Outside Sunagakure, at the edge of a wind-eroded stretch of desert.
White Fang stood at the head of the force, with nearly a thousand Konoha ninja behind him.
They had set out from the border of the Land of Fire, crossed the wastelands of the Land of Rivers and the arid hills of the Land of Wind, and marched all the way to the edge of this yellow-brown expanse of sand.
According to the original plan, Sunagakure's perimeter should have contained several layers of fortifications and patrol lines. They should have encountered Hidden Sand Village reconnaissance teams, sentry posts, and traps and ambush sites intended for large forces along the way, but none of them had appeared.
The Leaf Village force had entered the Hidden Sand Village's security perimeter while still dozens of miles from Sunagakure, but its outer sentry posts were deserted.
The entire operation had been bizarre. They had encountered no resistance from the Hidden Sand Village at all.
When the main force reached a hill not far from Sunagakure, White Fang raised a hand to halt them. The situation before him was simply too strange.
He sent several squads of Shadow Clones into Sunagakure to scout ahead, covering the village's main streets, residential districts, and the area around the Kazekage Building.
As the Shadow Clones dispersed one after another, information came back from every direction. Only civilians remained in the village. All combat personnel had withdrawn.
There were no traps, no ambushes, and not a single soldier left in the village.
"Keep advancing. Maintain a guarded formation, and don't spread out."
As the vanguard passed through Sunagakure's outer wall, their boots scraped over sand-covered paving stones, producing a dry rustle on roads that had not been swept in some time.
The streets were deserted. Doors and windows