Chapter 62 – Investigation
At the foot of the mountain, Taichi and his teammates crouched on the thick branches of a tall tree, their figures completely hidden by the dense foliage. A winding path stretched about a hundred meters ahead of them.
The mountain itself wasn't particularly tall—barely six hundred meters at its highest point, and spanning only three or four kilometers across. But it had a trait unique to the Land of Fire: trees.
Countless towering trees blanketed the entire mountain. From the foot to the summit, one could hardly spot a trace of human presence through the sea of green.
Before arriving here, the three had already circled the entire mountain. Apart from this narrow path before them, there were no other routes capable of supporting the movement of a large group or heavy supplies.
After a brief discussion, they decided to follow the path upward together, advancing cautiously while keeping a sharp eye out for anything suspicious.
Once the plan was set, they split into two smaller formations and began moving along the trail, carefully hiding their presence.
Taichi scouted alone on the left side of the road. Judging by the faint tracks along the path, no one had passed through for at least ten days. The surrounding forest showed no signs of activity either—not a single footprint, broken branch, or smoke trail.
That eerie stillness made him start to question whether the mountain truly housed the bandits they were sent to find.
Their pace was slow and deliberate, but within half an hour, they reached the end of the mountain trail—where an abandoned fortress-like village came into view.
A mountain stronghold, but clearly deserted.
Taichi gave a subtle hand signal to Yōhei and Saori in the distance. The three spread out and began exploring the ruins.
Scaling a crumbling section of the wall, Taichi looked down from above. As he suspected, the entire stronghold appeared empty—long abandoned.
Still, he moved with quiet precision, wary of alerting any potential stragglers.
He began his search from the outer edges, checking each structure one by one. Soon, an unsettling realization set in: the damage was too extensive. Even for an abandoned site, it looked like it had been deserted for quite some time.
Doors hung crookedly on half-broken hinges, tables and chairs were coated in thick layers of dust—everything screamed of long neglect.
Only when he reached the central area did he find faint traces of recent habitation. Around that time, Yōhei and Saori arrived as well.
Taichi turned to them. "Anything unusual?"
Both shook their heads—nothing.
"The entire place looks abandoned, except for this center area," Yōhei reported.
Saori nodded in agreement. "Even here, no one's lived for at least ten days."
Yōhei frowned. "Don't tell me those bandits realized they were being hunted and ran off?" His tone carried a hint of frustration—as if he were worried there'd be no bandits left to fight and no mission to complete.
"Possibly," Taichi mused. "Judging by the traces, they left calmly—took their belongings and cleared out. Maybe they caught wind of something and fled early."
He glanced around again. "Also, this place doesn't look like it was built by the bandits themselves. More like they just occupied it temporarily. Otherwise, they wouldn't have only maintained the central area."
"So you're suggesting they were a wandering group—roaming bandits who never stayed in one place?" Saori followed his line of reasoning.
Taichi nodded. "It's possible. But we can't be sure yet."
"So, what now? Do we check out that nearby village?" Yōhei asked eagerly. "I still haven't tested my new jutsu!"
"Of course," Taichi replied. "That village is the last lead we've got—and it's close to the mountain. The locals must know something about what's been happening here."
"Then let's not waste time!" Yōhei said, already fired up.
---
By the time they reached the village, the evening sun had painted the sky in hues of red and gold. Despite rushing all day, the three arrived just as dusk settled in.
Wisps of smoke curled from chimneys, and the smell of cooking rice drifted through the air. The whole village seemed peaceful—too peaceful.
They walked along the narrow dirt streets. The settlement was small, barely fifty households in total. Quiet. Ordinary.
Every now and then, they stopped to chat with the villagers—though "chat" might've been too generous a word for it.
At one house, Taichi—playing the part of an innocent boy—knocked on the door and smiled politely. "Excuse me, ma'am. Could I trouble you for a bowl of water?"
The woman who opened the door froze when she saw him. Without a word, she shut it again—hard.
The three stood there, exchanging puzzled looks.
"…Was that just me," Yōhei muttered, "or did we scare her?"
Taichi frowned slightly. "Let's split up. Ask around quietly. We need to figure out what's going on in this village."
The atmosphere had shifted. Something about this place didn't feel right.
After the brief discussion, the three split up again.
Taichi walked along the narrow dirt path that cut through the village. Perhaps because of the nearby bandit activity, the villagers here seemed particularly wary of outsiders—and downright unfriendly toward him.
Those he passed on the road quickly turned away, avoiding eye contact. Even the farmers working in the fields, pitchforks in hand, would immediately drop their tools and retreat indoors the moment they saw him.
He tried knocking on a few doors, but none were answered.
House after house, the results were the same. The only slight progress came when someone finally handed him a cup of water—at least this time, he wasn't ignored.
Taichi accepted the porcelain cup filled with clear water and decided to be direct. "Big brother," he asked, "this village isn't very large. I heard a group of bandits has been active nearby. Has your village suffered any losses?"
The burly man before him snorted, his thick face creasing with impatience. "Losses? Hah. We're lucky they haven't come looking for trouble. As long as we don't mess with them, we'll live."
The man glanced toward the setting sun. "It's getting dark, kid. Want to stay the night?"
Taichi shook his head politely. "No need, big brother. My teammates are waiting for me. I'll leave once I finish this."
"Suit yourself. Then hurry up and go," the man said curtly, practically shooing him out the door before he'd even finished his drink.
As the door slammed shut, Taichi's expression darkened. There was something off about this village—something he couldn't yet name.
Not long after, Yōhei and Saori returned from their own rounds. The three regrouped and compared notes. Unsurprisingly, their experiences had been nearly identical—cold stares, closed doors, and unwelcoming attitudes.
Yōhei sighed. "Seriously, what's wrong with these people? It's like the whole village agreed to hate strangers."
Taichi crossed his arms. "Let's go see the village head. If anyone here knows what's really going on, it's him—and he has to cooperate with our investigation."
Both nodded in agreement.
They headed straight toward the largest, best-kept house in the village. It wasn't hard to guess where the chief lived—biggest house, highest point, simple deduction.
Sure enough, when Taichi knocked, the man who answered turned out to be the village head himself.
Given the circumstances, Taichi didn't bother with pleasantries. He immediately presented his ninja identification and the official mission scroll bearing the Daimyō's seal. "We're on assignment," he said firmly. "We need your cooperation."
The old man examined the document for a long while, his wrinkled fingers tracing the seal as though reluctant to acknowledge it. Finally, he sighed and gestured for them to enter.
Inside, they took seats around a small wooden table. Taichi didn't waste time. "You've seen the mission order," he said. "We're here to gather information about the bandits in this region. What do you know about them?"
The village head spoke slowly, voice weary. "You're too late. Those bandits fled over ten days ago—crossed the border into the Land of Grass."
"What, all of them?" Yōhei blurted out, drawing everyone's gaze. Realizing his outburst, he scratched his head awkwardly. "Ah, uh—go on."
Taichi leaned forward. "Do you know who they were? Where they came from? You live so close—surely they raided your village at some point?"
The old man frowned, thinking back. "Can't say I know where they came from. One day, they just appeared in the mountains out of nowhere. Didn't take long before they came down to raid us."
He sighed deeply. "You've seen how my villagers act, haven't you? Afraid of outsiders, jumpy, won't talk. They were all terrified—those bandits nearly broke this place."
"Oh?" Taichi's gaze sharpened. "So the villagers managed to fight them off?"
He stared intently at the old man, waiting for his next words.