After leading the Ame ninja forward for two days, Hanzo finally crossed the border into the Land of Wind.
To his surprise, every Suna ninja stationed along the border fled the moment they saw him. Not a single one attempted to resist.
That, at least, was the correct choice.
He had prepared a large number of explosive tags in advance—anyone who tried to approach would've been reduced to ash instantly.
What truly put his mind at ease, however, was the chain of Flying Thunder God seals trailing behind him.
Ever since dealing with the Ōtsutsuki incident, he had devoted fifty shadow clones solely to mastering the Flying Thunder God. One month of his training was equivalent to five years for an ordinary shinobi.
Now, he had finally reached a barely acceptable level of proficiency.
The Flying Thunder God was a jutsu that depended heavily on talent.
Even now, he still couldn't completely overcome the intense vertigo that followed spatial teleportation. His body would momentarily lose balance, requiring exceptional neural reflexes to stabilize.
Reflexes weren't the problem—his sensory domain compensated for that.
But the nausea?
That was another matter entirely.
The sensation was like swallowing laxatives and detergent at the same time—violent nausea, dizziness, and the overwhelming urge to vomit.
To fully master Flying Thunder God, he had no choice but to adapt.
Originally, he planned to continue training with shadow clones, but when they dispelled and all that vertigo flooded back into his main body at once…
He nearly blacked out on the spot.
That experience alone had nearly sent him straight to the Pure Land.
Still, the silver lining was that his resistance to dizziness improved significantly afterward.
He'd already decided—after recovering a bit, he'd do it again.
Slowly, step by step, until his body became immune.
Next time, though, he'd notify the medical team beforehand.
Otherwise, he might actually die.
—
"Since entering the desert… my chakra has been slowly draining."
Hanzo frowned slightly as he glanced around.
"It's extremely subtle—less than the natural recovery rate of an average shinobi. If I weren't using Sage Mode and sensory perception, I wouldn't even notice."
He turned back to look at the Ame ninja behind him.
None of them showed any abnormalities.
"…This isn't a trap."
"It's not limited to individuals either."
"If my perception is correct… the entire desert is absorbing chakra."
Not just chakra from living beings.
But chakra from the land itself.
"And now that I think about it…"
"Since entering the desert, the amount of natural energy I can draw in has dropped significantly."
That realization troubled him.
Geographically, the Land of Wind made no sense.
Its southern coast bordered the sea, with no mountain ranges blocking moisture. Under normal conditions, the region should have supported vegetation.
And yet—nearly seventy percent of the country was desert.
Something was wrong.
Hanzo forcibly stopped absorbing natural energy.
He expanded his sensory field to its limit, closed his eyes, and focused completely.
The world faded to black.
Gradually, faint streaks of blue and green appeared—chakra and natural energy—slowly flowing in a single direction.
In his perception, the entire Land of Wind resembled a massive vortex.
All chakra… was being drawn toward one point.
Hanzo's eyes snapped open.
A cold bead of sweat rolled down his face.
"Even the Three Great Sage Lands never noticed this…"
"Someone is stealing the chakra of the earth itself."
---
Meanwhile – Sunagakure.
Inside the council chamber, Ebizō stood at the head of the room.
Every face was grim.
"The situation is dire, but it has been stabilized for now."
"When the battle report arrived, I immediately dispatched Bunpuku to intercept the Fourth Tsuchikage."
"Latest intelligence confirms that Bunpuku activated the Play Possum Jutsu, releasing Shukaku."
"With terrain advantage, Shukaku buried the Iwagakure army beneath a sandstorm. The Tsuchikage has withdrawn."
"The northern front is temporarily secure. Reinforcements are already on their way to rebuild defenses."
"However…"
His voice grew heavy.
"The Iwagakure harassment cannot be ignored. Someone must deal with it."
A Suna ninja stepped forward.
"Elder, give the order. We are prepared to die for the village."
Ebizō closed his eyes.
"There is a plan."
"But it is extremely dangerous. Even if successful… the odds of survival are slim."
The chamber fell silent.
Then, Scorpion's father spoke.
"If it's for the village, I cannot stand aside."
"No."
Ebizō snapped sharply.
"Your sister already gave her life for Sunagakure. If you follow her, what face would I have to meet her in death?"
"You've done enough."
Scorpion's mother stood up as well.
"For the village—and for our son—"
"Even if it means dying, I don't want him to grow up in darkness."
"I'll go with him."
"Enough!" Ebizō slammed the table.
The room fell silent again.
After a moment, another elder spoke carefully.
"Please… explain the plan first. Perhaps there's another way."
Ebizō exhaled deeply.
Since the deaths of the Third Kazekage and Chiyo, everything had fallen on his shoulders.
He had managed to stabilize the front—but barely.
"The Fourth Tsuchikage is leading his army personally."
"I will dispatch forces to stall him."
"But someone must infiltrate Iwagakure and destroy their supply lines."
"That mission… is nearly suicidal."
Then he paused.
"And there's another issue."
"Hanzo of the Salamander has personally entered the Land of Wind."
A chill ran through the room.
---
Elsewhere...
Hanzo continued walking through the desert, deep in thought.
"Could someone be attempting to condense a Chakra Fruit?"
"No… impossible. That thing is still hiding."
His gaze shifted toward the distance.
"Then what exactly is buried out there?"
He narrowed his eyes.
"…Something doesn't want to be noticed."
But he quickly refocused.
"Still, my priority is Sunagakure."
Konoha was being pressured by multiple villages.
Iwagakure had been weakened.
Kumogakure had been forced back.
Kirigakure was locked in prolonged conflict.
Only Sunagakure had emerged relatively unscathed.
"They've had it too easy."
Hanzo's eyes darkened.
--------------------------------///
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