The Ones Who Eat Sand

The three of them searched the entire valley. They even dug up tiny fragments buried deep underground.

"Here's another one!"

"There's a fragment here too!"

Before long, they had found four metal fragments. Some were no bigger than a fingernail and badly damaged; others were relatively intact, though their edges were twisted out of shape.

Kurenai carefully gathered the fragments, taking care not to knock them together and wear away the markings. She tried fitting them together. Though she could not reconstruct the object completely, its outline suggested some kind of sealed metal container.

"These fragments came from the same container. Someone probably smashed it and deliberately buried the pieces," Kurenai said quietly.

Just then, footsteps sounded behind them.

Orochimaru had returned after safely securing the poisonous grass samples. His golden, slit-pupiled eyes swept over the metal fragments in Kurenai's hands, and he stopped.

"Teacher."

The three turned together. Kurenai handed him the fragments and told him what they had found.

"We widened our search and found several pieces. They look like the remains of some kind of container."

Orochimaru took the two largest fragments in his right hand and examined them. Corrosion had eaten away most of their surfaces, but a few faint markings remained.

He knew a great deal about forging techniques across the Shinobi World. After a few seconds, he recognized the markings: the metal bore the distinct grain of lightning-nature forging.

"These fragments were probably made by Cloud Hidden."

His raspy voice rang through the valley.

Asuma's pupils contracted. "Cloud Hidden? How?"

From the start of the mission, his chief suspect had been Sand Hidden, which bordered the Land of Rivers and specialized in poisons. Cloud Hidden had never topped the list.

Kurenai looked puzzled too. "Don't you think it's strange? Cloud Hidden specializes in lightning-style techniques and taijutsu. They rarely develop poisons. Why cross half the Shinobi World to make poison in secret, deep in the Land of Rivers, within Sand Hidden's sphere of influence?"

Asuma's brain briefly kicked into gear. "And we're right by the Land of Wind's border. If this came to light, everyone would suspect Sand Hidden first. Cloud Hidden doesn't fit, geographically or otherwise. This looks like a frame-up."

"We still can't draw a conclusion. The container may be from Cloud Hidden, but that doesn't mean the people behind this are. It could have been traded privately, taken as spoils, or even forged."

Tsukimi remained calm, his guard already at its highest.

Too deliberate!

Even Asuma could see it. Whoever had done this had cleaned up almost every trace and destroyed every other lead, yet left behind fragments marked as Cloud Hidden's.

It looked more like a carefully laid trap. From the moment Kawata Genji died, the culprit had anticipated that someone would trace the matter here. They had left Cloud Hidden equipment behind to shift the investigators' attention.

As Tsukimi considered this, movement suddenly appeared in the shared vision of the Shadowkhan stationed around them. Six unfamiliar figures were quietly closing in on the valley's center from the surrounding woods.

"Someone's coming! Their formation is well coordinated. Probably an elite squad."

At Tsukimi's warning, Kurenai's expression changed. She immediately formed hand signs and used a sensory Ninjutsu, her sharp gaze sweeping the forest.

"Six Chakra signatures. Judging by their strength, two are jonin and four are Chunin."

Asuma cast aside every other thought. He gathered his Chakra, lowered his stance, and fixed his eyes on the tree line.

A faint smile played on Orochimaru's face. Coldness lurked in his narrowed, slit-pupiled eyes as he waited for them to show themselves.

Through the Shadowkhan's shared vision, Tsukimi could also make out what the six wore. They were not from Cloud Hidden.

White cloth wrapped their heads, and hourglass emblems were engraved on their forehead protectors.

Sand Hidden?!

The wind through the valley suddenly seemed to tighten. The six figures drew closer, then burst from the woods and took position at the valley entrance.

The two Jonin took the flanks, with the four Chunin spread beside them. Moving with practiced coordination, they surrounded Tsukimi and the others.

The leading Sand Hidden Jonin on the left swept his sharp gaze over the disturbed ground, then fixed on the metal fragments in Kurenai's hand.

He did not know where the fragments came from. But there were signs of deliberate cleanup in the heart of the poisonous grass's growing area, and Konoha Ninja were holding suspicious evidence. That alone made them prime suspects.

He wasted no time. His face stern and his voice hardened by years of wind and sand, he spoke in an official tone. "Konoha Ninja, this is the heart of the Land of Rivers' poisonous grass region. Sand Hidden is taking over the investigation. Hand over those metal fragments immediately."

Asuma could not hold back. He stepped forward, dug a pinkie into his ear, and looked at the man with open disdain.

"This is the Land of Rivers. Since when does Sand Hidden call the shots here? Why should we hand over the clues we found? Because you've eaten more sand than we have?"

Asuma, of all people, turned out to have a gift for mockery. Tsukimi and Kurenai could not help laughing.

The Sand Hidden Ninja's faces darkened at once. Killing intent poured from the two jonin and pressed down on Asuma.

Struck by their killing intent, Asuma froze in place, his breathing faltering. Tsukimi quickly summoned a Shadow Ninja, which grabbed Asuma by the back of the neck and dragged him away.

That's what you get for showing off, brat.

Surprise flashed through the two Jonin's eyes at the Shadowkhan's appearance. Then one spoke again, his voice full of menace.

"Watch your mouth, kid! The intelligence about the new toxin was first reported to Sand Hidden. We have the right to investigate it first. Hand over the evidence now!"

At his words, the four Sand Hidden Chunin immediately shifted position and lowered their centers of gravity, ready to attack. Their meaning was clear.

The two sides stood at an impasse in the valley.

"They seem to be carrying out a normal mission," Kurenai whispered, closing her hand around the fragments. Her doubts only deepened.

"That's exactly what's wrong. It's too normal."

"The clues we've found point to Cloud Hidden, and Sand Hidden just happens to show up." Tsukimi gave a faint, wry laugh. "Either Sand Hidden is using the Cloud Hidden traces and this investigation to shift the blame, or someone's using Sand Hidden as a pawn too."

Asuma had recovered from the killing intent. Pointing his thumb at the Sand Hidden Ninja, he said, "A pawn? You mean somebody's made fools of these sand-eaters?"

You're still mocking them? Sand Hidden will kill you one of these days!

Tsukimi was about to explain when the younger Jonin, who had repeatedly glanced at Orochimaru's face, suddenly cried out.

"Wait, you... You're Orochimaru, the Cold Lord of Konoha's Sannin?!"

Standing behind the others, Orochimaru swept his golden, slit-pupiled eyes over the Sand Hidden Ninja. Even after being recognized, his expression remained cool and faintly amused.

"Trouble."

The two Jonin's hearts sank. Cold sweat instantly beaded on their foreheads.