Hatake Sakumo reached up and touched Nara Hirano's eyes, then hoisted the middle-aged ninja onto his back. Clutching his White Fang Short Sword, his eyes blazed with a sharp intensity as he gazed toward the distant desert.
There, a massive black cloud composed of iron sand was sweeping towards Hatake Sakumo.
As the Sand Village's most closely watched enemy, how could Hatake Sakumo possibly breach the Land of Wind's borders without paying a price?
And within the Sand Village, the only one capable of inflicting injury on such a powerful opponent as Hatake Sakumo was the Third Kazekage, who was hailed as the strongest Kazekage in history.
"You don't have to run anymore. We're safe."
That vast black cloud in the sky was visible from a great distance.
Upon noticing it, Ishido sighed in relief, raising a hand to signal everyone to stop.
"That's... Lord Third's Magnet Release!"
Jianye exclaimed excitedly.
"It's a shame that Jonin Kyuichi stayed behind to cover our retreat, to hold off Konoha's White Fang... Sigh."
Kana plopped down onto the scorching sand, sighing heavily.
To those unaware of the true situation, Jonin Kyuichi was the last to retreat, which looked like a selfless act, sacrificing himself to protect his comrades by staying behind.
And Kyuichi had indeed managed to withstand a few blows from the White Fang, buying some time.
"We lost a Jonin, and we didn't complete our mission objective. It seems this mission was a failure."
A Special Jonin took out bandages from his ninja pouch and began tending to his wounds, speaking as he did so.
"Let me. I know some basic Medical Ninjutsu."
Jianxue walked over to the Special Jonin, her palm glowing with a faint green light.
"No, if we can take down the White Fang, or even just injure him enough to affect his combat ability, then this mission is a success, and we've gained something."
Ishido manipulated his Puppets into a line, then pulled out a Military Ration Pill from his ninja pouch and consumed it to replenish his Chakra.
"With my current strength, I should be able to hold off the White Fang for a few moves, creating some opportunities for Lord Third. Communication ninja, immediately use your Summoning Beast to report back to the village! Jianye, lead the squad back to Black Sand City to rest!"
"Understood!"
Jianye nodded solemnly to Ishido.
The Chunin who had guided Qingshui and the others earlier bit his finger again, using his blood to summon the village's communication squad's Summoning Beast, a lizard. After writing a message on a slip of paper attached to its leg, he dispelled the summoning.
Then, the group split into two teams: Ishido alone, manipulating five Human Puppets, returned in the opposite direction, while the other team, led by Jianye, headed back to Black Sand City.
...
...
Black Sand City was one of the few prosperous cities in the Land of Wind.
A river from the Land of Rivers crossed the border between the two countries, flowing all the way to this point. Then, the riverbed was blocked by high mountains, forcing it to bend and flow south towards the sea.
Where there was water, there was a foundation for building a city. What truly allowed Black Sand City to flourish was the Third Kazekage, who, twenty years prior, having just mastered Magnet Release, passed through the area and sensed the presence of large iron ore deposits. He then organized people to begin mining.
The iron ore here was loose and easy to extract, with large reserves and a dark, rich color, hence the name Black Sand. Combined with the river, its proximity to the border, ease of transportation, and benefits to commerce, it grew rapidly over twenty years, becoming an economic stronghold of the Land of Wind.
Iron could be used to forge weapons, and the iron mines here also had some associated mineral veins. Some metals were valuable to ninjas. Naturally, there were usually more ninjas stationed here, and in times of war, it was also a priority target for enemy destruction.
Although the mining operations had been attacked by an elite Konoha squad, the city remained bustling and prosperous, its lights shining brightly at night.
Normally, after a mission, Qingshui might have strolled around the city, enjoying himself. But now, everyone had lost all desire for recreation.
"I wonder how Lord Third and Captain Ishido are doing now, sigh."
On the roof of the Sand Village's outpost, Jianxue sat on the eaves, gazing at the moon in the sky, her eyes distant.
"Lord Third should be fine. Even if the Third Hokage himself were to intervene, he couldn't defeat Lord Kazekage. I'm mainly worried about Captain Ishido. The White Fang's abilities are just too effective against Puppet Masters."
Jianye sat beside his sister, watching Qingshui and Sasori repairing Puppets in the courtyard.
The Fatty Puppet was still intact, and the small boy Puppet had sustained some damage, but Qingshui had some spare parts in his scrolls, so it could be repaired tonight.
Sasori's Termite, however, was practically ruined. Repairing it would be almost like building a new Puppet from scratch.
The Salamander had also sustained some minor damage, but it was within repairable limits.
"Just how strong is the White Fang?"
Jianxue asked her brother.
Qingshui put away his wrench, turned to look at the roof, and listened intently.
Before transmigrating, he had heard of Konoha's White Fang, but he only knew that he was Hatake Kakashi's father and was very strong. He had killed Sasori's parents during the war, but little else was shown in the anime. He hadn't even been shown in action once.
Even now, he knew that Hatake Sakumo was very strong, definitely a Kage-level powerhouse, but he didn't know the specifics of his strength.
This time, he had a glimpse of his sharpness.
Although he was busy escaping at the time and didn't see the details of Hatake Sakumo's fight with Kyuichi, the aura that erupted from him at that moment left a deep impression on Qingshui.
If it were a weaker Genin, they might not even be able to move in the face of the White Fang's aura.
Sasori also stopped his movements, his expression as calm as stagnant water.
"I'm afraid I'll disappoint you. A year ago, in that battle where our Sixth Division was almost completely wiped out, I was severely wounded and fell unconscious shortly after the battle began. I was lucky to survive, but I never had the chance to face the White Fang directly. And those who did face the White Fang... they all died."
Jianye shook his head.
"Instead of asking me, you should wait for the captain to come back and ask him."
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
No sooner had Jianye finished speaking than a dark cloud of iron sand drifted down from the sky.
The Third Kazekage stood on a platform of iron sand, clad in his white Kage robes. On his back was Ishido, whose upper body was stained red.
"Are there any medical ninjas? Ishido Jonin is seriously injured."
The Third Kazekage slowly descended, his gaze sweeping over the courtyard as he asked the gathered people.
"Lord Kazekage! I participated in Lady Chiyo's medical experiment class. Let me help Captain Ishido stop the bleeding and stabilize his injuries first."
Jianxue and Jianye jumped down from the rooftop. The former took Ishido from the Third Kazekage's hands and, carrying him in a princess carry, went indoors.
The Third Kazekage watched the closed door, then turned to observe the people in the courtyard.
"I remember you're Jianye. You just became a Special Jonin this year. Becoming a Special Jonin at sixteen, that's impressive."
"You flatter me, Lord Third!"
Jianye bowed deeply to the Third Kazekage, visibly excited.
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