Sunagakure Camp (Part 1)

Sunagakure Camp.

A few days earlier.

"Lady Chiyo, Lord Ebizo's mission failed. He was seriously injured and has been brought back. The Medical Department is doing everything it can to treat him."

"What?"

Upon hearing the news, Chiyo shot to her feet in shock. She could hardly believe what she had heard. Without the slightest hesitation, she sprinted toward the Medical Department.

"How is Ebizo doing now?" Chiyo asked anxiously, looking at the Medical Ninja treating Ebizo.

"Lord Ebizo lost too much blood and has gone into shock. We've already used up every available medicine in the camp," the Medical Ninja replied, his voice trembling.

Though Chiyo's heart was filled with worry, her years of experience quickly calmed her down. She walked to Ebizo's bedside and carefully examined her younger brother. Seeing how gravely wounded he was, fury blazed within her.

"Konoha!" Chiyo clenched her teeth and forced out the word through the gaps between them, as if venting all her rage.

The atmosphere inside Sunagakure's Command Room was exceptionally tense.

"You're saying Shūji was captured by Konoha?" Chiyo stared in disbelief at the several ninja who had carried out the mission alongside Ebizo. No wonder Shūji was nowhere to be seen. So this was the disaster that had befallen him.

"Yes, Lady Chiyo. When Lord Shūji clashed with a young Konoha ninja, he was actually defeated and subdued by him. We don't know the exact course of the battle. Later, Lord Shūji was controlled by that Konoha ninja and, while Lord Ebizo wasn't paying attention, he attacked him from behind."

A Sunagakure ninja spoke fearfully, unable to hide the terror in his voice. This mission's failure was far too strange. Since when had Konoha possessed a powerful ninja capable of controlling an Elite Jonin?

"Do you know how he controlled him?" Chiyo had no time to consider why the mission had failed. All her attention was focused on the ninja who could control Shūji.

"We don't know. Lord Ebizo was the one who discovered it. He fell unconscious right after saying that."

Several jonin lowered their heads in shame, their voices growing quieter and quieter.

"Then do you know who that ninja was?" Chiyo pressed.

"No... we don't..."

Bang!

Chiyo slammed her hand onto the table. Her face flushed red with fury, and her voice thundered through the room. "You don't know this, and you don't know that. And you people call yourselves jonin? Have Sunagakure's standards for promotion fallen this low?"

"Lady Chiyo, please calm down..." a ninja beside her reminded her timidly.

"All of you, leave! I will submit this mission's evaluation report to the village. As for what punishment you receive, that will depend on Lord Kazekage and the Elder Council's decision. Also, immediately write down every detail of your mission, especially anything about that ninja you know nothing about. Do not leave out a single word!"

"Yes..." The jonin were full of shame and anger. They could not bear to stay another moment and hurried away as though they had been granted a pardon.

"Lady Chiyo, please don't be too angry. Once Lord Ebizo wakes up, everything will naturally become clear."

"Yes. We just don't know why Konoha hid this ninja so deeply before."

"Right. Maybe Shūji was simply careless. If Konoha truly had such a powerful ninja, they wouldn't have been deadlocked with us all this time."

Everyone began trying to persuade her at once, and only then did Chiyo's expression ease slightly.

"Notify the heads of every department, as well as the captains of every squad in the camp. Have them come here for a meeting in one hour."

After silently thinking for a moment, Chiyo suddenly issued the order.

"Yes!"

Upon receiving the order, everyone except Chiyo moved swiftly and began busily carrying out their tasks.

Only Chiyo remained in the vast Command Room, sitting quietly as she sank into thought.

An hour later, a group of ninja filed into the Command Room. Seeing that nearly everyone had arrived, Chiyo went straight to the point.

"I believe everyone already knows that Ebizo and the others failed in their mission to intercept Konoha's supplies."

The crowd exchanged looks, each wearing a different expression. Those who knew the details stared at Chiyo in disbelief.

"How are Lord Ebizo's injuries?"

"How could Lord Shūji have been captured?"

"Damn Konoha! We have to make them pay!"

The crowd cried out one after another, their emotions running high.

"Quiet!"

Chiyo tapped the table with her hand and calmly looked at her subordinates, whose faces were filled with anger.

"Now is not the time to discuss that. The immediate priority is that Shūji has been captured. Konoha will certainly do everything possible to obtain our intelligence from him."

Chiyo continued tapping the table as she watched everyone's reactions. After pondering for a while, she said, "Therefore, whether or not Konoha has obtained the intelligence in Shūji's mind, we must reorganize our previous deployment and tactics, thoroughly disrupt their plans, and never allow Konoha to gain any useful information."

Chiyo's tone was firm, carrying an unquestionable resolve.

"But we have thousands of ninja. Reorganizing our deployment and devising new tactics won't be easy," a Sunagakure strategist said with a bitter expression.

Chiyo was not a softhearted person. Her gaze was sharp as she swept it across every person present, and she said expressionlessly, "Are these the elites of Sunagakure? Knowing full well that all your strategies have been exposed to the enemy, your first thought isn't how to carry them out, but to stand here complaining about the mission's difficulty. Does Sunagakure have no one left? Anyone who thinks this way may leave now. My soldiers on the Front Lines can still fight perfectly well without you!"

Chiyo's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over everyone's heads. The room immediately fell silent. No one dared provoke Chiyo at such a time. After all, Ebizo was gravely injured, and Chiyo was in the midst of her fury.

"Strategic Department, are three days enough?"

When no one answered, Chiyo turned toward the strategists.

"Lady Chiyo, this task concerns thousands of combat ninja and over a hundred combat squads. To formulate a new plan, it must pass through multiple levels of approval and review. Three days is simply too short," the strategists said with troubled expressions.

"Time waits for no one. I'll give you five days at most. During those five days, I will not rest either. I'll work alongside you until the new deployment and tactics are completed. I hope everyone will give this their full effort and stop complaining. We must believe in our own abilities. We will definitely complete this mission!"

Chiyo's tone was firm and resolute, leaving no room for anyone to bargain.

"Lady Chiyo, Lord Ebizo is awake. He says he has important intelligence to report to you."

"Whoosh~"