Since Konoha Wants This Place So Badly, Let Them Have It

Legend had it that Night-Cry Sand Sea had once been a gigantic freshwater lake no smaller than an ocean. Later, the environment changed, time transformed the land, and that once-vast body of water had dwindled into a tiny oasis amid the boundless desert.

Whenever the north wind howled at night, the remains of ancient shells would let out shrill, hollow wails in the wind. That was how Night-Cry Sand Sea got its name.

Night-Cry Sand Sea was the oasis closest to the Land of Rain. As early as the First Kazekage's era, ninja had been stationed there. During Shamon, the Second Kazekage's time, construction was further expanded—grain was stockpiled and wells were dug—gradually turning Night-Cry Sand Sea into the largest military stronghold in the northern Land of Wind. One look at the map made it clear: this was practically a forward base for attacking the Land of Rain.

It had now become the frontline where Konoha and Sunagakure faced off. Back on their home turf, Sunagakure quickly found its rhythm. After receiving part of their military supplies, their morale soared, and they actually fought the Hidden Leaf army—twice their number—to a standstill. Chiyo gradually stabilized the situation, while Danzo showed no urgency to attack.

The two sides gradually fell into another standoff. Yet this was precisely the kind of strategy Chiyo feared most. She knew full well that their suddenly surging morale was merely a seemingly full and perfect bubble. Their limited supplies would eventually run out, and Danzo was waiting for that very day. Then Sunagakure would face true, total collapse. Chiyo stared at the map, deeply troubled.

"Lady Chiyo, the Third Kazekage has arrived!" an attendant reported.

"Gather the commanders of every unit. Have them report to the main camp for a meeting immediately!"

Keiko removed his goggles and veil, then let out a long breath of stale air. After traveling thousands of kilometers back and forth and racing without rest for three days and nights, his massive chakra reserves were nearly depleted. He wiped his face with a towel while shaking the sand off his cloak, continuously refining the plan he had conceived on the road.

"Everyone has arrived and is waiting in the main camp for your instructions, Lord Kazekage!" the attendant said.

"Mm. Lead the way. Find me a new cloak afterward—white." Keiko took off his cloak directly. The sand on it would not be cleaned off anytime soon.

"That is the current battlefield situation." After finishing her explanation, Karura looked somewhat nervously at the newly appointed Third Kazekage, uncertain of what temperament this new leader had.

Keiko rested his chin on one hand and silently studied the map marked with red and blue forces. The many Sunagakure commanders, along with Chiyo, quietly waited for his orders.

"How many people do we have here?" Keiko finally asked his first question.

"5,874," Karura immediately answered.

"What about them?"

"About ten thousand."

"How many days can our supplies last?"

"At most twenty-five days."

"Are the current supplies being transported from Moon Lake?"

"Yes!"

"How long does it take the supply convoy to travel from Moon Lake to here?"

"Fifteen days."

Keiko sank into thought again.

"I have an idea." Keiko picked up a red pencil from the table and drew a circle on the map.

"Move the site of the decisive battle here." Keiko pointed at the circle he had just drawn. Everyone's eyes turned to the map, where the circled location was clearly labeled "Moon Lake."

"Then Night-Cry Sand Sea... we're just... abandoning it and handing it to Konoha for nothing?" Chiyo asked in confusion. Chattering discussion immediately broke out around the tent. Clearly, no one understood Keiko's words.

"Hehe, Granny Chiyo, don't get worked up. Everyone, don't be so hasty." Keiko smiled and gently pressed Chiyo back into her chair with both hands.

"Save the people and lose the land, and both people and land will remain. Save the land and lose the people, and both people and land will be lost. Today, we retreat in great strides so that we may advance in great strides tomorrow!" The words rang out like thunder, and the crowd immediately fell silent.

"There is a kind of success called retreat, and a kind of failure called occupation. Since Konoha wants this place so badly, let them have it!" Keiko grandly swept a hand before everyone.

"Oh, right. Where are the army latrines?"

"This definitely wasn't that old hag Chiyo's doing," Danzo muttered to himself.

Looking at the camp before him, with black smoke rising everywhere, even Danzo's usually unreadable face twitched. What a thorough job of destruction!

"Send orders to Orochimaru and Jiraiya's pursuit force. Have them cling to Sunagakure's troops like hyenas and make sure they cannot retreat peacefully. If they encounter a large-scale counterattack, withdraw immediately." Danzo swiftly issued his orders.

