A few days later, underground laboratory on Ascension Island.
Sora stood in the center of the laboratory, his hands forming a seal.
"Release!"
With a poof, the imposing Tenji disappeared, returning to the Land of Peaceful Bliss.
Only Sora remained in the laboratory. He waited patiently, his mind maintaining a subtle connection with Tenji far away in the Land of Peaceful Bliss.
About the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, a clear summoning fluctuation came through the contract.
"It's here!"
Sora's eyes focused. He did not resist this force, instead actively guiding his own chakra to resonate with it.
Hum!
A peculiar feeling of spatial distortion enveloped his entire body, and the scene before his eyes instantly blurred.
After a brief moment of dizziness, Sora found that he had left the underground laboratory and arrived in a lush, verdant valley.
"Master, it worked!"
Tenji's voice, filled with delight, sounded beside him.
Sora turned his head, saw Tenji standing nearby, and nodded. "Yes, well done, Tenji."
The success of the Reverse Summoning Jutsu on its first practical attempt meant he now had an extra ace up his sleeve for rapid movement.
Looking around, he noticed that Tenji had chosen a rather secluded spot, in a corner of the valley, far from the central area of the Land of Peaceful Bliss.
However, even from this distance, Sora's keen perception could still detect several quite powerful chakra reactions coming from the depths of the Land of Peaceful Bliss.
One of these chakra signatures was particularly concentrated.
'That chakra... feels slightly stronger than an elite jonin. Probably Enma, right?' Sora thought to himself.
In the original story, Enma's strength was indeed formidable, capable of fighting Orochimaru, who called him the "strongest summoning creature."
However, Sora had no intention of investigating or making contact with Enma.
"Alright, Tenji, send me back."
"Yes, master!"
Tenji responded and released the Reverse Summoning Jutsu.
The feeling of spatial transition came again. In a blur before his eyes, Sora was back in the familiar underground laboratory.
With the Reverse Summoning Jutsu verified as successful and the main purpose of this trip already overachieved, it was time to return to Konoha.
...
Leaving Ascension Island, Sora headed south.
He leaped directly into the vast ocean. Relying on the Azure Dragon Fruit's affinity with water elements, he began swiftly traveling through the sea.
The seawater not only failed to become resistance but instead acted like a booster, propelling his body forward through the waves.
Occasionally encountering large sea creatures, Sora would merely release a wisp of his Azure Dragon aura. Those sea beasts would then panic and flee as if encountering a natural predator.
'This way of traveling is much more comfortable than running on land, and more concealed too,' Sora thought as he swam.
He deliberately took a somewhat roundabout route, coming ashore on the southern coastline of the Land of Fire before turning west to enter the territory of the Land of Wind.
In the desolate gobi and deserts of the Land of Wind, Sora slowed his pace, pretending to have been investigating along the way. He even intentionally left some inconspicuous "traces of investigation."
To put on a show, one must do it thoroughly.
Spending a few more days like this, and feeling the timing was about right, Sora then changed direction and sped towards Konoha Village.
...
Hokage's office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his desk, his face full of worry.
The war had reached a stalemate, with great pressure from all sides. Within the village, Orochimaru's recent movements had also been somewhat abnormal, giving him a vague sense of unease.
Just then, the office door was knocked.
"Enter."
The door opened, and a travel-worn Sora walked in.
"Hokage-sama, the mission is complete. I am here to report."
Sarutobi Hiruzen raised his eyes, looked Sora over, and nodded.
"Yes, how did the mission proceed? Did you manage to find any clues about the Dragon Vein's disappearance?"
Sora took out a sealing scroll from the ninja tool pouch on his back and handed it over.
"Under your orders, I infiltrated the Land of Wind and conducted a detailed investigation of the Loulan ancient ruins and the surrounding area."
"The Dragon Vein energy has indeed completely vanished. Only a huge deep pit remains at the site. Based on on-site investigation, the Dragon Vein did not dissipate naturally but was forcibly extracted and taken away by some powerful force."
Sarutobi Hiruzen took the scroll but did not open it immediately. Instead, he looked at Sora, signaling him to continue.
Sora's tone remained unchanged as he continued his report.
"During the investigation process, I encountered a group of unidentified puppeteers and clashed with them. The other party also seemed to be searching for things related to the Dragon Vein."
"After the fight, I defeated the opponent and seized this puppet."
He pointed at the scroll in Sarutobi Hiruzen's hand.
"Judging from the crafting technique of this puppet and the chakra traces left on it, it is extremely exquisite, far surpassing the level of ordinary puppeteers."
"Combining this with some subtle clues I found at the scene, and Sunagakure's secretive attitude towards this matter, even going so far as to enforce covert security measures..."
Sora paused slightly, then speculated.
"I suspect that the one with both the capability and the motive to do this is most likely the Sunagakure missing-nin, Sasori of the Red Sand."
"Sasori of the Red Sand?"
A gleam flashed in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes. He was not unfamiliar with this name.
The genius puppeteer of Sunagakure, grandson of Chiyo the Puppet Master. It is said his strength had long reached Kage level. After defecting, he became an even more dangerous figure.
"Yes, there have also been intelligence reports from the front lines indicating that Sasori has recently been collecting various powerful chakra sources and special materials."
Sora added, "With his puppetry skills, it is not impossible for him to use some secret method to forcibly take the Dragon Vein."
Sora felt no psychological burden about pinning this black deed on Sasori.
Better you than me. Brother Sasori, please rest assured and carry this big, round black pot!
Sarutobi Hiruzen pondered for a moment, then slowly unrolled the scroll in his hand.
Poof!
A puppet with a ferocious appearance and complex structure, but clearly severely damaged, appeared on the office floor.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was a knowledgeable man. He could tell at a glance that this puppet was definitely not something an ordinary puppeteer could create.
"Yes... the craftsmanship of this puppet does indeed resemble Suna's style, and the level is extremely high."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, basically accepting Sora's judgment.
"You have done very well, Sora. This information is very important. I will have people follow up and investigate Sasori of the Red Sand's movements."
"The mission was hard work. You should go back and rest now. As per usual for Anbu, you have two days off."
"Yes! Thank you, Hokage-sama!"
Sora gave a slight bow, said no more, and turned around neatly to leave the Hokage's office.
...
At the same time, in a dark underground cave somewhere far away in the shinobi world.
A young man with short red hair and a face as beautiful as a maiden's was staring blankly at a pile of scattered puppet parts before him.
This was Sasori of the Red Sand.
As he took stock of his almost depleted inventory, he inexplicably shivered suddenly, a chill running down his back.
He frowned slightly, looking around somewhat puzzled.
"Strange... an illusion? I feel like I'm being targeted by something troublesome..."
He shook his head, ignoring this inexplicable feeling, and focused his attention again on the thorny material problem before him.
But looking at the materials in front of him, he couldn't help but think again of that "Vermilion Bird" who had stolen his collection, and a sense of frustration and anger welled up in his heart once more.
"Damn guy, forcing me to go out and 'replenish' my stock again!"
Sasori made up his mind, completely unaware that a big, round black pot had already crossed countless mountains and rivers and landed squarely on his back.
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