The Sand Shinobi's Fury

Back in the Root laboratory, Kato Xu suddenly felt as though a lifetime had passed.

It was merely a change in status, yet it allowed him to see hope—a hope that he would no longer have to live in constant fear of knowing too much and being discarded once he had outlived his usefulness.

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

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

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

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

But this was good too. At the very least, he could now ask Orochimaru about ninjutsu more naturally.

"Master Orochimaru, how can one master Senjutsu Chakra...?"

Having merely seen these test subjects and understood that this experiment was destined to fail, he still wanted to do something. Though he roughly understood how difficult Senjutsu Chakra was to master, he could not help asking.

"Perhaps this is the first time Xu-kun has looked even a little like a child, with a touch of innocence and ignorance..."

Orochimaru looked at Kato Xu. The mockery in his tone told Kato Xu 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 through the laboratory. After glancing over the remaining test subjects, he lightly tapped a glass chamber with his finger.

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

"But Xu-kun, do not die..."

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

A crooked smile hung at the corner of his lips as Orochimaru slowly walked out of sight, disappearing from the laboratory.

Watching Orochimaru's departing figure vanish, Kato Xu glanced around at the test subjects in the laboratory, sighed softly, and opened the Sealing Jutsu scroll tucked against his chest, still warm with 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.

Among the lush grass and trees, clear mountain streams converged and flowed downward, nourishing this fertile land and sustaining its people.

Yet in the desert nation thousands of miles away, confusion descended at the very moment the sun rose.

The sky was only beginning to brighten, but the entire Kazekage Building seemed trapped in a frozen moment darker than night. Everyone seated there was as motionless as a statue.

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

"Where exactly has the Third Kazekage gone?!"

At present, Sunagakure was controlled by a pair of siblings. In this village renowned for puppet techniques and poison arts, they were the strongest puppeteer and poison master—Chiyo and her younger brother, Ebizo.

Seated upon the dais, Chiyo frowned deeply as she carefully examined the Sunagakure Jonin below. They were Sunagakure's core group, as well as those most capable of keeping secrets.

"This matter is top secret! Mobilize half of the Jonin, suspend every mission currently in hand, and search for the Third Kazekage with all your strength. Do not overlook a single clue."

"If he is alive, bring him back..."

"If he is dead, bring back his body!" Chiyo practically ground out the words through clenched teeth, her brow furrowing deeply.

Ignoring the murmurs 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 sound. No matter how she looked at it, the matter was simply 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 think of anyone in this Shinobi World capable of making the Third Kazekage disappear without a sound.

"Yes!" The Jonin below exchanged looks, their eyes filled with profound humiliation. Their village's Kage had vanished without a trace; every one of them felt as though they had been slapped across the face.

Seeing the anger in their eyes, Chiyo sighed softly.

The disappearance of the Third Kazekage was far too significant. For a moment, she had let it cloud her judgment and summoned so many people here.

She regretted it somewhat...

The Sunagakure Jonin left the Kazekage Building burning with fury. In an instant, Sunagakure seemed filled with a grim, murderous air, like the warning signs of an approaching desert storm.

"Ebizo..."

"Prepare for war..."

Only after all the Jonin had left did Chiyo speak slowly to Ebizo, her gaze seeming to pass through the Kazekage Building itself.

"Has it truly reached this point...?"

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

Whether the Third Kazekage was dead or alive, this matter had become Sunagakure's disgrace. They needed an outlet for their anger, and they also needed military achievements to select a new Kazekage—one who could command everyone's respect.

The longer the Third Kazekage remained missing, the more chaotic the village would become. Rather than allow internal strife to consume them, it would be better to turn their domestic conflicts outward.

Sunagakure was simply too impoverished. In recent years, the daimyo's support had grown increasingly weak, while the village's burden had grown heavier. If they could seize some fertile land, then any price would be worth paying.

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

"This cannot be concealed for long... We must strike first and catch our enemies off guard. Only then will we have any hope of victory..."

Ebizo's gaze drifted toward the Shinobi World map on Chiyo's desk. Konoha, the most fertile village located at the center of the map, had been marked with a large red circle. He could not help looking up at Chiyo, a deep look entering his eyes.

"Konoha... Very well..."

"Sadly, the White Fang is already dead... I cannot personally avenge them..."

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 moment onward, Chiyo had thought constantly of avenging them.

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

"The village will always come first..."

Chiyo sighed softly, as though she had made up her mind, and said nothing more.

Ebizo silently looked out the window.

Endless yellow sand, sculpted by the wind into rippling patterns, slowly spread outward into the distance. Sheer walls of sand, shifting dunes, howling sandstorms—all of it had carved wrinkle after wrinkle into their faces with the passage of time...

He did not know how many more years he and his sister had left to live, yet Sunagakure had encountered such a crisis. One by one, the village's Jonin passed through his mind, but he could not find a suitable successor among them.

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