The Only Hope

"Mm, I'll keep it in mind."

"I'll always remember that I, Uchiha Yue, owe you, Mei Terumi, my life!"

Hearing Mei Terumi's seemingly playful teasing, Uchiha Yue could not help but smile and nod before replying to her.

After Uchiha Yue replied, Mei Terumi knew full well that his severe injuries had yet to heal and that he needed time to recuperate properly. She did not delay his rest any longer, merely telling him to get some sleep while she went outside the cave to keep watch. After all, the entirety of Sunagakure was now on high alert. The disappearance of the Third Kazekage, the mystery of Sasori of the Red Sands' whereabouts, and the bizarre annihilation of that elite Sunagakure ninja unit had all put Sunagakure's ninjas and upper ranks on edge.

With so many accidents occurring for no reason, Sunagakure's higher-ups naturally ordered every Sunagakure ninja to investigate all activity throughout the Land of Wind. Right now, let alone Uchiha Yue and Mei Terumi, even an elite ninja force from the powerful Konoha would likely be unable to break out of the locked-down Land of Wind. And with Uchiha Yue still seriously injured, Mei Terumi naturally had to cautiously investigate everything around them if she wanted the two of them to survive within the sealed-off Land of Wind, lest Sunagakure discover their trail.

Fortunately, because Uchiha Yue and Mei Terumi had left almost no clues when they wiped out that elite Sunagakure ninja unit, Sunagakure's ninjas still had difficulty finding the two of them in hiding. In particular, the hiding place Mei Terumi had chosen was a cave concealed beneath the yellow sands. Thus, as long as Uchiha Yue and Mei Terumi did not use chakra or spiritual energy, they could remain hidden in this cave for a