Land of Wind, Hidden Sand Village.
Ever since the "Konoha Crush" plan was utterly sabotaged by Orochimaru, a thick shroud of despair and pessimism had loomed over the village.
It was simple: the war reparations had plunged the already struggling Hidden Sand into even deeper poverty. Furthermore, with the resurgence of rebels from the Hidden Sound Village in the Land of Fields, individuals who had undergone human experimentation and rigorous training, the Sand's dwindling ranks of elites found themselves increasingly exhausted and overstretched.
Admittedly, after the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, took office, she released a large number of prisoners and reduced some of the reparations, showing a clear intent to turn the Hidden Sand into a true, ironclad ally of Konoha.
The problem, however, was a severe generational gap in the Hidden Sand's leadership. On one side was Chiyo, who was so old she practically had one foot in the grave; on the other was Gaara, who had yet to fully come into his own. The only bridge between them, the Fourth Kazekage, had perished under Orochimaru's machinations.
It must be said that the current state of the Hidden Sand was tragic, perhaps even more so than the Hidden Mist, which had been tormented by Obito for years and still hadn't recovered its strength.
But what made it worse was the intelligence they had just received from Konoha: the most dangerous man in the world had just seized the Seven-Tails at the Hidden Waterfall Village and was currently heading their way. His suspected target: the One-Tails, Shukaku...
"This is going too far! What do they think they're doing? Blatantly robbing us of a Tailed Beast? This is an outright provocation against the bottom line of every Great Nation!" Chiyo roared, slamming her hand onto the table in a fit of rage.
She had every right to be furious.
Allen's naked, undisguised behavior was essentially equivalent to defecating on the Hidden Sand's doorstep. No one with a shred of pride could swallow such an insult. Moreover, since Gaara's return, he had been groomed as the next Kazekage. Absolutely nothing could be allowed to happen to him; otherwise, the village might as well be struck from the ranks of the Five Great Nations entirely.
"Nee-chan, calm down. Don't forget we have guests," Ebizō reminded her in a low voice.
But the hot-tempered Chiyo couldn't care less. She glared at Jiraiya, who had arrived as an envoy, and questioned him through gritted teeth, "What is Konoha's stance on this matter?"
"Naturally, we intend to find a way to stop him. However, I wouldn't advise you to use brute force. If you provoke that guy, the entire Hidden Sand might be wiped off the map. I don't need to remind you what happened at the Hidden Stone Village, do I?" Jiraiya replied with a helpless expression.
"In other words, Konoha won't be lifting a finger to help us this time, right?" Chiyo narrowed her eyes, pressing further.
"No. Quite the opposite. We are planning to convene the remaining Four Great Nations to forge an alliance to deal with this increasingly complex situation and the threats we face. Especially Allen, he has become a sword hanging over all our heads, liable to drop at any moment. Even the Daimyō and the nobles support the formation of an alliance; otherwise, the strength of a single Hidden Village alone is insufficient to oppose a danger of his caliber. What's more, the Hidden Sound Village in the Land of Fields must be destroyed, or the unrest and attacks will never cease," Jiraiya explained with a solemn expression.
If Allen had just stayed quietly in the Hidden Sound Village, everyone might have turned a blind eye. After all, the shinobi world had seen its fair share of powerhouses. At worst, they could have pulled a "First Hokage" era tactic: closing their gates, playing the hermit, and focusing on developing their own strength. They could wait a few decades and simply outlive the threat before settling scores.
That was exactly why the First Shinobi World War broke out the moment Hashirama Senju died, the other four nations immediately mobbed Konoha.
But now, as Allen began to show a consuming interest in the Tailed Beasts, no village possessing one could tolerate their most vital weapon of war being stolen. After all, a Jinchūriki was the guaranteed floor of a village's military power.
As one of the most powerful elders of the Sand, Chiyo clearly realized this was an opportunity. She rubbed her chin and fell into deep thought.
After about two or three minutes, she spoke again: "I agree to the alliance! But on one condition: it must be guaranteed that the One-Tails, Shukaku, will not be taken."
Jiraiya gave a bitter laugh and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I can't give you that guarantee. I've fought Allen before, and his abilities are simply too bizarre. Whether it's the Mangekyō Sharingan or Wood Release, they defy the understanding of a normal ninja. And if I'm not mistaken, he is already the Jinchūriki of the Four, Five, and Seven-Tails simultaneously. Do you really think we have a chance of winning in a direct confrontation?"
"Then we just stand by and hand over the One-Tails? The Hidden Sand will not accept such humiliation!"
Just as Chiyo was slamming the table, attempting to drag Jiraiya and the Konoha envoys down with her, a masked member of the Anbu suddenly burst in. In a voice taut with tension, he cried out:
"That guy... he's here!"
"What?!" Chiyo bolted upright from her chair.
Without a moment's hesitation, the Hidden Sand high command and Jiraiya's delegation rushed to the window. Sure enough, at the entrance of the Hidden Sand Village in the distance, several remarkably young figures were walking slowly along the main road.
Though many Sand shinobi leaped out to stop them, every single one was instantaneously cut down by Sasuke.
Yes. There was no "battle" to speak of.
There was only one-sided, efficient slaughter. The sight of blood spraying from throats sliced by his blade made the silent massacre all the more shocking.
One had to remember: the Hidden Sand wasn't some minor village; it was one of the Five Great Nations. Yet, the small team led by Allen treated the place as if it were a public restroom—coming and going as they pleased. Based on their attitude alone, they clearly didn't hold the Hidden Sand in any regard whatsoever.
"Hmph. This is one of the Five Great Nations? The Hidden Sand is nothing but a pile of trash."
Sasuke flicked the blood from his blade with a cool, sharp motion, his tone dripping with raw, undisguised arrogance.
As the reincarnation of Indra's chakra, the eldest son of the Sage of the Six Paths, his talent was naturally peerless. After joining Orochimaru and Allen, he had gained access to a vast array of Ninjutsu and Forbidden Jutsu. Coupled with human body modifications and the mastery of Nen, even a Jōnin would find it nearly impossible to withstand his bizarre combination attacks.
This rapid surge in power had brought about an interesting shift in his psyche: he only acknowledged those who were his equals or his superiors in strength.
"Sasuke Uchiha! You're too arrogant!"
Seeing so many ninja being killed, Gaara, who was being groomed as the Kazekage, could no longer restrain himself. He stepped forward, manipulating a massive surge of sand to engulf his opponent.
But in the next second...
Pfft!
With a Body Flicker, Sasuke closed the distance instantly. His sword, reinforced doubly by Nen and Lightning Release chakra, pierced straight through the Shield of Sand. He pinned the One-Tails Jinchūriki directly to the wall behind him.
If he hadn't been ordered to capture him alive, that single strike would have been fatal.
As for Gaara, a look of utter disbelief crossed his face. He could not believe that after only a few short months, his opponent had become this terrifying.
Specifically, that Body Flicker speed just now... his defensive sand couldn't even keep up with the rhythm.
And that sword... it was far too sharp.
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