The Land of Wind – Somewhere in the Desert
Shalie pressed forward through the howling winds, riding into the heart of a sandstorm. As he advanced, a hazy, ochre-colored curtain seemed to part—visible, yet intangible.
The middle-aged man with broad ears squinted against the stinging grains and quickly bowed his head. His exposed skin—face, neck, arms—began to tingle and sting sharply. But he didn't panic. Calmly, he formed a sequence of hand signs.
A faint pulse of chakra radiated outward. Immediately, the dozen people around him sank into the sand along with him, vanishing from sight.
In the gloom of the underground shelter, one of the group switched on a portable light. Shalie checked the air vent first—it was working fine. He exhaled in relief, then touched his dry, cracked skin with a gloved hand.
"Banchō," one of his companions said casually, "it's been a long time since we've had a sandstorm this big…"
There was no fear in the voice—only a kind of nostalgic awe. The others chuckled in agreement, the flickering light casting shadows over their weathered faces as they fell into idle chatter.
But Shalie, their team leader—the "Banchō"—didn't join them.
Instead, he leaned against the wall of the cavern, pressing one ear to the stone and listening for tremors or wind shifts above.
Duty and professionalism kept him alert, but deep down, he agreed with his comrade.
It had been years since a sandstorm of this scale had swept through the Land of Wind. Ever since that fateful year—the year the dead began to return in spectral form—everything had changed.
Ten years ago, storms like this were common. Everyone lived wrapped in turbans and veils. But now, even an old hand like Huang had been caught off guard.
He stayed still for a long while. After about fifteen minutes, he finally stood and addressed the others.
"It's easing up."
Technically, the sandstorm hadn't completely stopped, but the worst of it—the roaring winds, the deathly sting—had passed.
The laughter in the cave stopped immediately. Silence fell, and with it came an unspoken tension—not fear of the outside world, but of punishment. They had nearly failed in their duty.
Wordlessly, the team packed up their gear and prepared to move.
Once again, Shalie formed hand signs. The jutsu he used—an earth-release technique for moving through sand—was officially classified as a low-level D-rank ninjutsu in the Allied Nations' handbook. Still, not everyone could use it. At a minimum, one had to have forged a chakra pathway.
Shalie had been able to learn it only because his daughter was a ninja—part of the first generation to benefit from the Ninja Alliance's widespread educational reforms.
Soon, the group resurfaced. The air above was calmer, the sky still dim with dust, but the sun had begun to peek through the haze.
Before them stretched a field of vibrant green.
Lush, glowing plant life—right in the middle of the desert.
It should have been unnatural. Yellow sand, violent storms... and now thriving vegetation? Yet no one looked surprised.
They knew the truth: these were no ordinary plants.
They were fungi.
Introduced by the Alliance a few years ago, these specialized fungal colonies were bred to survive extreme climates. With enough time and water, they didn't just cling to life—they built ecosystems around themselves.
Human settlements followed wherever the fungi thrived.
Of course, these miracle organisms came with dangerous side effects. Their most troubling trait was also their most mysterious: under certain conditions, they would birth monsters.
Not the undead exactly—but spirit-born horrors, mindless creatures that resembled resurrected corpses but lacked memory or emotion. These beings would instinctively devour everything—souls, chakra, even the spiritual essence in bacteria.
In the early days of the Alliance, over a dozen such outbreaks had occurred, resulting in thousands of casualties. The death toll had exceeded some mid-scale wars.
Fortunately, these "spirit blooms" showed distinct early warning signs. In most cases, even trained civilians could intervene before things escalated.
Shalie and his team were known as "gardeners"—assigned to monitor and maintain fungal nurseries like this one. Over the years, they had successfully neutralized over twenty potential disasters.
But this time… was different.
According to the Alliance's manual, the primary purpose of the fungus was to spawn these spirit entities. Humanity simply harnessed the process to reshape the environment.
After a few failed births, the fungi would typically stop trying on their own, merging with others in the area to collectively create a new spirit.
When that happened, the situation grew exponentially more dangerous—and required professionals.
Shalie walked toward the center of the nursery. There, four young ninja—two men, two women—stood laughing and chatting casually.
Their youthful energy was overwhelming, their presence commanding. Shalie couldn't help but feel humbled. They surpassed him in both rank and strength.
