"Lord Hokage."
Lock entered the Hokage's office quietly. As an ANBU directly under Hiruzen's command, he didn't need to pass through the usual checkpoints. Very few could walk straight into that room the way he could.
"Lock, you're here," the Third Hokage said, looking up from his paperwork with a faint smile. "You handled your last mission well. The efficiency and precision you've shown since joining ANBU have been remarkable."
Lock bowed slightly. "You overpraise me, Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen took a slow draw from his pipe, smoke curling upward. "Normally, I would have given you time to rest. But something unusual has come up — something that requires your particular skills."
Lock's expression sharpened. "I await your command."
The Hokage nodded. "We've received reports from our operatives in the Land of Wind. Around Mount Kikyo, a giant creature appeared several months ago. Enormous, powerful — comparable in scale to a tailed beast."
Lock's eyes narrowed slightly, but he remained silent.
"The Sand shinobi attempted to suppress it," Hiruzen continued, "but suffered heavy losses. Ordinary jutsu barely affects the creature. Worse, it heals with terrifying speed — even serious wounds close in moments. The situation has caused considerable unrest in Sunagakure."
He exhaled a cloud of smoke, face darkening. "This thing… isn't a natural beast. Our intelligence suggests it's something else — a chakra construct, possibly ancient. We can't allow the Sand to harness it."
Lock's mind was already racing.
A gigantic creature with rapid regeneration… by the timing, that must be the same entity my senses picked up near Kikyo Mountain.
Out loud, he said calmly, "You think the Sand intend to seal it — to make it into a pseudo–tailed beast?"
Hiruzen nodded. "That's the most likely scenario. If they succeed, the balance among the Great Nations will shift again. Your mission is to infiltrate the area, gather intelligence, and, if possible, prevent them from securing the creature."
Lock gave a short bow. "Understood, Hokage-sama. I'll see to it."
"Good." Hiruzen's tone grew graver. "This won't be like your previous assignments. You'll be entering enemy territory, and I can't send backup — not while the villages are officially at peace. If you're discovered, it could provoke war."
"I understand."
The Hokage met his eyes. "I'm trusting you because of your discretion and your abilities. Even if the Sandsensese you, I'm confident you can vanish without a trace."
Lock gave a small smirk. "That's what I do best."
"Then go," Hiruzen said, his voice calm but resolute. "The fate of this mission rests on you."
Lock nodded once, then turned and disappeared from the office without a sound.
Because this was a classified assignment, he made no contact with anyone before leaving. After collecting his gear from the ANBU depot, Lock slipped out of Konoha under the cover of night.
Once beyond the walls, he activated his concealment technique — a seamless blending of chakra and shadow. His chakra control had improved to the point that maintaining invisibility barely taxed him; his regeneration rate outpaced the chakra he consumed.
Months in ANBU had sharpened him further. He'd taken down missing-nin, assassins, and spies — never with glory, but always with efficiency. His stealth techniques had evolved beyond their previous limits, and even veteran jōnin struggled to sense him now.
Traveling across the Fire Country took several days. Once he crossed the border, the air grew dry, the soil brittle beneath his boots.
The Land of Wind was unforgiving — endless dunes, scorching days, freezing nights. The terrain itself seemed hostile to life. Lock, accustomed to Konoha's forests and rivers, found every breath here harsh and metallic.
He adjusted his cloak against the wind. "So this is the desert that bred the Sand shinobi…" he murmured to himself.
Kikyo Mountain lay ahead — not a single peak, but a stretch of rugged mountains marking the border between the two nations. It was here, according to intelligence, that the "chakra beast" had emerged.
Lock's mind returned to the Hokage's words.
A creature that massive, regenerating faster than a tailed beast… it doesn't belong to this era. Whatever it is, it's dangerous — and it's mine to uncover.
He crouched on a ridge overlooking the horizon. The desert shimmered beneath the afternoon sun. Somewhere beyond those dunes waited the truth — and a power that could change the balance of nations.
Lock exhaled slowly, letting his chakra settle into silence.
Then, like a whisper fading into the wind, he vanished toward Kikyo Mountain.
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