Before dawn, at the border of the Land of Wind.
The sky was just beginning to lighten. With the change of watch approaching, the sentries yawned, took off their goggles, and rubbed their sleepy eyes. They wiped the dust off the lenses with their coats, then looked back out over the distant yellow sands.
"Hmm? Is that a little speck over there?"
One of them peered intently into the distance. Once he confirmed that it was a human figure, he immediately sounded the alarm and called out its position, sending the reconnaissance ninja below to investigate.
The reconnaissance ninja, whose entire night had passed uneventfully, immediately tightened his grip on his weapon and approached cautiously.
"You are approaching the territory of the Land of Wind. Identify yourself!"
His answer was a face that instantly relaxed with relief.
"Finally... home."
The swaying figure collapsed to the ground.
"Hey! Wake up!"
Unsure what was going on, the reconnaissance ninja checked that it was safe before calling his companions over.
As luck would have it, one of the sentries recognized the fallen man and cried out in delight.
"Don't attack! He's my brother! We haven't heard from him in over half a month!"
The others relaxed a little. After examining him carefully and confirming that he was not someone else in disguise, they brought him back.
Similar scenes were playing out in several other countries.
Before long, the Kage of those countries received the same news-
Some of the agents they had sent to gather intelligence on the Shadow Organization had escaped and returned with valuable firsthand information.
The Shadow Organization, which had always shrouded itself in mystery, had finally lifted a corner of its veil.
According to the returning agents, the Shadow Organization Leader possessed an ability that could control space. They