Four figures darted swiftly through the dense forest, their speed so fast they left only a few blurred black shadows.
It was Squad C Five, where Sora belonged.
It had been three days since they left Konoha. They had been traveling west, heading towards the Land of Wind.
The Land of Wind... Sunagakure...
While maintaining high-speed movement, Sora pondered in his heart.
His impression of the Land of Wind mainly came from Gaara and his siblings Temari and Kankuro in the original work, and the village perpetually shrouded in wind and sand.
According to the original work, although the trigger for the Third Great Ninja War was the disappearance of the Third Kazekage, it was the Hidden Cloud Village of the Land of Lightning that first ignited the war.
However, Sunagakure's internal affairs must be in complete chaos right now.
The disappearance of the Third Kazekage. Such news absolutely cannot be kept secret from the higher-ups. Those below are probably searching frantically.
Sora remembered that Sasori of the Red Sand defected from Sunagakure in his teens and turned the Third Kazekage into a human puppet.
Speaking of which, Konoha played an indirect key role here. If the White Fang had not been driven to suicide, Sasori would not have transferred his hatred to the Third Kazekage.
Calculating the time, Sasori should have defected by now, probably hiding in some corner admiring his own "artwork."
Hopefully, this mission doesn't run into that freak.
Sasori's puppet poison is extremely lethal. Getting even a little on you could be fatal. Sora had no desire to test the Azure Dragon Fruit's resistance to poison with his own life.
"We are approaching the border. Reduce speed. Heighten vigilance."
The voice of Fox, the squad leader, came through his mask, interrupting Sora's train of thought.
The four simultaneously slowed their speed, their movements becoming more fluid, blending into the environment like true phantoms of the night.
In the border region between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, the vegetation gradually thinned, and the air began to carry a dry scent.
In the distance, an expanse of yellow desert was already visible.
Grey Wolf muttered in a low voice,
"The environment of the Land of Wind is truly harsh. Staying in a place like this for too long would probably ruin your skin."
Night Owl glanced at him but did not respond, though his eyes seemed to hold a hint of agreement.
Sora did not speak, silently observing their surroundings.
Not long after, Fox made a hand signal, instructing everyone to stop.
Fox lowered his voice and said,
"There is a Sunagakure outpost ahead. The guard is much tighter than usual. It seems the intelligence is correct. Something is definitely happening in the Land of Wind."
"What should we do? Go around it?" Grey Wolf asked.
Fox shook his head,
"Going directly around is too risky. The desert terrain offers open fields of view, making it easy to be spotted. Let's first find a place to hide. We'll act after dark."
The four found a concealed crevice in a rock wall, hid inside, and took turns resting and keeping watch.
Sora leaned against the rock wall, resting with his eyes closed, but his mind was rapidly analyzing the current situation.
Sunagakure strengthening border security was definitely to prevent information leakage, or to stop others from taking advantage of the chaos to infiltrate.
Something like the disappearance of the Third Kazekage, once leaked, would surely attract the covetous eyes of neighboring countries, especially the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, which were watching like tigers stalking their prey.
However, this was also an opportunity for them. The more chaotic it was, the easier it would be to find clues.
Although Sora knew the reason for the Land of Wind's turmoil was the Third Kazekage's disappearance, the mission required solid, tangible evidence.
Time passed minute by minute. The sun finally sank below the horizon. Night fell over the desert, and the temperature plummeted.
"Move."
Fox gave a brief order.
The four, like ghosts, slipped out from their hiding place and began infiltrating into the Land of Wind.
Nights in the desert were particularly cold, but they also provided the best cover.
All four members of Sora's squad were elite Anbu, with superb infiltration skills. Coupled with Fox's rich experience, they were always able to avoid patrolling Suna-nin in advance.
The deeper they went into the Land of Wind, the higher the frequency of patrols became. Clearly, Sunagakure was indeed in a state of high alert.
"It seems the news of the Kazekage's disappearance can no longer be concealed. At the very least, Sunagakure's higher-ups are in disarray."
Observing the situation along the way, Sora analyzed silently in his heart. Under normal circumstances, a major ninja village would not deploy so many troops on its border unless something major had happened internally.
"Stop."
Fox suddenly raised his hand, signaling the team to halt.
The four immediately hid behind a sand dune.
"What is it?" Night Owl asked in a low voice.
Fox pointed into the distance, "There is a Sunagakure squad heading in our direction. A considerable number, at least ten people."
Sora focused and looked. Indeed, he saw a squad of Suna-nin moving swiftly in the distance, appearing to be in a hurry.
Grey Wolf frowned. "They don't look like a regular patrol. They seem to be searching for something."
A thought occurred to Sora. He remembered that in the original events, Sunagakure had sent out a large number of ninja to conduct a carpet search for the missing Kazekage.
The Suna-nin squad ahead was most likely looking for clues about the Third Kazekage.
Fox decisively ordered, "Avoid them. Our mission is reconnaissance, not combat."
The four silently changed direction, circling around that Suna-nin squad.
But they hadn't gone far before encountering another search team.
"The situation isn't right." Fox stopped, his tone grave. "The patrol density here is too high. It will be difficult for us to proceed deeper."
Grey Wolf asked, "Then what should we do? Should the mission continue?"
Fox pondered for a moment, then looked at Sora. "Green Snake, what are your thoughts?"
After thinking briefly, Sora spoke up, "Sunagakure is currently short-handed. They must be recruiting large numbers of temporary workers and rogue ninja to participate in the search. We can disguise ourselves as rogue ninja and blend into a nearby town."
Night Owl nodded in agreement, "Good idea. We can use this opportunity to make contact with Sunagakure's lower-level ninja. Perhaps we can gather some intelligence."
"Let's do that. There's a small town ahead. We'll go there to get some disguises."
Fox thought about it and found the plan feasible. Moreover, he needed to go to a nearby town to connect with Konoha's intelligence personnel in the Land of Wind.
After confirming the plan, the four began moving again, heading toward the nearest human settlement.
Before long, Sora and the others arrived at the nearest small town.
The town didn't look large, but it was bustling with people coming and going. Many ninja carrying ninja tools moved through the streets. The atmosphere seemed somewhat tense.
Fox ordered, "Split up. Regroup at the abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town in one hour. Be careful. Do not attract unnecessary attention."
"Understood."
The four scattered, blending into the crowd.
Sora pulled up the hood of his cloak to cover his conspicuous white hair and walked toward a rather shabby-looking clothing store.
"Need to get some clothes that fit a rogue ninja's identity. It would be best to also get some sand or something to look more like a local."
Sora entered the shop, quickly selected a few pieces of rough cloth clothing and headscarves suitable for the desert environment, and also bought some dyes for disguise.
After preparing everything, Sora went to the designated meeting point.
Fox, Grey Wolf, and Night Owl had also changed into their disguises, looking like ordinary rogue ninja.
"How did it go?" Fox asked.
"Basic equipment is ready. Also gathered some information."
Sora showed the things he bought, paused, and continued, "Sunagakure is indeed recruiting in large numbers. The compensation is quite substantial, but no one knows specifically what they are looking for. They only know it's a very important person or item."
Fox nodded.
"Consistent with the intelligence we have. Next, we will split into two groups. Grey Wolf and Night Owl, go check out the mercenary guild. Seize the chance to gather information. Green Snake and I will go to the black market to see if there is any related intelligence."
"Understood." The three replied in unison.
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