Chapter 15

**The Land of Wind, a nation so impoverished that it cannot afford to be any poorer within the world of the Hidden Leaf. Upon entering the Land of Wind, one is met not only with endless yellow sands but also with scattered cacti. The only advantage, perhaps, is that the Sand Ninja responsible for patrolling the borders can spot invaders at a glance.**

**The green vests of the Leaf Village and the red attire of the Rock Village stand out starkly against this dusty environment, not to mention the ninjas from the Rain Village who are perpetually wearing oxygen masks. The patrolling Sand Ninja merely needs to stand atop a high sand dune and scan the surroundings to complete their mission with ease.**

"**So, have you spotted any ninjas from the Rain Village?**"

"**Not a soul in sight.**"

After confirming that nothing was amiss, the Sand Ninja jumped down from the dune and approached his teammates.

"**What people? That guy, what's his name, 'Diced Chili Fish Hanzo' or whatever, was sent back home by our Lord Chiyo. Those Rain Village ninjas have probably all run off after him, ha ha ha!**"

"**You're not wrong, ha ha—**"

Before the Sand Ninja could finish his sentence, a shuriken pierced through his chest.

Seeing his comrade ambushed, another Sand Ninja immediately reached for a signal flare in his waist pocket, ready to sound the alarm.

"**Oh? Want to fire a signal? Earth Release: Heart-Cutting Technique!**"

Before the remaining Sand Ninja could pull out the signal flare, hands suddenly erupted from the ground, dragging him down below.

Only his head was left above ground, desperately watching as a figure approached.

The green vest and that forehead protector… could it be… a ninja from the Leaf Village?!

Buried underground, the Sand Ninja squinted against the blinding sunlight reflecting into his eyes, blinking hard to clear his vision, attempting to recognize the forehead protector worn by the newcomer.

"**Bastard! It's from the Leaf! Damn the Leaf!**"

Before he could finish, the Leaf Village ninja kindly sent him off to meet the Sage of Six Paths.

Meanwhile, all patrol teams deployed along the border of the Sand Village faced similar fates.

"**Hmph, the Sand Village is nothing but this.**"

With one Sand Ninja in hand, Orochimaru tightened his grip, snapping the other's neck.

Garbage, these Sand Village ninjas were utterly useless; his advance team had already taken down seven of their patrol squads without so much as seeing a single Jonin.

**Boom—!**

Orochimaru's face turned green as he watched a signal flare shoot up in the distance, then explode in the sky.

"**What the hell! My—ahhhhh!**"

Hearing their leader's furious curses, the advanced troops following Orochimaru shouted, "**Lord Orochimaru has messed up! Quick, everyone, notify Danzo-sama and launch a full-scale attack!**"

"**Dammit! Take this, my Hidden Snake Hands Technique! Whoosh—!**"

Several thick serpents emerged from Orochimaru's arms, wrapping around and suffocating the Sand Ninja who had fired the signal flare. Displeased, he kicked the corpse a few times.

The operation had gone too smoothly, making him a bit overconfident. But due to a moment of inattention, he had allowed the enemy to successfully fire the signal flare.

"**Don't panic! Everyone, stick to the plan. We don't need to hide anymore; launch the full-scale attack!**"

At the temporary camp of Danzo from the Leaf Village.

Danzo watched the rising signal flare, a twitch in the corner of his eye.

"**Hmm? Did Orochimaru's side get exposed?**"

He had envisioned that it would take at least another two days before they would be discovered.

After all, they had significantly reduced their troop numbers and entrusted the more elite advanced team to Orochimaru.

Taking advantage of the fact that the Sand Village was unaware of the Leaf Village's truce with the Rain Village, they planned to launch a surprise attack on the Sand Village's rear, making a show for the main force of the Country of Rivers.

"Well, since it's been exposed, we can only proceed with Plan B."

"**Tell all teams to focus on harassing the Sand Ninja, preventing them from providing support to the battlefield in the Country of Rivers.**"

"**We don't have supplies, so we'll seize all materials from the Sand Ninja. If we encounter an unbeatable enemy, retreat immediately!**"

"**Remember, only those who survive deserve to go back!**"

After boosting morale, Danzo dispatched all remaining ninjas.

