Sand Ninjas Attack

Yutian had already sorted out the situation in his mind.

He knew that the ninjas from Sunagakure would act soon, and Inada Kai's plan had already entered its final stage.

All he needed to do was tell Kushina directly.

Meanwhile, the leader of the Sand ninjas—Shari, was standing in a hidden stronghold in the Rice Field Country, gazing at a map of the entire territory.

His eyes held a hint of determination as he secretly calculated his next move.

"This plan must succeed."

Shari said in a low voice.

The reason he agreed to Inada Kai's plan was not just because of Inada Kai's promises, but also because of the Land of Wind's practical needs.

The Land of Wind was located in a desert, with barren resources and extremely low grain production, causing the country's development to lag far behind other major nations.

If the Rice Field Country could be brought under the Land of Wind's sphere of influence, securing a stable food supply, the Land of Wind's predicament would be greatly improved.

"The grain of the Rice Field Country is the hope for our Land of Wind to rise."

Shari clenched his fist, "No matter what, this plan cannot fail."

He turned to look at the several Sunagakure ninjas behind him:

"Everyone, act according to the plan. Tonight, Princess Tachibana must be dealt with. Remember, act quickly, and don't give the Konoha ninjas any chance to react."

The Sunagakure ninjas responded in unison:

"Yes, Lord Shari!"

Shari nodded, then waved his hand, signaling them to begin their actions.

He secretly prayed:

"I hope everything goes smoothly."

At the same time, far away in Konoha, Danzo was sitting in his office, holding a newly delivered piece of intelligence.

A meaningful smile appeared on his face.

"The Daimyo of the Rice Field Country is dead... It seems Uchiha Amada has completed his mission."

Danzo's tone held a hint of satisfaction.

Just then, the office door was pushed open, and the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, walked in.

His face was serious as he looked at Danzo, who was sitting behind his desk.

Danzo looked up and saw Hiruzen Sarutobi:

"A rare visitor, Lord Hokage. What brings you here today? What business do you have?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi ignored Danzo's teasing and got straight to the point, questioning:

"The death of the Daimyo of the Rice Field Country, that was your doing, wasn't it?"

Danzo's smile gradually faded as he slowly stood up, his gaze meeting Hiruzen Sarutobi's directly, his tone carrying a hint of sharpness:

"If you don't want to dirty your hands, then let me do it. You should understand, we have no other choice."

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned:

"Couldn't we have talked to him first? Perhaps there were other solutions."

Danzo sneered:

"Talk? My people have already discovered that Sunagakure ninjas have entered the Rice Field Country. Do you think there's still a need to talk?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was silent for a moment, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

He knew Danzo was right; they had no choice.

The strategic importance of the Rice Field Country was too great; it could not be allowed to fall into the hands of the Land of Wind.

Hiruzen Sarutobi finally sighed, "In the future, if there are similar actions, I must be informed first. After all, I am the Hokage."

Danzo did not respond directly, merely smiling slightly:

"Hiruzen, some things are better not to know too much about. You just need to trust that everything I do is for the benefit of Konoha."

"I hope so."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said finally, with a hint of warning, "But remember, the interests of Konoha are not yours alone to decide."

Danzo smiled without speaking, merely nodding slightly, completely disregarding Hiruzen Sarutobi's warning.

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to leave, but as he reached the doorway, he suddenly stopped and looked back, asking:

"By the way, who was it that acted? I didn't hear about any of your Root members making a move."

Danzo smiled mysteriously:

"It was an excellent young man."

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned and didn't press further.

He knew that if Danzo didn't want to say something, no amount of questioning would yield results.

So, he nodded, turned, and left Danzo's office.

Meanwhile, inside the royal palace of the Rice Field Country.

A small squad of ninjas was silently infiltrating the palace. It was Sunagakure's Jonin, Shari, and his three subordinates.

"Let's finish this quickly. Our target is Princess Tachibana."

Shari commanded in a low voice.

"Yes, Lord Shari!"

The three subordinates responded in unison, their voices kept extremely low.

They quickly infiltrated Princess Tachibana's chambers.

However, to their surprise, the chambers were silent, with not even a single guard present.

Shari's brow furrowed slightly, a vague sense of unease creeping into his heart:

"This is too smooth... too unnaturally smooth."

"Bad! It's a trap! Retreat!"

Shari suddenly realized and shouted in a low voice.

But as soon as his words fell, countless sounds of air being broken echoed through the chambers.

Dense projectiles shot from all directions, kunai and shuriken rained down upon them.

At the same time, a loud voice sounded within the chambers—

"Fire Style: Ash Pile Burning!"

Instantly, black smoke and dust surged from all directions, quickly engulfing Shari and his subordinates.

The smoke contained scorching embers, completely obscuring their vision.

With their sight blocked by the black smoke of Ash Pile Burning, the ninjas from Sunagakure were thrown into an extremely passive situation.

The projectiles shot from all directions became difficult to dodge in the smoke.

The situation was even worse for Shari's three Chūnin subordinates.

Despite their best efforts to evade, they inevitably sustained several kunai and shuriken hits, blood slowly trickling from their wounds.

"Damn it!"

One Chūnin gritted his teeth and growled, his movements significantly slowed.

As a Jonin, Shari's strength and experience far surpassed his subordinates.

He dodged most of the projectiles, but his heart grew heavier.

He knew they couldn't continue like this; the situation had to change.

"Wind Style: Wind Blowing Technique!"

Shari quickly formed hand seals and thrust his palms forward.

A powerful vortex erupted from his palms, instantly scattering the surrounding black smoke.

The moment his vision cleared, Shari saw Kushina standing not far away.

But before he could react, Kushina's figure had already charged forward like lightning.

Her fist, imbued with powerful chakra, aimed straight for Shari's chest.

"Bang!"

Shari hastily raised a kunai to block, but Kushina's strength was far beyond his imagination.

The kunai snapped under the force of her punch, and Shari's body was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the building outside the chambers.

A large hole was blasted through the wall, with debris and dust scattering everywhere.

"Amada, Asuma, find a way to hold off those three ninjas. I'll finish this quickly."

Kushina stood at the entrance of the chambers, her gaze fixed on the direction Shari was sent flying, and said sternly.

Amada and Asuma nodded and quickly charged towards the three injured Chūnin.