The pale moonlight poured down on the ground, and the stars twinkled dimly. Taking advantage of the cover of night, Logan and the others silently approached the direction of Otogakure.
Slipping into the flatlands occupied by various crops, Logan moved with extraordinary lightness. Blades of grass brushed against him, creating soft rustling sounds. Despite his gentle movements resembling caressing a lover's skin when airborne, he subtly exerted force upon touching solid ground, maintaining his rhythm as he followed at the rear of the team.
According to the information gathered previously and Logan's own understanding during the day, Otogakure was established outside the Land of Rice Fields, which sounded a bit strange, but because the Land of Rice Fields is a fairly small country, the Ninja Village was not far beyond its borders, and the distance from the capital city was not considered far.
Logan knew that Otogakure was built by Orochimaru, but he didn't know the specific process. The nine ANBU who accompanied him infiltrated into the Land of Rice Fields mainly wanted to find out Orochimaru's relationship with the Land of Rice Fields and Otogakure. For this purpose, two talented people boldly entered the residence of a high-ranking official.
Unfortunately, except for the fact that someone contacted the Daimyo of Land of Rice Fields for negotiations some time ago, there was no particularly noteworthy information.
'In the next few years, when the Chunin Exams was held in the original work, the Ninjas of Otogakure would also participate. If Konoha had known that Otogakure was Orochimaru's pawn, they probably would not have invited them.'
'The likelihood of using one's own strategy against them was also small. After all, Konoha seemed unprepared and suffered heavy losses later. The Third Hokage was even killed.'
'It seemed that the original development happened because this ANBU operation couldn't obtain any key information.'
Thinking about this, as time passed since his return to this world, Logan felt increasingly detached from the limitations of his former existence. Anyway, he had to search the crucial defense areas of Otogakure to see if there were any of Orochimaru's Forbidden Techniques.
Although it was unethical to reap the benefits of others' labor, the temptation of rapidly increasing one's strength was too great for Logan to resist sacrificing some of the noble qualities of a Ninja.
'The Akatsuki ring on Orochimaru's hand is 'Sky', right? How should I bring it up when I encounter it?'
Even with skilled techniques, their speed couldn't be increased too much. Ishida Kappei and Minamino Shuichi were leading the way at the front, with Kakashi in the middle, and Logan continued to trail behind, pondering the matter of the ring.
The ring symbolized a member's identity in the Akatsuki. Although Logan was currently considered part of the Akatsuki's core, if the probation period passed without receiving the ring, he wouldn't be considered an 'official employee' during future meetings and encounters.
'Uncle Snake, I grew up watching your perverted and disgusting ways. Now that I've interviewed for the Akatsuki and the organization wants me to inquire about retired members, I thought I'd also reclaim the ring. A small act of kindness benefits us both. So, Uncle Snake, give me the ring, and it'll be convenient for me to clock in for work in the future. What do you say?'
Logan raised his head, his lips twitching slightly as he looked at the pristine vastness of the starry sky, 'If I dare to say that, Orochimaru would probably think I'm an idiot.'
Shaking off the nonsensical thoughts, Logan sighed. If Orochimaru could simply toss the ring at him with disdain, that would already be a good outcome. probably wouldn't display the Ninja pride and directly take back the ring.
'The troublesome part would be if he refused to give it up.' Logan curled his lips. He wasn't afraid of the other party now. And if he couldn't win, he could always run away.
"Everyone, pay attention, we're almost there."
A low voice reminder came from the front, which is Ishida Kappei. Logan looked at the front intently, and sure enough, despite the dim light and obstruction by vegetation, relying on his excellent vision, he could already see the outline of buildings.
Their infiltration route cut directly through a small half of Land of Rice Fields, and in front of them was the half-constructed Otogakure.
No matter how small a country is, a Ninja Village is still a Ninja Village. It is in the stage of being renovated, but there are still many people patrolling at night. At a rough look, there were at least over a hundred flickering lights moving around. However, upon closer observation, Logan realized that at least half of them were just ordinary people.
To establish a new small Ninja Village in the current confirmed Ninja World, apart from existing trusted personnel, it would take at least two to three years to train a new batch of Ninjas. Therefore, it is estimated that many of the current sources of Ninjas are Rogue Ninjas and Missing-Nin from various countries, varying in skill level, and discipline was also an issue.
The outwardly grandiose perimeter patrol seemed formidable, but the difficulties Logan and the others faced were not as daunting as they appeared.
Logan and the others stopped on the back slope of a hill, with the Captains gathering together to decide on the next course of action.
Certainly not all ten of them could go in. After all, what if they went in and not even one of them would be able to go back and report the news if something went wrong?
A few minutes later, the plan was finalized. Minamino Shuichi's second team of three people would stay outside to provide support. Ishida Kappei and Kakashi's team, along with Logan, would attempt to infiltrate Otogakure.
Logan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this time his colleagues didn't pull a prank on him by leaving him alone outside to zone out.
Infiltrating a Ninja Village is by no means an easy task, and it is impossible to pretend to be a wanderer at this time. Merchants entering the village had to rely on their own skills.
Luckily, Logan and the others were seasoned professionals, and they were facing a newly established small ninja village. Otherwise, they wouldn't dare to easily sneak into a Ninja Village at night.
"Move out."
Without unnecessary delay, the seven of them scaled the hill and silently approached Otogakure, where lights cast a mix of red and shadows.
The previous journey and gathering information in the Land of Rice Fields during the day were nothing compared to this. Now, they were on edge, every move fraught with danger. Logan felt no sense of ease in his heart as they cautiously advanced, keenly observing the patrol patterns.
It had been discussed beforehand that Ishida Kappei and Kakashi would act according to the strategies of their respective teams, while Logan would continue to work alone.
For a full half-hour, Logan remained perfectly still, blending into the environment like a stone. In other directions, there was no sound from Ishida Kappei and Kakashi's teams either.
As any noise would signify a failed mission.
Finally, Logan moved, gently flexing his somewhat stiff body. He silently slid a kunai into his palm and swiftly, but quietly, approached a Ninja who happened to turn around, his back facing Logan.