Konoha, atop the Guard Corps headquarters building.
When Chiya returned here from the training grounds, he found that Uchiha Fugaku had already been waiting at the door for some time.
Fugaku's expression was dark as iron, his brow tightly knit.
His fingers were unconsciously rubbing the scroll at his waist, and the moment Chiya appeared his gaze snapped into sharp focus.
The look on Fugaku's face made it clear he had something important to report.
"What happened?"
Chiya looked at Fugaku, who had come rushing up to him, and asked calmly.
Fugaku did not answer right away. Instead he said quietly.
"Captain, let us talk in the office."
Chiya nodded. The two walked into the office one after the other.
After closing the door, Fugaku took a scroll from inside his robe and held it out.
"This intelligence just came in."
Fugaku said in a low voice.
The contents of this scroll were also among the matters Chiya had asked Fugaku to keep a close eye on.
Chiya unrolled the scroll. His gaze moved quickly over the contents, and his eyes gradually sharpened.
Across seven or eight small towns along the border of the Land of Frost, the Land of Waterfalls, and the Land of Fields, sixty children had gone missing as of today.
"Children going missing again."
Chiya's fingers tapped lightly against the desk, and a cold glint passed through his eyes.
He immediately thought of the similar disappearances that had occurred in Konoha before. Back then, if he had not pushed the Uchiha to step up their patrols, things might have turned out the same.
And now, after all these years of quiet, it was happening again alongside the start of the border clashes.
And the scale was even larger.
"What has Danzo been up to lately?"
Hearing Chiya bring up Danzo, Fugaku thought for a moment.
"Since Danzo was stripped of his position as Root's leader, he has not been involved in any of the village's decisions. He has been staying home."
A flash crossed Chiya's eyes.
'That old dog, would he really be content with living a normal life?'
Chiya did not believe it for a moment.
Though it was a bit of a shame that Danzo was inside the village.
If Danzo had been outside the village, this could have been the chance to take him down along with the rest, leaving him with no way to make a comeback.
Since he was not outside the village, Chiya had no plans to go after Danzo at this time.
After all, one Orochimaru was already more than enough to deal with.
Chiya stood up and said coldly.
"Gather the Guard Corps elites. Prepare to move out."
Fugaku thought for a moment and then said.
"Should we notify the Hokage?"
"No need."
Chiya shook his head.
"This matter might lead back to Orochimaru.
And besides, the Third Hokage has always been wishy-washy about Orochimaru. We cannot rely on him."
He thought briefly, then took out a new scroll.
He wrote down his plan quickly and handed it to Fugaku.
"Send someone to deliver this to Hatake Sakumo. Have him dispatch ANBU to assist us."
Fugaku took the scroll, looking somewhat puzzled.
"Captain, are you trying to..."
"Most of the people in Hatake Sakumo's ANBU are elites from the major clans who are still going through their trials.
This matter is a perfect opportunity to let them serve as witnesses."
A knowing smile showed in Chiya's eyes.
"If the ones behind these human experiments, something this twisted and depraved, turn out to be connected to the Hokage faction, the Hokage faction's standing will take another hit."
Fugaku understood at once, and it clicked into place for him immediately.
Brilliant.
A precise strike at the Hokage faction's prestige.
When the Clan Head acts, he goes straight for the throat.
The Clan Head's methods were still as sharp as ever.
The taut string inside Fugaku's chest loosened ever so slightly.
"Understood!"
Fugaku finished speaking and was about to bow and leave.
"Right, your wife is expecting, is she not?
You should not be working too hard lately either. Make sure you carve out time to take care of her properly.
During a pregnancy, a woman really does need her man to be by her side."
A flicker of embarrassment passed across Fugaku's face.
"I know!"
Fugaku finished and turned to leave.
After Fugaku was gone, Chiya stepped out of his office.
He called the Guard Corps members to assemble.
Within minutes, Uchiha Tekkai had led twenty Guard Corps elites to gather and was waiting below the headquarters building.
Chiya stood at the front of the group and swept his gaze over everyone.
His eyes finally settled on squad captain Uchiha Tekkai.
"This mission is to investigate the child disappearances along the border. Keep in mind, your own safety comes first without exception.
Once you locate a testing facility, do not rush to destroy it. Go in and search first. Check for any children who have survived, especially children who have been experimented on."
He paused, a meaningful glint passing through his eyes.
"If there are children alive, bring them back to Konoha without fail."
Uchiha Tekkai nodded.
"Yes, Clan Head."
Chiya gave him a pat on the shoulder.
"Move carefully. Orochimaru is not easy to deal with. His base will not be easy to infiltrate. Caution above all else."
Tekkai grinned.
"Relax, Captain. We Uchiha are not afraid of him."
"Caution regardless!"
"Please set your mind at ease, Clan Head. I, Tekkai, will never risk my brothers' lives carelessly."
Chiya gave a satisfied nod.
"Wait here a moment. I have already had someone notify the ANBU. They are on their way to coordinate with you."
"Yes!"
On the other side, Hatake Sakumo had understood the implication in Chiya's message.
The ANBU squad he dispatched had already arrived below the Guard Corps building.
This team was composed of elites from multiple clans including the Hyūga, Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka.
Though not large in number, it was clear even at a glance that these were the finest among the finest.
The two squads joined together.
And raced out toward the outskirts of the village.
Chiya watched the team leave, standing in place, a trace of anticipation flickering in his eyes.
...
Sunagakure, the Kazekage Tower.
The Third Kazekage sat at his desk, his expression dark.
He slammed the freshly received battle report hard onto the desk, the veins at his temples bulging.
The report showed that the Suna-nin had been retreating steadily in their clashes with Konoha.
After reinforcements arrived, the enemy had adopted a strategy of avoiding direct engagement, wearing away at Suna's patience and resources as if toying with prey.
"Useless trash!"
He roared and slammed his fist against the desk.
"But the village's resources are growing tighter by the day. We need to escalate this into a larger war as soon as possible."
He muttered to himself.
Just then, a gentle, unhurried knock interrupted his fury.
"Come in!"
The Third Kazekage snapped impatiently.
The door creaked open, and a red-haired boy stepped in at an easy pace.
His expression was calm, even carrying a trace of humility, with an entirely harmless look about him.
Only deep within those bottomless eyes.
A venomous scorpion's tail lay coiled in wait, hiding a cold and murderous intent.
"Sasori?"
The Third Kazekage was a little surprised, but quickly showed a smile.
"Come, sit. Did you come to see me about something?"
Sasori lowered his head slightly, keeping his voice as composed as possible.
"Kazekage-sama, my puppetry has run into a wall lately. I was hoping you could spar with me and offer some guidance."
The Third Kazekage was briefly taken aback, then laughed.
"Oh? It is rare for you to come asking on your own. When?"
Sasori looked up, and the corner of his mouth curved slightly upward.
"Tonight."
The Third Kazekage noticed nothing out of the ordinary and agreed without hesitation.
"Fine. Tonight it is."
Sasori gave a slight bow, turned, and walked out.
After stepping out of the Kazekage Tower, cold murderous intent finally surfaced in Sasori's eyes.
"Greatest Kazekage-sama, I wonder if you will become even stronger once you become my puppet."
Thinking of this, his eyes filled with hatred.
He clenched his fists tight, and his fingernails pressed deep into his palms.
Tonight. Your death is tonight.
---
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