Chapter 416: Words Spoken Carelessly Can't Be Taken Back
Konoha Year 46, Land of Wind, Hidden Sand Village Office.
The Third Kazekage sat behind his desk processing official documents when a red-haired ANBU suddenly materialized, kneeling on one knee.
"Kazekage-sama, a strange person has arrived outside the village. He claims to be village jonin Akakaze, says he's from twenty years in the future, and requests an urgent audience with you regarding critical intelligence."
"Hmm? Twenty years in the future?"
The Kazekage froze for a moment, a flash of shock and suspicion crossing his eyes. But years of governance had cultivated a composure that prevented him from immediately dismissing what sounded like an absurd fantasy.
He gently set down his pen. "Has ANBU verified his identity?"
"We have."
"Throughout the entire process, the man was extremely cooperative. He's intimately familiar with village affairs, knows all our code phrases and secret techniques - intelligence so detailed that even a spy couldn't possibly know it all."
"Furthermore, upon investigation, the village does indeed have a civilian ninja named Akakaze who just graduated from the academy."
"Most importantly, medical ninja compared their genetic material and confirmed they share identical genes."
"If we exclude the possibility of cloning, we can essentially determine that he truly is a time traveler from the future."
"Ssss..." The Kazekage couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath. Even with his composure as a village leader, he felt tremendous shock and impact at this moment.
Time travel?
From the future?
What did this mean?
Intelligence?
Opportunity?
Countless thoughts flashed through the Kazekage's mind like lightning. He stood abruptly, leaning forward slightly, his gaze burning as he stared at the ANBU and demanded:
"Where is he?"
"Just outside the door."
"Bring him in!"
"Yes."
The ANBU turned and left, returning moments later with Akakaze.
At this moment, Akakaze was covered in injuries, his arm broken, yet his spirit was exceptionally vigorous. Upon seeing the Kazekage, he immediately dropped to his knees in excitement, his voice trembling:
"Kazekage-sama, to see you again - it's wonderful!"
"You must be careful of Sasori!"
"Sasori?" The Kazekage glanced at the red-haired ANBU standing behind Akakaze, his expression growing strange. "What about Sasori?"
"Sasori will assassinate you next year and turn you into a human puppet, ultimately triggering the Third Great Ninja War!"
"What?" The Kazekage's pupils contracted sharply, his face revealing undisguised shock and horror for the first time.
If this intelligence was true...
But before he could react, he saw the red-haired ANBU raise his hand. A kunai gleaming with ghostly blue light struck like a viper's tongue, piercing precisely through the gap in Akakaze's spine and penetrating straight to his heart.
"Tch, how annoying. To think intelligence would leak because of something like this!"
A trace of irritation and impatience emerged from behind that ANBU mask.
"Such a shame. My 'Hiruko' isn't finished yet. If I act now, I have no chance of winning."
"Forget it. I'll come back later!"
After speaking, he removed his mask, tossed it aside carelessly, and vanished in a flash, leaving only Akakaze's body convulsing in a pool of blood.
"How dare you!" The Kazekage's fury erupted instantly, fierce killing intent exploding from his body. Metallic iron sand flew from his gourd, moving without wind, circling around him.
He took a step forward to give chase, but his gaze swept over the convulsing Akakaze on the ground. His responsibility as a leader forcibly restrained his footsteps.
Compared to pursuing the murderer, the life of this "person from the future" who brought earth-shaking intelligence might be more important.
"Someone, quickly call medical ninja!"
"Also, immediately dispatch people to hunt down Sasori - dead or alive!"
Following the Kazekage's roar, Hidden Sand Village immediately descended into chaos, a complete uproar.
Sharp alarm sounds tore through the village's usual wind and sand moaning.
ANBU and patrol teams were urgently mobilized. Figures leaped between buildings, all targeting Sasori's possible escape routes.
Ordinary villagers and lower-ranking ninja looked around in confused panic, tension and unease permeating the air.
Several medical ninja arrived at top speed, green Mystical Palm Technique light immediately enveloping Akakaze. However, their expressions quickly turned grim.
Hidden Sand Village's medical ninja weren't as strong as Konoha's, but their standards were still respectable. Yet Sasori, to buy himself escape time, had struck viciously - one strike to the heart. That kunai was also coated with poison. There was no saving him.
