At this moment—
Outside Sunagakure.
"We're finally here... Sunagakure?"
A man cloaked in black stood just outside the village gates. His hood covered most of his face, only revealing a pair of narrow, beady green eyes.
It was obvious he had made some effort to disguise himself—no visible sign of his allegiance to any shinobi village.
But just from his appearance and that cold, sinister aura, it was clear—
This guy was definitely not here for anything good.
"Halt!"
Even though Sunagakure was much more open to outsiders during the tournament, anyone entering or exiting the village still had to register. That way, if anything happened, they could be tracked immediately.
A Suna gate guard approached with a registration book in hand. "Excuse me, please register your entry."
"..."
The cloaked shinobi remained silent. His icy gaze fixed on the guard, making no effort to respond.
But the Suna guard didn't seem bothered. There had been a flood of travelers in and out these past few days—strange ones included. Besides, this was Sunagakure. If even the gate guards got scared, how could they call themselves Suna shinobi?
They were the kind of ninja who, even when they knew they'd lose, still went to war without fear. They upheld the unwavering Will of the Sand.
The guard casually yawned. "So, trying to sneak in under a false identity, huh? A rogue or a drifter? Relax. We've seen plenty like you recently. As long as you follow the rules, participate in the matches or enjoy the sights—whatever—you'll be safe in the village. Even as a missing-nin, we won't go after you. Just don't cause trouble. Once you leave the village though, that's a different matter."
He added, "We're one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations. We'd never leak your info. What—don't even trust Sunagakure?"
He's got a point.
Even if Sunagakure was a bit sus at times, they weren't known for leaking info.
Hearing the guard's words, the man in the cloak thought for a moment, then responded calmly:
"Kakuzu."
He wasn't just here for the tournament. He was also looking to do business with Sunagakure. Word was, quite a few merchants had gotten rich working with them. And Kakuzu loved money.
So even if he wanted to stay under the radar, it was likely pointless. The truth would come out anyway.
"Affiliation?" the guard asked as he jotted something down. "Never mind—guess you don't have one. Rogue or drifter?"
"Missing-nin."
"Missing-nin, huh…"
The Suna guard didn't even flinch. If Kakuzu had tried sneaking in without giving any info, he might've been suspicious.
But now that the guy was declaring himself outright, his job was just to record the info and leave the rest to the higher-ups.
"Tourist or tournament participant?"
"Tournament," Kakuzu replied. Seeing that his rogue status didn't immediately earn hostility, he relaxed a little inside. That boded well for potential cooperation with Sunagakure.
"Ah, a contestant." The guard nodded, then pulled out a paper pass. "Here. This is your Sunagakure entry-exit permit. Without this, you can't get in or out—you'll have to register again. With so many people flooding in, this system helps keep troublemakers in check. Hope you'll cooperate."
"Oh, and one more thing. Photo."
Click-click.
The guard raised an old-fashioned camera and snapped two shots, then waved him in.
"..."
Kakuzu didn't say much. He looked down at the brown pass—only his name was printed on it. No other info. He had no idea what it was actually for.
Still, the registration process had been surprisingly easy. That, at least, put him at ease.
Expression cold as ever, he walked into the village.
To be honest, the bustling streets of Sunagakure caught him off guard.
He'd been here before—or rather, he'd taken contracts here in the past. But this…
"What the hell?"
Kakuzu snapped out of it, frowning slightly.
"Since when has Sunagakure ever been this lively?"
And the concrete roads… they were actually well-paved.
He had lived a long time—long enough to meet the very first Kazekage. That guy was shameless, to say the least. Better not even talk about him.
Back in the day, Sunagakure had been dirt poor, even by shinobi standards.
His eyes narrowed, green irises gleaming with a strange light.
"Looks like Sunagakure really did hit the jackpot…"
...
White Zetsu.
White Zetsu.
More White Zetsu.
They were everywhere.
Every seat was filled—with disguised White Zetsu clones.
Even though they'd all transformed, as the Kazekage, Rasa was still intimately familiar with the thousands of White Zetsu infiltrators scattered throughout the village.
Each one of their disguises had been logged to prevent duplication of appearances.
But what were these guys doing?
Coming to support their boss's failing BBQ business?
Just then—
Another White Zetsu clone stepped into the restaurant.
"Come, come! Gather around, everyone!" the short-haired, cheerful White Zetsu clone called out, waving a small brown flag. "This here—God Tree BBQ—serves the best BBQ in all of Sunagakure! A time-honored brand passed down for over a hundred years, from the very founding of the village itself!"
"Uh… didn't Sunagakure get founded just over 50 years ago?"
One tourist raised a hand, eyeing the clone skeptically.
"There's no way it's been around a hundred years."
"Oh, right, right! My bad!" The clone laughed without a care. "I meant it's been here since the founding of the Land of Wind! So yeah, a century-old store, totally legit! Authentic recipes passed down through generations, perfected over time. Their sauces? Unforgettable. The flavor? People come back again and again. Just look at this packed crowd—proof enough, right? Don't worry!" He patted his chest proudly. "I'd never lie to you. You've come all the way to Sunagakure—of course you gotta try the local specialties! If not, what was the point of coming?"
"It's really that good?"
"Look around at all these happy diners—they wouldn't lie! I'm telling you... it's so good I'm drooling just thinking about it."
"Alright, alright! We'll believe you! Let's try it and see if you're telling the truth."
"Hold on, hold on! It's a full house inside—I'll check if there's still room. Please wait outside a moment!"
With that, the clone disappeared into the restaurant.
Watching him vanish through the back door, Rasa stood there, dumbfounded.
Even tour guides now?!
And they were all White Zetsu clones too! Worse—they were funneling all the customers into this one place?!
No wonder that weird God Tree BBQ was doing such good business...
Rasa sighed and shook his head.
Just then, their own BBQ skewers were served. He took a bite, brow slightly furrowed—and then froze mid-chew.
"Super Gourmet Spice?"
Where did that come from?
Down at the village level, Super Gourmet Spice was tightly regulated. Any restaurant using it had to go through a formal application and approval process.
If he remembered correctly, God Tree BBQ hadn't registered for any!
Realization hit him like a sandstorm.
Rasa's eyes narrowed sharply.
"There's a mole?!"