"Are we not going to Hidden Cloud Village?"
Sakumo looked puzzled. It was agreed beforehand that they would head to Hidden Cloud Village first.
Blue B is a member of Hidden Cloud Village. His records and contacts are all within the village, and he might even be there himself. Therefore, investigating Hidden Cloud Village is the best option.
Minato was equally puzzled. After all, even if Blue B isn't in Hidden Cloud Village, only the Elders of Hidden Cloud Village would know his whereabouts. Without going to Hidden Cloud Village, this information cannot be found.
We can't just investigate the entire Land of Lightning directly, right?
At the end of last year, Konoha mobilized three clans to investigate nationwide, which took several months. According to Tatsuma and Orochimaru-sama, it seems the effectiveness of this nationwide investigation by the three clans was quite poor.
With so many people involved, they couldn't thoroughly investigate an entire country.
The Land of Lightning, like the Land of Fire, is one of the Five Great Nations, with slightly different territorial sizes but not significantly so.
Moreover, as Sakumo mentioned, the Land of Lightning's communication and technology are extremely advanced, surpassing even the Land of Fire. If they make a wrong move, it's possible that Cloud Ninja nationwide could find out.
Therefore, fewer actions are better, and more efficient.
Under their scrutiny, Tatsuma pursed his lips and said, "Hidden Cloud Village can't hide Blue B. The fact that Blue B became the Jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails is not top secret, not even classified, just confidential.
Our Konoha didn't spend much effort to discover that Blue B is the Jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails. The reason we didn't notice earlier is simply because Blue B wasn't on our Konoha's radar before becoming the Jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails.
There are also many people in Hidden Cloud Village who know about his status as the Jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails. However, after becoming the Jinchuriki, he seemed to have vanished from existence, which is almost impossible to achieve.
There are only two possibilities. One is that Blue B is not the Jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails, and perhaps his existence itself is false, with all these being false information spread by Hidden Cloud Village.
The second possibility is that Blue B was no longer in Hidden Cloud Village when he became the Jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails or shortly thereafter."
At this point, Tatsuma paused and continued, "Personally, I lean towards the second possibility. After all, the first option would require too much effort and yield no benefit.
I believe Blue B is indeed the current Jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails, and I also sense a distrust and sense of crisis from the Hidden Cloud Village Elders. Therefore, I conclude that Blue B is currently outside the village.
Or undergoing training, attempting to groom him into an eligible Jinchuriki, or... confinement, to prevent him and the Eight-Tails within him from going berserk and endangering Hidden Cloud Village."
Upon hearing this, Minato involuntarily nodded along with Tatsuma's thoughts. Sakumo also furrowed his brow, deep in thought, his gaze continuously shifting between Tatsuma's face and the map.
Finally, he too believed Tatsuma's assessment but still voiced his doubts, saying, "If we don't go to Hidden Cloud Village, how do we investigate Blue B's movements? Even if we confirm he's not in Hidden Cloud Village, without intelligence, it's difficult to determine where he is."
"There's a place not far from Hidden Cloud Village, close enough for the village's ninja to provide rapid support, yet far enough to ensure that even if the Eight-Tails goes berserk, it won't affect Hidden Cloud Village. Such locations... are not many."
As Tatsuma explained, Sakumo swiftly compared on the map, outlining a circle first to determine the area Tatsuma mentioned, then narrowing it down.
Within this circle, which fits Tatsuma's criteria, Sakumo stared at the map intently. Then, he pursed his lips and said, "Valley of Clouds and Lightning, formerly the territory of the Yotsuki Clan, later bestowed upon the First Raikage. Valley of Clouds and Lightning is also within the jurisdiction of Hidden Cloud Village.
There's nothing particularly noteworthy to monitor here, and because of the sparse population, any outsiders would stand out immensely, making it an excellent hiding place for a Jinchuriki.
Moreover, the few remaining members of the Yotsuki Clan residing in the Valley of Clouds and Lightning are extremely loyal to the Raikage lineage. If the Eight-Tails were to go berserk in the Valley of Clouds and Lightning, they would undoubtedly be the first line of defense without hesitation.
Yaksha, your reasoning is sound. Instead of risking infiltration into Hidden Cloud Village, which has higher security and more personnel, it would be better to first investigate the Valley of Clouds and Lightning."
After sharing his analysis, Sakumo looked at Tatsuma with great admiration. He had long heard from Hiruzen that Tatsuma possessed a talent he himself did not: the ability to foresee everything as if he had already known it beforehand.
Infiltrating Hidden Cloud Village to gather intelligence on Blue B is within the realm of ordinary thinking, but Tatsuma's deduction from peripheral information concluded that Blue B is not in Hidden Cloud Village but rather in Valley of Clouds and Lightning. Such insight surpasses the capabilities of ordinary individuals.
"I am merely taking a risk. After all, Hokage-sama has not imposed a time limit, allowing us to experiment and correct our course," Tatsuma humbly remarked. He knew that the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki often resided in the Valley of Clouds and Lightning, making the process of deduction significantly easier.
Of course, his ability to reconstruct intelligence into step-by-step reasoning convincing enough for Sakumo was a testament to his talent.
Minato silently noted their conversation, now beginning to understand their words, but he acknowledged he wouldn't have been able to reach the same conclusions before their discussion.
However, this didn't mean Minato lacked such potential; it simply indicated that at this stage, he hadn't yet translated his potential into ability. He was learning from Tatsuma's thought process, and perhaps one day, with enough experience, intelligence, and accumulated knowledge, he too could achieve similar feats.
