Four figures moved rapidly through the dense forest, so fast that only a few blurry black shadows were left behind.
It is Squad B-5 where Lin Ze is.
It had been three days since they left Konoha, and they were heading west in the direction of Land of Wind.
'Land of Wind...Sunagakure...'
Lin Ze kept moving at high speed while thinking in his heart.
His impression of the Kingdom of Wind mainly comes from the siblings Gaara and Temari in the original novel, as well as the village that is shrouded in wind and sand all year round.
According to the original work, although the trigger for Third Shinobi World War was the disappearance of Third Kazekage, it was Kumogakure of Land of Lightning who first started the war.
'However, the interior of Sunagakure must be in chaos now.'
'Third Kazekage is missing. This kind of news cannot be hidden from the top management. The people below are probably frantically searching for it.'
Lin Ze remembers that Sasori of the Red Sands defected from Sunagakure when he was a teenager and made Human Puppet of Third Kazekage.
Speaking of which, Konoha indirectly played a key role in this. If White Fang had not been forced to commit suicide, Scorpion would not have transferred its hatred to Third Kazekage.
Counting the time, Scorpion should have defected by now, maybe he is hiding in a Corner admiring his "artwork".
'I hope I don't run into that pervert on this mission.'
Scorpion's Puppet is extremely poisonous, and even a little bit of it may be fatal. Lin Ze doesn't want to risk his own life to test the anti-toxicity of Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon.
"We are approaching the border, slow down and be vigilant."
Fox Captain's voice came through the mask, interrupting Lin Ze's thoughts.
The four of them slowed down at the same time, their movements became lighter, and they blended into the environment like real night ghosts.
In the border area between Land of Fire and Land of Wind, the vegetation gradually became sparse, and a dry smell began to fill the air.
In the distance, one can already see an endless expanse of yellow Desert.
Gray Wolf complained in a low voice:
"The environment at Land of Wind is really harsh. If you stay in this place for a long time, your skin will get worse."
Night Owl glanced at him and did not answer, but there seemed to be a hint of approval in his eyes.
Lin Ze didn't speak, just observed the surroundings silently.
Soon after, Fox made a gesture to signal everyone to stop.
Fox lowered his voice and said:
"There is Sunagakure's outpost ahead, and the security is much tighter than usual. It seems that the information is correct. There is indeed a situation with Land of Wind."
"What should I do? Go around?" Gray Wolf asked.
Fox shook his head:
"It's too risky to go around directly. The Desert area has a wide view and is easy to be discovered. Let's find a place to hide first and wait until dark before taking action."
The four of them found a hidden crack in the rock wall and hid in it, taking turns to rest and be on guard.
Lin Ze leaned against the rock wall, closing his eyes to rest, but he was rapidly analyzing the current situation in his mind.
'Sunagakure The strengthening of border security must be to prevent information from leaking or to prevent someone from taking advantage of the chaos to sneak in.'
'Once word spreads about the disappearance of Third Kazekage, it will definitely arouse the covetous attention of neighboring countries, especially Land of Earth and Land of Lightning.'
'However, this is also an opportunity for us. The more chaotic it is, the easier it is to find clues.'
Although Lin Ze knows that the cause of the turmoil in Land of Wind is the disappearance of Third Kazekage, the mission requires solid evidence.
Time passed by, the sun finally sank below the horizon, Desert night fell, and the temperature dropped sharply.
"Action."
Fox Short Underground order.
The four people rushed out of their hiding place like ghosts and sneaked towards the territory of Land of Wind.
The nights in the Desert zone are extremely cold, but they also provide the best cover.
The four members of the Lin Ze team are all ANBU elites with superb stealth skills. In addition, Fox is experienced and can always avoid the patrolling Sunagakure Ninja in advance.
The deeper you go into Land of Wind, the higher the frequency of patrols. Obviously Sunagakure is indeed on high alert.
'It seems that the news of Kazekage's disappearance can no longer be concealed. At least the top management of Sunagakure is in chaos.'
Lin Ze observed the situation along the way and secretly analyzed in his mind that under normal circumstances, a large Ninja Village would not deploy so many troops at the border unless something big happened internally.
"Stop."
Fox suddenly raised his hand to signal the team to stop advancing.
The four people immediately hid behind a sand dune.
"What's wrong?" Night Owl asked in a low voice.
Fox pointed into the distance:
"There is a Sunagakure team coming in our direction. There are quite a few people, at least ten people."
Lin Ze looked intently, and sure enough he saw a group of Sunagakure Ninja moving quickly in the distance, seemingly in a hurry.
Gray Wolf frowned and said, "Unlike ordinary patrols, they seem to be searching for something."
Lin Ze's heart moved. He remembered that in the original work, Sunagakure sent a large number of Ninja to conduct a blanket search in order to find the missing Kazekage.
The team in front, Sunagakure Ninja, is probably looking for clues about Third Kazekage.
Fox decisively ordered, "Avoid them. Our mission is reconnaissance, not combat."
The four of them quietly changed directions and bypassed the Sunagakure team.
But before they had gone far, they encountered another search team.
"The situation is not right." Fox stopped and spoke solemnly, "The patrol density here is too high, and it will be difficult for us to go deeper."
Gray Wolf asked, "What should we do? Should the mission continue?"
Fox thought for a moment and looked at Lin Ze: "Aoda, what do you think?"
Lin Ze thought for a moment and said:
"Sunagakure is currently short of manpower, and must be recruiting a large number of temporary workers and homeless Ninja to participate in the search. We can disguise ourselves as homeless Ninja and sneak into nearby towns."
Night Owl nodded in agreement:
"Good idea. We can take this opportunity to contact Ninja, the bottom layer of Sunagakure, and maybe we can get some information."
"That's it. There's a town ahead, let's go there and get some disguise."
Fox thought about it and felt that this plan was feasible, and he also needed to go to a nearby town to connect with Konoha's intelligence personnel in Land of Wind.
After confirming the plan, the four people took action again and headed towards the nearest human settlement.
Not long after, Lin Ze and his party arrived at the nearest town.
The town doesn't look big, but it's quite lively with people coming and going. Many Ninjas carrying ninja tools are walking through the streets, and the atmosphere seems a bit tense.
Fox ordered:
"Separate and gather at the abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the town in an hour. Pay attention to safety and don't attract unnecessary attention."
"Understood."
The four of them spread out and blended into the crowd.
Lin Ze pulled the hood of his cloak to cover his conspicuous white hair, and walked towards a rather shabby-looking clothing store.
'We need to get some clothes suitable for wandering Ninja Identity. It's best to get some sand or something to look more like locals.'
Lin Ze walked into the store, quickly selected a few pieces of coarse cloth clothes and headscarves suitable for Desert's environment, and bought some dyes for camouflage.
After preparing everything, Lin Ze arrived at the agreed meeting point.
Fox, Gray Wolf and Night Owl have also changed their disguises and look like ordinary wandering Ninja.
"How is it?" Fox asked.
"The basic equipment is ready, and I have also heard some news."
Lin Ze showed the things he bought, paused, and continued:
"Sunagakure is indeed recruiting a large number of people, and the rewards are quite generous, but no one knows exactly what they are looking for. They only know that they are very important people or items."
Fox nodded:
"It is consistent with the information we have. Next, we divided into two groups. Gray Wolf and Night Owl went to the Mercenary Guild and took the opportunity to find out the news. Aoda and I went to Black Market to see if there was any relevant information."
"Understood." The three of them responded in unison.