-----
I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Psalm 27:13
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It would require the team several days to return to Konoha by foot, but thanks to the Flying Raijin, the time was greatly reduced to 2 hours...
Even still, 2 hours seems to be quite a stretch; one would expect the journey to be over in seconds. However, this delay was due to prolonged searching in the thickets in hopes of obtaining more clues and leads; after all, not everyone had returned. According to the report, the identities of 2 people had yet to be clarified, Uchiha Shinji and Hyuga Arata.
Unfortunately, their search ended up being a complete waste of time.
The squad trot past the colossal gates, entering the village hidden in the leaves.
Their next destination; the Hokage mansion.
...
In the Hokage office:
*FLAP* *FLAP*
A familiar aged man was seated on his chair, compiling the dockets in a neat file by smacking the edge of the stack against the surface. The man was none other than Lord Third.
Surprisingly, unlike the usual mountain pile of work he was subjected to, this time, it had significantly reduced. He would smirk at this achievement, but he felt pressed by other matters, and one of such was a mission that he had entrusted in the hands of Saruto.
"Come in," Hiruzen intoned out of nowhere, as though anticipating the arrival of someone...
And indeed, that was the very case.
*CREAK*
In response, the door parted with an unsettling creak, paving the way for 5 notorious ninjas who all wore unreadable expressions. The temperature in the room seemed to drop by a bit as well.
"Welcome back. I'm glad that none of you were harmed during the mission," Hiruzen welcomed.
Saruto straightened his posture, and acknowledged, "Thank you... Though I must say, I'm not very keen with what's going on."
Hiruzen nodded, "I'm aware. Uchiha Shinji and Hyuga Arata are still missing."
Opening a dossier, he extracted several pieces of paper and addressed as he slipped them toward Saruto, "I'm sure you want to garner more clues in this investigation, so I suggest talking with the other members, but..."
He lingered for a moment, and added, "They don't seem to be in the right state of mind. Their expressions tell me that they just barely managed to avoid death... But there could be something more."
Saruto nodded solemnly and affirmed, "I'll keep that in mind." He turned to his crew, Genma, Aoba, and Shisui, and claimed, "You're welcome to leave."
The cool-headed Genma bowed, and turned around, but before departing, he remarked, "Something tells me this won't be the last time... Saruto-san, if you require my help, don't hesitate to call out to me. I'd be more than willing to, and quite frankly, I'd like to know what the hell is going on."
Saruto expressed his gratitude with a nod, "Thank you."
And so, Genma body flickered away, now just leaving Aoba and Shisui to make up their mind.
"I agree with Genma-san; this mission leaves a sour taste in my mouth, so call out to me too Saruto-san. I too, will proceed to find some leads," Aoba concurred before he too departed.
Only the youth, Shisui remained, and he stated, "I'll be joining you. I'm pretty sure Genma-san and Aoba-san will be doing their own research."
Hiruzen nodded in contentment, and urged, "Very well. I have no qualms in this regard. Let me know if you find anything."
"Hai," Saruto saluted.
...
The crimson establishment beamed in the backdrop, and the trio, Saruto, Kaede, and Shisui, wore complicated expressions as they exited.
Saruto assessed the report provided by Hiruzen, which comprised data regarding the survivors:
-----
1. Inazuka Miyori
She's a respected ninja of the Inazuka clan, who has the trademark symbol of red linings etched on her face. She has long brown hair, tanned skin, and sharp black eyes.
2. Toshi Sendo
He doesn't belong to any clan, but is a versatile ninja who's known for his quick thinking and strategic deployments. He's an ally of Uchiha Shinji. He has short black hair, and a rather slender build.
3. Uchiha Hiroto
A formidable Uchiha. Unlike the other 2, he's part of the second squad that was dispatched. He has a lean build, has a respectable proficiency with a chained sickle, and is also considered quite handsome among his peers with shoulder-length black hair, and black eyes.
-----
The dispirited Kaede weakly asked, "Who do we go to first?"
"Toshi Sendo." Saruto;s immediate response showed he had already long made up his mind.
"Mm, makes sense. Sendo-san is unaffiliated with the clans, so should be easy to approach," Shisui clarified.
"Yes. Inazuka Miyori should also be fairly easy to approach, but..." Saruto paused, his eyes narrowing on Hiroto.
"Ah, Hiroto-san is a hassle. If he's in bad shape as Lord Third said, then the clan won't allow anyone to talk... I don't think even I can help here, since he's the son of a high-ranking elder," Shisui sighed, sighing in peeve.
Ever since the Kyuubi attack, the Uchiha were questioned by the higher authority, and their homes were rummaged in an attempt to find evidence.
Alas, the authorities found nothing, and the Uchiha felt a strong contempt toward the village elders.
Turning to Saruto, Shisui thought for a moment, 'Shall I tell him now? Perhaps regarding that, sensei can definetely help me out...'
The youth shook his head,'Not now. I'll talk with him after the mission is resolved. Sensei already has a lot on his mind as it i-'
*RUMBLE*
A thunderous rumble halted Shisui's pondering, causing him to look at the perpetrator; Saruto's stomach!
Scratching his head sheepishly, Saruto beckoned, "How about we eat first?"
...
Delivering steaming bowls of ramen to his guests, Teuchi intoned, "Enjoy the treat."
Without haste, the trio indulged in the delicacy, but only Kaede seemed to be in deep thought, twitching with the chopsticks in her hands.
"Kaede," Saruto placed a reassuring palm on Kaede's shoulder, snapping her from her reverie.
Kaede looked at him weakly, with eyes that carried not an ounce of emotion. She felt broken, reprimanding herself for the worst possible-case scenario.
What if Shinji was dead?
Saruto caressed her back, and commented, "We still need to look into this mission, and we can't do this on an empty stomach, so please eat."
Kaede let out a weak hum and slowly slurped the ramen in front of her. Due to her mental anguish, she wasn't even feeling hungry in the first place, but complied with Saruto.
Before long, Saruto paid for the meals, and departed the compound alongside the other two.
Without haste, their next destination was already set: Toshi Sendo's residence.
...
It didn't take them long to locate the residence, which seemed relatively compact, conveying it was a home for one person. It followed a terraced line of houses equally as decrepit.
"I've heard he was injured, so I'm surprised he's not recovering in the hospital right now," Shisui remarked.
"Agreed. From what I've heard, he was adamant on leaving... And they deemed it as not too serious anyway," Saruto explained. He puffed his cheeks, and announced, "Sendo-san, may I speak with you?"
The passersby seemed to share bewilderment at the man's hollering, but paid no heed and quickly scuffled along.
Saruto didn't care, and continued, "Sendo-san, may I please have a word with you?"
Once again, he was met with no response.
*THUD* *THUD* *THUD*
Each step that sounded increased in pitch, hinting at approaching proximity. The shadow that loomed through the archway soon came to light, and a man on crutches came outside.
He was a slender man with fair skin, and a stubble beard. He had spiky black hair, and black eyes that seemed to cradle the vicissitudes of his life.
Judging by his appearance, he seemed quite lethargic; a prerequisite to his apparently vibrant self.
This may indirectly convey the trauma he had become victim to through the mission.
The man weakly lifted his head, and inquired, "May I ask who this is?"
Saruto leaned forward, and introduced, "My name is Uzumaki Saruto, and I would like to have a word regarding the recent mission... I apologise for the intrusion, but may I speak with you?"
Sendo sighed, traced his way back inside, and confirmed in a raspy tone, "Come inside."