"Lord Kazekage, you wanted to see me?"
Rasa set down the file in his hand and looked up at Kawaki Aoba. "Aoba, you're here.
How has your training been? Elder Chiyo speaks highly of you."
"Thanks to you, Lord Kazekage, I've made some progress lately."
"Good."
Rasa nodded. "I have a mission for you.
An unknown force has appeared along the border. They've been attacking our merchant caravans and stealing supplies.
I want you and Kankuro to investigate who they are and eliminate them if necessary."
"Yes, Lord Kazekage! I'll complete the mission!"
Kawaki Aoba bowed.
"Good."
Rasa nodded. "This force is mysterious, and they're no pushovers. Be careful.
If you run into danger, don't force a fight. Ask the village for help right away."
"Understood!"
Kawaki Aoba answered.
After leaving the Kazekage's Office, Kawaki Aoba went straight to Kankuro.
"Captain Kankuro, Lord Kazekage told me about the mission. When do we leave?"
"No time like the present. We leave now."
Kankuro said, "I've prepared the supplies. We'll head straight for the border."
"Got it!"
Kawaki Aoba nodded.
The two gathered their things and immediately set off for the border.
Sunagakure's borderlands were mostly desert and barren stretches of rock, with a harsh environment.
They traveled at full speed and soon reached the border.
Rather than begin their investigation at once, they went to the nearest Sunagakure outpost to learn what its ninja knew.
"Captain Kankuro, Lord Kawaki, you're here."
The outpost commander hurried over to greet them.
"Yeah."
Kankuro nodded. "Has that unknown force shown up recently?"
"Just yesterday, they attacked one of our caravans. They stole a huge amount of supplies and wounded several of our ninja."
The commander's face was full of anger as he spoke.
"Did you find out where they went?"
Kawaki Aoba asked.
"We