The desert.
As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but monotonous yellow.
Rolling dunes, high and low, appeared eternal and unchanging.
Yet whenever a whirlwind swept through, they would take on an entirely different shape in the blink of an eye.
The scorching sunlight blurred the air over the ground, and rising heat could vaguely be seen above the sand.
Taiseki was one of Iwagakure's few Jonin, so he had been appointed commander of the reconnaissance unit.
After sending out a group of ninjas skilled in concealment, perception, and scouting like a net with wide gaps that let nothing slip through,
and arranging teams of ten as relay stations for intelligence transmission, he had set out alone to scout ahead.
This was because he had developed a secret technique called Camouflage Concealment.
It allowed his body to blend perfectly with the surrounding environment. Even when moving, it would not cause the air to distort.
It could be said to be a stealth technique even more perfect than ordinary invisibility.
It was also through this technique that he had successfully risen to become a Jonin of Iwagakure.
Unfortunately, Camouflage Concealment still had certain shortcomings.
For example, sensory ninjas could detect his presence, ninja hounds could smell him, and it could not conceal the sound of his footsteps.
This was a problem he had pondered over for a long time, yet had never managed to solve.
At this moment.
Relying on the perfect concealment of Camouflage Concealment, Taiseki moved briskly toward Sand Village, far faster than the other scouting ninjas.
But wary of Sand Village's customary traps buried beneath the sand, he could only move quickly.
He absolutely did not dare to run.
Besides, running would definitely leave obvious footprints.
"Just as I thought. Those bastards are as despicable