A puppet that size didn't walk on its own.
If there was a chakra thread, there had to be a puppeteer hiding nearby.
Perfect.
I needed someone who knew the way to the Altar of Wind, and puppet-users were basically desert tour guides with murder options.
I signaled the Anbu and sprinted toward the puppet ant.
Byakugan flared—and immediately found the puppeteer buried under the sand like a scorpion waiting for prey.
I moved first.
The Anbu surged ahead, blades ready—
—but my body twisted through space, Kamui bending the world around me.
The puppeteer panicked the moment he saw shadows in the sand.
He yanked his puppet underground and buried himself too. If I didn't have sensory abilities, I might've lost him in an instant.
"What is this outfit…?"
He stiffened when he spotted my Anbu approaching.
Even in the Warring States era, the uniform of Konoha's assassination unit was recognizable—dark armor, blank masks, no hesitation.
"Why are Konoha's Anbu in the Land of Wind…?"
The answer slipped into his ear before he could blink.
"Obviously? One-Tail."
I appeared behind him.
He jumped wildly, twisting mid-air—
—and froze.
My Rinnegan filled his vision, rippling like a violet whirlpool.
He collapsed.
I rifled through his memories with a touch.
"Hm. Oasis patrol."
He wasn't an assassin or elite guard. Just a Sand shinobi assigned to protect one of the Land of Wind's precious oases. With almost no arable land, each oasis was guarded like a kingdom.
"Convenient."
I dropped his unconscious body into the dune.
Then I waved the Anbu forward and headed toward the oasis he came from.
Sneaking in was child's play.
An oasis wasn't a shinobi fortress—just a lifeline for exhausted travelers. Nobody questioned us once we changed into merchant clothing.
We walked through the town like any group of scorched wanderers seeking shade.
No suspicion.
No challenge.
Just the clatter of pottery and the smell of dry bread.
We settled into a noisy tavern, ordered water that tasted like dust, and listened.
"Oi, did you hear? Lord Liedou plans to spread puppetry—to everyone!"
"Really? His clan won't like that."
"What can they do? That man's as stubborn as iron. If Liedou-sama wills it, even the wind listens."
"If the entire Land of Wind learns puppetry, we'll be stronger than ever!"
"Right—our numbers are small. If puppets fill the gaps, we won't lose ground to other nations."
"And that's not all. I heard Liedou-sama wants to push a new belief."
"A belief?"
"Mm. That shinobi shouldn't kill shinobi. That power exists to protect the weak—protect family and villages. If we can't protect ordinary people, then shinobi shouldn't exist. That's what he said."
"…Sounds like something only Liedou-sama would dare say."
"The damned Fengsha Clan still resists him. Otherwise the whole country would already be unified."
"Bah! Liedou-sama will wipe them out soon enough. Sand Shinobi will rule the desert."
I sipped my water, letting their chatter sink in.
Liedou.
Lord Liedou.
The man who would become First Kazekage.
This was the first time I'd heard detailed accounts of him. And honestly?
The guy was terrifying—in a good way.
He planned to teach puppetry to the entire nation.
A clan secret, freely distributed.
He was willing to weaken his own family to strengthen his village.
That alone marked him as a real leader.
But what mattered more—far more—
was the belief he wanted to spread.
A creed.
A guiding fire.
An ideal so painfully familiar it made my chest tighten.
Protecting the weak.
Guarding your people.
Power used for safety, not slaughter.
"The Will of Fire… but in the Sand," I murmured.
If a village has no guiding belief, power does whatever the loudest warlord says.
But if a village finds its own purpose?
A shared dream?
A reason to be strong?
Even the smallest force can become a hurricane.
Sand Shinobi Village had found its dream.
Once Liedou unified the desert…
Suna would become a monster—an equal to any village in the future.
A rival even Konoha couldn't ignore.
I exhaled slowly.
"Every First Generation Kage really is a monster," I whispered. "Strength, ambition, vision—they have all three."
These weren't just powerful ninja.
They were founders.
People who shaped nations.
And someday, if Konoha and Suna clashed…
I would be standing against Liedou.
A man whose heart burned as fiercely as Hashirama and Tobirama.
The Warring States era just kept getting more interesting.
...
Read up to 100 chapters ahead and access exclusive novels by joining my Patreon!
patreon.com/Zyxxar