112. Find the Target

Kakashi's words, "Sometimes it's easier to hide when there are many people," stunned Sora.

Sora's thinking all along had been that Karin's mother, who was in hiding, would definitely choose to live in a place with few people.

However, Sora ignored the current situation in the Land of Grass.

The Land of Grass had become a battlefield between Konoha and Iwagakure. It could be said that there was no safe place in the entire country except Kusagakure Village. Fights could break out anywhere at any time.

Because Kusagakure was currently maintaining neutrality, neither Konoha shinobi nor Iwagakure shinobi would attack the village without reason.

Therefore, Kusagakure Village was the safest place in the entire land.

Most people in the Land of Grass were now seeking refuge in Kusagakure Village.

Although red hair was rare, there were many strange hair colours in the shinobi world.

Kakashi's silver hair, Namikaze Minato's yellow hair, and Pein's orange hair.

Even Gaara, who had no connection to the Uzumaki clan, had red hair.

After Kakashi's insight, Sora's mind seemed to clear.

Originally, he thought Kusagakure Village would be the last place Karin's mother would go, but now, it seemed the most likely location for her.

Sora happily rubbed Kakashi's head. "Kakashi, you're simply a genius!"

Kakashi rolled his eyes at Sora and smoothed his messed-up hair.

After Kakashi collected the ninja tools from the fallen Iwa shinobi's pouches, he followed Sora toward Kusagakure Village.

Sora and Kakashi hadn't returned to the Konoha base since accepting their mission, so they relied on these defeated Iwa shinobi for their supply of tools.

They weren't far from Kusagakure Village and arrived near its outskirts a day later.

Looking at the fully armed Kusagakure guards, Kakashi clicked his tongue. "The defence is really tight."

Sora explained, "There's nothing we can do about it. Kusagakure is surviving in a difficult position. They can't afford to offend anyone from Konoha or Iwagakure, so they're preventing both sides from entering.

Konoha and Iwagakure shinobi are definitely forbidden inside Kusagakure. Otherwise, it would be easy for either side to find an excuse to attack the village.

So, to avoid unnecessary trouble, let's use the Transformation Jutsu."

Sora and Kakashi used the Transformation Jutsu to disguise themselves as civilians.

Kakashi asked, "Teacher Sora, are we going in through the main gate?"

Sora shook his head and said, "No, the security at Kusagakure Village must be very strict now. It would be difficult to get in that way, so we'll enter from another location."

Kakashi asked in confusion, "But the security is so tight. How can we get in?"

Kakashi suddenly realized, "Teacher Sora, you want to use genjutsu to get in, right?"

Sora smiled and nodded. "Smart. Come with me."

Sora led Kakashi to the weakest section of Kusagakure's defences.

Sora formed hand seals.

"Temple of Nirvana Technique!"

White feathers appeared, floating in the air. Several Kusagakure guards saw the feathers and were gradually overcome by sleep. Finally, they collapsed to the ground, fast asleep.

"Kakashi, let's go."

Kakashi followed behind Sora, looking at the sleeping Kusagakure guards around them. Kakashi asked with interest, "Teacher Sora, can you teach me this genjutsu?"

"Well... Kakashi, be patient and don't rush to learn genjutsu. I can teach you a C-rank genjutsu later. This one is A-rank. Don't make it hard on yourself."

Sora politely declined Kakashi's request.

It wasn't that Sora didn't want to teach him, but Kakashi's talent for genjutsu wasn't as impressive as his talent for ninjutsu.

Instead of struggling with genjutsu, it would be more practical for Kakashi to improve his ninjutsu.

Kakashi pursed his lips. He had studied genjutsu before, but for some reason, although he could learn it, he did so with difficulty.

Hearing that Sora's genjutsu was A-rank, Kakashi decided to give up.

Why make things difficult for him?

Sora and Kakashi successfully entered Kusagakure Village.

The village was now crowded with people. Because of the influx of numerous refugees, the streets were filled with homeless individuals.

Sobbing could be heard everywhere. Everyone wore sad expressions, and the atmosphere was depressing. Sora and Kakashi walked through the streets, and although they maintained expressionless faces, they felt the heaviness of the situation.

This was the sad reality of small shinobi villages—their fate was in the hands of more powerful villages. They watched their country being used as a battlefield and could do nothing about it. They could only survive in the margins and be at the mercy of others.

Kakashi asked in a low voice, "Teacher Sora, there are so many people here. How will we find her?"

Sora replied, "The chakra of the Uzumaki clan is extremely powerful. If Kushina's clan members are in Kusagakure Village, it won't be difficult to find them. Let's search one area at a time."

Karin was known to have powerful chakra and excellent sensory abilities. As a member of the Uzumaki clan, Karin's talent was unquestionable.

And since Karin's talent was inherited from her mother, her mother's chakra should also be very powerful. Sora activated his sensory abilities and began to scan various areas of Kusagakure Village.

Halfway through the search, Sora suddenly stopped.

"Got it!"

Sora had sensed a person with an enormous amount of chakra.

"Let's go, Kakashi!"

After searching for so long, they might finally have found her. Sora was excited.

After all, no matter what happened next, finding the person was the first step.

Sora and Kakashi rushed to the location they had sensed.

They arrived at a place where relief food was being distributed.

In the long line, Sora immediately spotted a red-haired woman.

The red-haired woman looked pale and thin. It was obvious she hadn't eaten properly for days and appeared malnourished.

Sora approached the woman and said, "I have food for you, and I need to talk to you about something."

The red-haired woman looked at Sora with lifeless eyes. "I don't believe I know you."

Sora continued, "No, but I know your people, and I have a way to help you escape your current situation and give you a life that is ten times or even a hundred times better than what you have now."

Hearing Sora mention her people, the red-haired woman's pupils contracted.

"Sorry, you have the wrong person!"

After saying that, the woman left the line and hurried away.

Sora grabbed the red-haired woman's arm and said in a firm voice, "I mean you no harm. But I'm not asking for your opinion. If you're willing to come with me peacefully, then we can talk. But if you refuse, don't blame me for taking you by force."

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