CH_89

"Right. Even if the nine scrolls were just left out in the open in the Forest of Death, I doubt the three of us could find them even if we split up and searched for three full days." Tōji said.

"So—do you think it's possible that this mission isn't really about finding scrolls at all, but rather…" Neru offered her theory.

"You mean—wait until the three days are up and just rob the proctors?" Tōji chuckled.

"Based on the information we have now, that's very likely the case." Neru said seriously.

"I agree with your theory—go on." Tōji wasn't about to argue against something he'd also been thinking.

"Who do you think the proctors will be that collect the scrolls from the forest at the end?" Neru seemed entirely focused on the idea of ambushing the proctors.

"Or—we find Lord Shinku himself. Stake out the head proctor and intercept the scrolls when they come to him." Tōji offered his own idea.

"Here's my theory first—I think the proctors stationed outside the central tower are suspicious, because I noticed there are exactly nine of them…" Neru pointed out a detail she'd observed.

"If it's that much of a coincidence…" Tōji exchanged a glance with Neru.

It seemed the two of them had developed a certain unspoken understanding.

"You two… ahem! Are you going to ignore whether I can follow or not?" Natchi asked politely.

Tōji was actually quite surprised internally. 『Neru's observations are sharp, she's clever, and her skills are decent.』

『If she were in Naruto's era, she'd probably be on par with the Konoha 11—or at least a named character.』

"We're not ignoring you—we're still discussing. Wouldn't it be better if we just tell you the conclusion?" Tōji treated Natchi differently—he had to handle him like a normal eleven-year-old.

"If those nine aren't the ones, then we might not have time to intercept the real proctors who collect the scrolls…" Neru was already thinking of a backup plan in case her theory was wrong.

"Then we need to track down Yūhi Shinku's location first… That's our last chance—all the proctors will still deliver the scrolls to him." Tōji thought his plan made for a solid fallback, even if it would be much harder.

"The three of us—if we split into two groups, it might be tough to pull off, right? The proctors are at least chūnin-level." Neru raised a new concern.

"So—how do you think we should play this?" Tōji was leaning toward having all three of them stake out Shinku, but he still gave Neru room to speak.

"Hmm… the three of us sticking together to watch Lord Shinku might be the best approach. But if those 'tower guards' really are the ones retrieving the scrolls, then the fight might be much easier—we'd have a better chance." Neru still favored going after the easier target. "Besides—think about it. We might not be the only ones who figure this out. If others do too…"

Neru had a point.

If multiple squads all staked out Shinku… then everyone would jump out at once and start fighting, and most of them probably wouldn't get anything.

The competition would be fierce.

Both plans came with different risks—neither was clearly safer.

"I think I finally get what you two are saying!" Just as Tōji and Neru fell into silent thought, Natchi's slightly excited voice cut in, a little out of place.

"So—got any ideas?" Tōji showed Natchi some respect.

"Not yet!" Natchi said bluntly and honestly. "But we definitely need to track down Lord Shinku's whereabouts…"