One week after Rasa's funeral, six jonin—including Maku—entered the Kazekage's office.
On the Fifth Kazekage's desk lay six scrolls.
Maku's expression was solemn. This was the first mission issued by the Fifth Kazekage outside the village.
The six jonin were all elite shinobi of Sunagakure.
This was a test—of their strength, and of their loyalty.
The Fifth Kazekage had shallow roots in the village, with no true confidants. Aligning with her now was the perfect opportunity.
Not just Maku—everyone present understood that. Each of them burned with ambition, hoping to become one of her trusted inner circle.
Pakura spoke:
"Ōkura, a subordinate of the Fourth Kazekage, Lord Rasa, is dissatisfied with my policies. He does not understand my efforts to pull Sunagakure out of endless war. He has defected from the village.
From what I've learned, Ōkura is plotting to gain the support of the nobles, to obstruct the Daimyo and the aristocracy from formally appointing me as the Fifth Kazekage.
While I can still act as Kazekage without the Daimyo's approval, it is ultimately a missing formality.
The six of you—each of you will lead a squad and hunt down the rogue ninja Ōkura."
One of them had already begun imagining himself completing the mission first, earning the Kazekage's trust, and securing a brilliant future.
Maku, however, immediately thought of the difficulties.
"Kazekage-sama, the Daimyo's appointment assembly is about to convene. It could be in a week… or two.
Ōkura may attempt to strike the venue and prevent your official appointment.
The Daimyo already holds a poor impression of Sunagakure. If given an excuse—such as a rogue ninja incident—he may take advantage of it.
The Land of Wind is vast. Finding Ōkura quickly will be a major challenge.
Kazekage-sama, please rest assured. I will scour the desert without pause and do everything in my power to find him!"
"Maku, your concerns are valid," Pakura replied. "All of you, take the scrolls and follow me."
The six jonin picked up the scrolls, puzzled, and followed her to the rooftop of the Kazekage Building.
Then, moving with Body Flicker Technique, they arrived at a secluded courtyard on the outskirts of the village.
Within the courtyard stood a grand hall.
From afar, they could see that inside, three statues had been sculpted entirely from sand.
The statues had no faces, giving them an eerie, mysterious presence.
The central figure had three heads and six arms. The one on the right wore a cloak. The one on the left carried a short blade.
Before the three statues stood a shrine resembling a stone monument.
Carved into the stone were three smaller, indistinct figures—barely visible outlines of arms and cloaks.
Pakura unrolled one of the scrolls.
"I not only completed peace negotiations with Namikaze Minato of Konoha," she said, "but also established contact with the Church of the Three Calamities."
Maku froze.
The Church of the Three Calamities…?
Even as the son of Advisor Mache, he had never heard of such an organization.
Pakura continued:
"Memorize the hand seals and chakra pathways. This is the Flying Shrine Technique.
Through these shrines, you can instantly travel to another shrine."
She formed hand seals and pressed her palm against the scroll.
The sealing formula on the scroll flared to life—and at the same time, the shrine ignited with glowing inscriptions.
The markings spread outward, forming a circular pattern on the ground.
Pakura stepped into it, the six jonin following closely behind.
In the next instant, Maku felt his body tighten—then stretch violently. His vision warped.
He snapped his head around in alarm.
They were no longer standing before the shrine in Sunagakure.
They were… beneath the walls of a city.
At the edge of his vision stood a towering, majestic castle—the Daimyo's keep.
They had arrived… in the capital of the Land of Wind?
Pakura spoke calmly:
"In twenty-one cities across the Land of Wind, the Church has established shrines.
Using the Flying Shrine Technique, you can traverse these cities instantly, ignoring distance, and locate Ōkura as quickly as possible.
Now, one by one, use the scroll. I want to see whether you've mastered the technique."
Unlike the Flying Thunder God Technique—a forbidden jutsu of immense difficulty—the Flying Shrine Technique relied on the shrines and Yako's spatial formula.
For other shinobi, using the scroll was no more difficult than activating a summoning contract.
Maku was the last to leave.
Before departing, he cast a strange look toward the Daimyo's castle.
A chilling thought surfaced in his mind.
If the village wanted to kill the Daimyo… wouldn't it be absurdly easy?
Without a sound, they could deploy an overwhelming force of shinobi directly into the capital… and launch a surprise assault on the castle.
The Daimyo's samurai… the wandering shinobi he employed… even the Iwagakure operatives he secretly hired—
None of them could withstand such an attack.
The Daimyo wouldn't even have the ability to resist.
Even Maku felt a chill run down his spine.
Sunagakure's control over the Land of Wind… had become terrifying.
If they wished it, the so-called security of the nobles would be nothing more than an illusion.
…But all of this rested on that mysterious Church—and those enigmatic shrines.
Three days later, Maky found Ōkura.
Ōkura stared at him coldly.
"Maku. Lord Rasa treated you and your father well. And yet you were the first to defect to that weak woman."
"Weak woman?" Maku raised his kunai. "You have no respect whatsoever for Kazekage-sama?"
"Hmph!" Ōkura sneered. "Back then, when Pakura was handed over to Kirigakure to secure a peace treaty, your father knew about it too.
I wonder… after learning the truth, will she still trust your family?"
"You talk too much."
Half a minute later, Ōkura collapsed to the ground.
Blood bubbled from his mouth as he struggled to speak:
"Traitor… who… who betrayed me…? How did you find me… so fast…?"
"There was no traitor."
A blade of wind formed along Maku's fingers.
"Kazekage-sama has found a way for us to move instantly between cities. You can't escape.
Her power is far beyond your imagination."
The wind blade fell.
Ōkura's head was severed.
Carrying the body back to Sunagakure, Maku reported to the Kazekage.
After receiving her praise, he hesitated.
"What is it you want to say?" Pakura asked. "Don't worry, Maku. Whatever happened in the past—I won't hold it against you."
Maku quickly replied:
"Kazekage-sama, I will prove my loyalty through every mission. That's not what I meant.
What I wanted to ask is… I've never heard of the Church of the Three Calamities before.
Now that shrines exist within Sunagakure… what if they were used against us?
Our walls, our patrol units, our barriers… they would all be meaningless.
Kazekage-sama—what are the weaknesses of these shrines? In an emergency, can they be destroyed?"
Pakura thought to herself—
If you attack the shrine… that fox will appear instantly.
She said aloud:
"Maku, there is no need to worry about the Church. I can guarantee that, as long as I am Kazekage, they will stand with us."
After Maku left, Pakura began reviewing mission scrolls.
A faint disturbance stirred behind her.
She turned sharply.
"Pakura, your sensory ability has improved quite a bit. You noticed me earlier than expected. It seems your mastery of the Diamond Seal has deepened further."
Hearing the fox's voice, Pakura replied:
"I've started using the Diamond Seal for Chakra Stimulation Training. My strength has improved.
Fox, hasn't Konoha already clashed with Kirigakure in the Land of Hot Water? You still have time to come here?"
"It's fine," Yako said. "Nara Shikakaku is an experienced battlefield commander. The Land of Hot Water front is as solid as iron.
What concerns me more right now… is the deterrence peace plan."
He picked up the mission reports from Maku and the others, scanning through them carefully.
"Feasible. The Flying Shrine Technique will completely change how shinobi villages deploy their forces.
Once this war ends… there will be no blind spots left in the shinobi world.
The days of traveling for half a month will be gone. We'll possess terrifying control."
In a good mood, Yako reached out and brushed his hand along Pakura's back.
"Honestly… couldn't the Kazekage's robe be designed with an open back? It's getting in the way."