A-rank Mission

The next day.

The Sixth Division had another rare day with no work to do.

At the Puppet Force base, Shimizu was in the covered training yard, practicing Puppet Technique with the public training puppets.

This was one of the Puppet Force's many benefits.

The two puppets were both heavy models weighing over a hundred kilograms, equipped entirely with nonlethal weapons.

Shimizu was controlling the two puppets to fight each other, training his puppet manipulation skills.

Sasori was not particularly interested in this area. His talent was obvious—he could master those techniques after studying them briefly. His true interest lay in researching and crafting puppets.

Miyuki sat beneath the eaves, reading a book.

That was when Miyaki suddenly appeared in the yard.

"Brother, why are you here?"

Miyuki asked Miyaki curiously.

"Give yourselves fifteen minutes to get ready. Gather at the village entrance in fifteen minutes, and I'll explain on the way."

Miyaki's expression was unusually serious.

"No need. Our puppets are all here. If there's a mission, we can leave right away."

Shimizu withdrew his Chakra Threads and wiped away his sweat.

"I'll get Sasori!"

Miyuki dashed into the building and called out Sasori, who was still making puppets.

"Then I'll keep it short. The border garrison has reported that a small elite Konoha team broke through the border and infiltrated the Land of Wind. A day ago, they destroyed the Black Iron Mine at Black Sand City and vanished without a trace. The village higher-ups have ordered the Puppet Force to work with the border garrison to search for this team of Konoha Ninja."

"Right now, we're the only members of the Puppet Force who can set out immediately. Once we find them, capture them alive if possible. Mission rating: A!"

Miyaki spoke coldly as he looked at Sasori emerging from the room.

"An A-rank mission? Does that mean... there are Jonin-level enemies among them..."

Miyuki said hesitantly.

She did not think one Special Jonin and one Chunin could lead two Genin on an A-rank mission.

"We're... capturing Jonin alive?"

Shimizu pointed at himself with a constipated expression.

"The target for capture is not an enemy Jonin. According to intelligence, there is an Uchiha with an activated Sharingan in this small team. As for the enemy Jonin, Captain Ishido and the border Jonin will handle them."

That explained it.

With Wood Release absent from the equation, the Sharingan was the number one Kekkei Genkai in the ninja world, offering an enormous boost in combat power.

Every ninja village other than Konoha coveted the Sharingan desperately. If that Uchiha was captured by Sunagakure, his only fate would be to become breeding stock.

Sasori's eyes lit up as well.

An Uchiha!

It would be nice if I could turn him into a Human Puppet. Unfortunately, Human Puppets could not yet retain the Kekkei Genkai abilities they possessed in life. What a shame.

"Leave now. We'll meet Captain Ishido at First Line of Heaven. Destination: Black Sand City!"

"Yes!" ×3

A few minutes later, Shimizu and the others arrived at Sunagakure's gate—First Line of Heaven.

First Line of Heaven was Sunagakure's most important and final line of defense, as well as the entrance to the village.

It was an extremely narrow canyon, as though a mountain had been split in two down the middle, leaving only a passage barely wide enough for two carriages to pass through.

One man could hold the pass against ten thousand. That was the kind of terrain this was. If a Kage-level powerhouse, assisted by several stronger Jonin, stood guard here, outsiders would have almost no chance of breaking into Sunagakure.

But the strongest fortresses were often breached from within.

In the future, Sasori and Deidara would invade Sunagakure because Sasori used Shallow Brain Manipulation to control Yura, one of Sunagakure's higher-ups, allowing them to breach First Line of Heaven with ease.

Still, this route also restricted Sunagakure's economic development. It had both advantages and disadvantages.

After showing their mission credentials to the ninja guarding the gate, Shimizu's group quickly set out for Black Sand City.

Ninja traveled quickly. They had received the mission after lunch, and before the sun had set, they had reached their destination.

"Has the support finally arrived?"

The garrison ninja responsible for coordinating with the Puppet Force let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Shimizu's group.

"What's the situation now?"

Having arrived at their destination, Ishido began asking questions without resting.

"Jonin Kyuichi and a Sensory Ninja have been tailing that Konoha team. The Konoha Ninja waiting at the border to receive them were also driven back by Jonin Rasa. Once we gather enough forces, we'll be able to wipe out that Konoha squad."

The Chunin in charge of coordination answered Ishido respectfully.

"Assign someone to lead the way. We're leaving to provide support immediately!"

"I can guide you myself!"

The Chunin bit his thumb until it bled and formed Hand Seals with both hands.

A few seconds later, he summoned a small desert lizard with a note tied to its leg.

The Chunin opened the note, read it, then handed it to Ishido.

"Move out!"

Ishido waved his hand and gave the order.

"Pah! What kind of idiotic order did the higher-ups give us? They sent us to sabotage the Land of Wind's rear lines! This place is nothing but desert—how much is there even to destroy?"

Atop a sand dune, a young man in black clothes embroidered with a red-and-white fan wiped his face and spat sand toward the side.

"Isn't it because of you, Uchiha Sen? The captain ordered you to use Sharingan Genjutsu to hypnotize those Sand Ninja so we could infiltrate, but you directly killed them instead and got us exposed!"

A companion wearing a green vest could not help sneering.

"What do you mean by that? If I hadn't stepped in to save you, would I have needed to attack directly? Civilian ninja are still civilian ninja. You don't even have that much sense!"

Uchiha Sen glared, revealing his red eyes as he shouted at his companion.

"Ah..."

Nara Heiya, the Konoha Jonin leading the team, could not help sighing.

The conflict between the Uchiha clan and Konoha had been growing increasingly intense in recent years—not just between the Uchiha and the villagers, but with the major ninja clans as well.

The Police Force enforced the law violently. They did not care whether someone was a civilian or from a ninja clan; everyone was hauled off to prison, then subjected to Sharingan Genjutsu hypnosis during interrogation.

Now, that conflict had spread into the ninja ranks.

"Enough. We'll most likely be unable to complete our planned mission of sabotaging Sunagakure's logistics. What we need to do now is figure out how to break out of the Land of Wind. Breaking through the blockade will be difficult, but I've already contacted Lord Sakumo through a Summoning Beast. He will try to lead an elite force in an assault on Sunagakure's lines to receive us. Until then, our objective is to survive and hold out until Lord White Fang arrives!"

Nara Heiya spoke to his subordinates with resolute certainty.