While Uchiha Shisui and the others enjoyed the hot springs, Sunagakure was thrown into chaos. The panic only gradually subsided after Elder Chiyo called a meeting of the jōnin.
In the Kazekage's Tower, more than a dozen people sat around a stone table. Elder Chiyo and Ebizo sat at the head with their hands folded, and the atmosphere was tense.
"Elder Chiyo, is Lord Kazekage really missing?"
"That's right! Could Lord Kazekage have been assassinated?"
"Elder Chiyo! We need to find him, dead or alive. Even if we have to search the entire Shinobi World, we must find the Third Kazekage!"
Some of the Sunagakure ninja seated below couldn't bear the tense atmosphere and spoke up one after another.
"You're right. Lord Kazekage may really be missing. Gather every ninja in the village now and find him at any cost!"
Elder Chiyo was furious as well. She clenched her fist as she spoke.
After the meeting, Elder Chiyo needed to go search for the Kazekage, so she decided to tell her grandson Sasori.
Elder Chiyo pushed open the door to a dim little room. Puppet limbs lay scattered across the floor. The only two intact puppets were Sasori's parents.
"Sasori!?"
Elder Chiyo searched the room, then sent people to look throughout the village. The only thing they found was the bodies of two Chunin who had been killed by puppets at the village entrance.
Only after seeing the bodies did Elder Chiyo realize that her grandson had become a rogue ninja. With a heavy heart, she issued a wanted notice, then led a team to the Land of Rain to search for the Kazekage.
In the Land of Rivers, the search for the Kazekage was led by Baki, an elite jōnin from Sunagakure.
Such a large-scale operation by Sunagakure could hardly escape the notice of spies from other villages. A Ninja Hawk quietly flew out of Sunagakure, heading straight for the Land of Lightning.
In a forest in the Land of Rivers, Uchiha Shisui and two Anbu Ninja carefully searched for any clues that might have been left behind. They were already very close to the border of the Land of Wind, so the three of them didn't dare make too much noise.
"Captain! I found something over here!" An Anbu wearing a bird mask waved to Uchiha Shisui.
Seeing this, Uchiha Shisui leaped over to the Anbu.
"This is a site the Sunagakure ninja left behind."
Uchiha Shisui made a quick assessment based on the scattered firewood and the warning lines around them.
Just as the two Anbu took out scrolls to record what they'd found, not far from Uchiha Shisui and the others...
A twenty-person squad led by Baki was moving at full speed toward them. The commotion they made as they used Body Flicker across the branches naturally startled some of the birds nesting in the trees.
The flocks of birds calling out alerted Uchiha Shisui. He looked up and noticed that birds from all directions were flying the same way.
"There may be more than ten enemies coming. Leave a Shadow Clone behind. We're pulling back."
Uchiha Shisui formed hand seals, left a Shadow Clone behind, and then used the Body Flicker Technique to retreat.
"Captain?" The two Anbu were confused. They were only halfway through their records. If they left now, they'd have to start over.
"Forget it. The Sunagakure ninja clearly withdrew. How could they still be here? Once we finish these records, our mission will be complete."
"Mm."
The two watched Uchiha Shisui run off without giving it much thought, and continued recording the coordinates, the warning-line placements, and other information left behind by the Sunagakure ninja.
After running some distance, Uchiha Shisui looked back and realized the two hadn't followed.
"Idiots!"
Uchiha Shisui cursed under his breath and continued retreating in another direction.
By then, Baki and two Chunin had quietly reached the place where they'd been stationed earlier.
"Konoha ninja? Lord Kazekage may have been assassinated or captured by Konoha!"
Baki guessed to himself.
After quickly arranging their positions with their teammates, the Sunagakure ninja had nearly surrounded the two Anbu.
"Something feels off!" The Anbu in the bird mask scanned their surroundings. His instincts told him they were in danger.
"Really? Let me see. Ninja Art: Sensing Technique."
The Anbu beside him placed his fingers on the grass as he spoke.
As the two sensed their surroundings, dozens of Shuriken suddenly came flying at them from every direction.
"Fall back! We're under attack!" The Anbu in the bird mask pulled his companion back as they leaped away, barely dodging the Shuriken that would have left them looking like pincushions.
"Interesting! How about this? Wind Style: Great Tornado Technique!"
Baki quickly formed the signs for tiger, snake, monkey, and tiger, then exhaled a dust-laden tornado.
"Go! I'll hold them off. Take the news that Sunagakure has invaded the Land of Rivers back with you!"
The Anbu in the bird mask shoved his companion away and rapidly formed hand seals. "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
A wall of earth rose rapidly, blocking the sand tornado, but it began to crumble almost immediately.
"Okay! I'll get help! You have to hold on!"
Once he saw his companion retreat, the Anbu in the bird mask drew the Ninja Blade from his back. He intended to buy time with close combat.
"Naive!"
Baki approached the Anbu in the bird mask empty-handed, taunting him.
"Don't underestimate Konoha ninja!"
Seeing how overconfident his opponent was, standing before him unarmed, the Anbu in the bird mask thought his chance had come.
The Anbu held his Ninja Blade across his body and slashed swiftly. Baki's lips curled into a slight smile as a Wind Blade formed in his hand.
"Die!"
The Anbu roared as his Ninja Blade flashed toward Baki's neck.
Baki wasn't about to stand there like a log and let himself be cut down. He raised the Wind Blade formed from his chakra and blocked the seemingly fierce strike.
"Is that all you've got? Of course you can block that, but you can't withstand my Wind Blade!"
Baki smiled slightly. Ignoring the sharpness of the Ninja Blade, he gripped its edge tightly with one hand, formed a Wind Blade in the other, and slashed at the Anbu in the bird mask.
A scream rang out, bringing the battle to an end.
As Baki wiped the blood from his hands, four Sunagakure ninja came over, dragging the body of another Anbu.
"Captain Baki, they're all taken care of."
Baki nodded, then gathered everyone to clear out the camp.
In the canopy, Shisui's Shadow Clone watched everything. As it dispersed on its own, Uchiha Shisui, back in Yugakure in the Land of Rivers, received the information it had relayed.
Uchiha Shisui's expression turned grave. He carefully organized and sorted the intelligence he had gathered, focusing on every detail.
Once he had finished, he knelt on one knee and rapidly formed hand seals. Chakra surged from his palms, and he gave a low shout:
"Summoning Technique!" A cloud of smoke billowed up.
As the smoke gradually cleared, a lithe Ninja Hawk appeared before him. Its feathers were glossy black, and its sharp eyes gleamed with alert intelligence.
Shisui carefully picked up the organized intelligence and securely tied it to the Ninja Hawk's leg with a thin cord.
Then he gently stroked the hawk's neck and said softly, "I'm counting on you. Make sure you deliver this safely to Konoha."
The Ninja Hawk seemed to understand. It flapped its wings twice and gave a clear cry.
Shisui straightened and waved his hand. The Ninja Hawk spread its wings and soared into the sky, tracing a black arc as it flew toward Konoha.