In the Ninja main camp on the Konoha border, Inoyue's never-before-seen master, Shinku Yuhi, was making an S-rank mission report to Jiraiya.
S-rank missions can only be performed by Elite Jonin or quasi-Kage level Ninja. This time, Shinku Yuhi, one of the Konoha Eight Colors, was tasked with infiltrating the Sand Ninja Village to investigate why the Sand Ninja Village had started a war and what their objective was.
"It seems the Kazekage is missing. Is the Sand Ninja's objective to control the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers?" Jiraiya said with a solemn expression, listening to Shinku Yuhi's briefing.
"There's a high probability that the Kazekage is dead, and it's very likely the work of the Sand Ninja's own Ninja, Sasori of the Red Sand."
"As for the objective, besides achieving control over the Land of Rivers, it should also be somewhat related to a treasure."
"A treasure?" Jiraiya's eyes narrowed, and he immediately became alert. In recent years, Konoha had been engaged in major wars annually, with other Ninja villages targeting Konoha.
This was already the Third Great Ninja War, and such a long period of conflict had left even the Land of Fire's Konoha financially depleted; if a treasure could be found to replenish their funds at this time, it would greatly alleviate Konoha's financial crisis.
Money is a very realistic problem, no matter in what world.
"Can you confirm?" Jiraiya quickly pressed, as he was the commander in this battle against the Sand Ninja and had too many things to consider. The old man was getting older, so it was better for Jiraiya to handle these issues himself.
"Not entirely, but the probability is high. Simply achieving control over the Land of Rivers would be a loss; if a substantial treasure is added as a supplement, then even with the loss of the Kazekage, the overall strength of the Sand Ninja would still increase afterwards. Thus, the purpose of starting the war would be fully justified," Shinku Yuhi stated his judgment.
"Could it be in Kikyo Castle?" Jiraiya suddenly asked, seemingly out of nowhere, after listening to Shinku Yuhi's assessment.
Kikyo Castle! Shinku Yuhi's eyes lit up; this was indeed possible. If it was Kikyo Castle, then the trend of the Sand Ninja's troop movements could be explained.
Their repeated deployments and movements were all converging on Kikyo Castle. Although there wasn't much overt action currently, according to intelligence reports, the Sand Ninja's rear supply movements were frequent, as if they were preparing for a large-scale war. This was like a calm river, tranquil on the surface, but with strong undercurrents beneath.
With the Thirteenth Princess of the Land of Fire's marriage approaching, the Land of Wind had reservations, and the Sand Ninja naturally couldn't openly break ties. If they were to launch an attack, it would definitely be a lightning-fast blitzkrieg.
To launch a blitzkrieg, all resource units must be in place, otherwise, it would be difficult to succeed. The current situation of the Sand Ninja aligns very well with this conjecture.
"The probability is very high, we just don't know what kind of treasure it is." Shinku Yuhi and Jiraiya were both high-ranking Konoha officials, and they quickly reached the same conclusion. Some intermediate thoughts could be automatically omitted.
...
Just as the two were secretly conversing, a commotion arose outside the tent. A commotion in the main camp must mean something significant had happened, something that greatly concerned the Ninja.
"What's going on?" Jiraiya naturally spoke up, asking.
"Reporting to Lord Jiraiya, a super-high water vortex suddenly appeared fifty kilometers outside the main camp!" The guarding Ninja outside the door immediately reported.
Water vortex? How high could it be?
The Land of Rivers has many rivers, and its geographical location dictates that large-scale water vortices are impossible. Therefore, this super-high water vortex must have been caused by Ninjutsu.
Jiraiya and Shinku Yuhi exchanged glances and immediately used Shunshin to leave the camp and investigate.
Outside the main camp, approximately fifty miles away, there was indeed a water vortex connecting heaven and earth. The strong winds it generated even reached the main camp, its power truly impressive.
