Chapter 145: Where Have the Rock Shinobi Gone?
It took the squad approximately three days to travel from their outpost in the Land of Grass back to the Hidden Rock Village.
No one had noticed that, at some point during the journey, the Chunin Yoshida had been replaced by someone harboring far more sinister intentions.
And so, with almost no resistance, Hagoromo successfully infiltrated the enemy's stronghold—one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, the Hidden Rock.
This was Hagoromo's first time executing an infiltration mission of this nature. In truth, such a high-stakes task should never have been handed to a young shinobi. Clearly, Jiraiya's regard for him was bordering on the overwhelming; "surprised" didn't quite cover it. When he had first seen the details of the plan, he had been genuinely stunned.
Yet, now that he was actually inside the Hidden Rock, Hagoromo's state of mind was unexpectedly calm.
Geographically, the Hidden Rock Village shared similarities with the Hidden Sand, though its towering terrain also echoed the style of the Hidden Cloud. The entire village was surrounded by natural fortifications, making it an easy-to-defend, difficult-to-attack bastion. These secret natural fortresses formed by jagged rock mountains prioritized defense against foreign invaders above all else.
Without this method of infiltration, it would have been nearly impossible for Hagoromo to enter the village without alerting the enemy.
Furthermore, should his identity be exposed now that he was inside, the consequences would likely be catastrophic.
The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki of the Both Scales, was notorious for his stubbornness. Similarly, the Rock shinobi under his command were famed for their fearlessness and their grim determination to complete missions even at the cost of their lives.
This was exactly why "Yoshida"—the target Hagoromo was playing, chosen based on spy intelligence—was so disliked. A man with such a timid and cowardly personality was a glaring misfit in the culture of the Hidden Rock.
...Then again, a ninja with that personality wouldn't be well-liked in any village, even in the slightly more lenient atmosphere of Konoha.
Because of this, Yoshida was a social pariah with no living relatives, few words, and zero friends. Outside of missions, he had almost no contact with others. This simple web of interpersonal relationships made him the perfect target, reducing the risk of exposure to the absolute minimum.
Upon entering the Hidden Rock, the supply squad was promptly disbanded. The timing and details of the next mission were to be announced at a later date.
Hagoromo was putting in a significant effort. A perfect Transformation Jutsu wasn't difficult for him to execute; the challenge lay in maintaining it indefinitely.
In fact, his mimicry of Yoshida's speech patterns was over 95% accurate—more than enough to deceive anyone. Since the man always spoke with a stuttering, servile tone, as long as Hagoromo added a slight tremor to his voice, no one would notice that this ignored shinobi had been swapped out.
Infiltrating the village marked the completion of the first phase of the mission.
The mission didn't require Hagoromo to cause any actual destruction within the Hidden Rock. That would have been a death sentence, and no matter how questionable Jiraiya's methods could be, he wouldn't assign Hagoromo a mission intended to be a suicide run.
Though, looking at the plan as a whole, while the success rate was technically feasible, the mortality rate remained dauntingly high regardless of the outcome.
For Hagoromo, the first half of the task was simple: play the role of Yoshida and follow the supply route back to the village.
And then, commit that supply route perfectly to memory.
While spies had transmitted information regarding this path before, the intel was somewhat ambiguous. Given that future operations would require extremely precise data, someone had to confirm the supply lines in person.
Unfortunately, although Hagoromo had secured the route, he currently lacked any specific sensitivity toward keywords like "Kannabi Bridge."
As Hagoromo walked into the heart of the village, he faced his first real problem: he had no idea where Yoshida lived.
This wasn't an oversight by the spies who provided the intel. Even with a detailed map, navigating the Hidden Rock's labyrinthine environment and complex architectural style without a guide made finding a specific address nearly impossible.
Given the current wartime tensions, if he failed to find his home and was caught wandering aimlessly in the middle of the night, Hagoromo would be finished.
Fortunately, it was still far from dark. Hagoromo felt the pressure, but he didn't panic.
"Haha! Yoshida, you're finally back! How was it? Did the mission go smoothly?"
As Hagoromo was weighing his next move, someone greeted him with a laugh from a distance.
Hagoromo glanced at the man, cross-referencing his features with the intel, and immediately identified him.
"Aono... it's you."
As he spoke, a natural smile flickered across his face, and the cautious edge in his voice softened slightly.
This man was Yoshida's friend.
...The silver lining was that even in Yoshida's miserable state, he actually had one friend.
The tragedy, however, was that this "friendship" was the ultimate irony—not only was Yoshida an outcast in his own village, but his only friend was actually a Konoha spy.
The ninja named Aono looked entirely ordinary, roughly the same age as Yoshida. He strode toward Hagoromo with an air of warm enthusiasm.
As he walked, his right hand, momentarily visible within his sleeve, flashed a specific hand sign.
It was a signal of his true identity. Hagoromo saw it and understood it perfectly, yet he gave no outward indication.
He didn't know if this spy belonged to Konoha's standard intelligence division or Danzo Shimura's Root. Regardless, he was "Yoshida" now; he wouldn't do anything unnecessary.
In this business, no spy can be fully trusted. There was always the chance he was a double agent, waiting for the right moment to deliver a line like "Sorry, I'm actually a cop" to show off.
"The mission was the same as always. Fortunately, nothing happened along the way," Hagoromo continued, keeping his thoughts hidden.
"Is that so? That's great. Ever since you started logistics, your luck has been incredible. It's enough to make a guy jealous. Unlike me—I almost died on my last mission," Aono said, finally reaching Hagoromo's side.
"Did something happen to you, Aono?" "Yoshida's" tone was laced with concern.
"Well... it's not exactly a secret mission, but it's a long story. Let's head to your place to talk in detail."
"Uh... okay."
Actually, Aono didn't even wait for a response; he had already turned and started leading the way.
Hagoromo remained on guard, but he understood the situation: the man was acting as his guide. He had no choice but to follow.
Along the way, the two chatted about trivialities, but in reality, Aono was subtly briefing Hagoromo on protocols and things to watch out for within the Hidden Rock.
Once they arrived at Yoshida's home, they went inside and continued their conversation.
It was nearly two hours later when Aono rose to take his leave.
Hagoromo saw him to the door. Once the man had left, Hagoromo turned and closed the door, the expression on his face instantly turning cold.
During their "casual" chat, Aono had used a coded method to pass on a piece of intelligence.
The Hidden Rock was planning a major incursion into the Land of Lightning. The number of shinobi would exceed 5,000, and many would be conscripted—Yoshida likely among them.
Hagoromo already knew the first half of the intel, but the second half was still vague; the exact number of participating shinobi was still unconfirmed.
But if "Yoshida" were truly to be included in the mobilization, then this identity would continue to be of great use.