The Kazekage could only watch helplessly as this jonin from twenty years in the future, utterly loyal to the village, died right before his eyes.
"Damn it!"
Uncontrollable fury and frustration finally exploded.
The Kazekage swept his arm. His Magnet Release instinct, agitated by his emotions, lost control.
All metal objects in the office - pen holders, lamps, filing cabinets, even hidden weapons - were instantly pulled and twisted by invisible force, then smashed against the walls like cannonballs.
Amid thunderous crashes, stone fragments flew and dust filled the air. The perfectly good office instantly became a complete wreck, as if ravaged by some giant beast.
"Kazekage-sama, what happened?"
"Why are we hunting Sasori?"
Chiyo and Ebizo, having caught wind of the situation, rushed over and stared at the chaos in shock and suspicion.
"He deserves death!" The Kazekage roared, his face shrouded as if by storm clouds.
He glanced at the siblings but didn't explain in detail. The trust between them had already developed serious cracks due to Sasori's betrayal.
The Kazekage pointed at Akakaze's corpse on the ground and waved his hand:
"Immediately summon the intelligence division. Extract the information from his brain at once - as much as can be extracted!"
Time was critical. The deceased's brain would rapidly deteriorate as time passed.
This jonin from the future, even with his body dead, surely had memories containing enormous secrets related to Hidden Sand's survival and the shinobi world's future.
Even if they could only obtain fragments, it was critically important.
This was the final value Akakaze exchanged with his life. The Kazekage had to seize it.
After another flurry of activity, everyone else was driven from the Kazekage's office, leaving only the Kazekage and the jonin Sam who had just been responsible for intelligence extraction.
A barrier quietly rose, isolating all sound between inside and outside.
Once everything was properly prepared, the Kazekage sat back behind his desk and gestured for Sam to begin his report.
"Land of Rain... Akatsuki Organization... Rinnegan..."
"Uchiha Massacre... Uchiha Yasushi... Uchiha Divine Nation..."
"Third War... Fifth War..."
"Rasa's surrender... Hidden Sand Village destroyed..."
"Chiyo siblings' deaths... Hidden Sand Village destroyed..."
These fragmented pieces of intelligence emerged from Sam's trembling mouth and fell into the Kazekage's ears like thunderbolts exploding one after another, shaking the Kazekage's heart and liver until he could barely sit steady.
He felt dizzy, as if the ground beneath his feet was fracturing. His hand under the desk involuntarily gripped the chair's armrest, making the hard wood emit faint groaning sounds.
"The intelligence we've managed to extract is only this much. It's rather fragmentary and broken, and there's no way to know if there are errors or omissions. Please carefully consider and judge, Kazekage-sama."
After Sam finished delivering the intelligence in a dry voice, he immediately buried his head low, not daring to breathe heavily. The clothing on his back was already soaked through with cold sweat.
Intelligence of this level - even just hearing it once made him terrified, afraid he knew too much.
His greatest wish at this moment was to forget everything he'd just heard.
Deathly silence enveloped the room, with only the Kazekage's heavy footsteps echoing across the debris-strewn floor.
He paced like a caged beast, brows tightly furrowed, eyes shifting constantly. Anger, gravity, calculation, determination... all manner of emotions fiercely clashed within them.
Finally, he stopped, turned around, and fixed Sam with a gaze like a hawk's talons.
"Today's intelligence is absolutely classified. So I need to place a silence seal on you, prohibiting any intelligence from leaking. You understand, don't you?"
Sam's taut nerves suddenly relaxed, nearly collapsing in relief.
He raised his head, eyes filled with post-disaster gratitude and absolute loyalty.
The Kazekage hadn't chosen a more "thorough" method of ensuring secrecy. This in itself was an enormous trust.
He exhaled deeply and kowtowed heavily, his oath ringing clear and firm.
"Thank you for your trust, Kazekage-sama. I swear on my life that I absolutely will not leak any related intelligence."
The Kazekage summoned the sealing division to set a seal on Sam before everyone, preventing intelligence leaks. Only successive Kazekage could learn the intelligence from his mouth.
After this matter was completed, the Kazekage issued an order:
"Someone, convene the Jonin Council. I have important matters to announce."
The incident in the Kazekage's office had long since alarmed the village's various clans, who all used their own methods to gather information.
