The roads through Kirigakure Village weren't too complicated, just a bit rough.
But the fog and mountains often messed with visibility, making people go in circles without even noticing.
If you didn't understand the area, you'd lose the advantage—whether in a fight or just getting around.
Shisui took some time to figure out the fog's patterns and the right path to take.
A crow flew past the Mizukage building's window. Inside, the empty room held nothing but a single desk.
Most of the time, Karatachi Yagura sat behind that desk, giving direct orders to the Anbu.
Probably because Obito was worried someone might notice something strange, Shisui saw that Yagura never let the Anbu get too close.
The crow flapped its black wings and flew up toward the beams, its red eyes flashing for a moment.
"What are you doing here?"
Just seconds after the crow disappeared, a questioning voice came from behind Shisui.
He turned around, looking innocent, holding the armband that had been hanging from his arm earlier.
"I'm here to return the armband to Mizukage-sama."
Two Anbu from Kirigakure stood behind him, both wearing masks with strange patterns.
"Armband?"
One of them looked surprised and stepped forward, giving Shisui a quick once-over.
"You're one of the two guys who came to apply for the teaching job, right?"
"You're supposed to return it tomorrow, not today. Now hurry up and leave."
Shisui put on an "oh, I see" expression and nodded over and over as he walked out of the Mizukage building.
Behind him, the two Anbu looked at each other, a little puzzled by how calm and friendly he seemed.
After all, the guy wore sunglasses, had smooth, tidy hair, and even sounded gentle when he spoke.
"How's someone like that still alive in that school?"
The Anbu next to him just shrugged.
"Doesn't matter if he lives or not. He's only going to be around until tomorrow anyway."
Because of the strange and high death rate at the ninja school, no one in the village wanted to be involved with it anymore.
So they had to look for teachers from outside.
Everyone who came was basically just seen as practice for the students. If someone survived more than three days in that place, their skills couldn't be ignored.
On the day they returned their armbands, the Mizukage would gather useful information from them and decide whether they lived or died.
"Mizukage-sama will handle them when the time comes. No need for us to worry."
"Anyway, don't they have to report their mission tonight too?"
"Standing guard."
"..."
The two of them walked away as they spoke, while Shisui's crow picked up every word.
The Mizukage building was pretty spread out inside, just like the very basic setup of their dorm.
That's why Shisui had only placed two or three crows inside. If anyone found them, it could easily raise suspicion.
And once that happened, figuring out what the Fourth Mizukage planned to do next would become even harder.
Hatake Satoru sat back in his chair like he owned the place, feet kicked up on the table.
He kept fiddling with the armband hanging from his arm.
He found it odd right from the start—why did outsiders have to go see the Mizukage in person just to get an armband, especially in such a tense place?
Obito wasn't an idiot. Having outsiders meet the Mizukage like that was risky.
Honestly, it was probably even more dangerous than locals doing it.
"Ah."
Hatake Satoru raised the rolled-up armband to his eye like a pretend scope.
Through the ring, he could see Shisui, who had just used body flicker to return.
Shisui took a few sips from his water cup, then sat down beside him and took a deep breath.
"I planted some crows in the Mizukage building to watch and listen. If anything happens, we'll know right away."
"From what I heard, if we go to see the Mizukage tomorrow to get our armbands, they'll probably try to get rid of us."
Hatake Satoru suddenly got it. He tilted his head back, smacked a fist into his palm, and said,
"Ohhh—now it makes sense!"
"Huh?"
Shisui gave him a confused look. He'd just been out gathering intel, and this guy figured it out just sitting here?
"I got my hands on a job flyer from the Kirigakure ninja school. That must mean they still have some connection with the outside world."
"It's not just for hiring teachers. There's gotta be more going on."
"But ever since we arrived, aside from that guy who died on day one, we haven't seen a single outsider."
Of course, Shisui had been sent to stalk the Mizukage that first night. If he hadn't noticed, it wouldn't be that surprising.
Over the past few days, he'd wandered around different parts of Kirigakure after classes.
Though one thing did annoy Hatake Satoru—whenever he left the school on foot, there would always be Kirigakure Anbu following him, thinking they were being sneaky.
But if he used teleportation, they wouldn't even catch a glimpse of him—let alone follow.
"So you're saying anyone who's been here more than three days—if the locals don't deal with them, the Mizukage will?"
Shisui raised an eyebrow.
If that was true, the village's nickname, 'The Bloody Mist,' really wasn't an exaggeration.
Killing people left and right, both outsiders and their own… who could really live in a place like this?
"Exactly! It's not just us—this probably applies to all outsiders."
"So, anything else useful you found out?"
Hatake Satoru didn't show a trace of worry on his face.
First it was the Uchiha coup, now they were practically about to throw down with the Mizukage, and this guy still had that same calm attitude?!
Even in a place this brutal and violent, nothing seemed to shake him.
Shisui looked at Hatake Satoru with mixed feelings and scratched his head.
"Tonight, the Mizukage won't let them report back in. Sounds like that's a regular thing here."
"But the guards outside will be increased. If we stay there too long tonight, we might get caught."
Shisui preferred to stay near the Mizukage building himself, even though the crows worked just fine too.
But if someone found and took them out, they'd be left in the dark again.
Still, the risk of him getting caught was way too high.
And knowing how this place works, if they *were* caught, things wouldn't end well.
So he came back first.
Hatake Satoru rubbed his chin thoughtfully. This kind of news could only be found near the Mizukage building.
"No problem, as long as we have someone keeping an eye on it."
The situation really did feel like something Obito might be involved in.
If Obito was going to show up, then Shisui coming back was a smart move.
Even if Obito knew they had snuck into Kirigakure, he wouldn't know exactly who they were.
Hatake Satoru quickly went over how Obito might see him.
On the night of the Uchiha massacre, Obito never saw his face. So unless something unexpected happened, Obito shouldn't know who he is.
Not long before nightfall, the shared senses between Shisui and his crows picked up something.
Sure enough, someone suddenly appeared inside the Mizukage building. The Anbu guarding outside didn't even react.
In the dim light, a man wearing a spiral-patterned mask kept vanishing and reappearing in different spots.
Shisui frowned. This strange way of moving—
Before this, the only one he'd seen do something like that was Hatake Satoru.
"Someone's here. A masked man."
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