"Do not, do not kill me. My father is a Sunagakure elder. I will give you anything you want."
The young man collapsed on the ground, begging incoherently.
Sora ignored his pleas, delivering a precise knife-hand strike to the back of his neck.
The young man's eyes rolled back, and he fainted limply.
'Even easier than imagined. It seems Sunagakure's attention is completely focused on searching for the Kazekage. Even the protection for high-ranking children is this weak.'
Sora thought to himself, but this also confirmed how much impact the Kazekage's disappearance had caused in Sunagakure.
Fox, who had been standing guard nearby, gave a cold order.
"Clean the scene, take the target, withdraw immediately."
Grey Wolf and Night Owl quickly dragged the guard corpses behind a dune to bury them. Sora slung the unconscious young man over his shoulder.
The four of them disappeared silently into the vast desert, just like when they arrived, leaving only a few footprints soon covered by wind and sand.
The capture was surprisingly smooth. But extracting clues about the Kazekage's disappearance from this guy and safely returning the information to Konoha was the main challenge.
...
Inside a hidden cave in the desert.
The four members of Squad C Five threw the unconscious young man onto the sandy ground.
Fox made a gesture. Grey Wolf stepped forward and unceremoniously threw a ladle of cold water on the young man's face.
"Cough... cough, cough."
The young man jolted awake, looking around in panic. Seeing four masked figures surrounding him, he trembled in fear. "You, who are you. What do you want. Money. My father has a lot of money."
Fox's voice came through the mask, coldly stating, "We do not want money. We just need you to answer a few questions."
The young man's eyes flickered, feigning calm. "Wh... what questions. I will tell you what I know."
"What has Sunagakure been searching for recently." Fox got straight to the point.
The young man's face changed slightly, he stammered, "No... nothing, just some regular patrol missions..."
Grey Wolf stepped forward impatiently, pressing a kunai against the young man's throat.
"Kid, do not play tricks. Do regular patrols require mobilizing the entire village's strength. Do they require high-ranking children like you to sneak out to sell information."
Feeling the cold touch of the kunai, the young man broke out in a cold sweat from fear. But unexpectedly, despite his fear, he gritted his teeth.
"I... I do not know what you are talking about. They are just regular search missions."
Sora stood to the side, carefully observing the other's reactions.
'Just as expected... involving the Kazekage, he dares not speak. If he talks, it is a death sentence when he returns, possibly implicating his entire clan. In comparison, dying at our hands might be quicker.'
Night Owl crouched down, softening his voice deliberately. "Tell us the truth. We can guarantee your safety, even help you leave the Land of Wind."
A flicker of hesitation crossed the young man's eyes, but it was quickly covered by greater fear. "No... no, I really do not know anything. Even if you kill me, I do not know."
Fox exchanged a glance with the other three.
Although the young man was tight-lipped, that moment of fear and hesitation just now was enough to indicate the problem. He did know inside information, and it was serious enough to make him prefer death over revealing it.
'It seems Green Snake's guess is almost certainly correct... the missing person is really the Third Kazekage.'
Fox thought gravely. This was definitely a major event that could shake the entire ninja world.
"Captain, it seems we cannot get anything out of him." Grey Wolf put away the kunai. "This guy fears the people behind him more than he fears us."
Fox nodded. "Knock him out and take him. Back in Konoha, the Torture and Interrogation Department has plenty of ways to make him talk."
Sora stepped forward, delivering another precise knife-hand strike to the back of the young man's neck.
Fox gave the order. "Withdraw quickly. We should not stay here."
Grey Wolf carried the unconscious young man. The four quickly left the cave, heading rapidly towards the direction of the Land of Rivers.
...
Traveling through the desert was not easy, especially while carrying a prisoner.
Fortunately, all four were Anbu elites, their stamina far exceeding ordinary people, so their speed did not slow much.
Sora maintained high-speed movement while vigilantly observing his surroundings.
For some reason, he felt uneasy, as if being watched by something dangerous.
'Is it an illusion. Or...'
Just as Sora was pondering, a sudden change occurred.
Whoosh.
A sharp sound of something cutting through the air shot rapidly from the distance.
Its target was Fox at the front of the team.
"Captain, be careful." Sora gave the warning first.
Fox reacted extremely fast, almost instinctively leaping back to the side.
Rip.
A square shuriken sparkling with electricity grazed the edge of Fox's clothes, embedding deeply into the sandy ground.
The shuriken had a peculiar shape, covered with mysterious patterns, and electricity flowed over it.
"Magneto Release. Lightning Blade Fang."
A low voice came from the distance.
Not far away, on top of a sand dune, four figures had appeared unnoticed.
The leader was a tall, dark-skinned Kumogakure ninja. He wore the Kumo forehead protector, had a lightning-shaped tattoo below his right eye, and his gaze was sharp.
Most noticeable were the large shield on his back and the several square shuriken hanging at his waist.
'Trouble...' Sora's heart sank.
The person before them was precisely the Magneto Release user from Kumogakure. Toroi.
In Sora's perception, one elite Jonin, Toroi, plus two Jonin and one sensor ninja.
Such a lineup was definitely an elite squad from Kumo.
As for Sora's group of four, aside from Fox being a veteran Jonin, the others were Tokubetsu Jonin. Their strength was completely mismatched.
What was Toroi's group's target. Were they also after the information about the Kazekage's disappearance.
Or... were they simply trying to intercept Konoha's gains.
Fox clearly recognized the other's identity as well. He made a hand signal. The four members of Squad C Five immediately formed a back-to-back defensive formation.
"Friends from Kumo, what is the meaning of this."
Fox spoke calmly, his voice coming through the mask, showing no emotional fluctuation.
Toroi grinned, showing his white teeth.
"Nothing much. Just seeing you all in a hurry, carrying a Suna noble kid, made us a bit curious."
His gaze fell on the young man being held by Grey Wolf, a flash of greed in his eyes.
"Hand him over to us. You can leave safely." Toroi's tone carried an undeniable note. "Otherwise..."
He shook the square shuriken in his hand, the threat clear.
Under his mask, Sora frowned tightly.
The other side had four people, clearly superior in strength.
His own side was not weak, but having to split attention to protect an unconscious prisoner would put them at a disadvantage in a real fight.
Moreover, Toroi's Magneto Release was very troublesome. It could magnetize metal. Once tools were magnetized, they became difficult to use effectively.
'A direct fight is not wise... but to hand over the captured intelligence source.'
Sora looked at Fox, waiting for his decision.
Fox remained silent for a moment, then suddenly chuckled lightly.
"Kumo's reach is truly long. This is the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers, not the Land of Lightning."
"The weak have no diplomacy. The strong take all. Is not that the rule of the ninja world."
Toroi smiled indifferently. "Last time I ask. Will you hand him over."
The three Kumogakure ninja behind him simultaneously stepped forward. Powerful chakra fluctuations spread out, forming an intangible pressure.
A fight was imminent.
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