ANBU's loyalty was beyond question, but blood ties and family bonds were equally difficult to sever.
Too many clan ninja served in ANBU. Some important intelligence closely related to family interests, not strictly forbidden from discussion, inevitably leaked to their clans.
Previously, the village still had doubts about Akakaze's authenticity as a "future person" and didn't take it seriously enough. During the process of verifying Akakaze's identity, too many people had contact with him.
By the time they realized the situation was wrong and wanted to seal the news, it was already too late.
So many clans and jonin already knew about Akakaze's identity as a "future person," though they knew nothing of the intelligence extracted from his brain.
The two words "future person" hung like a curse, stirring up endless imagination and unease. But this sense of the unknown was like a sword suspended overhead, making people even more anxious.
Now, hearing that the Jonin Council was being convened, clan heads and important village jonin, regardless of what tasks they had on hand, all set them aside immediately and rushed to the Kazekage building at top speed, wanting to probe for intelligence from the Kazekage.
The entrance to the meeting room became somewhat crowded for a time. Everyone wore grave expressions, eyes exchanging glances full of inquiry and urgency.
Once everyone had arrived, the meeting room doors closed tightly and the barrier rose once more.
The Kazekage sat in the main seat, his gaze sweeping over the expectant, anxious, or inscrutable faces below.
He didn't engage in pleasantries but went straight to the point, his voice clearly audible in the silent room:
"The intelligence about Akakaze is all true."
"He truly is a village jonin from twenty years in the future."
"Whoosh..." These two sentences were like cold water thrown into boiling oil, instantly detonating the entire venue. The meeting room immediately descended into chaos.
Though they'd been mentally prepared, having the Kazekage personally confirm it still shocked all the jonin tremendously.
After the initial shock passed, questions poured out like a broken dam.
Everyone was desperate to grasp something concrete and comprehensible from this incredible event. They all began asking questions over each other.
"Kazekage-sama, are you certain he's not a death warrior sent by an enemy nation? Shouldn't we verify again repeatedly?"
"What ninjutsu did he use to travel through time? Can we replicate it and travel to the past ourselves?"
"Kazekage-sama, what was the village like twenty years in the future?"
"Did we ultimately defeat Konoha Village and seize the fertile lands of the Land of Fire?"
The meeting room became a cacophony of voices.
The Kazekage knew this intelligence was truly earth-shattering, so he didn't answer immediately. He simply waited expressionlessly, patiently allowing everyone to digest things for a while before raising his hand.
An invisible pressure spread with the gesture, quickly silencing the meeting room.
"Originally, we should have obtained Akakaze's complete intelligence. But because he exposed the information that Sasori would assassinate me next year, he was killed by Sasori."
"This is my fault. I shouldn't have trusted Sasori too much and allowed him to become an ANBU member, leading to such enormous loss."
The jonin immediately erupted again.
"That damned bastard, how dare he?"
"Detestable! Such a once-in-a-millennium opportunity, and that bastard Sasori destroyed it!"
"We absolutely cannot let him go - we must eliminate him!"
This time the uproar was even more intense. This time they were truly angry.
Battles between ninja were battles of intelligence. The various competitions between ninja villages were also built on a foundation of intelligence.
A time traveler from the future was simply an invaluable treasure, capable of providing intelligence and information that couldn't be measured by value.
And now, this treasure had just been delivered to their doorstep. Before they could fully open it, their own people had personally destroyed it.
This fury nearly set the meeting room ablaze.
Even Chiyo and Ebizo both looked darkened and dejected, unable to say a word.
Their grandson had committed such a monstrous crime - not only betraying the village and attempting to assassinate the Kazekage, but also destroying the village's most important treasure.
As elders and village elders, the shame, humiliation, and pain they bore at this moment far exceeded that of others.
Any defense would be pale and powerless. They could only endure the accusatory gazes cast from all directions, obvious or subtle, sitting on pins and needles with nothing to say.
The Kazekage's gaze swept over Chiyo and Ebizo's faces before withdrawing. He spoke solemnly:
"Sasori absolutely cannot be allowed to escape."
"After all, Sasori also knows about Akakaze's identity."
"This fact alone means we must silence him!"
"Chiyo, Ebizo, I'm entrusting this matter to you both. You must not disappoint me."
