A Storm Was Brewing

Were there going to be around fifteen "Werewolves" coming to attack from the end of the street?

Konan and Pakura both looked toward the end of the street.

Could anyone really predict what would happen thirty seconds from now? Perhaps. Sasori of the Red Sands himself could probably predict whether someone would launch a surprise attack from there.

He was the one who had planned the attack, and he had enough information.

But could Jiang Feng predict it?

In theory, it seemed unlikely. After all, Jiang Feng knew no more than they did: only that Sasori of the Red Sands might pull something during the finals. He didn't know what Sasori had planned, or even whether he intended to make a move today.

As far as they could tell, Jiang Feng had no more "information" than they did.

But in reality, Jiang Feng knew far more than they could imagine.

As the Heavenly Son's Qi Observation Technique took effect, Jiang Feng had nearly grasped every shift in the energies of heaven, earth, and humanity around him: the movement of the air, the rhythms of the desert, the changes in people's hearts, the flow of Chakra...

The information Jiang Feng gathered was far more detailed and complex than what the Sharingan or Byakugan could provide. The only area where he might fall short of the Byakugan was its range.

After gathering such a vast amount of information, the Heavenly Son's Qi Observation Technique processed it like an algorithm in a big-data model, quickly and efficiently sorting, summarizing, and analyzing everything.

Its conclusion: fifteen people were acting suspiciously.

They were scattered around that street. At a glance, they seemed utterly unremarkable, merely on routine patrol or out for a stroll.

But their microexpressions, behavioral patterns, and the obviously abnormal flow of energy around them told Jiang Feng that they were converging on a certain spot along the street.

One, five, eleven...

Within thirty seconds, fourteen people—some disguised as "tourists," others as "Werewolves" who hadn't yet been exposed—made their way there, gathering together.

"Enemy attack! Everyone, be on alert! We're under attack!"

Pakura's expression changed dramatically. She leaped down from the viewing platform and raced toward the end of the street. By this point, anyone could see that those people were acting strangely.

Jiang Feng sighed softly. "I was off by one..."

As soon as he finished speaking, another disguised Ninja arrived. Fifteen people—not one more, not one less.

"Kill!"

"Kill all the Sunagakure and Konoha Ninja!"

"Kill them all!"

The fifteen Ninja controlled by Sasori of the Red Sands had assembled. Like madmen, they unleashed Ninjutsu and the Puppet Technique, launching a suicide attack on the finals venue, where tens of thousands of ordinary spectators and more than a thousand Ninja had gathered.

And it truly was a suicide attack.

Before they could even draw the attention of the ambush squads, ANBU, or guards Rasa had stationed throughout Sunagakure, Pakura charged in and used her Scorch Release to instantly kill several of them, drying them into mummies.

"Protect the Daimyo!"

"Protect Lord Kazekage!"

As Pakura charged out, the Sunagakure ANBU on the viewing platform gathered around Rasa and the Daimyo.

At that moment, there was no one in Sunagakure more deserving of protection than the Daimyo.

The venue began to stir. Some spectators seated high above had already spotted the fighting in the distant street and were exchanging whispers.

Why would anyone attack Sunagakure at a time like this?

Was that Pakura, one of Sunagakure's strongest Ninja?

No one thought that a mere dozen or so people could fight their way to the venue and threaten their safety. So they only talked among themselves; no one had started to panic.

But could this really be all of Sasori of the Red Sands' "preparations"?

Impossible. Absolutely impossible!

As a skilled fighter, and as the man responsible for the lives of every spectator and villager, Rasa would never underestimate Sasori of the Red Sands.

Even if Sasori really were an idiot who had only arranged for a handful of attackers, Rasa would still assume his intelligence and threat were ten times greater than they actually were. He had to prepare for the worst.

"Everyone, please remain calm. These are nothing but a few lowlifes trying to cause trouble for Sunagakure. Please trust Sunagakure and the preparations we've made for this event.

"To prevent a stampede, please stay quietly in your seats and don't move around. Those of you seated high up can take this opportunity to witness Sunagakure's strength..."

Rasa flew to the center of the venue on a cloud of gold dust, using a megaphone to calm the spectators before panic could take hold.

Crisis and opportunity often went hand in hand. Wasn't this a chance to show off Sunagakure's strength and organizational skills?

The venue, which had been on the verge of panic, settled down.

He really was better suited than Pakura to be the Village Leader. Though he sometimes went off the rails and sometimes got too clever for his own good, he truly had the wisdom and ability to lead a Ninja village.

He was a capable man, no less impressive than Yahiko. But he still fell short of Jiang Feng, Konan assessed Rasa's display of ability silently.

"About eight hundred meters in the six o'clock direction, there are twenty-four attackers. About fourteen hundred meters in the eight-fifteen direction, there are nearly thirty. About eleven hundred meters in the ten o'clock direction, there are around thirty-five people..."

Jiang Feng suddenly raised his head again and looked around, calmly identifying more than a dozen places where disturbances were about to break out. Then he frowned. "They're the village wells."

For Sunagakure, deep in the desert, nothing was more precious than water.

Since its founding, Sunagakure had dug only a little over a hundred wells. Those wells supplied daily water for tens of thousands of people.

Among them, more than a dozen wells had the widest water veins and the richest sources. Together, they provided around half of Sunagakure's water supply.

Sunagakure's population had surged, and its once ample water supply was now under strain. If anything happened to those dozen or so wells, quite a few people might die of thirst in the village.

The peaceful village suddenly erupted on all sides. Hundreds of people controlled by Sasori of the Red Sands shed their disguises, split into more than a dozen squads, and charged toward the village's largest wells.

They had only one goal: to poison the water.

With the deadly poison Sasori of the Red Sands had prepared, even though the water vein beneath a well continued to flow, a successful poisoning would render that well unusable for ten days to half a month.

Having a major well "cut off" for that long was already a strategic crisis for Sunagakure. If all the major wells were "cut off," it would be a "devastating blow."

"Sasori, I knew you'd target the village wells. I know your little tricks all too well!"

Floating above the venue, Rasa gave a cold laugh and taunted Sasori of the Red Sands, wherever he was hiding, trying to draw him out.

As soon as Rasa finished speaking, several times as many Sunagakure ambushers surged out from around the wells, chasing down and surrounding those trying to poison them.