5:58 PM.
"What! Linto is going to kill the Daimyo, destroy the corporations, and take over the entire Land of Wind?"
Hearing this, Rasa could no longer sit still. He strode out in a few quick steps, looking anxious.
Didn't he agree with Linto that he should be included when the Daimyo was killed? Linto seemed like a good person, so why was he now...
keeping it all to himself?
Rasa hurried to find Linto.
Kakashi, leaning by the window, glanced back at Rasa's retreating figure and licked his lips, which were a little dry in the heat.
Kakashi knew the truth. Linto had told him that he was just going to Wash Town to sign an agreement.
There might be negotiations in between, but as long as the Daimyo and corporations of the Land of Wind weren't brainless, a fight was unlikely.
"So, how did this news get so distorted and spread to this extent in less than three hours?"
Kakashi muttered softly.
He was twenty-five years old and considered himself quite young, yet he felt his mind and energy were gradually falling behind these people.
Even Rasa, who worked and chased riches all day, seemed more energetic than Kakashi.
Kakashi's mission with Linto to Sunagakure Village was to find the culprit who attacked Konoha. Now that Shinno was dead and the Air Force was either dead or captured, his mission could be considered a complete success.
By Kakashi's habit, after a mission ended, he would return to Konoha to rest and await the next mission, repeating this cycle until he died on some assignment.
He felt this was the fate of a ninja.
Kakashi looked at the busy crowd outside the window and suddenly felt a killing intent from behind him.
It was an elderly woman.
Grandma Chiyo.
An unparalleled puppeteer who could control puppets with just one finger, she also possessed powerful taijutsu, medical ninjutsu, and sealing techniques. She had even countered the poison of Hanzo of the Salamander. She could be considered a truly all-around female ninja with unfathomable strength.
Having participated in the Second Ninja War, her son and daughter-in-law died at the hands of Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo. Grandma Chiyo gradually became disheartened, and in her old age, she withdrew completely, no longer concerning herself with the affairs of Sunagakure Village.
It was Rasa who approached Grandma Chiyo and used two reasons to persuade her to come out of retirement:
First, Hatake Sakumo's son, Hatake Kakashi, had arrived in the Land of Wind.
Second, Sunagakure Village was planning to rebel.
It's unclear which reason was more influential, but Grandma Chiyo agreed to come out. For the past few days, she had been silently watching Kakashi, like a lingering shadow of Sasori.
Initially, Kakashi was very wary, especially after learning about the blood feud between them. However, after several days, Grandma Chiyo showed no intention of attacking.
Sunagakure Village was an ally. Kakashi couldn't exactly... attack someone just because an old lady glared at him a few times, could he?
"Even if you attack, you won't win against me."
Grandma Chiyo's eerie voice came from behind him.
Kakashi turned his head and noticed a palm-sized little puppet clinging to the door. The little puppet was speaking. Grandma Chiyo's previous position was already empty.
Kakashi shook his head, unwilling to argue with an old woman, and turned to leave, preparing to pack his bags and return to Konoha.
The little puppet leaped onto the roof.
"I came here this time intending to kill you."
"But the moment I saw you, I felt that killing you was meaningless."
"Because you are truly too weak. You are so far from your father that it makes me feel that killing you would be the wrong thing to do—"
"Only by keeping you alive can the ninja world know that the son of the legendary Konoha White Fang is also nothing special."
Thwack!
A kunai pierced the little puppet, nailing it firmly to the wall.
Kakashi's eyes were ice cold.
The little puppet's eyes met his and let out a sneer before falling silent.
Kakashi returned to his residence. He packed his luggage, intending to depart for Konoha today. From the moment he set foot in this land, he felt a ghost clinging to him.
He didn't know if this ghost belonged to his deceased father, or to his childhood self, or perhaps...
both?
The ghost whispered in his ear, its voice mixing with the sand of the Land of Wind, pouring into his ears.
Kakashi couldn't understand a single word, only feeling a dullness in his ears and even his mind.
He packed his luggage, but at the moment he was about to put his backpack away, Kakashi hesitated.
Grandma Chiyo's words echoed in his mind again and again, until...
In the afternoon, at 6:10 PM.
The caravan's supplies were ready. Dozens of camels chewed their tongues, squinting as they waited to depart.
Their tongues had a lot of salt dropped on them, which was intended to make them thirsty and drink plenty of water in advance to store.
This time, five people were going to Wash Town with Linto:
Amber, serving as Linto's bodyguard.
Rasa and Grandma Chiyo, a Kazekage and an advisor, representing Sunagakure Village.
Linto would negotiate with the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, and the presence of Sunagakure Village would indeed increase the pressure on the opponent during negotiations.
However, Linto felt that Rasa wanted to go more to find an opportunity to chop off the head of the Daimyo of the Land of Wind.
As for Grandma Chiyo, she had some old friends in politics in Wash Town. As long as there were enough benefits, she could exert influence at critical moments to help Linto.
Besides these, there was also one person: Mr. Shai.
It wasn't just Korin City that had "rats." All the major cities in the Land of Wind were the same. Mr. Shai had traveled extensively for many years and had connections with the rats in various regions.
Upon arriving in Wash Town, he could provide Linto with intelligence from another perspective.
Finally, there was a special member—
Gaara.
The reason for bringing this reclusive teenager was not for any particular purpose, but simply because they were worried about him staying in Sunagakure Village or Korin City.
From Shinno's memory disc, Linto learned that the Akatsuki organization had begun their tailed beast collection plan, intending to use the tailed beasts to create a super weapon.
Since they were aware of the Akatsuki's goal, rather than leaving Gaara in the village to be attacked and abducted, it was better to take him along.
Sasuke and Little Momo rode horses, accompanied by thirty cavalry from the Extermination Army.
They would not be going on this Wash Town operation because they had another crucial mission:
to bring Shinno's memory and ninjutsu discs back to the research institute.
Furthermore, with Tsunade's addition, the research institute had made a breakthrough in studying Hidan's ashes, and they urgently needed Sasuke's ninjutsu nullification to create a "ninjutsu-free environment" to aid their research.
Sasuke and Little Momo also wanted to go to Wash Town for fun, but priorities had to be considered. They could only wave goodbye to Linto with pitiful faces, repeatedly asking him to bring back plenty of souvenirs.
Linto watched Sasuke and his group depart, raised the reins in his hand, and looked in the direction where the sun was setting:
"Let's go too."
The caravan slowly moved forward. Just then.
"Wait."
Kakashi, with his backpack slung over his shoulder, leaped over from a distance.
Linto asked in surprise, "Aren't you returning to Konoha today?"
Kakashi opened his mouth, unsure how to answer.
Yes, he should return to Konoha, but...
This time, he wanted to make some changes. He hadn't yet clearly heard the voice of the "ghost" lingering in his ears.
"I..."
Kakashi didn't know how to explain. Suddenly, a hand reached out in front of him.
Linto smiled and said, "Get in the carriage."