"Lord Kazekage!"
"We've searched everywhere but found no trace of any suspicious enemies!"
A Sunagakure shinobi knelt on one knee, shouting up toward the Third Kazekage, who hovered in midair.
The ruins of Rōran—or rather, the massive crater that had replaced it—lay before them. The vast underground water system that the Land of Wind had been redirecting from the Land of Rain seemed to have somehow connected to this site due to unforeseen circumstances.
Muddy water had already begun seeping through the fissures in the ground, slowly pooling at the bottom of the great crater.
The Third Kazekage's heart was filled with unease. That towering violet pillar of light had been witnessed by countless civilians, yet by the time he arrived, there was no sign of any enemy.
Except for the petrified toad at the center...
The Third Kazekage's iron sand wings flapped sharply as he flew above the toad statue, gazing down at its lifelike form.
The toad was ancient, its wrinkled skin detailed enough to be discernible even in stone.
However, the statue was extraordinarily heavy. Even with the efforts of Sunagakure's best, it could not be moved an inch.
Over time, the muddy, sand-laden water pooling at the bottom of the crater eventually submerged the toad statue completely.
With no results from their search, the Third Kazekage and the Sunagakure forces had no choice but to return to the village.
A few days later.
A shocking piece of news swept across the shinobi world.
One of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Iwagakure, had been utterly destroyed. The very stone peak upon which the village stood had been blown to pieces!
The Tsuchikage, Kitsuchi, and other high-ranking officials had vanished without a trace, as if they had evaporated into thin air.
When the surviving Iwagakure shinobi searched the rubble and remnants of the peak, they found only fragments of mangled flesh, charred bones, and blood-soaked debris.
Lacking any Forbidden Techniques to summon the spirits of the dead for confirmation, the Iwa-nin were forced to accept the harsh reality: Iwagakure had been erased from the annals of shinobi history.
Meanwhile, Sunagakure was also in turmoil due to the disappearance of its own high-ranking figures.
Kazekage's Office.
"Still no news?!"
The Third Kazekage's face was dark as he questioned the kneeling Anbu before him.
"None!"
"Based on intelligence from spies in other villages, their information is even more delayed than ours. They don't even know who attacked Iwagakure..."
"However, there's no sign of Lord Sōmi or Lord Sasori anywhere in the shinobi world!"
The Anbu's voice was calm, almost mechanical, as if devoid of emotion.
The Kazekage exhaled a long, heavy breath before sinking back into the chair behind his desk.
His face was etched with worry—and even a hint of fear.
He waved a hand, dismissing the Anbu.
Once the masked figure disappeared, the Kazekage turned his gaze toward Ebizō, who was seated on the sofa nearby.
"Honored Elder..." he began, his voice heavy with concern.
"Sōmi mentioned collaborating with Akatsuki to attack Iwagakure, but now Iwagakure, Akatsuki, and Sōmi himself have all vanished without a trace..."
"There are reports from the Land of Earth that, at the time of the violet pillar's appearance, a giant clad in blue armor streaked across the sky. The sonic boom it caused was heard by many..."
"Could it be that Iwagakure or Akatsuki's leader had some hidden trump card, forcing Sōmi to rely on the power of the Ryūmyaku for a mutual destruction?"
The Kazekage's eyes gleamed as he pieced together the scattered intelligence, trying to reconstruct the truth of what had happened.
"That petrified toad... it resembles the ones Jiraiya of Konohagakure used to summon."
"Perhaps this involves some scheme by those Konoha shinobi."
"Moreover, according to the information I've received from Konohagakure, Minato Namikaze seems to have encountered some kind of accident, as their Third Hokage has resumed leadership."
Ebizō's tone carried a mix of regret and caution.
Both Sōmi and Sasori's strength was well known to them. For the shinobi world to have a power capable of forcing Sōmi into a corner—
The simultaneous disappearance, or perhaps even death, of two geniuses who had surpassed Kage Level within Sunagakure...
The thought left the once-ambitious Third Kazekage, who had dreamed of unifying the shinobi world and ushering in an era of peace, feeling despondent.
"For now, we wait!"
"Station guards around the 'Rōran Crater' and keep it under strict surveillance. If Sōmi and the others have any chance of returning, it will be there..."
"Even if only Sōmi's enemies return, we'll be able to respond immediately."
Ebizō's voice grew firm as he continued, "Kazekage!"
"Even if Sōmi and Sasori truly cannot return, no matter how difficult the situation becomes, as the Kazekage, you must stand at the forefront for the sake of the village and the nation!"
"If we cannot advance, then we must defend."
"We must hold onto this hard-won foundation. As long as we have territory, resources, and talent..."
"In time, Sunagakure may produce another genius like Sōmi!"
Ebizō reached toward the low table by the sofa, where a beautifully packaged box of misty mountain tea sat.
In the past, Sōmi would have already brewed the tea and served it to him.
"Understood!"
The Third Kazekage pressed his hands firmly against his desk, speaking each word with determination.
The news of Iwagakure's complete destruction and the obliteration of its leadership and elite forces quickly spread across the shinobi world.
But then, something strange happened.
The previously aggressive Sunagakure, known for its expansionist tendencies in recent years, unexpectedly restrained itself. It was as if the vast, fertile lands of the Land of Earth no longer caught their eye.
After swiftly sending troops to seize resources, they did not establish a presence in the Land of Earth. Instead, they quickly retreated back to the Land of Wind.
As for Konohagakure, their internal problems seemed even more severe. Danzo was openly dissatisfied with the reinstatement of the Third Hokage, constantly conspiring with the other two elders to push for the selection of a Fifth Hokage as soon as possible.
Danzo's antics inadvertently leaked information to the other villages:
Konohagakure's Fourth Hokage had disappeared following the destruction of Iwagakure.
The village most concerned about Minato Namikaze's disappearance was, of course, Kirigakure, which had signed an alliance treaty with Konohagakure.
Fortunately, the reinstated Third Hokage assured them that the friendly relations between the Lands of Water and Fire would continue.
At the same time, the other villages gradually realized that Sunagakure's Perfect Jinchūriki, Sōmi, had also vanished...
These coincidences led many advisors to craft elaborate conspiracy theories, speculating on intricate schemes.
However, intelligence gathered from captured Iwagakure remnants began to reveal fragments of the truth, bringing them closer to the reality of what had transpired...
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