Hatake Sakumo closed Nara Hirano's eyes, hoisted the middle-aged ninja onto his back, gripped his White Fang short blade, and his eyes, sharp as lightning, looked toward the distant desert.
There, a dark cloud of iron sand was rolling toward him.
As Sunagakure's most-watched enemy, if Hatake Sakumo wanted to break into the Land of Wind, there was no way he could do so without paying a price.
And in Sunagakure, the only one likely to leave such wounds on a powerhouse like Hatake Sakumo was the man known as the strongest Kazekage in history—the Third Kazekage.
"No need to run anymore. We're safe now."
That huge black cloud in the sky was visible from far away.
Noticing this, Ishito let out a sigh of relief and gestured for everyone to stop.
"That's… the Third Lord's Magnet Release!"
Jianye said excitedly.
"It's a pity that Jonin Jiuichi stayed behind to cover our retreat and block the White Fang of Konoha… Sigh."
Kana plopped down on the scorching sand with a sigh.
To those unaware of the truth, it looked like Jonin Jiuichi had stayed at the rear during the retreat, sacrificing himself to protect his comrades.
And Jiuichi had indeed barely managed to hold off the White Fang for a few moves, buying them some time.
"We lost a jonin and didn't complete the mission objectives. Looks like this mission was a failure."
A special jonin took out some bandages from his ninja pouch and began wrapping his wounds.
"Let me help. I know a bit of medical ninjutsu."
Jianxue walked over to the special jonin, her palm glowing with a soft green light.
"No, if we managed to kill the White Fang, or even just injure him and affect his combat strength, this mission would be a success, a gain."
Ishito lined up his puppets and took a soldier pill from his pouch to replenish his chakra.
"With my strength, I can barely hold off the White Fang for a few moves to create an opening for the Third Lord. Messenger ninja, use your summoning beast to report back to the village immediately. Jianye, lead the team back to Black Sand City to rest!"
"Yes!"
Jianye nodded solemnly to Ishito.
The chunin who had previously led Hardy and the others bit his finger again, using his blood to summon the village's messenger lizard. After writing a message on the slip of paper tied to its leg, he released the summoning.
After that, the group split into two teams. Ishito, alone with his five human puppets, headed back in reverse, while the other team, under Jianye's leadership, returned to Black Sand City.
…
…
Black Sand City is one of the few prosperous cities in the Land of Wind.
A river from the Land of Rivers flows across the border between the two countries, entering here. The river is blocked by towering mountains, bends southward, and eventually flows into the sea.
Where there is water, there is a foundation for a city. What truly spurred Black Sand City's development, however, was that twenty years ago, when the Third Kazekage—having just mastered Magnet Release—passed through this place, he sensed a large iron deposit here.
...the mine, so people were organized to begin extraction.
The iron ore here is loose in texture, easy to mine, abundant in reserves, and has a dark, blackish appearance—hence the name "Black Sand." With a river nearby, its proximity to the border, convenient transportation, and commercial advantages, it has developed rapidly over the past twenty years, growing into an economic powerhouse of the Land of Wind.
Iron is essential for forging weapons, and this mine also contains several associated mineral veins. Many of these metals are highly valued by ninja. As a result, there is usually a significant ninja presence stationed here, and during wartime, it becomes a prime target for enemy sabotage.
Although the mines had been attacked by an elite Konoha squad, the city remained bustling and lively, its lights shining brightly at night.
Normally, after completing a mission, Hardy might stroll around the city and have some fun. But now, none of them were in the mood for leisure.
"I wonder how the Third Kazekage and Captain Ishido are doing... sigh."
On the rooftop of Sunagakure's outpost, Jianxue sat on the eaves, gazing at the moon in the sky, her eyes unfocused.
"The Third should be fine. Even if the Third Hokage himself were to take action, he wouldn't be able to defeat Lord Kazekage. I'm mainly worried about Captain Ishido. White Fang's abilities are just too effective against puppet masters."
Jianye sat beside his younger sister, watching Hardy and Sasori repairing puppets in the courtyard as he spoke.
The fat puppet was still intact, while the little boy puppet had suffered some damage. However, Hardy had some spare parts in his scroll, so it would be repaired by tonight.
Sasori's White Ant, on the other hand, was essentially totaled. Fixing it would be almost equivalent to building an entirely new puppet.
The Salamander had also sustained some damage, but it was still within repairable limits.
"How strong is White Fang, really?" Jianxue asked her brother.
Hardy put away his wrench, turned to look at the rooftop, and listened intently.
Before transmigrating, he had heard of the famous Konoha White Fang, but only knew that he was Kakashi Hatake's father, extremely powerful, and had killed Sasori's parents during the war. Beyond that, there was little shown in the anime—he didn't even have a single fight scene.
Even now, he only knew that Sakumo Hatake was extremely strong, definitely at the Kage level, but the specifics of his strength remained unclear.
This time, however, he had at least caught a glimpse of that sharp edge.
Although he had been busy escaping at the time and hadn't witnessed the details of Sakumo Hatake's battle with Jiuichi, the aura that erupted from him had left a deep impression on Hardy.
If it had been a weaker genin, they might not even have been able to move under White Fang's pressure.
Sasori also stopped what he was doing, his expression as calm as a still pond.
"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. A year ago, during the battle where our Sixth Squad was almost wiped out, I was severely injured and on the verge of death not long after the fighting started, barely surviving by sheer luck. I never even had the chance to face White Fang directly. As for those who did face him... none survived."
Jianye shook his head.
"Rather than ask me, it's better to wait for the captain to return and ask him."
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
No sooner had Jianye finished speaking than a dark cloud of iron sand drifted in from the horizon and descended.
The Third Kazekage, dressed in his white kage robes, stood atop a platform of iron sand. On his back, he carried Ishido, whose body was stained red with blood.
"Is there a medical ninja here? Jonin Ishido has sustained serious injuries."
The Third Kazekage slowly descended, sweeping his gaze over the courtyard as he addressed the group.
"Lord Kazekage! I've attended Lady Chiyo's medical training class. Let me stabilize Captain Ishido's wounds and stop the bleeding first."
Jianxue and Jianye leapt down from the rooftop. Jianxue took Ishido from the Third Kazekage's hands, carrying him princess-style into the house.
The Third Kazekage watched the door close, then turned to survey the others in the courtyard.
"I remember you—Jianye, newly promoted to special jonin this year. To become a special jonin at sixteen is impressive."
"You flatter me, Lord Kazekage!"
Jianye bowed his head and greeted the Third Kazekage with great excitement.