Only Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Uchiha Koharu remained by his side.

"**Everyone, it's time for us to depart.**"

With a glance at the three behind him, Danzo picked up his cane and jumped forward, leading the temporarily assembled four-man squad into battle.

"**This is bullying! Damn it, this is outrageous!**"

Before long, the news of the Sand Village's border being violated reached the Third Kazekage.

"**First, it was the ninjas from the Rain Village, and now from the Leaf Village. Damn it, are they treating my Sand Village's borders like a public restroom?!**"

In the conference room, the high-ranking Sand Ninja gaped in disbelief as the Third Kazekage, hailed as the strongest in history, raged.

Experiencing two ambushes in the same location made the Third Kazekage feel as though the entire Sand Village had been trampled into the ground.

"**I can't tolerate this any longer! I'm going to personally take action and kill those little bastards!**"

"**Kazekage-sama, please don't get too agitated; we must avoid acting impulsively.**"

Chiyo shook her head and stepped forward to calm the agitated Kazekage.

He was still too young and impatient in the face of challenges.

Although on the surface, the Third Kazekage appeared to be furious with the Leaf, in reality, he was chastising himself.

The intelligence department had always been under the purview of Ebizō. With the situation in the Rain Village battlefield, Chiyo naturally took control of the patrol units along the rear border.

Now that both departments faced problems, as the responsible persons, Chiyo and Ebizō were naturally accountable.

"**Kazekage-sama, the true threat you should be wary of is the Hokage from the Leaf Village.**"

Considering the current situation of the Sand Village and seeing the Kazekage's anger beginning to wane, Chiyo calmly analyzed the battle situation.

"**As far as I know, the one on the battlefield in the Rain Village is that old fool, Mito Gate En.**"

"**The ninjas from the Leaf Village were likely led by him to infiltrate and ambush us.**"

"**Though he and the Hokage are from the same lineage, I've fought against him in the past, and his strength is hardly noteworthy; there's no need for you to go personally.**"

"**The Leaf ninjas managed to swagger through the Rain Country; it seems that that old bastard Hanzo has already sought peace with them.**"

"**Ebizō, as the head of the intelligence department, your negligence has been serious; you will accept the punishment yourself.**"

Seeing her brother mentioned, Ebizō hurried forward. This incident indeed stemmed from his negligence, and without much explanation, he obediently admitted his fault to the Third Kazekage.

"**Kazekage-sama, please allow me to confront those sneaky ninjas from the Leaf Village; you only need to keep an eye on the situation in the Country of Rivers.**"

"**There are more important matters in the war that require your decision.**"

With Ebizō admitting his mistake, Chiyo relinquished part of her authority, while the Third Kazekage remained outwardly unperturbed, but inside, he had already calmed down.

"**Hmm... ahem, I was too impatient. Since that's the case, I will leave it to you to handle.**"

"**Another...**"

Before the Third Kazekage could finish speaking, a ninja abruptly barged into the conference room.

"**Kazekage-sama! Kazekage-sama!**"

"**Damn it! What kind of manners are those?!**"

Seeing this, a high-ranking Sand Ninja immediately scolded.

"**Sorry, I have urgent intelligence to report to Kazekage-sama.**"

"**Just say what you need to; what urgent matters require you to hide from us higher-ups?**"

As another Sand Ninja began to speak, the newcomer hesitated, casting a troubled glance at Chiyo, who was sitting nearby.

Finally, gritting his teeth under tremendous pressure, he approached the Third Kazekage, leaning down to whisper something in his ear.

"**What?! Seriously????**"

After hearing the contents, the Third Kazekage's expression turned bizarre, disbelief etched on his face.

"**This... is confirmed without a doubt.**"

"**A generous thank you. This is bad...**" Sighing inwardly, the Third Kazekage shook his head, signaling for the high-ranking ninja to be quiet.

"**Um... well, Chiyo, you come...**"

Before the Third Kazekage could figure out how to address Chiyo, another Sand Ninja hurriedly rushed into the conference room, this time being one of Chiyo