The next morning.
Just as Pakura finished making breakfast, a knock sounded on her door. When she opened it, she saw her little apprentice, drenched in sweat.
"Tea… Teacher!"
Maki leaned on her legs with both hands, panting heavily, and spoke to her teacher in broken sentences.
"The Kazekage, Lord Kazekage, is missing!"
"Hmm?!"
Upon hearing this news, Pakura's pupils immediately widened. She then disregarded the breakfast she had just made in the kitchen, bypassed Maki, and used the Instantaneous Body Technique to rush away, her voice carrying from afar.
"I know. Go eat the breakfast."
"Huh?"
Maki was startled at first, then instinctively looked towards the dining table where a steaming hot breakfast was laid out.
She deliberated for a moment before making a decision. She quickly walked to the table, sat down, picked up the chopsticks beside her, and began to eat, comforting herself as she did so.
Anyway, her teacher had already left, and not eating this breakfast would be a waste. She was simply preventing waste.
In a country like the Land of Wind, where resources were relatively scarce, being able to eat one's fill was a blessing. Wasteful behavior was truly disliked.
Meanwhile, Pakura had already arrived at the Kazekage Building. As soon as she entered, a greeting came from beside her.
"You're here, Pakura."
Pakura subconsciously turned her head and saw an aged face. She instinctively took a step back before realizing herself, then quickly bowed respectfully.
"Long time no see, Elder Chiyo."
The person who came was Chiyo. She reached out and patted Pakura's shoulder, speaking with a slightly heavy tone.
"Long time no see. Let's go, Ebizo and the others are already upstairs."
"Yes!"
Pakura followed behind Chiyo, walking towards the meeting room on the second floor.
As they neared the meeting room door, Pakura quickly stepped forward, pulled open the door first, and then stood to the side.
Seeing this, Chiyo's originally serious expression softened by a few degrees. After glancing at her, she walked inside, and Pakura followed, closing the door behind her.
As soon as the two entered, the previously noisy meeting room instantly fell silent. Everyone stood up and spoke in unison, looking at Chiyo.
"Elder Chiyo!"
Chiyo nodded. An old man at the table quickly came forward and said softly.
"Sister, you've arrived."
"Mm."
Chiyo responded, then walked towards the main seat and sat down first. No one present had any objections to this.
Regardless of strength or seniority, she was currently the undisputed number one person in Sunagakure. Even if Rasa were still here, he would show her respect.
Pakura and Ebizo also walked to either side of the main seat and sat down. Only then did the rest of the people take their seats in order.
"Have you found the Kazekage?"
Chiyo looked at Ebizo beside her and asked.
"We have some findings."
Ebizo organized the scattered photos on the table, handed them to his sister, and said softly.
"A large amount of Sand Gold and traces of battle have been found at the Chihu Oasis north of the Village, but no trace of the Kazekage has been found yet."
"Is that so…"
Looking at the photos in her hand, Chiyo frowned slightly, muttering to herself.
The background of the photos was that oasis, and then the desert in front, which was the suspected location of Rasa's disappearance.
Scattered Sand Gold mixed with sand glittered under the scorching sun, and there were craters of varying sizes everywhere. It seemed this was undoubtedly the battleground.
After looking at them, Chiyo threw the photos onto the table and said sternly.
"Search! Ebizo, you are responsible for inside the Village, and Pakura, you are responsible for outside the Village. No matter what, you must find the Kazekage!"
Although from the current situation, there was a high probability that he was more dead than alive, as the saying goes, if alive, see the person; if dead, see the corpse.
If his corpse was found, then it would be buried, and a new Kazekage would be selected. If it couldn't be found, there was nothing that could be done.
After all, battles between Ninja inherently had a life-or-death outcome, and it was common for bodies to be destroyed by high-powered Ninjutsu.
"Yes! X2"
Pakura and Ebizo stood up and replied in unison.
After the meeting ended, the others left first, and soon only two people remained in the room.
Pakura was about to get up and leave when Chiyo called out to her from nearby.
"Pakura."
"Hmm?"
Pakura instinctively turned around and bowed slightly, saying softly.
"Is there something, Elder Chiyo?"
Looking at the capable young woman before her, Chiyo's originally serious expression gradually softened as she spoke.
"The search operation outside the Village, I will trouble you with it."
"Elder Chiyo, please rest assured, I will definitely lead everyone to find Lord Kazekage!"
Pakura immediately stood up straight and said earnestly.
Although she already knew that Rasa's body was likely gone, she had to maintain appearances. Whether he was found or not, he was already a dead man.
"Alright, then you may go about your business."
"Yes!"
When Pakura arrived outside the Kazekage Building, over a hundred Sunagakure Ninja were already standing there in formation. Upon seeing Pakura descend, they immediately spoke in unison.
"Lady Pakura!"
"Mm."
Pakura nodded, stood in front of the formation, her face stern, and shouted.
"Depart!"
"Yes!"
Pakura charged out first, with over a hundred people following closely behind her. Their gazes were all fixed on the figure at the very front, and each of their faces showed a fervent expression.
These were all subordinates who had fought alongside Pakura on the front lines. The lowest rank among them was Chunin, and the squad leaders were all Jonin.
They had mostly been saved by Pakura during the war, and more than once. Coupled with years of interaction, they were essentially her half-loyal followers.
A large part of Pakura's strength in competing for the Kazekage position also came from them. If it weren't for the lack of elders supporting her, it would have been uncertain who the Kazekage position would ultimately fall to.
If Pakura had returned two days later, this unit would have been disbanded by Rasa under some pretext; those who could be subdued would be, and those who couldn't be used would be sent to the front lines to die.
But what Rasa didn't expect was that Pakura not only survived but also returned with people to deal with him. After decades of effort, he was pulled down from the Kazekage position he had just painstakingly acquired before it even warmed up.
Truly, life is full of uncertainties.
Meanwhile, Ren and Ryufeng, the two culprits, still didn't know that Sunagakure had already exploded into chaos because of them. Even if they knew, they probably wouldn't care.
At this moment, they had already left the Land of Wind and returned to the territory of the Land of Fire.
Seeing the lush vegetation and the fresh air in the sky, they immediately pulled off their headscarves, a satisfied smile appearing on their faces.
In the Land of Wind, let alone vegetation, even opening one's mouth to breathe fresh air would result in a mouthful of sand. The omnipresent strong winds and the endless desert were simply suffocating.
Given such harsh conditions, it was no wonder that Sunagakure had to wage war.