Winds and Rains Approach, Matters Across the Lands

In the highest building of the Sand Ninja military fortress, a group of people with grim expressions sat around a round table.

"White Fang dared to go deep alone while exposed? And with only two people?" Rasa gritted out the words from between his teeth.

If the other party wasn't an idiot, then they were treating all of them as idiots.

It was blatant contempt, completely disregarding them!

Although it was infuriating, it was the truth.

Within the entire Sunagakure, those who could face Sakumo Hatake alone numbered less than five.

"Has Grandmother Chiyo found any trace of Pakura?" Karura's words held a hint of worry. After all, she was the teammate she had abandoned, the one who had fled back alone.

Moreover, Pakura and Karura had a good personal relationship, otherwise, the two of them wouldn't have gone to the Land of Lightning together.

"According to the intelligence that came back, it seems they haven't found the other two members of White Fang's squad," Chiyo said with hatred. She wanted revenge every moment.

"Karura, you don't need to blame yourself for this. Your choice at the time was the correct one," Ebizo said, appearing calm and collected, as if he would remain so even if the sky fell.

A brief silence followed, then a dead silence.

Apart from Rasa's suppressed anger and heavy breathing, there was no other sound in the room.

"Why do you think White Fang, with only two people, still ventured deep into the Land of Wind?" Rasa suddenly asked, his words laced with a third of his surprise.

"White Fang's strength cannot be measured by numbers," Chiyo scoffed, snorting.

Ebizo, on the other hand, looked thoughtful. His usually calm expression suddenly changed.

Everyone was startled by his demeanor.

"What? Did you think of something?" Rasa asked excitedly.

"White Fang is a two-person team. Their objective can only be assassination or sabotage," Ebizo's agitated heart gradually calmed down. "If it's assassination, only one or two people will die."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed slightly.

What did he mean by "only one or two people will die"? Doesn't one or two people count as people?

Although Ebizo's words were harsh, the next sentence made everyone unable to get angry.

"If their target is the supply line..."

Among everyone present, apart from Rasa and Chiyo, no one could confidently say they could stop Konoha's White Fang.

White Fang would handle the Sand Ninja, and the other person would be responsible for setting fires.

Two people could accomplish many things!

Bang!

Rasa slammed his fist on the table. Although the force wasn't explosive, it still caused the water glasses on the table to jiggle.

Clear water splashed out from the glasses, wetting a portion of the round table.

"If the supply line is destroyed, we won't be able to fight anymore!"

"Then dispatch an elite squad to escort the transport team?"

"One squad might not be enough."

The voices of the people revealed their panic, and the expressions of the few people sitting in the upper seats became even more somber.

A bunch of useless freeloaders! They were useless at critical moments.

"Escort? Heh..." A cold glint flashed in Rasa's eyes.

Putting aside whether they could escort them successfully, even if Rasa or Chiyo went, the pressure on the front lines would double.

Konohagakure had lost its supreme commander, Sakumo Hatake, and there were still two Sannin, Jiraiya and Tsunade, both of whom were Kage-level powerhouses.

Furthermore, although Sakumo Hatake was the supreme commander, most of the decisions were made by Shikaku Nara.

When comparing the foundations of both sides, Rasa was even more enraged, grinding his teeth.

"We can't mobilize a large amount of manpower and resources for just these two people!" Chiyo also sobered up from her anger about revenge. After a moment of thought, she made a decision.

"Then what? Let them do as they please?" Rasa said angrily, with a third of his helplessness.

"No, we can set a trap!" Ebizo, as one of the few wise men of the Sand Ninja, immediately understood Chiyo's meaning.

"Oh? What do you mean?" Rasa's expression calmed down instantly, and he asked in a deep voice.

"First, we need to know what information they've obtained..."

In the Land of Rivers, the friction between Konoha and Sand Ninja grew increasingly severe, including small-scale wars triggered by these frictions.

Two Konoha Anbu carried a young girl, swiftly moving through the forest.

They were the cat-faced Anbu and dog-faced Anbu who had captured Pakura. After entering the Land of Rivers, they took the forest path.

The reason they didn't take the sandy terrain directly back to the Land of Fire but chose to go through the forest was also a consideration.

The sandy terrain was indeed much safer, but if they encountered Sand Ninja, it would be their home turf.

However, in the forest, where frictions occurred from time to time, they could encounter allies.