Yet when the yellow-haired young man at the front met his gaze, Shalie relaxed.
There was no arrogance in that look—only warmth.
Shalie bowed respectfully. "My deepest apologies. We failed to report the situation in time and caused unnecessary trouble for you all."
"Hmph." Before the blonde could speak, his companion—dark-haired and stern—cut in coldly. "You should reread the updated science brief. Spirit births from fungus are inevitable. Fighting them is routine. You think we're angry over something so trivial?"
But even as he scoffed, it was clear he had taken offense—at the apology, at the implication of failure.
The blonde youth shook his head and smiled, diffusing the tension.
"As Sasuke said, this is just part of our job. There's no need to feel guilty. If something similar happens again, just alert headquarters."
Shalie nodded gratefully.
"And going forward," the blonde added, "these nurseries will be dealing with spirit births more through integration… not elimination."
Shalie blinked, confused.
"What does that mean?"
Just then, a strange creature climbed onto the young man's shoulder. Its fur was the color of sand, and though it resembled a fox, it had several waving tails.
"Nine Tails…?" Shalie gasped, only to realize—it had only six tails.
"Huh? You know about the Nine Tails too?" the blonde chuckled. "Oh, right. The tailed beasts are in the education manual now. But this guy isn't the Nine Tails."
He gently petted the creature's head.
"This is a spirit born in this nursery. If anything, I'd call him Six Tails."
"No way!" the red-haired girl in the group shouted. "Six Tails sounds too much like the Six-Tailed Slug. Totally confusing!"
She huffed and crossed her arms. "He should be called Shaibu. We already found Huobu and Muibu back in the village. This one uses sand—Shaibu fits perfectly!"
"Shaibu doesn't sound cool," the blonde replied, still smiling. "I like Six Tails."
The creature nuzzled his cheek, letting out a soft mewl, like a kitten. It was clearly attached to him.
The red-haired girl's eyes turned crimson with envy.
"Ugh, Naruto! That's cheating! I should've been the one to tame it!"
Shalie watched the exchange in stunned silence.
This… is the monster that was just born?
How could something so gentle, so innocent-looking, be the same terrifying spirit they feared?
It didn't make sense.
Naruto noticed their confusion and laughed. "Yeah, this is the one. But now, he's more like a… spiritual Pokémon."
He gently scratched under the creature's chin.
"And there'll be more like him in the future."
The gardeners nearby leaned in, listening with rapt attention.
Even with their limited understanding, they could tell: the world was changing—again.
After witnessing the return of the dead, the formation of global alliances, and so many world-shaping events… they had thought things were finally settling down.
But the future, it seemed, was only just beginning to unfold.
Naruto's teammates didn't interrupt as he continued speaking with growing conviction. Instead, one of them gently picked up Shaibu from his shoulder—partially to assess the creature's temperament, and partially to test its abilities.
But before anything could begin, a faint crack echoed through the air. Naruto's white jelly-like communication bracelet fractured slightly—and projected a shimmering hologram.
A girl's face appeared. Hinata's calm gaze met Naruto's through the screen. She blinked once, then spoke gently.
"Team Naruto, an S-rank emergency mission has just been issued. Proceed to Amegakure immediately."
The sudden formality in her voice made Naruto, Sasuke, and the others stiffen.
"What happened?" Naruto asked, his voice sharp.
Hinata hesitated for five seconds. Then, without breaking eye contact, she answered:
"I can't say."
And with that, the hologram vanished.
"…Sigh." Naruto scratched his head and sighed. "When the liaison officer talks like that, we've got no choice but to move."
He turned to the desert gardeners with a faint smile. "Everything I said earlier is in the latest edition of the Alliance's popular science manual. Read it when you can. Until next time—"
And with that, Team Naruto vanished in a blur of movement.
The middle-aged gardener remained in place, staring at the fungal nursery with wide eyes.
Will another Pokémon emerge from here in the future?
Could I… maybe even have one someday?
The absurd thought took root in his mind, and he suddenly made a firm decision—to study the Alliance's handbook thoroughly.
---
After collecting Shaibu and leaving the edge of the desert, Team Naruto didn't travel far. They stopped atop a sand dune.
