Early the next morning, Nonō returned to Sunagakure's main camp right on time. Facing the layers of questioning within the camp, she answered fluently and without hesitation.
Combined with the various women's clothing and supplies she had prepared in advance, along with Tarō's guarantee, her outing didn't raise any suspicion.
In the first few days after coming back, Nonō made no rash moves. She continued working, resting, eating, and sleeping just as she normally did. No one could have guessed that this gentle, quiet kunoichi with such a regular routine was actually a Konoha spy.
Nor did anyone notice that her eyes occasionally lingered on those shinobi who opposed the Kazekage. Of course, this wasn't surprising—those men were already treated as outcasts within the Sunagakure camp. Though most avoided them, wherever they went they inevitably drew attention.
For several days, Nonō refrained from acting, instead quietly observing their tent locations and the leaders among them.
Time flew quickly, and in the blink of an eye it was already the twelfth—only three days remained until the deadline Hoshiyomi had set.
With the day fast approaching, Nonō finally made her move.
That night, a stone hit one of the tents in the isolated campsite with a soft thud.
The sound wasn't loud enough to attract the distant patrols, but it easily caught the attention of the restless men inside.
A bald Sunagakure shinobi poked his head out of the tent, scanning the surroundings. Seeing no one, he cursed under his breath and was about to duck back inside when he noticed a stone lying in front of his tent—wrapped in paper.
His eyes flickered, and after a moment's hesitation he brought the stone inside. Before his roommates could ask, he motioned for silence and showed them the stone. Glancing at them, he muttered:
"No idea who left this. When I looked outside, this was all there was. So, what do you think? Take a look, or…"
One of his roommates shrugged carelessly.
"Go on, take a look. What could possibly be so secret in the middle of a Sunagakure camp?"
The bald man hesitated. "I'm worried it might be some kind of trap."
Another scoffed. "A trap? For us? We're already a bunch of nobodies who pissed off Ryūnosuke and got thrown here to die. What's even worth scheming against?"
His tone carried heavy resentment.
At those words, the bald man's face also twisted with anger. His father had once been among the village's higher-ups, but after opposing Ryūnosuke's succession as the Third Kazekage, he mysteriously died on what should have been a routine mission.
Now it was his turn—personally named and sent to the battlefield. Everyone knew what that meant: Ryūnosuke was using their lives as bargaining chips, intending to let Konoha shinobi kill them off, eliminating his political opponents while minimizing Sunagakure's losses.
With that thought burning in his mind, the bald man stopped hesitating. Cursing, he tore open the paper wrapped around the stone.
He tossed aside the stone and scanned the contents. His expression instantly darkened as he cursed aloud:
"Damn Ryūnosuke! Damn Ebizō! Those scheming bastards!"
The three roommates around him froze, then snatched a look at the paper themselves. As they read, their expressions shifted back and forth with turmoil.
Because the letter inside, in short, read:
"Ebizō believes your presence is destabilizing the Sunagakure camp. He plans to have you all assassinated on the 16th, then pin the blame on the Konoha shinobi."
The moment they read those words, all four cursed instinctively, hearts filled with fury. Almost without thinking, they recalled what kind of men Ryūnosuke and Ebizō truly were…
Upon realizing that those two (Ryūnosuke and Ebizō) were indeed capable of such treachery, the bald-headed shinobi, whose wits weren't the sharpest, immediately began cursing aloud, muttering about taking that bastard Ebizō down with him.
But the smarter ones had their doubts. For example, the long-faced roommate who had first spoken earlier—after swearing, he thought it over and sensed something off:
"Wait a second… If that old fox Ebizō really wanted to do something like this, he'd make sure it was flawless. There'd be no chance of any leak. Couldn't this be some scheme by the Konoha shinobi instead?"
Another man interjected:
"But how could there possibly be any Konoha spies in the middle of the Sunagakure camp? You think Ebizō—an old fox who's been running intelligence for nearly thirty years—would let a spy slip past him?"
That left them all tangled up in thought. Each of the four had their own opinion, and no one could convince the others.
Finally, the bald one slammed the table and said:
"We'll never figure this out just sitting here wracking our brains. Let's go ask someone wiser."
The other three nodded in agreement. The four of them immediately left their tent and made their way to the central one in their encampment.
Inside lived only one person—the most respected among them all, a former Sunagakure elder named Jizō.
Jizō was an old veteran from the era of the Second Kazekage. His strength was formidable, his political skills not weak either. Though he was known for his upright character, his reputation in the village was considerable.
Back then, he had vehemently opposed Ryūnosuke's alliance with Ōnoki, even openly berating Ryūnosuke after he had just risen to power. For that, Ryūnosuke stripped him of his title as elder.
Later, Jizō couldn't stomach his demotion and kept publicly slandering Ryūnosuke in the village. In retaliation, Ryūnosuke angrily had him sent to this battlefield.
Among their group, Jizō was the most venerable figure, so the four naturally came to consult him.
The old man accepted the note, gave a dismissive chuckle, and placed it on the table as he said softly:
"This is obviously fake. It must be the work of Konoha shinobi. Ebizō would never dare such a thing. If he tried, this entire camp would no longer be under his command."
Hearing this, the four men suddenly realized. The bald shinobi quickly spoke up:
"We let our tempers cloud our judgment. Elder Jizo, your wisdom is unmatched—you saw through Konoha's scheme at a glance. We'll burn this worthless note right away."
But at this, Jizō shook his head.
"This isn't some elaborate scheme. This is an open, brazen ploy."
The four froze, confused.
Seeing their puzzled faces, Jizō explained:
"Tell me—do you truly think we have any hope of surviving here on the front lines?"
They all shook their heads.
Seeing this, Jizō pressed on:
"Then consider this: if we stir up chaos in Sunagakure's camp as the note suggests, draw Konoha shinobi in, and use the disorder to escape—wouldn't that give us at least a chance to live?"
His words plunged the four into silence. One by one, their minds began to turn.
Jizō gave a sorrowful smile as he looked at their expressions.
"That's why I said it's an open ploy. We know full well that the Konoha shinobi want to use us as their pawns. And yet, we have no choice but to become their weapon—because we no longer have any choice at all."
Clearly, Ryūnosuke's ruthless policies had changed even this upright elder.