Konoha has quite a few strongholds in the Land of Rivers, so we don't need to stay on high alert all the time.

Besides, unless they encounter a large-scale group, two elite Jonin squads can generally stop any Sand Ninja.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The two leaped through the forest, as agile as monkeys.

Suddenly!

"Kuma, stop!" Cat-faced man's feet stopped, and he half-crouched on a branch, shouting.

Dog-faced man, who was carrying Pakura, reacted immediately and halted his steps.

Ahead, two dark figures stood in the middle of the road, seemingly waiting for someone.

Though it sounded strange, Cat-faced man felt they were waiting for them.

"Who are you?"

The opponents wore no headbands, yet they exuded a dangerous aura.

Cat-faced man and Dog-faced man felt a sense of alarm, sensing these two strange individuals were not to be trifled with.

"Lord Madara, you just need to let the little girl go," Black Zetsu said with a sinister chuckle. Tōka's objective was clear: to save Pakura.

Black Zetsu wouldn't do anything unnecessary. He glanced at Uchiha Madara beside him.

Tsuchi-e no Jutsu allows others to gain the same appearance as the user and use everything the user knows, including Kekkei Genkai and equipment.

However, they only possess 30% of the original's Chakra, their actions are controlled by the original, and they permanently lose their self-awareness.

They die once their Chakra is depleted, and their original appearance is restored after death.

How strong is 30% of Uchiha Madara's power? It's certainly not comparable to the nobodies in front of them.

"Always doing unnecessary things." Uchiha Madara knew the subsequent plan. He only thought Black Zetsu wanted to recruit Pakura.

However, a Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai wasn't worth his effort.

This time, by using Tsuchi-e no Jutsu, Uchiha Madara simply wanted to go out for a stroll.

"Don't say that, Lord Madara..." Black Zetsu smiled and sank into the ground. He wasn't a combat type, so it was better to stay away.

Their conversation wasn't intentionally hidden because as long as Uchiha Madara made a move, he would absolutely leave no survivors.

It didn't matter if the other party knew.

"Putting on a show!" Dog-faced man roared and suddenly attacked.

His hands formed hand seals at lightning speed.

Tiger - Ox - Monkey - Rabbit - Rat - Boar - Rooster - Ox - Horse - Dog - Tiger - Dog - Tiger - Snake - Ox - Monkey - Rabbit

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

He immediately unleashed a high-level Water Release Ninjutsu.

Splash!

A colossal wave suddenly surged from the forest, roaring and rushing towards Uchiha Madara.

The momentum was so great that the shadow of the giant wave engulfed dozens of meters of the forest.

Dodging was impossible!

Uchiha Madara simply crossed his arms, a look of disdain flashing in his eyes.

Where the giant wave passed, large trees were snapped like twigs. Uchiha Madara's body seemed as insignificant as a rootless duckweed, as if it would be swept away thousands of miles in an instant.

As the giant wave approached within three steps of Uchiha Madara, a hint of mockery appeared in Dog-faced man's eyes. He thought the opponent was stunned into foolishness.

Victory was assured; he would defeat the opponent immediately!

However, Cat-faced man felt a strong sense of unease.

At that moment, Uchiha Madara slowly extended his hands, his hand seals forming afterimages.

Rat - Ox - Dog - Horse - Monkey - Boar - Tiger

"Fire Release: Majestic Fire Destruction!"

Uchiha Madara grunted and opened his mouth, spitting out hellfire capable of destroying everything.

The temperature of the flames made the air seize, covering the surrounding area and incinerating a vast region.

The flames soared into the sky.

The giant wave poured down.

One red and one white fiercely collided.

Sizzle sizzle...

In just a breath's time, the giant wave, which had been so imposing moments before, was extinguished, turning into wisps of white smoke that disappeared into the forest.

Immediately after, Dog-faced man felt a suffocating aura rush towards him.

The crimson firelight made Dog-faced man and Cat-faced man's pupils contract sharply, as if they were witnessing a scene of the sky burning.

The Land of Wind, a boundless land of yellow sand.

The strong wind howled, carrying sand and flying everywhere.

Two figures, one large and one small, walked one after another. Their pace appeared slow, but they were actually not slow.

It was just that the surrounding reference points were all yellow sand, making the two feel as if they were standing still.

The Anbu masks served as the best mouth coverings for the two against the sand.

"Fox, what do you think a ninja is?" Sakumo Hatake glanced at Tōka, who was clearly starting to pant with his head lowered.

