Chapter 285: Deadly Sand Sea
"Sasuke, you're here."
Sakumo slowly opened his eyes. In the dim light, his gaze was still as sharp as a silver knife. "The situation seems to have changed."
"Oh?", Sasuke said, appearing calm.
Sakumo took a simple scroll map from the ninja tool bag, unfolded it, and pointed his finger at an area southeast of the Daimyō's prefecture.
"Sasuke, according to the reconnaissance of the ninja dogs I left along the way and the information collected from various free sand dwellers, the elite puppeteer troops led by Chiyo are moving at high speed and are heading directly to the south of the prefecture. Also, we have been active in this area frequently, and she has set our main field of action."
Sakumo seemed to be facing a great enemy. He drew a line on the map with his finger and finally stopped at a red circle. "I estimate they will arrive at the Quicksand Pass tonight at the latest. There is a pass there. The only way to get to the Daimyō's prefecture and several important oases to the south is through the Thousand-Mile Sea of Quicksand, a natural barrier that extends from east to west."
As for this Quicksand Pass, its terrain is complex, easy to defend but difficult to attack, which makes it ideal for puppeteers to deploy defenses and prepare ambushes.
"I suspect that Chiyo will set a trap there, waiting for us to fall into it."
Sakumo's voice was calm, but a solemn look shone in his eyes. Chiyo was not Ebizō, much less the couple from the Sand Village. She was the living legend of the village, the pinnacle of the art of puppets. With her leading the team and her own elite unit, the level of danger skyrocketed.
Sasuke looked at the map with a cold smile curving his lips. "Quicksand Pass, what a place! It seems that this old woman is determined to get her revenge. She wants to eliminate both of us right under the daimyō's nose, save Sunagakure's reputation, and give her an explanation."
Sakumo pointed to the pass marker on the map and said cautiously: "Chiyo is personally in command here. If they position themselves there, breaking through would be too risky. Even if we win, our strength and intentions will be completely exposed. Our goal, after all, is the daimyō's mansion."
"Hmm," Sasuke said without committing. Although the old woman and her puppeteers were powerful, they were clearly no match for the two of them. However, Sakumo was right. There was no point in confronting her.
"Haha! Aunt Chiyo wants to wait and see what happens, ambushing us. Why should we do what she wants?", Sasuke's fingertips slid across the map, landing on the area marked with faded yellow paint and black skulls. He chuckled. "Since she wants to block our way, we can cross where she least expects it..."
Sakumo frowned slightly. "The Sea of Death's Quicksand? It is rumored to be a forbidden area for life, with constant storms all year round and quicksand as deep as the sea. It is said that buried beneath it are the legendary millennial cities and the infinite treasures of the Land of Wind, but also the corpses of countless treasure hunters. Even for ninjas as powerful as us, it would be difficult to survive in such an environment, right?"
"Precisely because it's dangerous, we can take them by surprise. Also, we don't have to detour and we can speed up the march, right?", Sasuke showed no fear, with a glint in his eyes. "Aunt Chiyo would never have imagined that someone would dare to cross the Sea of Death's Quicksand. If we take the opportunity to capture the Daimyō of the Land of Wind and force him to sign a humiliating treaty, this war will end at the lowest possible price."
He paused, a confident smile on his face. "Also, it turns out that I possess a secret technique that reduces the weight of objects, which will undoubtedly allow us to cross."
Sakumo observed Sasuke's determined gaze, then took a look at the area on the map that symbolized death and finally nodded. As Konoha's White Fang, he understood that great risks also brought great rewards. Avoiding Chiyo's attack and aiming directly at the target was, without a doubt, the best tactical option.
"Good, then, cross the Sea of Death's Quicksand!", Sakumo shouted, making his decision.
"Summoning Jutsu!", Sasuke immediately formed seals with both hands. With a dull thump, a cloud of white smoke rose and a huge desert falcon appeared before their eyes. It was none other than Shirotaka.
