The Third Kazekage's Disappearance

Just as Shaye was rapidly growing through border missions and gradually becoming the backbone of the Sandstorm team, a shocking upheaval with no warning—one capable of overturning the entire Hidden Sand Village—swept in like the deadliest sandstorm in the desert.

The incident began with what appeared to be an ordinary high-level border inspection.

With the border situation growing increasingly tense, the Third Kazekage—hailed as the strongest Kazekage in history and wielding the terrifying Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai—decided to personally lead an escort squad composed of elite ANBU on an inspection of the northwestern border, both to reassure the people and demonstrate that Hidden Sand Village's military strength remained formidable.

The weather was clear on the day of departure, though the winds still carried sand. When the Third Kazekage appeared at the village gates, he remained as upright and imposing as ever, his powerful chakra fluctuations putting everyone at ease. Many villagers were even encouraged, believing that with Lord Kazekage personally taking action, no petty threats would dare cause trouble and the border would surely remain safe. Under everyone's watchful eyes, the group soon vanished into the boundless sands.

The days passed one by one. During the first few days, everything remained normal. Encrypted routine messages occasionally returned, reporting that "everything was normal."

However, the scheduled inspection period came to an end, yet the Kazekage's party did not return as expected.

At first, the village leadership was not overly concerned. With the Third Kazekage's strength—said to stand at the pinnacle of the ninja world—and the support of elite ANBU, it was difficult to imagine any danger they could not overcome. Perhaps some trivial matter had merely delayed their journey.

But before long, clouds of unease began to gather.

One day, two days, three days... An entire week passed.

The Kazekage and his escort squad remained completely unheard from. There was no emergency distress signal, no battle report of encountering a powerful enemy—nothing at all. That force, representing Hidden Sand Village's highest military power, seemed to have been utterly swallowed by the endless sea of sand, leaving behind no trace whatsoever.

Panic began to spread uncontrollably through the village like ink dripping into clear water.

"Lord Kazekage... still hasn't returned?"

"It seems the patrol squads haven't found anything..."

"Impossible! That's the Third Kazekage!"

Whispers circulated through the streets and alleys, the mission hall, and even ninja households. The villagers' former calm had vanished, replaced by worry and fear. An extremely ominous premonition weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.

The Sandstorm team Shaye belonged to soon felt the panic permeating the air as well. When they returned to the village for supplies during a break between missions, they clearly sensed the strange atmosphere. The staff at the mission center looked grave as they whispered among themselves, while villagers on the roads hurried along with unease written across their faces.

When Captain Jing Liang went to hand over their mission, he was urgently summoned by the higher-ups. When he returned, his expression was exceptionally grim.

"Captain, what happened?" Xu, ever perceptive, was the first to notice something was wrong and asked quietly.

Jing Liang fell silent for a moment. His gaze swept over the three team members, and his voice was low and hoarse. "The higher-ups have ordered... the priority of our upcoming missions has changed. Our original mission has been canceled. Our new mission is... to expand the search area and find... traces of Lord Kazekage."

"Lord Kazekage?" Lukado looked up in shock. "What happened to Lord Kazekage?"

"He's gone missing." Jing Liang forced out those three words as though they had drained all his strength. "Along with his escort squad, he has... completely lost contact at the northwestern border. It's been... more than ten days."

"What?!" Xu covered her mouth in fright, her face turning pale in an instant. Lukado's eyes widened as well, his face filled with disbelief.

Shaye's heart sank sharply. Although he had been mentally prepared, hearing the news confirmed still hit him hard. He really had... disappeared. The man known as the pillar of Hidden Sand Village had vanished without a sound.

He immediately thought of Sasori—of his increasingly twisted hatred and those words, "Unforgivable." A cold fact surfaced in his mind almost instantly: Sasori did this! Only that genius, who had inherited his parents' exquisite Puppet Technique and bore extreme hatred toward the Third Kazekage, could possibly accomplish something so unimaginable!

But Shaye could not say anything. There was no evidence, and exposing the truth would only cause greater chaos. It might even bring a fatal disaster upon him immediately.

In the days that followed, the changes became visible to the naked eye.

All high-level meetings requiring the Kazekage's presence were postponed indefinitely.

The village's defenses were raised to wartime status, the number of patrolling ninja increased drastically, and a grim, murderous atmosphere filled the air.

The already tense border situation became even more unpredictable because of this incident, as though a greater war could ignite at any moment.

Search teams were dispatched one after another, yet all returned empty-handed, bringing back only deeper confusion and fear.

No one was found alive, nor was any body found dead.

Such a complete and bizarre disappearance could shatter people's resolve more thoroughly than a bloody defeat. It meant the unknown. It meant that the enemy might possess methods beyond imagination and comprehension.

It was as if half the sky over Hidden Sand Village had collapsed overnight. The confusion and panic caused by losing its strongest weapon and highest leader spread through every corner of the village like a plague.

Shaye stood on a bustling yet deathly silent street, staring at the vacant position atop Kazekage Rock, his emotions churning. He knew that the Third Kazekage's disappearance was far from the end. It was the beginning of an even more turbulent and dangerous era.

The shadow of war had yet to fade, but a massive internal crisis had already erupted first.

He and his team—even the entirety of Hidden Sand Village—had been swept into the center of this sudden storm.

(End of chapter)