The Sand Village had once stood tall—second only to Konoha in power when it was founded, the proud runner-up among the Five Great Ninja Villages.
That early strength was why they'd purchased only a single tailed beast. In those days, no one imagined they would need two. Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure each held two, but for the Sand, the One-Tail was enough, at least, so they had believed.
The Seven-Tails, after all, was in Takigakure, and the Sand had neither the resources nor the desperation to strip themselves bare for another.
But that was long ago.
The First and Second Shinobi World Wars had drained them. Then came the chaos following the mysterious disappearance of the Third Kazekage; civil unrest that cracked the village's spine and the grinding attrition of the current war. Each blow left them weaker.
Against Tsunade's forces alone, they had failed to break the stalemate. Faced with two Konoha divisions and a sudden flanking strike, their lines shattered.
A complete defeat.
At the negotiating table, Chiyo, Ebizō, and the remaining Sand elders gritted their teeth and swallowed humiliation. The treaty cut deep, thirty percent of their mission contracts would now go to Konoha, gutting the village's already thin coffers.
The Wind Daimyō had been losing patience for years. This final humiliation gave him the excuse he needed. Funding was slashed.
Desperation forced Sunagakure into the so-called "elite" policy—fewer shinobi, higher quality—but the reality was clear. They had fallen to the bottom of the Five Great Villages.
They hated Konoha for the defeat. But their hatred for Iwagakure burned hotter. Chiyo and Ebizō weren't fools; they saw Onoki's hand in maneuvering them into this disaster. But the war was already lost, and vengeance was an empty luxury.
In the political fallout, someone had to take the blame. After the Fourth Kazekage took office, Chiyo and Ebizō stepped down from their elder positions, not in total seclusion, but in a semi-retired state that kept them from the day-to-day affairs of the village.
Within half a month, both Iwagakure and Sunagakure had withdrawn from the Third Shinobi World War. The pace of change in the ninja world was dizzying—alliances and frontlines shifting before most could even catch their breath.
Far to the east, in the Land of Water, the Mizukage's office smelled faintly of sea salt and ink.
Yagura sat behind his desk, a small, baby-faced man with green hair, sharp purple eyes, and a suture-like scar beneath the left eye. He flipped through the latest intelligence reports, his expression darkening with every page.
With a sharp crack, the stack of documents hit the desk. "Iwagakure and Sunagakure… useless!" His voice was low, but the anger in it was unmistakable.
Their withdrawal left only Kumogakure and Kirigakure pressuring Konoha from north and south. That meant Konoha could soon reinforce both fronts, and the balance would tip against them.
If they lost now, the Fire Country territory Kirigakure had seized with such difficulty would have to be abandoned. Worse, the Whirlpool Country, currently split between them and Konoha, would return to a deadlock.
The Uzushio archipelago was too important. Whoever held it could strike directly at the other's homeland. It was the kind of prize no one would ever allow their enemy to monopolize.
To have come this far only to fail… was unthinkable.
"Lord Mizukage."
A masked Anbu stepped forward, presenting a sealed scroll with both hands. "Urgent intelligence."
Yagura broke the seal, scanning the contents. His eyes narrowed—then lit with interest. "The Three-Tails' trail… Excellent work."
The Anbu's voice was calm but purposeful. "My lord, the world is shifting quickly. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures."
Yagura leaned forward. "Go on."
"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen have been heavily depleted. Our bloodline clans have been checked by Konoha's own. We've gained little ground at the front. If Konoha's reinforcements arrive, our window closes. I propose we act now. Seal the Three-Tails—then implant it into a captured Konoha shinobi."
Yagura's brows lifted slightly.
"Once the jinchūriki returns to the village, we break the seal. The Three-Tails runs wild inside Konoha itself. It would cripple them. Kumogakure would seize the moment and even Iwagakure and Sunagakure, despite withdrawing, might return to finish the job. The Four Great Villages could divide the Land of Fire. Even if Konoha survives, we would keep our current gains."
The Mizukage smiled—a thin, sharp-edged thing. "Kenji, your idea is… inspiring. If this works, you'll have the Anbu under your command."
"I live to serve the Mizukage." The captain knelt.
"Then do it quickly. If need be, I'll see to it personally."
"Yes, my lord."
Beneath the mask, where Yagura could not see, a pair of scarlet Sharingan flickered.
Near the Fire Country's northern border with Hot Spring Country, the Kumogakure command tent stood like a fortress of canvas and steel poles. Inside, the sound of splintering wood cracked the tense air.
"Iwagakure and Sunagakure—worthless!" The Raikage's voice was a thunderclap.
Outside, a long shadow sailed through the air before skidding across the dirt, leaving a trail more than ten meters long.
Killer B—dark-skinned, light-yellow hair, black sunglasses, twin swords slung across his back, dusted himself off without missing a beat and strolled back inside.
His brother, Ai, was the larger of the two, his own hair the same pale gold, a white cloak draped over massive shoulders, green "shuriken" tattoos marking his skin. Heavy armor gleamed over his broad chest.
"What's the plan now, big brother?" Bee asked, his usual easy tone tempered with seriousness.
"A raid," Ai said flatly.
Bee tilted his head. "Didn't work last time. Konoha's lookouts aren't fools, and they'll be expecting it."
"This time, it'll be different. Two teams. One to draw their eyes. The other—us, with a sensory squad—slips past. If we reach Konoha, you unleash a Tailed Beast Bomb on the Hokage Building itself. If not, we hit their frontline camp from behind."
Bee gave a low whistle. "That's… brutal. If the Nine-Tails gets involved, things could get ugly."
Ai's eyes hardened. "Sarutobi won't risk losing control of the Nine-Tails—not in the middle of a war. This is our chance. Extraordinary times, extraordinary measures. If we wait, Konoha's reinforcements arrive, and it's over."
Bee frowned. "And if we fail?"
"Then we withdraw most of our forces, leave a thousand behind to harass them—bleed them, buy us time, and give our young ones experience. We've taken light losses compared to the others. We can afford it."
Bee's serious gaze softened into a grin. "Alright, big brother. I'm in."