Neji didn't answer for a long moment, then transformed and reached for the soul. He let go of Lee's hand and dropped his bag, stuffing the soul inside. Then he hauled it back over his shoulder and moved for his fallen kusarigama, unwinding the chain and coiling it back up at his side.

He came up with his heavy binoculars, taking several minutes to scan their surroundings as best he could in the dense forest.

"The owls haven't left," he observed. "But we certainly eliminated the Deer Woman."