Chiyo and Ebizo exchanged glances, sighed, then stood and bowed:
"We understand the gravity of the situation, Kazekage-sama. Please rest assured - we will definitely eliminate the threat Sasori poses."
"Good. I'll dispatch ANBU to assist you." The Kazekage nodded and continued: "The second matter - although Akakaze died, his meritorious service cannot be erased."
"Later, bring young Akakaze here. I'll take him as my student and train him as a priority."
"Kazekage-sama is benevolent." The assembly had no objections to this.
"Third matter - Rasa is relieved of his position as ANBU captain. Pakura will succeed him."
"Eh?" Disaster falling from the heavens left Rasa completely bewildered, his face written with shock and disbelief, having no idea what had happened. "Third-sama, what did I do wrong?"
The position of ANBU captain didn't just represent power - it was a symbol of the Kazekage's inner circle and future core.
This sudden dismissal was tantamount to public rejection and exile.
He instinctively questioned, his voice trembling slightly from urgency.
"You haven't done anything wrong yet." The Kazekage looked at Rasa coldly. "But you're not suitable to be Kazekage. If something happens to me, Pakura will be the first candidate for the next Kazekage."
The assembly began whispering among themselves again.
The Third Kazekage's words were practically saying directly that Rasa would be an inadequate Kazekage in the future.
Rasa's face immediately turned ashen. His lips moved several times, but he couldn't say any words of defense.
How could he defend himself against intelligence from the future?
He had absolutely no idea what mistake he'd even committed!
He could only stand there rigidly, feeling the complex gazes cast from all directions - sympathy, confusion, scrutiny, and even barely perceptible schadenfreude.
'What foolish thing will I do in the future to disappoint Kazekage-sama so much that he won't even give me a chance to correct it, and must 'cut his losses' preemptively now?'
Rasa screamed internally, looking at his Kazekage with pitiful, aggrieved eyes, wanting to obtain an answer from him.
But the Kazekage completely ignored his thoughts and continued:
"Next, the village will undergo some reforms."
"Many things may be difficult for you to understand or accept."
"But please, you must cooperate!"
The Kazekage's voice rose slightly, suppressing all other noise.
His gaze swept across the entire room, carrying an unprecedented sense of gravity and urgency.
The information in his words was no longer consulting with the jonin, but rather an almost commanding announcement.
"Please trust that everything I do is for Hidden Sand Village's benefit, to prevent the village from being absorbed by other villages in the future and completely disappearing from the shinobi world."
This final statement was like a massive boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up tremendous waves. All the jonin could no longer remain calm.
"What?"
Shock, horror, doubt, fury... all manner of emotions exploded across every face.
This concerned the village's very survival. No one could remain uninvolved.
The meeting room's atmosphere instantly became taut to the extreme, as if even the air had solidified.
Immediately, jonin couldn't help but urgently demand answers, their voices distorted by agitation.
"Absorbed by whom?"
"How did we disappear?"
But the Kazekage refused to explain further, only announcing:
"The Jonin Council is adjourned. Pakura, stay behind. Everyone else is dismissed."
"Also, please keep today's council proceedings strictly confidential."
The Kazekage concluded all questioning with an unquestionable posture.
He stood up, his figure appearing particularly tall and isolated under the lights.
The assembly was full of doubts but had absolutely no idea where to seek answers.
They departed the meeting room one after another in silence, carrying heavy hearts and heads full of questions.
As they walked, they exchanged glances and conversed in low voices, but no one dared speak loudly.
The Kazekage's final words pressed down on everyone's hearts like heavy stones.
Hidden Sand's future had suddenly been shrouded in an ominous shadow.
The meeting room door was carefully closed by the last departing jonin, isolating inside from outside.
In the empty room, only the Kazekage and the solemn-faced Pakura remained.
Even the light seemed to concentrate on just the two of them. The Kazekage spoke to Pakura:
"Pakura, I'm giving you an important mission."
"Whether our Hidden Sand Village can ultimately change its fate of destruction depends on how well you complete this task."
Pakura's expression turned grave. She immediately straightened her body and swore an oath:
"Please rest assured, Kazekage-sama. Even if I die, I will definitely complete the mission."
The two held secret discussions for a long time. No one knew what they ultimately planned.
The people of Hidden Sand Village only knew that early the next morning, Pakura departed the village with a team of ANBU. It was much later before she quietly returned.