Haruno Sakura, the fourth member of the team, unsealed a scroll and pulled out a fist-sized, white jelly-like orb. Injecting chakra into it, the orb expanded into a strange, boat-like structure—about one meter wide and several meters long.
Each teammate carried their captured Pokémon aboard, laying down carefully. As Sakura continued pouring chakra into the jellycraft, it grew a flexible dome over their heads, fully enclosing the vessel.
Inside, the dim glow of bioluminescent sacs lit the interior. These sacs also released breathable oxygen. As long as Sakura provided chakra, they wouldn't suffocate.
Though space was tight and movement restricted, none of them minded. It was better than walking for days through the desert.
"All aboard! The Springfield Express is departing!" Sakura shouted playfully.
Half-embedded in the jelly seat, she suddenly gave off the commanding aura of a true pilot. With a cheerful "Yahoo!" the ship lurched violently.
Everyone clutched the handrails. Even Liuwei instinctively grabbed Naruto's collar. The sealed cabin kept them safe, but the sudden motion made everyone tense.
Fortunately, the tremor passed quickly. The ship stabilized and accelerated, burrowing underground.
This odd jellycraft was modeled after the abilities of the former enemy, White Zetsu. Rather than moving on the land, it tunneled through it—specifically through the ancient root network left behind by the divine tree. The result: exceptional speed and a surprisingly smooth ride.
The only downside? The route was complex, with occasional fractures and dead zones. But navigation was Sakura's job.
As they relaxed, the team members activated the glowing screens on their wristbands to catch up on news from across the world. These bracelets—another White Zetsu-inspired invention—were filled with sealing formulas and advanced tech, including communication abilities like the one Hinata had just used.
The Pokémon Balls used to contain spirit creatures like Shaibu were also developed recently by Konoha's research institute.
"…Pretty amazing," Sasuke murmured. Though he hadn't interacted with Shaibu directly, his gaze kept drifting toward the small creature curled on Naruto's shoulder.
He finally gave in and muttered, "It was so violent earlier… and now it's completely docile."
"You were just lecturing others to read more books," Karin teased as she absentmindedly stroked Shaibu. "Turns out, you don't know much yourself."
"This is just a variation of the body-soul unity theory," she continued. "The soul and body are one—if the body can't support certain instincts, the spirit naturally changes behavior."
"…Of course I know that," Sasuke replied, his brow twitching slightly.
"Really? Then you should also know," Karin smirked, "if you neuter your ninja cat, it stops acting so crazy."
Sasuke turned cold. "I don't hate it that much."
"Good. Because if you do that, you'll get docility… but you'll turn it into trash," Karin shrugged. "That's what I mean by physical suppression of spirit."
She looked to Shaibu, who was now nuzzling her palm and letting out a kitten-like mewl.
"That little guy was lashing out purely from instinct. It was trying to grow by consuming—like all newborn spirits. But this body it's in now? It can't devour or digest. The vessel isn't equipped for that level of power."
"So… it can't grow, and doesn't need to. The instinct fades."
"What you're seeing now is its true nature—a curious, affectionate child."
"…I see," Sasuke nodded thoughtfully—then froze. "Wait. None of this is in the manual."
The spirit-containment bodies had only been introduced last month. Pokémon classifications had barely reached double digits. There was no way all this was written down yet.
"Ah, busted," Karin stuck out her tongue, completely unbothered.
Sasuke let out a cold snort and returned to his wristband. But instead of news… he was scrolling through the Pokémon Pokédex.
---
Under Sakura's high-speed piloting, they reached their destination in just two hours—a journey that used to take elite jonin several days.
Emerging from the divine root tunnels and surfacing near Amegakure, they soon arrived at the nearby research institute.
"You're here."
A white-haired man in glasses greeted them warmly. His gaze lingered on Shaibu.
"Shaibu… right. Impressive that you captured one so quickly, even while on a mission."
"Master Kabuto, if there's an emergency, just tell us," Naruto said with determination. "We're fully rested."
"Good. I like the energy," Kabuto smiled. "But don't worry—this one isn't urgent. You and Sasuke only need to be present. You'll just be observing."
"Wait—just us?" Naruto glanced at Sasuke, confused.
"Ah, so we're not needed?" Karin pouted. "Sakura drove us all the way here, and I came along for nothing?"
"No, no. You're not wasted," Kabuto chuckled and stepped aside. "Yoming, come say hello."
