"Damn it!"
Inside the Kazekage's office, Fourth Kazekage Rasa slammed a document onto the desk, his expression dark with rage.
Standing calmly to the side was Ebizo, his face unreadable, as if none of this concerned him.
But Chiyo, who was also present, knew better.
She knew her younger brother's anger was no less intense than Rasa's.
Five squads.
Five full ANBU squads—wiped out.
According to the postmortem reports, all twenty shinobi had been killed without any sign of a proper engagement.
No prolonged combat. No formation breakdown.
They had been slaughtered in ambush, one by one.
And before that—
When Ebizo personally led the interception, six more ANBU had been killed right in front of him.
All combined, Sand's ANBU had lost the equivalent of more than six squads—to a single man.
What kind of humiliation was that?
As the Head of Sand's ANBU, Ebizo was under the greatest pressure. ANBU was the culmination of his life's work—how could he not be furious?
"Flying Thunder God…"
Chiyo sighed silently.
She had heard of that technique. Studied it. Collected intelligence on it.
But without experiencing it firsthand, one could never truly understand how terrifying it was.
The Third Shinobi War was Namikaze Minato's rise to legend—but Sand had never directly faced him.
They never felt that despair.
According to the records, Minato had once eliminated over fifty enemy shinobi in a single second using Flying Thunder God.
That single act had terrified Iwagakure into submission, forcing Ōnoki to agree to a ceasefire despite his pride.
"Konoha really is favored by the heavens…"
Chiyo's assessment of Konoha's threat level rose sharply.
One Namikaze Minato had already been overwhelming.
Now there was another, hiding in ANBU—Division Commander 'Nightingale.'
For Sunagakure, that was nothing short of a nightmare.
"…Haa."
Rasa finally forced himself to calm down and took a deep breath.
"Relay my orders."
"Eastern and northern defensive lines—tighten surveillance immediately. Every city gate and checkpoint is to conduct strict inspections. ANBU units are to deploy at once."
"Do not act independently. If the target is sighted, call for reinforcements immediately."
"Small squads cannot deal with him."
"I want to see whether he can still escape once the entire defense force moves."
Rasa's voice hardened.
"This is a matter of Sunagakure's honor. You will find him."
"Yes, Kazekage-sama!"
Everyone in the room answered in unison—including Ebizo and Chiyo.
They all knew it.
Even if capturing him was unlikely, this was no longer negotiable.
"One more thing," Chiyo said after a moment of thought, stepping forward.
"I recommend deploying the Sealing Team as well."
"Even if they can't suppress Flying Thunder God directly, triggering a sealing barrier would still help narrow his movement."
Rasa frowned.
Sealing specialists were priceless—especially in Sand.
Sunagakure's sealing arts were notoriously weak. Aside from Shukaku's innate compatibility, their foundation was thin.
Even Konoha, with most of the Uzumaki legacy in its hands, only had around a dozen sealing specialists.
Sand had far fewer.
After a long silence, Rasa clenched his teeth.
"…Approved."
"But ANBU will protect them. They are not to suffer casualties."
"I'll have Viper lead the escort," Ebizo said immediately.
That eased Rasa slightly.
Though deep down, he knew even Viper alone might not be enough.
"Very well. Meeting adjourned."
After everyone left, Rasa noticed that Chiyo and Ebizo remained.
His headache returned instantly.
He knew exactly why they stayed.
This still involved Konoha.
"Chiyo-sama," Rasa said carefully, "I understand your concern."
"Scorpion is irreplaceable to Sand, and I don't trust Konoha's claims either."
"But right now—"
"I know," Chiyo interrupted softly.
"But he's my grandson."
"If it's true, I want to know why."
"If it's false…"
Her eyes turned cold.
"Then Konoha will pay."
Ebizo hesitated, then finally spoke.
"…Sister. There is someone who knows the truth."
Chiyo's eyes lit up instantly. "Who?"
"Nightingale."
According to intelligence, after the Third Squad returned to Konoha, Nightingale spent over a week isolated in the Medical Division.
He had also been sighted at Shōsaki Castle.
Chiyo connected the dots immediately.
"Then… he encountered Kusunoki there. Kusunoki was killed. Nightingale was investigated."
Ebizo nodded.
"…Most likely."
"I understand."
Chiyo turned and left at once.
Ebizo stayed behind.
He knew what his sister was about to do—and he had already accepted it.
South of the Land of Wind.
Wrapped tightly in a scarf, Senju Hikaru trudged forward through the sandstorm.
"Godforsaken place…"
Two days.
He had walked for two full days.
If not for his preparations—water, rations, desert tools—he'd already be dead.
Bones littered the dunes. Even camel remains weren't rare.
But finally—
The map indicated he was close.
"Loulan…"
Was it already ruins?
Or still a living city?
He didn't know.
But either way—
A green oasis suddenly appeared ahead.
Hikaru lifted his head.
In the distance stood a towering metallic structure, like a colossal spire.
And from it—
A chakra presence so vast that even from kilometers away, he could feel it clearly.
The Dragon Vein.
Hikaru smiled.
"…Found it."
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