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"A sensor? Then why was he here?" Midorima asked, puzzled.
"Did you forget our mission? The rogue ninja is strong and highly alert. A sensor would've been tracking him."
"But he died here."
"Probably got discovered." Mei pulled out a row of small bamboo tubes—no longer than a finger—from the ninja's clothes. "They stuff intel into these, seal them, and send them out. Scrolls are too expensive—not every sensory ninja can afford them."
As she spoke, Mei opened one of the tubes and shook out a tiny slip of paper.
Midorima's eyes widened in surprise, but Mei's expression quickly darkened.
"What's wrong?"
She tossed him the slip.
Blank.
"Could this get any worse?" Midorima hadn't expected his first mission to be this fraught with setbacks.
"Worse, the rogue ninja now knows he was being tracked. That means our previous intel is useless." Mei sighed. "If he's still on this island, we might find him. But if he's fled to another one… our comrades—and this guy—died for nothing."
The Land of Water wasn't just one island. Smaller isles dotted the surrounding waters, some even inhabited.
If the rogue ninja escaped to one of those, catching him would be near impossible.
Midorima turned to the villager. "What's the nearest island from here?"
The man shook his head frantically. "Doesn't matter."
"Why?"
"Our village only has fishing boats. None of them can handle open water."
That caught Midorima off guard.
No seaworthy boats?
Did that mean the rogue ninja was forced to stay on the island?
But if he wanted to flee, why hide here in the first place?
"…He might still be holed up in a cave somewhere," Midorima muttered.
"How do you know?" Mei frowned.
"The Land of Water isn't small. Finding a village with proper boats wouldn't be hard. Yet he chose 'here'—meaning he's not in a rush to leave. So he's probably still nearby." Midorima paused, then grimaced. "But even if he's staying put, he won't just wait to be caught. Our old intel's worthless now."
"Even if you're right, we can't find him. Neither of us knows sensor ninjutsu." Mei's brow furrowed.
Sensor techniques could detect chakra within a range, pinpointing high-energy sources—like the rogue ninja or even Akizuki.
But now?
Midorima exhaled sharply, then glanced at the villager.
The man ducked his head, avoiding eye contact.
"You know something, don't you?" Midorima asked suddenly.
Mei's gaze snapped to the villager.
"I—I don't know anything!"
The man spun and bolted.
Mei moved faster—in two seconds, she'd hurled him back into the cave.
"What do you know? This is important," she said, her voice calm.
The villager kept shaking his head, lips sealed.
Midorima rolled his eyes. Did Mei really think 'asking nicely' would work?
These so-called "villagers" were more like thugs. And thugs only responded to one language.
"You know I'm a medical ninja, right?" Midorima asked casually.
The villager gulped but stayed silent.
"Do you know how many bones are in the human body?" Midorima stood up slowly.
The man eyed him warily. There was something terrifying about this kid—more so than the kunoichi beside him.
"206. I've always wanted to test something—if I remove a few bones and put them back, will they heal perfectly? Want to try?" Midorima drew a kunai. "Only downside? No anesthesia… What a shame."
"..."
"psycho," Mei muttered under her breath.
Midorima shot her a glare. Did she think he 'enjoyed' this? But thugs only cracked under threats.
Would he actually do it? No. But did the villager know that?
The man's legs gave out as he remembered how Midorima had dismantled his five friends.
"I—I really don't know much! But he had 'blueheads' on him… Only one place around here grows that plant."
Midorima had never heard of it—maybe a local name.
He checked the sensory ninja's clothes again and spotted tiny, thumb-sized buds clinging to the fabric.
Uncertain if they were toxic, he didn't touch them.
"Where can we find these plants?"
It was their only lead. Even if the odds were slim, they had to try.
"Will… will you let me go if I tell you?" the villager stammered.
"Take us there, and you're free. No bargaining."
With so many mountains nearby, searching blindly would take forever.
The villager glanced at Mei. When she nodded, he relaxed slightly.
To him, she seemed less volatile—at least she hadn't threatened to disassemble him.
'Damn luck', he thought. All he'd wanted was to shake down some easy money. Now he was in deep.
With a heavy sigh, he led them out.
The "blueheads" grew far from the cave, across a mountain ridge. After half a day's hike, they reached a slope—
And the moment Midorima and Mei crouched to inspect a patch of dried blood, the villager bolted.
Neither bothered chasing him.
His usefulness had run out. Escorting him back was pointless.
The bloodstains held their attention now.
"From the sensor ninja?" Mei pressed a finger to the crusted red.
"Probably. Question is, if we keep going… will we run into the rogue ninja?" Midorima's voice was tense.
The deeper they went, the greater the danger. Midorima strained his ears, listening for movement.
Then—
A rush of air behind him.
He whirled around just as a figure blurred toward him, closing the distance in an instant.
"Who—?!"
Midorima's eyes widened.
A mask with a water droplet emblem.
ANBU? Akizuki?
The name flashed through his mind—
Then steel gleamed, arcing toward his throat.