"Six seals in one second? What speed!", Sakumo thought, his gaze fixed, but he said nothing.
Sasuke patted Shirotaka's head and whispered: "Shirotaka, this time it's up to you. Cross the Sea of Death's Quicksand and reach the Daimyō's prefecture!"
"Caw!", Shirotaka flapped its wings; its golden eagle eyes showed no fear, but excitement.
"Sasuke, your summoning beast is truly extraordinary," Sakumo marveled. "How could a giant desert falcon grow so big?"
"Shirotaka has good lineage and has shown some atavism. It's just a little bigger than an average adult falcon," Sasuke replied superficially.
"Just a little bigger?!", Sakumo shook his head with a giggle. It wasn't just a little bigger; it was much, much bigger. An adult falcon was already huge, and now it was almost as big as Jiraiya's Gamabunta.
"Let's go!", Sasuke landed on Shirotaka's head with a quick step. Sakumo also used a quick body technique to sit cross-legged on its back. "What tough wings!", he said, filled with envy.
"Those falcons you brought, Sakumo-senpai, have exceptional talent. The Teku clan raised them in less than a year, and they have all reached the sub-adult stage."
Seeing Sakumo's stiffness, Sasuke repeatedly teased him. His words were, without a doubt, like adding salt to the wound.
Sasuke stopped teasing him and, instead, formed seals with his hands, pressing them against Shirotaka. "Earth Style: Light and Heavy Rock Technique!"
An invisible wave enveloped the huge figure. With a sharp cry, Shirotaka felt its body become incredibly light.
"Caw!", its wings flapped violently. Propelled by the technique, its huge body soared into the sky with an enormous agility. Like an arrow, it dragged them directly toward the sea of death's sand.
As they entered, the hostile environment became overwhelming. Below them, there were no longer undulating dunes, but a vast ocean of quicksand. The furious wind spread everywhere, forming countless chaotic vortices. The sky was darkened by an endless cloud of dust.
Sasuke and Sakumo crouched down, unleashing their Wind Style Chakra Modes to defend themselves. Sasuke even employed the Super Light Rock Jutsu to further reduce Shirotaka's load and, using his sonic wave evasion techniques, he instructed it to precisely adjust its flight trajectory.
After an indescribable amount of time, as Shirotaka struggled to get through the last and thick curtain of sand, a long-lost blue finally shone in the faint yellow sky. Below them, scattered oases and signs of human activity gradually emerged. This area now belonged to the main control area of the Daimyō of the Land of Wind.
"Did we really cross the sea of death?!", Sakumo was surprised.
"Sakumo-senpai, what are you talking about?", Sasuke rolled his eyes. "We must hide our trace. Shirotaka is too visible, so..."
"Release!", he unexpectedly launched the summoning jutsu, teleporting Shirotaka back.
"Sasuke, are you trying to murder your companions?", Sakumo lost his balance and fell from the sky, but he showed no signs of panic.
"Light and Heavy Rock Jutsu!", Sasuke floated in the air, slowly descending. Just as he was about to see if Sakumo needed help, he saw him release a wind jutsu from his mouth, landing safe and sound.
"Sakumo-senpai, trust your companions or you will return alone after capturing the Daimyō."
"No, I have complete confidence in your methods!", Sakumo immediately assured him.
"You said it," Sasuke said, leaving him speechless.
"Earth Style: Rock Hiding Jutsu!", Sasuke formed seals and disappeared.
Not wanting to be left behind, Sakumo unleashed a camouflage technique, a Wind Style invisibility technique, to catch up. Like chameleons, the two men explored the Daimyō's prefecture.
"How is this possible?!", the results of their investigation were unexpected, leaving both of them frowning.
The previous strategy of liberating the oasis, aimed at forcing the prefecture to divide its forces, had not worked. The prefecture had shown an unexpected defensive posture.
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