Amidst the turbulent undercurrents of the entire Ninja World,
Konoha, which suffered the most severe losses among the Five Great Shinobi Countries, with even half of its Village destroyed, ironically became the quietest place of power in the entire Ninja World.
The feat of a single Village withstanding the attacks of the Four Great Shinobi Villages was enough to shake the entire Ninja World.
Even though Konoha now seemed easiest to invade, no one dared to make a move. No one could be sure if Konoha still possessed the Ninjutsu left behind by the First Hokage.
Everyone was waiting for some hothead to test Konoha's true strength.
If Konoha truly had nothing left, then the Konoha established by Senju Hashirama would surely be breached by the entire Ninja World in the shortest possible time.
Konoha now was like a piece of delicious meat laid out before everyone, but no one knew if there were traps or abysses on the path to that meat.
All Ninja Villages could sense that the impact of this great war on the entire Ninja World had only just begun.
Land of Wind, Sand Ninja Village!
As a Ninja Village built in the harsh environment of swirling sand and dust, constantly surrounded by desert,
it would naturally be established in a place where survival was possible.
And in the desert, water was the most crucial element. Therefore, for the Sand Ninja Village built in the desert, rivers were equally important.
Beside a river that flowed through the Sand Ninja Village, two somewhat aged figures sat on small stools, holding fishing rods, quietly gazing at the water.
These two were Chiyo, the Advisor of the Sand Ninja Village, and Ebizo, who was once responsible for all intelligence work in the Sand Ninja Village.
Even though Ebizo was now advanced in years and had retired to a secondary role, he still maintained numerous covert contacts among the Large Countries.
"It's probably chaotic outside now."
Ebizo gently shook the fishing rod in his hand twice and spoke calmly.
"I'm just a useless old woman now. I can't and won't meddle in the affairs of the Sand Ninja Village."
Chiyo narrowed her eyes slightly, as if about to fall asleep, and spoke blandly.
Hearing Chiyo's words, Ebizo couldn't help but show a wry smile.
If anyone else in the Sand Ninja Village claimed to be indifferent to the Village, Ebizo might believe them, but he did not believe his sister, who was before him, if she said she was indifferent to the Village.
Having lived through long periods of chaos and wars, his sister had dedicated almost her entire life to the Sand Ninja Village.
But the resentment towards Konoha and the anxiety over the Sand Ninja Village's weakness had given his sister a deep sense of powerlessness.
Especially when the Sand Ninja Village made peace with Konoha, the blow was probably quite heavy for Chiyo, who had always harbored hatred for Konoha.
This was also the most important reason why his sister had retired behind the scenes.
Ebizo was silent for a while, then slightly turned his head to look at Maki, who was kneeling behind them not far away, and sighed softly, speaking again:
"That kid Maki has been kneeling since this morning."
Chiyo remained silent, as if she had fallen asleep.
After a long while, Chiyo slowly opened her eyes and said, "What about Rasa?"
Ebizo's lowered eyelids twitched slightly, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and he said softly, "He's dead."
Rasa is dead?
Chiyo's hand, which was gripping the fishing rod, trembled violently. After a moment, she looked up at Ebizo beside her, her voice somewhat hoarse, "Who killed him?"
"Orochimaru, a rogue Ninja from Konoha."
Ebizo answered truthfully.
"It's Konoha again?"
Chiyo let out a low groan, her eyes flashing with a cold expression: "Ebizo, how's your old trade going? You haven't slacked off, have you?"
Ebizo squeezed out a smile on his wrinkled face: "I've been doing it my whole life, so even if I wanted to slack off, I couldn't."
Chiyo lifted her fishing rod, then slowly stood up, walking towards the back while speaking:
"Then tell me everything that has happened recently."
Ebizo also stood up at the same time, quickly following Chiyo.
Maki looked at the two people walking towards him, his face showing a look of surprise.
With the Kazekage dead, the only ones in the Sand Ninja Village who likely had the ability to stabilize things and sufficient prestige were these two individuals before him.
Especially Chiyo, she had the record of single-handedly conquering a city.
Chiyo walked up to Maki and said in a calm voice:
"Let's go. What's the point of kneeling here?"
After speaking, Chiyo and Ebizo walked directly past Maki, heading towards the Sand Ninja Village.
Maki, with joy on his face, quickly got up and followed behind the two.
Along the way, Maki and Ebizo generally explained what had happened to Chiyo.
"The Four Great Shinobi Villages attacking Konoha is indeed a grand feat for the entire Ninja World, but Konoha still having such means suggests that the entire Ninja World may have underestimated Konoha."
"As for Kirigakure suddenly turning traitor, it shows that their leader's vision is not only accurate but also far-reaching."
Chiyo sighed, then spoke again:
"If the people of Kirigakure were only after the Tailed Beast, there would be no need to take Temari and Kankuro. Clearly, Kirigakure has other plans for us Sand Ninja."
Ebizo nodded with a solemn expression:
"Exactly, I thought the same. And even setting aside his identity as the One-Tail Jinchuriki, Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro are all children of the Fourth Kazekage Rasa."
"Based on this identity alone, we Sand Ninja must bring the three of them back safely, otherwise, we Sand Ninja will completely become the laughingstock of the entire Ninja World."
Ebizo's voice echoed in their ears, bringing solemn expressions to Chiyo and Maki's faces.
————
On a rock near the sea in Kirigakure.
Yūto lay lazily on the stone, enjoying the rare sunny weather in Kirigakure.
A palm-sized turtle also lay lazily beside Yūto, its tail occasionally rising and then falling again.
Not long after, a faint sound of footsteps came from the other side. Isobu looked up at the approaching figure, then lay back down again.
The figure walked up to Yūto, looked at the lazy Yūto, and couldn't help but smile helplessly.
Immediately after, the figure sat down beside Yūto.
Although Yūto didn't open his eyes, he already knew who the person sitting next to him was.
"You're certainly relaxed. The entire Ninja World is about to descend into chaos."
Mei Terumī looked at Yūto, a hint of helplessness in her voice.