Kakuzu's heart was filled with confusion.

Ruri seemed to see through Kakuzu's thoughts and pointed at the river flowing from top to bottom, saying: "There's something wrong with the water here; it contains a misleading scent. The wind spreads the water vapor into the forest, mixing with the wildflowers, disguising as their fragrance to confuse passersby. But those illusion techniques are not very strong; the closer you get to this river, the stronger the effect of the illusion."

Kakuzu curiously stared at the river flowing from top to bottom in front of him.

"It's basically a natural hallucinogen. Do the people inside the Valley of Hypocrisy use the misleading scent from this river to capture the Nokizaru Group?"

"Probably. Although the five of them are proficient in many Secret Techniques, they are particularly vulnerable to illusion techniques, which is considered their weakness."

Of course, ordinary illusion techniques are ineffective against them.

It can only be said that the group illusion techniques of the Valley of Hypocrisy are extraordinarily unique.

This mission, even if other Jonin Uchiha from the Land of Demons came to inspect, they would probably be unable to see through these illusions.

"Release!"

Ruri and Kakuzu simultaneously formed a seal with their hands, dispelling the illusionary effect in front of them.

The cliff across from them immediately changed appearance.

In the middle of the mountain wall, there was an immense cave, carefully man-made.

"Is this the entrance to the Valley of Hypocrisy? It's actually built within the mountain, no wonder it has remained undiscovered, even intentionally concealed with olfactory illusion techniques, truly cunning."

Kakuzu muttered.

"We've found the entrance, let's go straight in."

Saying this, Ruri was the first to leap towards the cave on the opposite rock face.

For ordinary people who couldn't reach the cave without tools, a ninja could easily arrive with a single leap.

This posed no difficulty for Kakuzu either, who effortlessly leaped to the mouth of the cave.

The moment he and Ruri reached the cave entrance, they heard someone shouting:

"Who are you?"

Three people rushed out from the depths of the cave.

Before they could make any moves, Ruri's Sharingan glared at them.

Their faces immediately went blank, and their bodies fell powerlessly to the ground.

Following this, the three bodies lying on the ground began to change, transforming into completely different strangers.

Transformation Jutsu?

Why use Transformation Jutsu in their own territory?

Ruri felt puzzled.

Kakuzu pointed at the three transformed people and said: "If I remember correctly, this person is a B-class fugitive from Hidden Rock Village, the one next to him is an A-class fugitive from Hidden Sand Village, and the last one is an A-class wanted criminal from Hidden Grass Village. All three are Renegade Ninja and have been missing for ten years, with a total bounty of thirty-five million ryo."

"..."

Should I say I'm not surprised it's a former bounty hunter?

Even as a Debt Collector, the bounty hunter's occupational habits remained.

"It's said that the Valley of Hypocrisy is a refugee village established by Renegade Ninja, far away from the outside world."

Kakuzu continued.

Ruri reflected for a moment, then sneered: "So, using Transformation Jutsu to become someone else means you can start a new life here? A bunch of lunatics."

◎

The village inside the cave was carved out of the cliffs; whether it was the wells or walls, they were forged with stone.

Because the village was built inside the cave, no sunlight could penetrate, and even with electric lights illuminating the area, it always felt like a chilling breeze, with a heavy sense of gloom.

"Good afternoon, Chief."

In the sun-deprived cave village, every villager wore plain and simple clothing, their faces sporting incredibly cheerful smiles.

As an old man passed by, those around him greeted him.

The white-haired old man was the village chief here.

The ninja who established the Valley of Hypocrisy.

He had the appearance of a kind and benevolent old man, nodding in response to villagers' greetings.

"Good afternoon. By the way, today is such a sunny day."

In reality, no sunlight could be seen in the village within the cave.

Yet, the old village chief still spoke such words.

To the old village chief's sigh, the villagers naturally did not say anything to spoil the mood, or rather, they shared the same sentiment.

"Indeed, the weather is so peaceful today, another day of harmony and fulfillment."

"Compared to outside, this is paradise."

No wars, no conflicts, just hiding here allowed for peace.

The old village chief smiled and nodded, very pleased with the villagers' praise of peace.

After taking a stroll outside, the old village chief returned.

Just in time for dusk, the villagers on the village roads instinctively returned home, keeping their routine here well-regulated.

This was the unwritten rule of the Valley of Hypocrisy; every day at five o'clock in the afternoon, everyone must stay at home and not wander outside.

Maintaining a Transformation Jutsu persona all day and recreating an identity is very taxing on chakra and energy.

Not using their true faces grants eligibility to reside in the Valley of Hypocrisy.

Since everyone here is a Renegade Ninja, they've abandoned their entire past; encountering enemies here would inevitably lead to clashes, disrupting peace.

Therefore, it is required that during the day, they must use a Transformation Jutsu to disguise themselves as their fantasized characters, maintaining this persona until death.