In a boundless desert.
The midday sun made the temperature here even more unbearable.
Yet in such a place, Sunagakure, one of the five great ninja villages of the shinobi world, was established.
Although the sun was harsh, the people of Sunagakure seemed accustomed to such weather.
The sunlight was intense, but there were no raging sandstorms. For the people of Sunagakure, this was good weather.
Although the village wasn't very populated, there were villagers coming and going on the streets now.
On the street, a person dressed distinctly different from the villagers was particularly eye-catching.
The villagers looked at this strange fellow.
A black cloak, embroidered with strange red clouds.
He wore a straw hat on his head, making it impossible to see his face clearly.
Wind chimes hung from the brim of the hat.
As he walked forward, the wind chimes jingled.
A gust of sand swept past his feet.
He stopped.
He turned his head and looked at a fruit stand by the street.
After looking for a moment, he picked a delicious-looking fruit.
He tossed out some money.
"Excuse me for bothering you, shopkeeper. I'd like to ask about someone."
The shopkeeper, who had taken the money, thought the man's attire was strange, but seeing how polite he was, he nodded enthusiastically. "You're from outside the village, right? Looking for someone? Who? If I know, I'll definitely tell you."
"May I ask where the Fifth Kazekage of the village is?"
Hearing this question, the once-enthusiastic shopkeeper looked at him strangely.
"Who?"
He took a light bite of the apple.
Crunch!
"Sweet, tastes good."
"My name is Yuichi. I'm from outside the village. I have important business with Sunagakure's Kazekage."
The shopkeeper glanced at Yuichi, hearing the words "important business."
Realization dawned on him. "Oh! I get it. You're here to post a mission request for our village! Good choice. While Sunagakure may not be on par with Konoha, we can definitely complete general missions perfectly, and our fees are cheaper than other hidden villages."
The shopkeeper enthusiastically promoted the various benefits of posting a request in Sunagakure.
Yuichi nodded lightly, the face under his straw hat showing no change in expression.
"Can you tell me where the Fifth Kazekage is?"
"Of course!" The shopkeeper stepped out from his stall and pointed to a large, spherical building in the distance. "See that? That's the Kazekage's office. Lord Kazekage should be there now."
The shopkeeper pointed in another direction. "If you're not here to request a mission, you don't need to see Lord Kazekage. Just go to the mission assignment office, and our ninja will..."
Before he could finish, the shopkeeper turned back.
"Where'd he go?"
At that moment, Yuichi had reached the end of the street and casually tossed the fruit core into a trash can.
He looked up, tilting his straw hat slightly, and gazed at the distant Kazekage's office.
So that's the place!
He lowered his head and continued towards the Kazekage's office.
Meanwhile, in the Kazekage's office, Gaara was listening to a Sunagakure chunin report.
"Lord Kazekage, that person suspected to be from the Akatsuki is heading this way."
"It seems he wants to see you, Lord Kazekage. His purpose is currently unknown."
The Akatsuki. The existence of this organization was no secret, but among the five great ninja villages, only Konoha was investigating it in secret.
The other four hidden villages were not investigating the Akatsuki.
Today, someone dressed in Akatsuki attire suddenly appeared in Sunagakure.
The person didn't sneak in; instead, he entered the village openly.
He even asked for directions inside the village.
This course of action made Gaara wonder what the other party was planning.
Suddenly, the door was thrown open.
Kankuro burst in.
Holding a document in his hand, and disregarding the presence of the Sunagakure chunin, he rushed towards Gaara.
"Gaara, I found the file on that guy."
Kankuro's expression was grave.
Seeing Kankuro's demeanor, Gaara knew this person was likely a significant threat.
"Name: Yuichi."
"Age: 15."
"Status: Rogue ninja from Kirigakure, now a member of the Akatsuki. Codename: Kūchin."
Gaara was stunned and suddenly stood up. "The Kirigakure rogue ninja, Yuichi? The one with an S-rank bounty from Kirigakure?"
Kankuro nodded forcefully.
"That's right!"
"He defected from Kirigakure three years ago. At that time, he was just a newly graduated genin."
"However, he suddenly defected for unknown reasons and, within three days, killed all six pursuit teams sent by Kirigakure."
"He killed over a hundred Kirigakure ninja in total, which is why Kirigakure issued an S-rank bounty on him."
"He disappeared after that. He reappeared a year ago, when Iwagakure ninja accidentally discovered he had joined an organization called the Akatsuki."
"For a guy like that to appear in our village now, it definitely means trouble."
Kankuro was worried.
Three years ago, a twelve-year-old kid was able to kill over a hundred pursuing ninja in three days, including many jonin.
The chunin, half-kneeling on the floor, heard this news and broke into a cold sweat.
This guy is not easy to deal with!
So young, about the same age as Gaara.
Gaara slowly stood up. "Regardless, we must capture him and find out his purpose! Allowing such a dangerous individual to roam freely in Sunagakure is a huge threat to the civilians."
Kankuro nodded. "I'll go arrange for manpower immediately."
"I'm going too." Gaara also stood up, ready to depart.
At this time, Yuichi was still some distance from the Kazekage's office.
Suddenly, he stopped.
[Ding!]
[Arrived in the vicinity of the mission target]
[Mission: Capture the One-Tailed Jinchuriki, commence]
[Successfully capture the One-Tail, leave Sunagakure, and evade pursuit]
[Mission Reward: Otsutsuki Isshiki's Kāma, 10% unsealed]
[Special Mission Issued: As a proper villain, you cannot flee in disgrace while carrying out a mission]
[Please defeat all ninja who dare to attack the host. Ensure that no one is pursuing the host upon departure]
[Special Mission Reward: Ice-Ice Fruit]
Nice, a special mission. As expected, waiting for the plot to start triggers the good missions.
A smile finally appeared on Yuichi's perpetually expressionless face.