manynovel Chapter 544 The Wind Shadow's Decision
Chapter 544 The Wind Shadow's Decision
A strange chill crept up his spine.
A patrol of twelve people might be late by half an hour, but to be late by an hour and a half and then disappear without a trace is absolutely impossible in the disciplined village of Sunagakure.
"Something's not right." Old Sand Shinobu stood up, walked to the edge of the outpost, and took out a specially made signal tube from his pocket.
This is an emergency backup communication method. Pulling the fuse will emit a light of a special frequency that only Sand Village ninjas can see.
Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.
"call out--"
A barely perceptible dark light shot into the night sky, paused briefly at the agreed-upon location a few kilometers away, and then dissipated.
One minute.
five minutes.
ten minutes.
Dead silence.
The night sky remained a dry, clear, deep blue, offering no response.
The air inside the outpost seemed to freeze.
The drowsiness on the ninja's face, marked by the scorpion tattoo, vanished, replaced by an incredulous look of astonishment.
"I'll try teams five and seven again!"
The oak's voice was somewhat dry.
The area they were responsible for was positioned at a crossroads with Scorpion Sand's third team. Even if something happened to the third team, the other two teams should be able to detect it immediately and issue an alarm.
The scorpion-tattooed ninja immediately rushed to the communication device on the other side, a simple device that used chakra to conduct sound, and called out several times into the microphone.
It remained deathly silent.
Jima's heart sank.
It’s over.
It wasn't just a patrol team that went missing.
Three entire groups of 36 ninjas vanished into thin air within the fan-shaped defensive zone he was in charge of!
There were no distress signals, no explosions, no chakra fluctuations from the battle... nothing at all.
It was as if they had been silently wiped away from this desert by an invisible hand.
"Report this immediately! Top priority!"
Zhamu roared at his companion, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
Fengying Building, highest conference room.
The atmosphere was oppressive.
The Third Kazekage, Retsumon, sat in the main seat, expressionless, his fingers unconsciously tapping the table.
The Black Zetsu within him was enjoying this subtle emotion.
Just now, that urgent intelligence came from the border outpost.
"Three elite patrol teams, thirty-six ninjas, vanished into thin air in their own country?"
A young elder, his voice hoarse, spoke with undisguised horror.
His gaze swept across everyone present, trying to find a trace of indication on their faces that this was just a joke.
However, all he saw was the same shock and solemnity.
They were never seen alive, nor were their bodies ever found.
These six words linger in everyone's mind, bringing a chill that penetrates to the bone.
"Could it be those barbarians from the Land of Lightning? As revenge for this war!"
Another elder slammed his hand on the table and said angrily.
"impossible."
"It must be Konoha! They killed our people!"
"....."
The elderly man, Chiyo, who had been sitting silently in the corner, slowly spoke.
Her voice was old and hoarse, yet it possessed an undeniable penetrating power.
"The ninjas of Kumogakure have a wild and violent fighting style. If they make a move, they will leave behind only corpses and traces of destruction. That is their demonstration, their glory."
She paused, her cloudy eyes sweeping over the crowd.
"But this... terrifyingly clean method, leaving no trace, as if those people never existed... This isn't a battle; it's sending a message."
However... it seems that a long, long time ago, that person liked to handle problems in this way.
Chiyo's words made the temperature in the conference room drop even further.
Everyone fell silent.
That's right, if they saw thirty-six corpses, they would be furious and clamor for revenge.
But now, they are faced with a blank, a huge, suffocating mystery.
This unknown is frantically fueling fear.
The Third Kazekage, Retsumon, sat upright in the main seat, his face ashen.
He knew perfectly well that this was not the work of the Hidden Cloud Village.
He could clearly sense the unique style of Konoha, the fangs that were inadvertently revealed beneath the peace treaty.
This is Hiruzen Sarutobi's demonstration, a declaration of war silently written with the lives of thirty-six people.
The other party didn't even bother to hide it, using this most arrogant and incomprehensible way to tell him—I'm here, on your turf, and you know nothing about it.
The Black Zetsu residing within him also felt a sense of irritation.
It anticipated that Konoha would send someone, but it didn't expect the other party's methods to be so direct, so...artistic.
This is not a simple massacre; it is shaking the morale of the entire Sunagakure village and undermining their will from within.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, that person's control over the mind has reached such a terrifying level.
"Lord Kazekage! We can't wait any longer!"
"Yes! If this continues, people's hearts will fall apart!"
The elders' discussions pulled Liemen back from his thoughts.
The Third Kazekage could feel the gazes, filled with panic, directed at him.
The defeat in the war had already shaken his prestige.
If he can't even handle this bizarre event happening on his own soil, then his title as the strongest Kazekage in history will become a complete joke.
The pressure came crashing down like a tidal wave.
"Quiet!"
The Third Kazekage slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups on it vibrate.
"Now is not the time to panic!"
Deep in the remote desert.
A sand dune top illuminated by a new moon.
Uchiha Kagami withdrew his hand seals, and the last trace of burnt smell in the air was dispersed by the night wind.
"The seeds of fear have been sown."
Danzo Shimura stood behind him and spoke with an almost cold certainty.
"Now, we just need to wait for it to take root and sprout within Sunagakure."
"Several elite patrol teams vanished into thin air in their own country, leaving no trace, neither alive nor dead. This panic caused by the unknown will spread in their hearts like a plague."
Sakumo Hatake did not participate in this discussion about human nature.
I unscrewed the kettle, carefully took a small sip, and then immediately tightened the cap.
"In this kind of weather, the moisture evaporates too quickly."
He frowned and muttered to himself, "In such dry sand, even the most drought-resistant alfalfa probably wouldn't survive."
Uchiha Kagami unfolded the map, looked at his two teammates with such different styles, and shook his head helplessly.
"Let's go."
Upon hearing this, Hatake Sakumo immediately put his worries aside and transformed back into the shrewd and unassuming Shiro.
He glanced southwest.
"it is good."
The three figures flashed and disappeared once again into the vast sea of sand.
……
Sunagakure Village, Kazekage Building.
Liemen slammed his hand on the table and made a decision.
"We are ninjas! The sharpest blade of the Land of Wind! When did we become like those civilians who only know how to hide behind walls, terrified by the slightest unknown disturbance!"
"Since the enemy dared to come, they must have left traces! Arguing here won't solve anything!"
His gaze swept across the entire room, finally settling on an elderly man with white hair and beard, but who was still very energetic.
That was Granny Chiyo's younger brother, Ebizo, the chief tactical advisor of Sunagakure.
"Ebizo!"
"exist!"
Ebizo stepped forward.
"I'll give you the most elite troops in the village, plus the first and third squads of the Puppet Division."
Liemen's orders were clear and decisive: "Search every inch along the routes taken by the missing patrols!"
"Even if I have to turn that desert upside down and dig three feet into the ground, I'll dig them out for me!"
Retsumon's gaze then turned to Chiyo.
"Chiyo, you need to assist me."
Chiyo didn't answer immediately; she just gave Retsumon a deep look.
She felt that things were different at Liemen today.
She couldn't quite put her finger on what was different.
Perhaps it's just my imagination.