A small boy, about four or five, stepped out from behind him and bowed politely.
"Hello, big brothers and sisters of Konoha."
"Wow, whose kid is this?" Karin lit up, instantly swooping in to hug the boy.
Sasuke watched quietly—until he caught something others missed.
"…His eyes?"
"Sharingan," Kabuto confirmed. "Still unstable. He's a genetic blend—mostly mine, with some of your uncle Shinsuke's DNA."
Sasuke blinked. "…Does Uncle Shinsuke know?"
"Yes. Full consent," Kabuto replied without hesitation.
"…And Aunt Suimi?"
"She agreed too."
"…Oh."
Sasuke and Naruto exchanged looks, their faces frozen in confusion.
Meanwhile, Sakura and Karin's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Don't misunderstand," Kabuto laughed. "Yoming may be my child, but his purpose is experimental. There's only one Sharingan pair like his."
"…Ah. Right. That is important."
After a brief silence, everyone nodded seriously—especially the two boys, who were determined not to dig into adult drama.
Kabuto smiled, then led the group deeper into the institute.
And beneath the great lake—deep in the laboratory's core—they met the one who had issued the S-rank emergency.
"…Lord Orochimaru."
All four bowed in sync.
Orochimaru—looking more like a teenage boy than a veteran ninja—looked up from his work and smiled faintly.
"Good. You made it. We can begin the experiment."
"Lord Orochimaru…" Karin stepped forward nervously. "What kind of experiment…?"
Orochimaru said nothing.
Kabuto stepped in.
"It's similar to what we've done before—except this time, we're aiming to solve the ninja world's greatest potential threat."
"…You mean catching Pokémon?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Even you're interested now?"
"Yes," Kabuto nodded. "Everything we've done up till now—every capture—was preparation for this."
He raised his arms, eyes gleaming.
"We're going to release Otsutsuki Kaguya from the moon… and seal her in a Pokémon Ball."
The room fell silent.
Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Karin stared at him, stunned.
"…She's not just a monster. She's a person," Naruto finally said. "The ancestor of chakra."
Sasuke added, "And our bloodline—Uchiha—descends from her."
"Biologically speaking," Kabuto adjusted his glasses, "the Uchiha and Senju both descend from the Sage of Six Paths. Kaguya's chakra may run through all of us, but that inheritance was never her choice. It's not her will we follow."
"…But turning a person into a Pokémon—how is that even possible?"
Naruto looked conflicted.
Orochimaru answered.
"She's not human. She's an alien. One who once tried to wipe out this world. A threat like that has no human rights."
He glanced at Shaibu on Naruto's shoulder.
"Even this one… before we confirmed it was harmless, what did we do to its kind?"
Naruto's gaze darkened. "Eliminated them."
His voice was quiet—but firm.
Over the past few years, his team had handled more "deletion" missions than anyone else.
"When survival is at stake," Orochimaru said, "there's no room for hesitation."
Orochimaru licked his lips and smiled. "By the way, the Sage of Six Paths supports this decision too."
—Though that support had been heavily coerced.
Faced with a choice between killing Kaguya or sealing her as a Pokémon, the better option was obvious.
"I see."
Sasuke exhaled, visibly relieved.
Having the backing of their ancestor made the decision easier—it spared him the burden of choosing on his own.
He exchanged a glance with Naruto, then turned to Orochimaru and said with confidence, "If you have any instructions, just tell us."
But before Orochimaru could respond, another voice cut in.
"Don't get the wrong idea."
Nagato stepped forward, eyes glowing with the Rinnegan. His gaze swept over the team as he added, "You're just one of the emergency contingencies—and you're lowest in the chain of response."
If things reached the point where they had to step in, it meant every other safeguard had already failed.
That was the pride—and responsibility—of the older generation.
Naruto and his teammates instantly recognized Nagato. He had once fought Orochimaru head-on. The realization made their shoulders slump.
With someone like Nagato present, their chances of getting to do anything in this mission just dropped to near-zero.
Orochimaru noticed Naruto and Sasuke's disappointed expressions and chuckled softly. But then, his face turned solemn as he raised his voice in the center of the chamber.
"Begin."
He was done waiting. With Kaguya's fate about to be sealed, he would finally usher in a new era for the shinobi world.
THE END
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