Thunder?

"Sakumo- senpai, what information is it that can't even be shared with the Jonin?"

Once the other Jonin had left, Orochimaru immediately asked.

"The One-Tail has been revived."

Sakumo rubbed his temples, looking somewhat tired.

Orochimaru fell silent. No wonder Sakumo chose to conceal this information. Tailed Beast are nothing short of weapons of war. Even Jonin would feel immense pressure facing such monsters. Not every Jonin has the means to contend with Tailed Beast; most are skilled at fighting against humans.

If news of the One-Tail Beast's resurrection were to spread, it would undoubtedly bring considerable pressure.

Sakumo was unwilling to let his recent momentum wane. His goal was to win the war as quickly and ruthlessly as possible and then return to the village. The endless war was exhausting, and he couldn't even take care of his pregnant wife.

"Leave it to me. Whether it's a trap or not, I'll teach those big headscarves a lesson they won't forget." Katsuki cracked her knuckles as she clenched them.

The wind howled, and dust filled the air.

The air was incredibly hot, yet the man standing on the sand dune wore a trench coat, completely covering himself, his sharp, hawk-like eyes fixed on the shifting sands in the distance.

"Chiyo, take some men to guard the outer perimeter and make sure no one disturbs the sealing ceremony."

The man spoke, his voice, though not loud, carried an unyielding will.

"Yes, Lord Kazekage." Chiyo nodded calmly.

The Third Kazekage is hailed as the strongest Kazekage of all time. This strength refers not only to his power but also to his authority, which is unparalleled among all Kazekage. He enjoys the deep trust of the villagers of Sunagakure, and even highly skilled Chiyo Jonin Third Kazekage treat him with utmost respect.

"I was disappointed by what happened in the Land of Rain. Don't disappoint me again this time." A storm seemed to be raging in the Third Kazekage's brown eyes. Chiyo nodded silently without arguing, and led her subordinates away to set up defenses around the quicksand.

The plan to retrieve Shukaku must not fail!

The distant quicksand shifted again, whipping up a mighty gale that shook the ground beneath our feet.

Among the Five Great Ninja Villages, Sunagakure has the most profound research on the Tailed Beast. Through the painstaking research of several generations of Kazekage and countless geniuses of Sunagakure, they have a thorough understanding of Shukaku, and can even predict in advance where Shukaku will choose to revive and return.

"Where's the container?" the Third Kazekage asked.

"Here I am, Lord Kazekage." Rasa stepped forward, and a wave of Gold Dust carried an unconscious young man—this was the prepared One-Tail.

Ever since the incident where a prepared container suddenly backed out at the last minute, every time a new container is used, the container is made to faint. After all, sealing Tailed Beast relies on the power of the caster, and the power of the container itself is completely useless in this matter.

His sharp gaze lingered on the container for no more than two seconds before the Third Kazekage stared at Rasa, scrutinizing him. Seeing Rasa's composed expression, a glint of satisfaction flashed deep in his eyes.

This was the only one among the family's good-for-nothing descendants who could satisfy him. Although the war in the Land of Rain was a defeat, Rasa's performance was quite outstanding, which was the only psychological comfort after the war's failure.

"Wait a moment, Rasa, you need to watch carefully. Every step in sealing the Tailed Beast is crucial. Even a single mistake will lead to the sealing failure, and failure often means paying an even greater price." As the Third Kazekage spoke, a plume of dust hundreds of meters high shot into the sky.

The quicksand flew up, and long rivers of quicksand swayed and rushed into the sky, crashing headlong into the huge cloud of dust that was a hundred meters high.

The black shadow grew larger and larger, and an incomparably powerful aura emanated from within the smoke and dust. The myriad streams of Chakra that had been circulating between heaven and earth converged, and Shukaku's form became increasingly clear: a bloated body, a thick tail...

"Hehehe--!!!"

Shukaku let out a piercing scream. After being tricked and killed by that damned human for several months, it finally came back to life.

"Magnet Release, Iron Sand Bird Wings"

The black Iron Sand opened and crossed like the wings of a giant bird, enveloping the Third Kazekage's body and flying high into the sky at an extremely fast speed, approaching Shukaku.

The Third Kazekage's powerful Chakra instantly caught Shukaku's attention. He blew away the dust in front of him and immediately saw the Third Kazekage flying towards him.

"Damn humans, it's you again! You lowly ants, die! Die! Die! Don't even think about keeping me in that cramped space again... Aaaaaaah!!" Shukaku roared madly, clearly remembering how the Third Kazekage had stuffed it into different containers time and time again.

The tragic scenes of the past were still vivid in his mind, Shukaku made up his mind to fight to the death this time and let these arrogant humans know how powerful he Shukaku, was.

"Magnet Release, Iron Sand Flow"

With a casual wave of his hand, the Third Kazekage unleashed a torrent of black Iron Sand that surged toward Shukaku like a rushing river.

Sunagakure.

Surrounded by sheer cliffs, the ninja village is a treasure trove created for the Sand Village by the wise vision of the First Kazekage, Retto. It is like a protective wall, like a tortoise shell. The huge rock wall, hundreds of meters high, would take even the most skilled ninja to climb for some time. If there are guards on top, it is even more difficult to attack.

There is only one passage carved into the cliff face to enter and exit Sunagakure, where a large number of Sunagakure ninja guards stand guard, making it an impregnable defense.

The Sand Ninja stared at the howling wind; no one whispered among themselves, and everyone was diligently performing their duties, demonstrating the high level of discipline among the Sand Ninja.

"······Rumble······"

"Um?"

A Sand Village Jonin looked around Jonin, confirming that he hadn't misheard; there was an unusual sound mixed in with the wind.

"Have you heard anything?" After searching unsuccessfully and finding nothing unusual in sight, he asked his subordinates.

"Without······"

"No, what was that sound?"

Everyone shook their heads, but just then a distant rumble of thunder came from the sky.

"Did it thunder?"

"What the heck? Is it going to rain? But where are the clouds?"

The Sand Ninja were stunned. In the Land of Wind, there was hardly any rain throughout the year, and thunder was a rare occurrence. They were all overjoyed, as every rain shower in the Land of Wind was like a festival.

The thunder gradually became clearer. Although there were still no dark clouds in sight, the villagers of Sunagakure were already eagerly watching the sky, waiting for the rain to fall.

"Enemy attack--!!!!!!"

Standing Jonin let out a sharp, piercing scream. As a sensory ninja, she finally detected the rapidly approaching Chakra in the distant sky. Had she not been drawn by the thunder, she would never have noticed the Chakra moving in the sky.

"Enemy attack! You idiots, get ready to defend! What are you standing there for?" The Jonin quickly got into position, scolding their somewhat lax subordinates and assuming defensive stances.