The Sand Shinobi's Fury

Kato Osamu returned to the Root laboratory and suddenly felt as though a lifetime had passed.

It was merely a change in status, yet it allowed him to see hope—hope that he would no longer have to tread on eggshells, fearing that he knew too much and would be discarded once he had served his purpose.

Though he did not know Orochimaru particularly well, with this status, he at least had someone to rely on in Konoha.

There was no difference anywhere. So long as people were involved, there would always be those who relied on others and those who were relied upon.

Even now, Kato Osamu still found it somewhat unbelievable. He knew that being someone's disciple in Konoha was no trivial matter, and he also knew Orochimaru had not said it casually.

Yet he still did not believe, as Orochimaru had claimed, that he had taken him as a disciple because of his talent and ability...

But this was good too. At least now he could ask Orochimaru about ninjutsu more openly.

"Orochimaru-sensei, how can one master Senjutsu Chakra...?"

He had merely seen these test subjects and understood that this experiment was doomed to fail, yet he still wanted to do something. Though he roughly understood how difficult Senjutsu Chakra was to master, he could not stop himself from asking.

"Perhaps this Xu-kun is beginning to look a little like a child, with a touch of innocence and ignorance..."

Orochimaru looked at Kato Osamu, and the mockery in his tone made Kato Osamu realize that he was not yet qualified to learn it.

He turned to look at the test subjects soaking in the fusion fluid. He said nothing, but continued silently watching Orochimaru.

With a soft chuckle, Orochimaru strolled casually through the laboratory. After sweeping his gaze across the remaining test subjects, he lightly tapped a finger against one of the glass chambers.

"If you can defeat me, perhaps you'll have a chance..."

"But Xu-kun, don't die..."

"That would give me quite the headache..."

A crooked smile curled at his lips as Orochimaru slowly walked out of sight, vanishing from the laboratory.

Watching Orochimaru's departing figure disappear, Kato Osamu glanced around at the test subjects in the laboratory, sighed softly, and opened the Sealing Jutsu scroll tucked against his chest, still warm from his body heat.

Konoha at dusk was quiet and peaceful.

Night slowly swept across the sky and swallowed it whole, while countless stars broke free from the restraints of daylight.

Amid the lush vegetation, clear mountain streams converged and flowed downward, nourishing this fertile land and sustaining the people who lived upon it.

Yet in the desert nation a thousand miles away, confusion descended with the rising sun.

The sky had only just begun to brighten, but the entire Kazekage Building seemed to have fallen into a frozen stillness darker than the night. Everyone seated there resembled a statue, utterly motionless.

Years of wind and sand had given the Sand Shinobi a depth as vast as the desert itself. Gathered in the Kazekage Council Chamber were all of Sunagakure's highest-ranking figures, each wearing a grave expression.

"Where exactly did the Third Kazekage go?!!"

The ones currently holding power over all of Sunagakure were a pair of siblings. In this village renowned for puppet techniques and poisons, they were its strongest puppeteer and poison master—Chiyo and her younger brother, Ebizo.

Seated at the head of the room, Chiyo deeply furrowed her brow as she carefully studied the Sunagakure Jonin below. These were Sunagakure's most core members, and also those most capable of keeping secrets.

"This matter is top secret! Mobilize half the Jonin, suspend every mission currently in progress, and devote all efforts to finding the Third Kazekage. Do not overlook a single clue."

"Alive, we must see the man..."

"Dead, we must see the body!" Chiyo nearly ground out the words through clenched teeth, her brow drawn tight.

Ignoring the whispers among the Jonin below, doubt also welled up in Chiyo's heart.

The Third Kazekage, hailed as the strongest Kazekage, had vanished from the village without a trace. No matter how she looked at it, the matter was far too strange.

She had considered it countless times. She had reviewed the intelligence reports on the movements of the other four villages' Kage countless times. She truly could not imagine who in the Shinobi World could make the Third Kazekage disappear without a sound.

"Yes!" The Jonin below exchanged glances, each pair of eyes filled with profound humiliation. Their village's Kage had vanished silently like this; every one of them felt as though they had been slapped across the face.

Chiyo looked at the fury in their eyes and sighed faintly.

The Third Kazekage's disappearance was far too significant. In her agitation, she had summoned so many people here.

She regretted it somewhat...

The Sunagakure Jonin left the Kazekage Building filled with rage. In an instant, Sunagakure seemed saturated with killing intent and gloom, like the warning signs of a desert storm about to arrive.

"Ebizo..."

"Prepare for war..."

Chiyo's gaze seemed to pass through the Kazekage Building. Only after all the Jonin had left did she slowly speak to Ebizo.

"Has it truly come to this...?"

Ebizo was no fool. His brows lowered and his eyes narrowed. With Chiyo's slight prompt, he immediately understood.

Whether the Third Kazekage was dead or alive, this had already become Sunagakure's disgrace. They needed an outlet for it, and they also needed military achievements to choose a new Kazekage, one capable of winning everyone's approval.

The longer the Third Kazekage remained missing, the more chaotic the village would become. Rather than let internal strife tear them apart, it was better to direct the nation's conflicts outward.

Sunagakure was simply too impoverished. The daimyo's support had grown weaker by the year, and Sunagakure's burden had become ever heavier. If they could seize some fertile land, then any price would be worth paying.

"Still, finding the Third Kazekage must remain our priority..."

"We cannot hide this for long... We must strike first and catch the enemy off guard. Only then will we have any hope of victory..."

Ebizo's gaze drifted to the map of the Shinobi World on Chiyo's desk. At its center lay the most prosperous Konoha, marked with a large red circle. He could not help but look up at Chiyo, his eyes taking on a deeper look.

"Konoha... Very well..."

"Unfortunately, White Fang is already dead... I cannot avenge them with my own hands..."

Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law had died at the hands of Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo, during the Second Shinobi World War. From that day onward, Chiyo had never stopped thinking of avenging them.

"Big sister..." Ebizo looked worriedly at his sister, who was nearly sixty years old.

"The village always comes first..."

Chiyo sighed softly, as though she had made up her mind, and spoke no further.

Ebizo silently looked out the window.

Endless yellow sand, carved by the wind into rippling lines, slowly spread outward toward the horizon. Steep walls of sand, shifting dunes, howling sandstorms—everything, over time, had etched wrinkle after wrinkle upon their faces...

He did not know how many more years he and his sister had left, yet Sunagakure had encountered such a crisis. One Jonin after another rose through his mind, but he could not find a single suitable successor.

For a moment, he too fell into a daze...