For two consecutive days, the Konoha group had nearly searched every corner of Sunagakure, especially areas with environments suitable for Desert's Sorrow to grow—but they found nothing.
The remaining possibilities lay near the Kazekage Building.
The Kazekage Building was heavily guarded. Moreover, the Main Road leading to the building was a restricted zone, as previously warned by the Suna ninja—if outsiders stepped onto it, even civilians would be killed without mercy.
However, they couldn't afford to wait any longer. They only had one more day before they'd have to leave Sunagakure.
Otherwise, they'd raise suspicions among the Suna ninja.
Even Sakumo Hatake wouldn't be able to approach during daylight.
Therefore, for this group from Konoha, their final chance was tonight...
...
The sun slipped below the horizon, and soon the world was bathed in moonlight, swallowed once again by night.
Inside the house where the Konoha ninja resided.
Six people gathered here. Among them, Sakumo Hatake, Minato, Hyuga Kubei, and Junko Watanabe had removed their disguises.
The three exchanged glances before Minato formed hand seals with both hands.
As soon as the sequence ended, he pressed his palm to his abdomen.
Without stopping, his hands moved like shadows, forming another seal, then pressing onto Junko Watanabe's abdomen.
Junko's hidden chakra surged through her body like a gushing spring, though due to Hyuga Kubei's [Gentle Fist] [Pressure Point Strike], her chakra flow remained slightly obstructed at present.
Still, such sealing techniques could no longer restrict Junko now that her Chakra Seal had been released. Her eyes darkened with focus. With sheer willpower, she forced her chakra through the blockages.
At the same time, she formed seals with both hands, causing visible seal formations to spread throughout the room, forming a barrier.
"Alright, let's begin."
After setting up the barrier, Junko spoke. At this point, they no longer feared eavesdroppers—this barrier not only concealed their spiritual presence but also muted sound according to Junko's will.
The reason they first removed the seal on Junko was because she possessed the ability to create barriers that shield against chakra perception.
Now back to full strength, Minato observed Junko's technique with admiration in his heart. Apart from the methods unique to the Uzumaki clan, Junko's barrier already ranked among the higher levels of sealing techniques.
As the weakest among the Five Great Ninja Villages, Sunagakure lagged far behind—not just economically and militarily, but also regarding the number and variety of Ninjutsu and secret techniques available—compared to Konoha.
After all, Konoha was founded through cooperation between the two strongest clans in the ninja world—Uchiha and Senju. The other powerful clans residing in the village, including Hyūga, Sarutobi, Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi, were all formidable forces.
It was precisely because of so many powerful clans coexisting that Konoha had retained its position as the top ninja village for generations—untouchable and enduring.
That was the true depth of Konoha's legacy.
Once Junko completed the barrier, Minato also used his own chakra to unblock the pressure points inside his body.
The past few days of suppressing his natural chakra reserves had indeed been quite uncomfortable.
Then, Minato released the seals on Hatake Sakumo, Hyuga Kubei, Mikoto, and Hanyu Yamanaka. Except for Mikoto, whose bindings had to be removed by Hyuga Kubei, the other two broke free on their own.
They were about to begin their operation.
"Mikoto, Senior Hanyu, you two stay here temporarily while we go searching for Desert's Sorrow," Minato said. Over the past few days, they'd scoured every inch of Sunagakure and figured out the shift rotations of the surrounding Suna ninja.
The four of them planned to exploit this moment and slip into the central main road of Sunagakure to locate Desert's Sorrow.
Among the six, Mikoto had the weakest mobility and was most likely to be discovered. Hanyu Yamanaka's abilities could kill silently and invisibly; so if Mikoto ever encountered danger, his skills could ensure both remained undetected temporarily.
Once Desert's Sorrow was located, at dawn the next day, the group must leave Sunagakure immediately.
After exiting Sky Crack into the desert, even if Sunagakure sent trackers after them, it would be like chasing shadows in the dunes.
Both nodded in agreement.
Of these four, Sakumo possessed the greatest strength. Junko Watanabe's ability shielded them from enemy sensing ninjas, and Minato's speed was fast enough to assist Hyuga Kubei in instantly taking down enemies.
With the two working together, aside from the Third Kazekage, no current ninja in Sunagakure could withstand them for more than a moment.
All that remained now was to wait.
...
The night deepened, yet everyone still chatted casually as usual, attempting to relax their enemies' vigilance.
Then suddenly, Sakumo and the others heard faint noises coming from the rooftops around them.
An ordinary person wouldn't have noticed such things, but to ninja of jonin level, these sounds were clearly perceptible.
"Move!" Suddenly, Hatake Sakumo shot open his eyes.
Shua Shua Shua!
In a flash, the four of them vanished from the room.
...
Junko Watanabe pressed her right index and middle fingers together, raising them vertically in front of her face.
This wasn't forming hand seals—it was focusing her concentration. She was sensing the positions of nearby Suna ninja and guiding the Konoha team to continuously evade detection.
Yet she also had to watch out for Suna's sensing ninjas, which demanded extreme concentration.
Actually, after so much training over this extended period, Minato's once-lost sensory ability had mostly recovered—otherwise he wouldn't dare casually attempt using the Flying Thunder God Technique again.
Still, unless absolutely necessary, Minato preferred not to reveal his presence and risk being noticed.
With the fighting skills of the four and Junko Watanabe's guidance as a sensing ninja, their progress was surprisingly smooth.
However, the closer they came to that main road, the slower their pace became—they knew there might be many guards where Desert's Sorrow grew.
Besides, it lay very near the Kazekage Building itself.
Shua! Shua!
Under cover of darkness, the four leapt onto the rooftops along one side of the main road within Suna, hiding behind the eaves.
This area was nearly the only place still brightly lit in the silent, late-night Sand Village...
Inside one of the rooms of the Kazekage Building was the office of the Third Kazekage.
So upon arriving here, Junko Watanabe immediately narrowed her sensory range to just a few meters around her. This was not only to avoid detection by the guards but also out of caution towards the Third Kazekage.
After all, he was the Third Kazekage—the Kage of an entire village and a top-tier powerhouse throughout the Ninja World.
As they drew closer to the Kazekage Building, the four grew more cautious—it was becoming harder to observe without being noticed.
At this critical moment, Minato's mind was suddenly interrupted by an abrupt voice—the voice of "Senior Minato."
"Expand your senses and detect natural energy."
Minato flinched at those words, his mind racing. "But I've never even practiced Sage Mode!" he thought, bewildered.
Minato had once mastered the perfect Sage Mode. However, due to his relatively limited chakra reserves and his usual combat style, he rarely used it.
Yet again, a voice rang out from deep within his soul.
"The Nine-Tails' chakra itself has the ability to sense natural energy!"
...
...
Happy New Year's Eve to everyone! May your families be joyful and prosperous. I'm off to watch the CCTV New Year Gala now. (To be continued...)
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