However, this was not a water vortex, but a Water Formation Wall that had been deformed in power. Its operation method was identical to the Water Formation Wall, but its scale and power were different. Jiraiya and Shinku Yuhi instantly concluded: someone was fighting a major battle there, and they were quasi-Kage level Ninja.
Such powerful Ninjutsu could only be used by quasi-Kage level Ninja.
Things had gotten serious; quasi-Kage level Ninja were fighting fifty miles away. Were they allies or enemies, and what was their objective? This was worth investigating.
"Let's go!" Jiraiya said, and he and Shinku Yuhi immediately used Shunshin to head for the battlefield. However, shortly after they left the main camp, they encountered Kakashi and his three companions rushing back.
...
The power of a water vortex is immense, but there is one place within it that is extremely safe: its center. Due to the dynamics of wind movement and other factors, the center of a water vortex is remarkably calm.
The water vortex formed by the Water Formation Wall follows the same principle, blocking external attacks while sweeping away external enemies, which is also the Water Formation Wall's offensive capability.
Rasa's mission failed this time, but he encountered the Little girl with the Mind's Eye Dojutsu, and battle is the best time to test and research new Dojutsu.
'Third Eye' is Rasa's unique reconnaissance Ninjutsu, ignoring a considerable distance and conjuring his eye in another location to achieve the purpose of observation.
Rasa's right eye had already been conjured in the center of the water vortex when it formed, monitoring Inoyue's every move.
The suddenly appearing purple, chilling Chakra, the Little girl screaming in pain, and this Water Formation Wall that directly transformed into a water vortex with the help of the sudden Chakra.
Rasa saw all of this. Especially that chilling Chakra, which felt equally ominous in nature and was nearly identical to the chilling aura from when the Little girl activated her Mind's Eye earlier; it was at least the same type of Chakra. From this, it could be seen that this impossibly powerful mass of Chakra could appear out of nowhere, and it was definitely closely related to this Mind's Eye Dojutsu.
However, although this Chakra was powerful, the Little girl's pain was evident. After this Ninjutsu, it was believed that the Little girl would have no more fight left in her and could only surrender.
"What a powerful Dojutsu!"
"Konoha truly produces a constant stream of talented individuals!" Rasa exclaimed repeatedly. As a Kage-level figure, his assessment of the Ninja World's strength was quite objective.
Konoha's ability to occupy the best resource-rich territory amidst the encirclement of four Ninja villages and to stand firm throughout the long history of the Ninja World was something to be admired.
A Ninja village that produces so many geniuses truly makes others envious. First, there was the Uchiha's Sharingan, then the Hyuga's Byakugan, and now there's another Mind's Eye that is no less inferior to those two.
Konoha truly has good fortune, but what does the Sand Ninja Village have? Besides the Magnet Release Bloodline Limit and Chiyo's Human Puppetry, what else is there?
Dojutsu... it seems they don't have a single one. Rasa, who was about to become the Fourth Kazekage, felt immense pressure; the burden on his shoulders was not light!
"But, this Mind's Eye, it belongs to my Sand Ninja Village!" Rasa roared firmly in his heart. This was the ruthlessness a Kazekage should possess, to lead the Sand Ninja Village to its peak.
With firm resolve, ambition, and aspirations, Rasa could be considered a ruthless individual to some extent. However, this ruthless individual might not have checked the almanac today, as he was immediately slapped in the face the next moment.
With a "bang!" Inoyue in the center of the water vortex disappeared into smoke?
What was going on? Rasa, who had just made up his mind to obtain the Mind's Eye, was stunned. With a face full of confusion, he stared at Inoyue, who had vanished into smoke, and deep down, he was unwilling to believe that the Little girl in front of him was merely a Shadow Clone.
Being slapped in the face shouldn't be this brutal, right? He had just made up his mind and formulated a plan, and then the change immediately followed.
"Shadow Clone!!!" Rasa said coldly, his voice extremely cold, approaching freezing point. The panda eyes that only appeared when he used Ninjutsu became even darker.