Swish! Swish! Swish!
Inside the house, four dusty figures suddenly appeared.
"Found it?"
Upon seeing the return of the four, Mikoto's eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope, her earlier anxiety easing slightly.
Junko Watanabe had already soundproofed the entire room, so everyone could talk normally.
"Yes, we found it," Minato replied simply.
Hearing this, the heavy stones weighing on Mikoto and Hanyu Yamanaka's hearts finally lifted.
Sakumo Hatake looked at them and asked, "There wasn't any abnormality while we were away, right?"
"Everything was normal," Hanyu Yamanaka answered.
Sakumo nodded, then glanced at Minato with mild surprise. "Come to think of it, how did you know Desert's Sorrow was planted in that location?"
"You actually understand sensing? Who taught you that?" Junko Watanabe quickly followed up.
Minato felt a flicker of unease inside—he naturally couldn't tell them the truth.
"Let's focus on disguising ourselves first—we don't have much time left," Minato intentionally changed the subject, though it was indeed an important matter.
"No rush; we'll have plenty of time along the way."
Though Mikoto didn't fully understand their meaning, she noticed Minato's troubled expression and helped cover for him.
Thus, Sakumo Hatake, Junko Watanabe, and Kubei Hyuga, each still harboring questions, resumed their former disguises.
Minato couldn't help but sigh inwardly—he knew he wouldn't be able to avoid explaining himself later.
Still, if he hadn't done this today, they might not have had enough time to locate and retrieve Desert's Sorrow successfully.
For Minato, learning to perceive natural energy was more than just completing a mission—it would greatly benefit his future cultivation of Sage Mode.
...
At first light, two empty carriages rumbled along the road toward Sunagakure, arriving smoothly at the main gate of the Hidden Sand Village.
This was naturally Minato and the others once again under disguise.
The chakra within their bodies had all been sealed, just as before, allowing them to pass through the guards' inspection without effort.
In fact, the Hidden Sand ninjas practically looked down on them as mere "commoners."
After leaving Sunagakure, they slowly drove their carriages closer to Sky Crack. Although their expressions remained calm on the surface, their minds were highly alert.
They couldn't predict when the Hidden Sand ninjas would discover the deaths of those three ninja and the theft of Desert's Sorrow.
As both carriages entered Sky Crack, numerous Sand ninja still guarded the steep cliffside.
With that barrier in place, launching a direct assault on Sunagakure would be no easy feat.
However, leaning against the carriage, Minato gazed toward the direction of Sunagakure and gradually formed a faint smile.
Once he had reached a place, returning there next time would take only an instant.
"Brother, why are you smiling?" Mikoto noticed Minato's expression and asked curiously.
Minato smiled slightly, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of reluctance. "This village is so big. Compared to our remote little hometown, it's far superior. I must admit, I'm actually a bit reluctant to leave."
Mikoto gave him a firm nod of agreement.
"Yeah, Sunagakure is really beautiful."
Kyaa!
Suddenly, an eagle's cry rang out from the sky. Mikoto and Minato both instantly looked up. A dark shadow zipped across the heavens, passing directly through Sky Crack before speeding toward Sunagakure.
Their expressions immediately turned grim.
This was one of Sunagakure's trained ninja beasts used for delivering intelligence — definitely not an ordinary eagle.
That meant the message it carried had come straight from the battlefield.
In other words, Chiyo must be losing her patience... Otherwise, with Konoha's main forces already withdrawn to the border of the Land of Wind, what important intelligence could possibly warrant sending?
"Big brother, look how high that eagle is flying!"
But then Mikoto jumped up onto the carriage, shouting excitedly like she'd never seen the sky before.
"Yeah," Minato replied shortly.
The two carriages gradually approached the exit of Sky Crack.
...
Meanwhile, within Sunagakure.
On a building over two hundred meters from the Kazekage Building, several Suna ninja figures appeared.
The three "Suna ninja" currently on guard slowly turned their heads.
"Hey, shift change," said one of the approaching Suna ninja as he walked forward.
Yet those in front ignored him, instead forming hand seals with both hands.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
In an instant, the three "Suna ninja" turned into smoke and vanished.
"Summoning Technique!?"
A few Suna ninja reacted instantly. However, when the smoke cleared, no one was left behind.
"Where'd they go?!" someone shouted in alarm.
At that moment, another Suna ninja suddenly narrowed his eyes, then dashed down toward the sandy ground below.
Arriving near Desert's Sorrow, he formed hand seals.
"Release!"
Smoke filled the area once again, and Desert's Sorrow transformed abruptly into a pale green plant.
"Not good!" The Suna ninja's pupils contracted as he shouted.
...
Outside Sky Crack.
As Sakumo guided the carriage forward, a sudden alertness shot through his mind.
Still, Sakumo masked it well — no one noticed a thing.
"It seems we've been discovered..."
Sakumo thought inwardly. He could sense that the Summoning Technique had already been dispelled.
Even so, lifting his head, he saw the exit of Sky Crack was now practically within reach.
...
Inside the Kazekage office, the Third Kazekage slowly set aside the letter in his hands. At that moment, hurried footsteps echoed outside the office door, followed by a knock.
"Come in," the Third Kazekage said calmly.
A panic-stricken Suna ninja burst through the door and immediately knelt flat on the floor.
"What has happened to make you so flustered?" The Third Kazekage frowned. He disliked seeing his subordinates lose composure — it reflected poorly on their discipline.
The Suna ninja slowly raised his head, his voice trembling with emotion. "Kai Shinfu, Date Shisuke, and Moto Miyatsu have gone missing during their mission. And in the sandy area where they were operating, bloodstains deliberately buried beneath the sand were discovered."
Upon hearing this, the Third Kazekage's previously calm expression instantly turned into raging fury. However, he immediately realized the location where those three had been stationed.
"[Desert's Sorrow]?" the Third Kazekage asked.
"[Desert's Sorrow]... was also... stolen."
As the Suna ninja finished speaking, the desk before the Third Kazekage was instantly crushed into dust. A vast surge of chakra filled the room, creating a powerful pressure that made the air hiss audibly.
Two Jonin and one Tokubetsu Jonin missing—effectively the same as being executed on the spot. And [Desert's Sorrow] had been stolen.
Rage blazed in the Third Kazekage's eyes. For Sunagakure, it was a disgrace that could never be forgiven.
Moreover, the incident occurred merely two hundred meters away from the Kazekage Building...
...
...
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