Panic

The Third Kazekage's disappearance stretched from days into weeks. The rumors that had initially been barely contained were like undercurrents beneath the desert during the rainy season; they finally broke through every obstacle and erupted throughout the Hidden Sand Village, turning into a massive panic that swept across the entire village.

"Have you heard? Lord Kazekage wasn't out on an inspection at all—he was ambushed!"

"Nonsense! He defected! Someone saw him meeting with a mysterious person!"

"I heard he was completely annihilated by some terrifying forbidden technique. Not even ashes were left..."

"It's over... Even Lord Kazekage met with disaster. What are we supposed to do? Is the village finished?"

All kinds of absurd and horrifying speculation spread wildly through taverns, markets, and even the corners of the Ninja Academy. Every version was told in vivid detail, as if the speaker had witnessed it firsthand, deepening the fear and unease in everyone's hearts. The foundation of trust began to crumble, and the air was thick with suspicion and despair. In the mission hall, noticeably fewer ninja came to accept missions. Many wore worried expressions and whispered among themselves, no longer focusing on the missions themselves.

Faced with the escalating chaos and the obvious external threat, the village leadership, headed by Elder Chiyo and Ebizo, was forced to take the harshest measures to stabilize the situation.

Emergency orders were issued one after another from the high-level conference room and swiftly relayed to every department:

Full troop withdrawal: All ninja teams carrying out non-essential missions outside the village were to return immediately at top speed, regardless of whether their missions had been completed! Priority was to be given to gathering available manpower.

Mission restrictions: All overseas and high-risk missions were suspended. Only the bare minimum of domestic patrol and reconnaissance missions would remain, and they had to be led by a Special Jonin or above, with team sizes doubled. Teams were strictly required to depart and return quickly; delays of any kind were forbidden.

Travel ban: All ninja currently within the village were strictly forbidden from leaving its boundaries without special authorization from the leadership! Violators would be treated as village traitors!

This order had a direct impact on Shaye's Sandstorm team. They had just completed a border reconnaissance mission and returned to the village, covered in dust and exhausted, to turn in their report. Before they could even catch their breath, the order locked them inside the village.

"What's this supposed to mean? We can't go out anymore?" Lukado scratched his head irritably as he looked at the order stamped in bright red on the bulletin board. "Doesn't that mean we've got nothing to do?"

"Shut up, Lukado." Captain Jing Liang rebuked him in a low voice, his expression graver than ever. "This is the highest order. The village is at its weakest right now. We have to concentrate all our strength on defense. Do you want to go out there and get killed for no reason?" His words were harsh, but they also laid bare the cruelty of reality.

Xu shrank back fearfully and said in a small voice, "The village... should be safer, right?"

Shaye silently looked at the notice, understanding at once. This was the leadership's most instinctive—and most correct—response in the face of a massive crisis: pull back their fist, protect their vital points, and avoid further scattering and exhausting their strength. But it also meant the village's control over the outside world would fall to rock bottom, its intelligence sources would be greatly reduced, and it would become even more passive.

The scene within the village confirmed it. The number of ninja patrolling the streets had greatly increased, and they were all elite core forces with solemn expressions and fine equipment. The atmosphere was so oppressive it was hard to breathe. Villagers hurried along, returning home and shutting their doors as soon as they had bought their daily necessities, as though that alone could shut out the dangers beyond. A fortress mentality was rapidly taking shape.

When Shaye returned home, he found that his father, Shaliu, had also been temporarily recalled from the front-line forces and assigned to arrange puppet defenses in important areas of the village. Father and son looked at each other in silence, both seeing deep worry in the other's eyes.

"Don't run around lately. Stay in the village and keep your head down." Shaliu's voice was low, filled with exhaustion. "Outside... things are very unsettled right now."

Shaye nodded. He knew what his father meant. The Third Kazekage's disappearance was like a signal. The forces that had long been eyeing the Land of Wind covetously would never let such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip away.

He was trapped in the village, but his thoughts flew beyond it. He knew the truth. He knew the culprit lurking in the shadows, the one who had created all this chaos—Sasori. What exactly was his purpose in taking the Third Kazekage? Was it merely revenge, or did he have an even more terrifying plan?

Sasori now possessed the Third Kazekage Human Puppet, a weapon that could be called an instrument of war. What would his next target be? Would he... strike at the village itself?

The feeling of knowing danger lurked everywhere yet being powerless to do anything, able only to wait passively, filled Shaye with anxiety. He could only throw himself even more frantically into training and study, continuously improving Big Spider, researching deeper techniques and Magnet Release, trying to gain even a little more power to protect himself and others in the coming storm.

The Hidden Sand Village, this massive desert fortress, had been forced to curl inward under the agony of losing its leader, falling into the panic and waiting of trouble from both within and without. And the storm was clearly only beginning to gather.