"What is that place?"

Shadow Man, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets, asked.

"It seems to be a place people call 'Pure Land.'"

Earth Man responded to Shadow Man's question.

"Pure Land? Is there really such a place in the Ninja Realm?"

Water Man frowned slightly. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

He had never heard of such a place existing.

In this Ninja Realm, places that could be called 'Pure Land' were basically only marginalized small countries.

The closer you get to the center of the Ninja Realm, the fiercer the wars become.

"That's what the intel calls it. But in the intelligence system of the Land of Demons, such a place has never been recorded. The remnants of the Blood Mist Faction seem to have hidden there."

More than two months ago, they, the Nokizaru Group, received an order from the military of the Land of Demons—to assist the Fourth Mizukage Yagura in exterminating the remnants of the Blood Mist Faction who escaped from the Hidden Mist Village on the day of the coup.

In these two months, the five of them had been working with Hidden Mist Ninja to chase down the remnants of the Blood Mist Faction.

This included the mercenaries from the Underground Black Market hired by the remnants of the Blood Mist Faction—the Fierce Light Group, which had been wiped out by them, adding a bit of prestige to the Nokizaru Group.

After all, the Fierce Light Group wasn't a particularly powerful mercenary organization in the Underground Black Market; the true targets were the remnants of the Blood Mist Faction buying them behind the scenes.

"No intel from Hidden Mist?"

"No, they don't seem particularly familiar with the Valley of Hypocrisy either."

Earth Man shook his head, indicating that even the Hidden Mist Ninja he contacted didn't know what kind of place the Valley of Hypocrisy was.

Through the information agencies of the Land of Demons' military, he searched for a long time and could only learn that the Valley of Hypocrisy is a place called 'Pure Land,' nothing more.

They didn't know which country it was in or how to get there.

"Is the trail going cold here? Or should we wait for the remnants of the Blood Mist Faction to come out of the Valley of Hypocrisy before we find them? As long as they intend to target the Fourth Mizukage, they can't stay holed up in a place called the Valley of Hypocrisy forever."

Shadow Man suggested.

The others nodded in agreement; it was indeed a viable approach.

Without sufficient intel, searching for the so-called Valley of Hypocrisy was just a waste of time.

Rather than that, it would be better to wait for the other side to reveal themselves.

As long as the remnants of the Blood Mist Faction still want to seize power from the Fourth Mizukage, they can't remain hidden forever.

"What do you think, big brother?"

Earth Man looked towards Insect Man, who was sitting by the bed, extending his right hand's middle finger in front of him.

A small black insect buzzed in from outside the window, landing on his middle finger, seemingly transmitting some information to Insect Man.

"Surveillance insect? Any discoveries?"

Earth Man asked.

Insect Man's body had been modified by Hakushi long ago to control various insects.

He possessed capabilities similar to the Aburame Clan of Konoha, but in some aspects, exceeded the Aburame Clan.

The insects he used were particularly difficult to defend against.

For instance, the Bursting Insect used in assaults against foes.

Or the Surveillance Insect used during searches.

And various other insects for diverse purposes, adaptable to different environments and enemies.

Insect Man retracted the Surveillance Insect, stood up from the bed, and addressed the four of them: "An old friend seems to have come to this small town as well. If it's him, he should know about the Valley of Hypocrisy. After all, few ninja in this realm have more experience than he does."

It was clear that Insect Man held this person in high regard and spoke of him in a familiar tone, making the four immediately think of who he was.

The Undying—Kakuzu.