It Must Be So

After the Stone Ninja realized they had been tricked, they immediately flew into a rage, hurling Shuriken, Kunai, and Exploding Tags forward as if their lives depended on it.

They especially suspected that this so-called disciple of the Third Kazekage had suffered severe injuries and could no longer refine Chakra perfectly, which was why he moved like he was lagging, stopping and starting.

So...

If they did not take this chance to kill this Sand Ninja and crush Sunagakure's confidence, then when would they?

Especially since Rasa possessed a potion that could quickly restore Chakra. No matter how they looked at it, they had to capture or control this guy!

"Charge! Everyone, charge!"

The Stone Ninja Commander directed his subordinates like a madman. He was probably furious from having been toyed with by Rasa for so long.

Just think about it... He had been entrusted with an important mission by the Third Tsuchikage, leading Ninja to scout out the Land of Wind's true state. Then... by sheer luck, they encountered the mysteriously vanished disciple of the Third Kazekage—the rumored mentally ill and incoherent Rasa. If they did not take him down now, when would they?

Yet...

Who could have possibly expected this~

So many Stone Ninja had actually been toyed with by a lunatic.

He could already foresee it: once he returned to the village, those colleagues of his would definitely mock him, and this joke would surely... spread for years.

Therefore, he had to kill the powerful young member of Sunagakure before him!

The Stone Ninja looked at the scene...

They had the advantage. He was just a brat barely into his twenties, while they had ten Jonin and fifteen Chunin here. There was nothing to discuss—just go for it!

As for Rasa...

After looking at what he had just drawn, he breathed a sigh of relief inwardly... though he also felt somewhat helpless. It seemed he would have to wait for the right opportunity!

The end of Leaf Year 41.

It was now the end of Year 41, and a new year was about to begin.

The Third Kazekage of Sunagakure had mysteriously vanished. There had been no warning and no news whatsoever, plunging the entire village into a tense state of internal weakness.

While Sunagakure dispatched most of its Sand Ninja to search for him, the other Ninja villages also received word that Sunagakure's Kazekage had disappeared, and that the Wind Country Daimyo Estate had long withheld funds intended to support the Ninja village, severely weakening Sunagakure and causing its number of Ninja to steadily decline.

So...

This was a juicy piece of meat!

A piece of meat at the level of the Five Great Ninja Villages. If they did not take a bite now, then when would they?

When the major Ninja villages learned that Kumogakure had already taken the lead in assembling a Ninja army to launch a surprise attack on the Land of Wind's border, they reacted swiftly and began preparing for war. After all, before anyone else could respond, Kumogakure had already rushed its village Ninja straight to the Land of Wind's border under the leadership of the Third Raikage. If someone claimed... that Kumogakure had not been preparing for war long beforehand, who would believe it?

Thus, the leaders of the major Ninja villages understood very clearly that, if their guess was correct... Kumogakure's ambitions this time were certainly not small!

Meanwhile...

In order to prevent Kumogakure from advancing further, Ebizo and Chiyo had taken away most of the village's fighting force and rushed as quickly as possible toward the border under Kumogakure's surprise attack.

Although the Ninja hidden in the Land of Lightning had long detected that something was wrong within the country...

No one had expected Kumogakure to move so quickly!

Therefore, they absolutely could not afford any carelessness this time. One wrong step... and their village, Sunagakure of the Five Great Ninja Villages, might truly be destroyed.

To protect their village, to protect their comrades, family, and friends.

Every Sand Ninja heading out to stop Kumogakure had already prepared to sacrifice themselves.

Their only regret was...

At such a critical time for Sunagakure, there was still no news whatsoever of the Kazekage. As long as the Kazekage was alive and appeared before them, even if the Wind Country Daimyo Estate gave them no war funds, no compensation, no military expenses, and cut the village's construction budget... they still believed that as long as their Kage was there, Sunagakure would be fine.

That was...

The role of a Kage!

All Ninja trusted him, acknowledged him, respected him, and worshipped him. He was the village's pillar and the spiritual leader of all Ninja.

"What exactly happened to the Kazekage? Why did he disappear without a single word?" Ebizo, covered in dust and sand, frowned in distress as he hurried onward and spoke to his equally solemn sister beside him. "Could it really have been the Hokage of Leaf and the Sannin acting together?"

"To make Third Hokage vanish without a sound, even the Shinobi World Professor and his three disciples working together would not be enough—unless... the Kazekage fell into a trap set by Leaf—a Barrier." Chiyo sighed and helplessly shook her head. "After so long, after sending out so many Sand Ninja, there is still no news. The Kazekage is likely in grave danger. Of course, Kumogakure is also suspicious. After all... the fact that they prepared such a large army to invade the Land of Wind's border so quickly proves... they had long been ready to start a war. So, the Kazekage may very well have been... ah, what is the point of saying all this now?"

"...Sister, you understand what I mean." Ebizo fell silent for a moment, his cloudy eyes carrying the same hint of worry as he said, "Sasori disappeared... at the same time as the Kazekage."

Because of the Kazekage's disappearance, the disappearance of his grandnephew—his sister's grandson, Sasori—seemed far less serious by comparison.

"Although we asked others to help search as well... there is still no news."

At those words...

"..."

Chiyo fell silent, concern also filling her eyes. After all, he was her only grandson, her son's only child.

Sasori was exceptionally talented as a Ninja and would surely become a pillar of Sunagakure in the future. But if things truly were as they feared...

My precious grandson!

She suddenly felt her eyes grow moist, and she wanted to cry. As a grandmother, she did not wish to admit that her grandson had met with misfortune, but... given the current situation, she could not stop herself from imagining the worst.

Sasori... he must have sacrificed himself to protect the Kazekage. He must have! That child... he loved Sunagakure just as much as his father did!

"Big sister..." Ebizo looked at Chiyo, whose eyes had reddened slightly, and hesitated...

"It's nothing. The dust storms in the Land of Wind are still a little too harsh." Chiyo gave a self-mocking smile and shook her head. "Sure enough... no matter how long I live here, I still can't get used to it!"

Why did Sunagakure have to survive in such a harsh environment?!

Why did Konoha get to occupy such fertile land?

After all...

The Shinobi God... had long since died!

"Enough about that, we—"

However, before she could finish, Chiyo's expression abruptly changed. She shouted, "Enemy attack!"