Several months after Shukaku returned to the sand, the Land of Wind appeared calm and peaceful.
The oasis in East Sea Bay was steadily expanding, crisscrossed by irrigation ditches and covered in rolling rice waves. The development plan for the Southwest Peninsula was already on the agenda, and Hidden Sand Village was filled with a busy yet hopeful atmosphere. The crude salt trade brought in substantial profits, greatly alleviating the Village's financial situation. Ninja treatment improved, and even the faces of ordinary villagers showed more smiles.
However, Sayo never truly relaxed his vigilance. He knew well that the agreement with a Tailed Beast was far from being a permanent solution. Shukaku's wildness and resentment, accumulated over countless years, could never be completely smoothed over by a mere contract. It was like a dormant volcano; beneath the calm surface, surging magma lay hidden.
On this day, Sayo was in the Research and Development Department testing the desert adaptability of a new Agricultural Puppet, when a strange, dim yellow hue on the distant horizon caught his attention.
It was not the usual sight of a sunset; the dim yellow spread out from the depths of the desert, carrying an ominous sense of turmoil. The sand particles in the wind also grew restless, striking the puppet's shell with a more frequent crackling sound than usual.
"Hmm?" Sayo frowned slightly, stopped his work, leaped onto a high spot, and gazed into the distance.
He saw rolling yellow sand in the distant sky, like boiling thick soup, moving slowly but surely toward the southeast. It was not a naturally formed Sandstorm; it contained a massive and familiar Chakra—violent, manic, and filled with the desire for destruction.
It was Shukaku!
Although it hadn't fully appeared, it was clearly deep underground or at the center of the Sandstorm, wantonly unleashing its power and stirring up the entire desert!
"Damn it..." Sayo's gaze sharpened. That direction, though desolate, contained an important trade route branch line, and further away, there were scattered oases and exploration camps!
Contract Clause One: Guard the territory of the Land of Wind, and do not actively invade Villages or towns!
Contract Clause Two: Do not raise large-scale Sandstorms without being summoned!
Shukaku's current behavior was testing the dangerous limits, perhaps even openly tearing up the agreement!
Almost simultaneously, a figure rushed over using the Body Flicker Technique. It was a Ninja from the outpost responsible for border surveillance, his face filled with anxiety: "Lord Sayo! This is bad! A super-large-scale Sandstorm suddenly formed deep in the desert and is moving southeast, and its speed is increasing! The energy reaction... the energy reaction is extremely abnormal, it's like... like that being's power!"
Sayo's expression was calm, but he understood inwardly. Shukaku's wildness had indeed erupted. Perhaps it wasn't deliberately trying to attack a specific target; it might just be "stretching" after waking from a long sleep, or a release of power after being suppressed for too long. But for humans, its unconscious "stretch" was a natural disaster capable of destroying everything!
"I understand." Sayo's voice was so calm that it even slightly settled the anxious outpost Ninja. "Notify all outposts, caravans, and camps along the route to go on highest alert and immediately take shelter in the nearest rock formation or refuge! Without my command, no Ninja is allowed to approach the center of the Sandstorm!"
"Yes!" The outpost Ninja took the order and immediately departed using the Body Flicker Technique.
Sayo stood where he was, closed his eyes, and focused his spiritual power, attempting to contact Shukaku through the contract. The contract runes glowed faintly in his perception, and he transmitted intentions of deterrence and warning:
"Shukaku! Stop! Have you forgotten our agreement?!"
The feedback he received was a burst of chaotic and manic emotional fluctuations, mixed with reckless thoughts: [Agreement? Hmph! How annoying! What's wrong with this lord stretching his muscles after waking up? This entire desert belongs to this lord! I'll play however I want! Mere human, don't try to dictate terms! If you have the guts, come stop me! Hahaha!]
Shukaku's voice was full of provocation and mischief. It seemed eager to see what this human, who had established the contract, intended to do to it. The arrogance and mischievousness of the Tailed Beast were fully exposed at this moment.
Sayo opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing within them.
Sure enough, simple contractual restraint was far from enough for an entity like this. It needed to be reminded, needed to be "persuaded," and needed to understand the cost of breaking the contract.
"Mirage!" Sayo shouted softly.
The Manned Puppet "Mirage," which had been on standby, instantly unsealed from the scroll and hovered beside him. Sayo leaped onto it, and the core's "natural energy puppet core" emitted a soft yet powerful light.
"Target, the center of the Sandstorm! Full speed ahead!"
Powerful airflow jetted from "Mirage's" tail, transforming it into a streak of light that sped toward the sky-obscuring Sandstorm!
The closer he got, the more terrifying the might of nature felt. Gale winds howled, visibility was almost zero, and huge grains of sand struck "Mirage's" protective barrier like bullets, creating continuous explosions. Massive Chakra, like a physical tsunami, washed over everything, attempting to tear apart and drown the intruder.
Sayo stood on the "Mirage" platform, his figure steady as a rock. He piloted "Mirage" like a small boat in a raging sea, yet determinedly broke through the sand waves, moving against the current, directly into the core of the storm.
He could sense that Shukaku's massive consciousness was deep within the eye of the storm, observing his actions with a playful, 'watching a show' attitude.
"It seems a verbal warning alone isn't enough," Sayo muttered to himself, his hands beginning to form seals.
Powerful Chakra mixed with Natural Energy surged through his body, amplifying and spreading outward through "Mirage."
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Boundary Method!"
Vwoom—!
Centered on "Mirage," countless particles of pitch-black iron sand materialized out of thin air. They were unaffected by the violent wind and sand, and instead, they moved against Shukaku's Chakra flow, forcibly constructing a massive, continuously expanding black barrier! Wherever the barrier passed, the violent sand particles seemed to be suppressed by an invisible force, becoming sluggish, and the chaotic energy flow was forcibly organized and calmed!
This was not an attack, but a declaration and suppression of greater force: I can enter your domain, and here, I can establish my order!
Deep within the storm's core, Shukaku's playful mood clearly stalled, replaced by a trace of surprise and... offended rage.
[Magnet Release brat! How dare you!]
"Shukaku!" Sayo's voice, amplified by Chakra, pierced through the roar of the wind and sand, clearly entering Shukaku's consciousness. "I warn you one last time! Stop your turmoil immediately! Otherwise, I will consider you to have unilaterally broken the contract! You will bear the consequences!"
The Desert Tyrant and the human Guardian stood opposed once more in this turbulent landscape.
The facade of peace was broken; a contest intended for "persuasion" and "taming" had become inevitable.