Once the destination of Valley of Clouds and Lightning was confirmed as the first step, the operational route naturally needed to be adjusted accordingly.
The difficulty between infiltrating Hidden Cloud Village and Valley of Clouds and Lightning is vast. Hidden Cloud Village is the center of Land of Lightning's ninja, with a large number of ninjas. Once inside Hidden Cloud Village, one would almost constantly be under the scrutiny of Hidden Cloud Village ninjas.
Any slight mistake could expose the entire plan.
Valley of Clouds and Lightning, on the other hand, may have strong ninjas deployed, perhaps even comparable in defensive strength to Hidden Cloud Village in terms of high-end combat capabilities, but their numbers are fewer, and their coverage area not as wide.
Similarly, there are likely more gaps and vulnerabilities.
With Sakumo's abilities, he isn't afraid of reconnaissance by high-end combat forces; rather, he is reluctant to face the scrutiny of numerous grassroots ninjas. The former can rely on raw strength to escape, while the latter requires intense concentration to play their role well.
Perhaps this is another manifestation of how dealing with a king is easier than handling troublesome underlings.
The direction towards Hidden Cloud Village and Valley of Clouds and Lightning is the same, but the specific route needs some adjustment. With various contingency plans in mind, the three quickly planned out a new route.
Unlike the Land of Fire, the Land of Lightning is dominated by lofty mountains and peaks, without dense tree cover. While there are hills and terrain to obscure their figures, once someone sets up defenses on the mountain peaks, it becomes extremely easy to observe travelers below, without even needing Sensing Ninja techniques.
Therefore, in their movements through the Land of Lightning, they must be especially wary of defenses on mountain peaks. If they detect any ninjas or surveillance tools, they will have no choice but to take detours.
After two days of stealthily maneuvering through mountain saddles, the three gradually approached the Valley of Clouds and Lightning, but suddenly their progress halted.
Amidst the rumbling thunder, Minato's expression turned grave. Sakumo asked, "How is it? Are there many ninjas on guard?"
Minato nodded and replied, "As it stands, their surveillance perimeter is flawless. If we infiltrate, we'll definitely be discovered."
Upon hearing this, Sakumo's expression darkened slightly. He then said, "Then we can only continue observing, to see if there are any lapses during their shift change."
Tatsuma, upon hearing the news, fell into contemplation. He had a method to infiltrate amidst Sensing Ninja's sensing abilities. As long as he wasn't seen with their own eyes, he could almost ignore others' sensing abilities.
However, this method was a technique of the Uzumaki Clan, something ordinary people couldn't use.
Subconsciously, Tatsuma touched a scroll on his chest, without speaking. Following Sakumo's instructions, he began to wait in place.
The three took turns resting in the gap between two large rocks. Their rest quality these past days wasn't high. In the past, while lurking in the Land of Fire or other countries, they could still manage to get some sleep. Though it might be shallow, it could alleviate fatigue. However, upon entering the Land of Lightning, with constant thunder, any shallow sleep would be easily disturbed.
As ninjas on a mission, they couldn't possibly bring headphones or earplugs to block out noise. Therefore, they basically rested for about ten minutes before being disturbed again.
Land of Lightning locals and native ninjas might be accustomed to falling asleep in such conditions, but the three of them couldn't manage it. So rather than sleeping, it was more like closing their eyes to rest them.
From day to night, Tatsuma could even easily simulate in his mind the sound of thunder from its beginning, through its process, to its end. Even without actual thunder, it felt like they were constantly being startled by thunder.
Especially after nightfall, occasional flashes of "lightning" made it impossible for him to even rest his eyes.
After taking a Military Rations Pill and ensuring his physical condition was good, aside from feeling mentally fatigued, Tatsuma decided not to sleep and instead accompanied Minato in reverse sensing.
"They've changed shifts."
At midnight, both sensed this situation. Hearing their slight movements, Sakumo also woke up and asked, "Is there an opportunity?"
"We can give it a try. Some of them haven't shown any signs of jutsu fluctuations, perhaps just changed shifts recently and are still confident in their surroundings. But we need to be quick."
Tatsuma lifted his finger off the ground and said to Sakumo. Sakumo nodded and replied, "You draw out the route for me. I'll infiltrate at top speed, and you follow using Flying Thunder God."
"Got it."
Without further ado, Tatsuma pulled out a map purchased in the Land of Lightning. It might not have been as detailed or accurate, but the scale was larger, with more comprehensive markings of the surroundings.
After quickly plotting the route, Sakumo nodded, memorized the path, and then sprinted away at full speed.
Tatsuma's speed was already on par with that of a Jonin, while Minato exceeded the minimum requirement by far. However, compared to Sakumo, both of their speeds seemed insufficient.
Sakumo sprinted with all his might, instantly disappearing from the sight of the two. Despite this, they maintained their sensing and continually used Flying Thunder God, ensuring they didn't lose track of him.
In a very short time, Sakumo broke through the surveillance perimeter and entered the interior of the Valley of Clouds and Lightning. Inside, the intensity of surveillance noticeably decreased. Tatsuma tapped Sakumo, who was about to use Body Flicker again, signaling him to stop.
Tatsuma touched the ground with both fingers, allowing his chakra to spread gradually through the earth. As there were no tight defenses inside, Tatsuma became bolder, continuously sensing the situation within the Valley of Clouds and Lightning.
Finally, he lifted his head and said to Sakumo, "The Jinchuriki of the Eight Tails is right here!"
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