About half an hour later, the shift change arrived. The new guards reached the main gate and immediately noticed something was wrong.
"Alert! Now!"
"Someone has infiltrated the village!"
"Enemy intrusion! Enemy intrusion!"
The squad leader immediately fired a signal flare into the sky. A huge firework exploded overhead.
Inside the village, Kankuro and Temari saw the signal instantly.
"There's trouble! Someone has infiltrated the village," Kankuro said, his eyes fixed grimly on the direction of the signal. That was the main gate. These intruders were bold, choosing the most conspicuous entry point.
"Temari, you stay here and guard this area. I'll take some men to check it out." With that, Kankuro gathered a few ninja and rushed towards the village gate.
When they arrived, they found all the guards standing motionless, as if caught in some kind of jutsu.
"Notify the guard platoons immediately! Heighten the alert!"
"Yes, sir!"
One of the Sand ninja hurried back to make arrangements, while the others began waking their unconscious comrades.
"Lord Kankuro, should we suspend the Chunin Exams?"
Kankuro's face tightened at the question. If they stopped the exams now, it would be a huge blow to the Sand Village's reputation. But they didn't even know who the intruders were or how many there were. If they insisted on continuing the exams, there was no telling what dangers might arise. More importantly, this year's candidates were the elite from every village. If anything happened to them, the Sand Village would have a lot of explaining to do.
"Issue the order immediately. Halt the Chunin Exams. All candidates are to return to the designated candidate area." Kankuro frowned, staring at the village entrance. "Damn it. To be completely wiped out without even seeing who did it."
Besides anger, there was a hint of shock in Kankuro's voice. What kind of enemy could instantly put nearly a hundred jonin-level guards to sleep?
"Wake them up first. We'll question them in detail later," Kankuro ordered a nearby ninja. The ninja nodded and began rousing the sleeping guards.
"Bastards. To come to the Sand Village at a time like this." Kankuro leaped to the top of a cliff overlooking the village, his hands clenched into tight fists.
"Akatsuki?"
Elsewhere, Ibiki Morino stood up respectfully upon seeing Hatake Kusuo. Kusuo waved his hand, signaling for him to be at ease.
"Lord Kusuo, we've discovered a location with an extremely powerful chakra signature."
Kusuo took the scroll Ibiki handed him and unrolled it.
"The Stone of Gelel?" Kusuo's eyes fell upon those words.
"Yes, Lord Kusuo. The Stone of Gelel possesses a powerful and mysterious energy. We currently lack the ability to acquire such potent chakra."
Kusuo didn't blame Ibiki. The Stone of Gelel was inherently powerful and protected by a formidable sealing jutsu. Finding it was no simple task. Kusuo recalled from the original story that the Stone of Gelel was located in a very remote place. Not only could it alter a person's body, but its mysterious power could also grant extended life. Most importantly was the unique energy it contained. It was possible that it was a new type of chakra, or a mutation of existing ones.
Kusuo simply nodded and replied calmly, "The Demon Slayer Corps needs to pick up the pace on this."
Ibiki nodded quickly. "Yes, Lord Kusuo." Kusuo was confident in Ibiki and the power of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Just as Kusuo was about to examine what else Ibiki's team had brought back, he suddenly sensed a disturbance from the direction of the Sand Village. He went outside and saw it immediately: a firework exploding over the village entrance.
"Lord Kusuo, the Sand Village must be under attack. That's the signal they use when the village has been infiltrated."
Kusuo's gaze sharpened, and his figure vanished on the spot. An attack at this time could only mean one thing: Sasori and Itachi. Worry for Hinata's safety instantly flooded his mind. In the original story, they had come for Gaara's Tailed Beast.
"Could they also be after the Stone of Gelel?" a new question arose in his mind.
In just a few breaths, Kusuo had arrived at the outskirts of the Sand Village. He stood on a high cliff, looking down at the entire village. Sunagakure was now on high alert. The streets were filled with jonin armed for battle.
"All clear!"
"No problems here!"
The Sand ninja periodically reported their status.
"How could this be?" Kusuo scanned the village but couldn't find any sign of Itachi.
"Hinata..."
In the next instant, Kusuo appeared inside Hinata's room. She had just stepped out of the bathroom, her wet hair dripping onto her shoulders. Startled by his sudden appearance, Hinata's face began to turn red, eventually becoming as crimson as a small apple.
"Hinata? What's wrong?" Kusuo quickly set down his sword and stepped forward to feel her forehead.
Hinata, already shy from just having bathed, grew even redder at his touch. Finally, as if she had boiled over, she fainted and fell backward.
Fortunately, Kusuo was incredibly fast. He caught her in one swift motion, gently placed her on the bed, and covered her with a blanket.
With that done, he walked to the window and looked outside. Squads of ninja were still patrolling the streets below. But Kusuo knew that with their level of skill, catching Itachi Uchiha was a fool's dream, especially with Sasori at his side.
As he was wondering how to find the two Akatsuki members, a knock came from the door.
"Lord Kusuo, it's me."
Recognizing the voice, Kusuo quickly opened the door. It was Kuroko. With Hinata passed out under the covers, Kusuo saw no reason for secrecy.
-------
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