The situation at the entrance to Sunagakure wasn't as horrific as they'd imagined.
At least there had been no casualties.
Only the village gate and the nearby buildings had been caught in the explosion, reduced to piles of rubble and sand.
When Kazekage Retto arrived at the village entrance, he immediately found a soot-covered Jonin and went over to ask, "What happened?"
The Jonin saw that it was their Kazekage and immediately reported:
"It was a bird. It had Konoha's emblem on it. The patrol team thought it was one of Konoha's summoning beasts, so they decided to shoot it down first and ask questions later. But the bird was made of Explosive Tags. As soon as they hit it, it exploded."
"Konoha?" Retto's gaze sharpened. "What are they up to?"
By then, Sunagakure's ninjas had begun gathering at the village entrance of their own accord. The moment they saw their Kazekage there, they hurried over.
"Send a reconnaissance team to check the area and see if Konoha's people are still nearby."
Retto began issuing orders.
"Gather all the Jonin in the village who aren't on missions and get them ready for battle."
"Have the office send Konoha a diplomatic letter condemning this terrorist attack and demanding one hundred million ryo in compensation for the damage to the buildings."
Retto's voice faltered as he continued giving orders, and his tone turned noticeably somber:
"Deploy the entire Kazekage Guard to the Daimyo of the Land of Wind's estate and assassinate—"
Before he could finish, a young voice rang out from afar:
"I didn't expect Lord Kazekage to come greet us in person. How very courteous of you."
At the same time, the air filled with the sound of countless wings beating.
Retto turned toward the voice.
When he saw what had