces back to the Rain Ninja Village and wait for the next opportunity. It seems Feng Ye's assassination plan will have to be aborted midway."
Unless Feng Ye could catch up with Hanzo along the way, there was practically no chance of a successful assassination once he returned to the Rain Ninja Village.
Ninja villages, having been established for many years, would undoubtedly have perception barriers in place. While it was difficult to set up such barriers in temporary camps, it was a different story in long-established villages. The Leaf Village had them, and so did the Rain Ninja Village.
It was incredibly challenging to breach these perception barriers without being detected.
Once inside the range of these barriers, any intrusion would be noticed, and the element of surprise would be lost, making assassination nearly impossible.
"Mhm."
Danzo nodded in agreement. "However, Feng Ye isn't giving up. He continued the pursuit."
The Rain Ninja had left two days in advance, so the chances of Feng Ye catching up were slim. Their path wasn't a straight line, and any deviation would lead him in the wrong direction. Moreover, the spy he had sent to tail them had been taken care of.
To ensure an encounter, he would have to head straight for the Rain Ninja Village. However, ambushing them outside the village was out of the question. Hanzo wouldn't be sleeping while his subordinates carried him into the village.
"Young ninjas are always so persistent."
Orochimaru shrugged and smiled.
Although Feng Ye was young and confident, he was also cautious in his actions. If he found no opportunity for assassination, he likely wouldn't take unnecessary risks. At most, he would have made a wasted trip.
...
Rain Country.
Feng Ye followed the Rain Ninja's evacuation route to the last known location on the intelligence and then chose a direction to continue the pursuit based on the map. However, after tracking for half a day, he still hadn't found any traces.
It seemed he had chosen the wrong direction.
Feng Ye didn't bother to search randomly and instead decided to change his course directly to the Rain Ninja Village. After all, Hanzo's final destination was to return there.
As for the presence of perception barriers in the Rain Ninja Village and the difficulty of infiltration... he hadn't even considered infiltration and assassination in the first place.
Just as Orochimaru and Danzo had said, Hanzo was an extremely cautious ninja. Even in his sleep, he would have intricate defenses in place, making a surprise attack nearly impossible.
Feng Ye never intended to assassinate him.
A direct confrontation would suffice!
There was no need to consider the number of Rain Ninjas. Just like when he fought the Third and Fourth Raikage, ninjas who weren't fast enough wouldn't be able to interfere!
The same applied to Hanzo. Aside from him, the rest of the Rain Ninjas were insignificant. There was no need to pay attention to them; it was like clearing a dungeon—he could ignore the small fries and go straight for the final boss.
Feng Ye wasn't in a hurry to rush to the Rain Ninja Village immediately.
With his speed, he could reach the village in half a day if he went at full speed. However, with Hanzo leading the Rain Ninjas on a roundabout path through the Rain Country, it would likely take them three to four days to get back.
If he arrived too early, he would have to wait outside the village in the rain for several days. It would be better to find a nearby town to pass the time until Hanzo was close to returning to the Rain Ninja Village, and then make his move.
"This place will do."
Feng Ye flipped through the map he carried and found the nearest town.
(End of Chapter)
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