In the middle of the night, Danzo, who had been asleep, received word from scouting ninja that the Sunagakure camp at Night-Cry Sand Sea was in uproar, filled with the cries of men and horses. Ever-cautious Danzo immediately ordered the entire army to remain on alert, but he did not attack. In his view, as long as the standoff continued, victory would certainly be his. A rash attack might instead play into the enemy's hands.

But when dawn came and the situation was confirmed, they discovered that Sunagakure had truly withdrawn this time. When Danzo arrived at the Sunagakure camp, he was instantly dumbfounded. Put simply, not a single wall capable of blocking the wind remained in the entire camp! Not one roof without holes! Not a grain of food left behind! Not a single piece of firewood that could be burned! And even worse...

"Lord Danzo?" The beautiful young ninja Tsunade pinched her nose and spoke to Danzo with a test tube in hand.

"Speak!"

"I tested all eight wells here. Every one of them has been poisoned, and a large amount of... feces was added."

"..."

"I can develop an antidote for the poison within two days. As for everything else, it can only be filtered over and over."

Danzo's expression turned even gloomier. Only after a long while did he speak.

"Forget it. Drinking water and food will be delivered from the Land of Rain's rear area. It is only a day's journey. The troops are not to camp in the Sunagakure camp. In one hour, we will move to join Orochimaru and the others!"

The young Jiraiya and the equally young Orochimaru were leading more than a hundred Hidden Leaf ninja in a high-speed sprint through the desert.

"Orochimaru, how about we see who catches Sunagakure's troops first? Cough, cough." Jiraiya shouted provocatively at Orochimaru, only to immediately swallow two mouthfuls of windblown sand.

"Big idiot!" Orochimaru said disdainfully as he widened the distance between himself and Jiraiya.

Suddenly, a figure appeared ahead of them. Long blue hair, a white veil, and a white cloak. He stood proudly atop a sand dune.

Iron Sand: Drizzle! Keiko showed no courtesy. The moment he saw the approaching group, he launched the first attack.

Countless grains of Iron Sand, racing at high speed under magnetic control, poured down upon the Hidden Leaf ninja like a rain of iron. Orochimaru, who was running at the front, remained alert and dodged the barrage with several backflips. Jiraiya activated Ninja Art: Needle Jizo, wrapping himself tightly in his silver hair. Unfortunately, several Hidden Leaf ninja behind them had no time to evade and were instantly riddled with holes.

"Sunagakure's Blue Sandstorm. You're Keiko," Jiraiya said through a narrow gap in his silver hair.

"Yeah, you know me?" Keiko smiled.

Hidden Shadow Snake Hands! The instant Orochimaru escaped the range of the iron rain, he launched a counterattack.

Rakshasa Shield! A massive black iron shield blocked the countless incoming snake heads. Unexpectedly, the snakes curved around the shield and continued attacking Keiko.

Not bad. Just as Keiko was preparing to deal with the snakes, Jiraiya moved.

Wild Lion's Mane Jutsu! Countless stiff silver hairs shot out in an instant, piercing Keiko straight through. The coordination between the two was nearly flawless.

Bang! The pierced Keiko instantly turned into a wisp of white smoke.

Shadow Clone! A forbidden technique developed by the Second Hokage—how could he know it? Orochimaru pondered. He had forgotten that after reading hundreds of chapters of ninja manga, even an idiot could figure out such simple hand seals.

The real Keiko walked out from behind the sand dune, clapping his hands.

"Not bad, not bad. No wonder that old man Hanzo of the Salamander, with his breathing tube, calls you the Three Legendary Ninja. Huh? Where's Tsunade? I heard she's a beauty. Introduce her to me sometime."

Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu! Wind Style: Wind Cutter Jutsu! ...The other Hidden Leaf ninja also came to their senses and attacked Keiko.

Iron Sand: Iron Wall Jutsu. Keiko silently controlled the flow of Iron Sand beneath the desert from behind the iron wall.

The Hidden Leaf ninja continued their assault. The defensive iron barrier had already been heated red by Fire Release. Orochimaru and Jiraiya exchanged glances, as though both had caught the scent of danger.

Iron Sand: Iron Garden Jutsu!

The desert beneath their feet suddenly began to shake. Countless black steel vines burst rapidly from the ground, and blood blossomed across the desert like flowers in a tragically beautiful bloom...