Tōka was slightly stunned to suddenly hear Sakumo Hatake's voice. He looked up at him.

Then, Tōka, looking weak and listless, lowered his head and continued walking silently.

Tiredness was one thing, but thirst was more pressing.

In the desert, the water in their canteens had run out a day ago.

Tōka didn't want to waste words, nor did he have the mood to chat idly with Sakumo Hatake.

"I believe a ninja is someone who endures what ordinary people cannot," Sakumo Hatake said to himself, not getting an answer from Tōka, but not getting angry either.

Tōka listened silently. It was quite similar to the First Hokage's words.

However, he didn't think so...

"Captain, is it really appropriate to discuss this right now?" Tōka said speechlessly, rolling his eyes and mentally complaining, You're amazing, you're Hokage-level, you're a god of death, you're awesome, you're not thirsty, I just want to drink water!

"Heh, I just spoke my mind," Sakumo Hatake chuckled, scratching the back of his head.

He could naturally see that Tōka was a bit tired. After all, he was just a seven-year-old kid, and his stamina couldn't compare to an adult's.

Therefore, Sakumo Hatake deliberately tried to distract Tōka.

However, this was only a temporary solution; they needed to find a town or an oasis quickly.

"According to the intelligence from the enemy, there should be an oasis nearby," Sakumo Hatake took out the crumpled map again.

Needless to say, the two were definitely lost, or at least had deviated from the oasis on the map.

Tōka glanced at it speechlessly and happened to see a spot of green in the distance amidst the yellow sand.

"Look there!"

"Huh?!"

Sakumo Hatake followed Tōka's gaze and indeed saw a spot of green at the horizon, where the yellow and white met.

An oasis? But it looked quite far away!

Had the constant wind and sand changed the terrain, causing them to deviate from their original route?

"Let's go take a look," Sakumo Hatake put away the map and then took out a palm-sized box, handing it to Tōka.

"What is this?" Tōka took it subconsciously.

When he opened it, he saw several dark, mud-like balls inside.

Food? Tōka felt it was difficult to swallow.

"Eat one, and you won't be thirsty anymore," Sakumo Hatake said.

"..." Tōka's mouth twitched. Could this thing be eaten?

It wasn't that he was worried Sakumo Hatake would poison him, but the thing just didn't look appealing.

If Sakumo Hatake really wanted to kill Tōka, it would only take a raise of his hand; there would be no need to waste time.

Tōka picked one up as instructed. It was a bit sticky. As he brought it closer to his mouth, he first smelled something.

"Sour plum?" Tōka's eyes lit up, and he popped the "mud ball" into his mouth.

Damn it!! It's so sour...

Tōka's entire face contorted. He felt like his teeth and tongue in his mouth weren't his own anymore.

The sourness stimulated his saliva production. With a sour plum that could make his teeth ache in his mouth, Tōka felt more quenched than if he had drunk a river!

"Why didn't you bring this out sooner!" Tōka said indistinctly.

"Sour plums only stimulate saliva secretion; they don't replenish the body's water," Sakumo Hatake explained. "There might be a battle at the oasis ahead, so I gave you one to help you regain some energy."

Tōka pursed his lips, not speaking. It seemed that intelligent people didn't necessarily become strong, but strong people were invariably intelligent.

Even those who appeared foolish, simple, or honest had some strategy in their hearts.

"Let's go. In the desert, the last thing you can trust is your eyes," Sakumo Hatake said calmly.

Whoosh, whoosh!!

The two maintained a steady, unhurried pace towards the green dot.

In the desert, it was fine to skip a couple of meals; after all, there were Soldier Pills as a substitute.

However, going without water for a day would make one uncomfortable, feeling a fire burning in their heart.

As the two ran, the green dot gradually grew larger.

Just as expected, it was a real oasis.

A flicker of joy flashed in Tōka's dark eyes beneath his fox mask, and his heavy body suddenly felt much lighter.

"Captain, let's speed up!"

As soon as Tōka spoke, he didn't wait for Sakumo Hatake and ran straight towards the distance.

A hint of vigilance flashed in Sakumo Hatake's eyes. A ninja could never let their guard down.

He opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't dampen Tōka's enthusiasm. After all, he was just a seven-year-old kid.

Shortly after the two of them left, several ghostly figures flashed across the sand dune. They were all wearing cloaks the color of sand...

... (To be continued)