In the desert, there was never a shortage of one thing—
Endless yellow sand.
After the Loran incident fermented for some time, the public finally witnessed the Queen of Loran reappear. Soon after, news spread that one of Loran's most influential ministers—Lord An Lushan—had "passed away due to illness."
Merchants, as always, cared only about whether Loran could fatten their money pouches.
The Wind Country Daimyō cared about whether Loran could deliver its quarterly taxes on time.
Only one place cared about something else entirely—
Weapons.
Sunagakure.
As the great shinobi village that safeguarded the military power of the Wind Country, Sunagakure reacted to the news with unease—and fear.
To obtain Hundred-Foot's technology, Sunagakure had spared no effort. Massive military orders were placed, and enormous quantities of puppet materials were purchased.
But the result?
That bastard Hundred-Foot had hoarded the real technology, never handing it over. Everything he provided was material Sunagakure could already manufacture on its own.
The only advantages were speed—and slightly lower material costs.
Because of that, Sunagakure had long wanted to eliminate Hundred-Foot and seize Loran's puppet technology for themselves.
They simply never had the chance.
—At this point, none of the nations knew about Dragon Vein chakra.
And why was the mission to eliminate Hundred-Foot entrusted not to nearby Sunagakure, but to the more distant Konoha?
The answer was obvious.
And why wait six full years before acting?
Because in the early stages of Loran's economic rise, it was deeply tied to Wind Country's economic circle.
Later, after contact was cut, the Wind Country Daimyō feared that if Sunagakure obtained puppet technology, its military power might spiral beyond control.
Thus—
Konoha became the perfect proxy.
Eliminate Hundred-Foot, then absorb Loran—a small city capable of generating massive wealth.
What the Daimyō never expected was this:
Once the Dragon Vein was sealed, the heart of Loran's prosperity lost its energy source. The city's brilliance—both surface and substance—slowly collapsed into nothing but sand.
"Hundred-Foot…"
"A man carrying Sunagakure's shadow was defeated by someone else?"
"No."
"This is Wind Country."
"This is our territory."
"Summon them."
Whoosh—
An ANBU in Sunagakure's pale-yellow assassination uniform, wearing an animal mask, appeared behind the Third Kazekage inside his office.
The Kazekage had just finished reading the report and was gazing out over the village.
"Kazekage-sama."
"Mm. Rasa."
"You are one of my most trusted subordinates."
"For this mission, go under the identity of an ordinary jōnin."
"Travel with Karura and Pakura to Loran."
"Investigate the current power structure of Loran's upper echelon."
"As for your cover—"
"Resume negotiations based on the puppet-material cooperation agreement that was previously halted by Hundred-Foot—no, by Minister An Lushan."
"Try to extract intelligence from the Queen."
"If that fails, find An Lushan's whereabouts."
"Even obtaining his corpse will suffice."
"Yes!"
The red-haired Rasa bowed and turned to leave.
Then the Third Kazekage added,
"Wait."
"Yes, Kazekage-sama?"
"Unless absolutely necessary—do not engage in combat."
"Yes!"
When a major shinobi village negotiates with a minor nation, appearances still matter.
Loran had reopened its borders and no longer restricted ninja entry. As Sunagakure ninja, they could enter openly as tourists.
Once inside, they would move toward the inner city and begin intelligence gathering.
The team was quickly assembled. After briefing the mission details, the trio departed for Loran.
Along the way, Rasa deliberately slowed their pace, hoping to deepen his relationship with Karura. His behavior quickly irritated Pakura, who felt increasingly out of place.
"Hey!" Pakura snapped.
"Are you here to do a mission—or flirt?!"
Karura smiled gently, helpless.
Rasa exploded, pointing straight at Pakura.
"I'm the mission leader!"
"You'll follow my orders!"
"Hmph."
Pakura crossed her arms, dissatisfied—but she couldn't refute him. If anything, the fault lay with the Third Kazekage's arrangement.
At the same time, Rasa began to resent Pakura.
This woman earned merit too easily—and worse, she often spoke ill of him to Karura, making it impossible for him to win her heart.
If only I could suddenly become Kazekage…
That night, a streak of light crossed the dark sky like a falling star, silently recording Rasa's wish.
Meanwhile, in Loran—
One month after reopening, Kaito finally deciphered the true nature of Dragon Vein chakra.
It was Yang Release.
The most extreme form of Yang chakra—something that required the highest level of development in the entire shinobi world.
That was why An Lushan possessed limitless regeneration.
Yin and Yang generated and countered each other.
Minato's seal had been placed at the Dragon Vein's gate—allowing a mere human body to suppress such colossal chakra.
Which meant—
Where there was Yang, there must also be Yin.
The demon Mōryō might very well be the opposing extreme: ultimate Yin Release.
"Natural energy. Yang Release. Yin Release…"
"This world really isn't simple."
"If I remember correctly, there's also something called the Stone of Gelel…"
"Like spirit stones in cultivation novels…"
Kaito rubbed his head and collapsed onto his desk.
He hadn't gone outside in ages.
Completely consumed by experimentation.
To understand the Dragon Vein's essence and how to develop it, he had worked day and night without rest.
Fortunately—
The foundation was complete.
Next came positive conversion of Dragon Vein energy.
Not city power grids—that part had already been solved by An Lushan. Kaito only needed to optimize it and assign trusted personnel to an innovation department.
Rail systems. Cars. Electric motorcycles.
Even simplifying trade through electronic payments.
Once Loran developed unique commercial traits, it could issue its own currency and cooperate directly with shinobi banks.
What if the Wind Country objected?
Then Kaito would simply demonstrate his methods.
Strength existed for moments like this.
If you play dirty with me, I respond with fists.
What Kaito truly wanted to research now was this—
How to let the Dragon Vein continuously nourish his body without destroying his cells, while steadily increasing his strength—
Until he crossed the threshold.
Super Saiyan.
Once a power had an activation switch, everything became easier.
At this point, Kaito had almost forgotten that he still had a home in Konoha—
And a group of people desperately searching for him.
Land of Fire, northwest.
A large village's commercial district—Bailin Street.
A Daimyō-recognized trade street under Fire Country protection, selling specialties, snacks, and entertainment.
Much like Tanzaku Street in the southwest—essentially a shinobi-era "urban village."
"Damn it! This intel is wrong too!"
"And where the hell did Kaito go?!"
Inside a dango-sweet-soup shop, a beautiful woman with black hair and crimson eyes downed an icy bowl in one gulp.
"Another!"
"Coming right up!"
Only then did Yūhi Ryuun look toward her companions—
A short-haired man feeding grilled chicken meatballs to a single-ponytail girl, a senbon dangling from his mouth.
"I'm saying—we're here on a mission!"
"Not on a date!!"
Far away, Pakura sneezed while nearing Loran, wondering if someone was thinking about her.
Shimura Yūko glanced calmly at the agitated Ryuun while chewing.
"The problem is—"
"Our mission is to capture a rogue ninja."
"Not to find Kaito."
"But information about Kaito is important too!"
"You know that!"
"Yes, yes—"
"Say it once is enough, Yunma. Careful, or Ryuun will bite you."
"Yes~"
Ryuun sighed and glanced at the scroll on her back.
"So even ninja clans produce traitors…"
Yūko sipped her cold soup.
"What can you do? One bad decision, and they defect."
"Surviving after the war already makes us lucky."
"What happens after we catch him?" Shiranui Yunma asked.
"No idea. But it won't be pretty."
"Intel says someone helped him leave the country."
"Who could it be?" Yūko's eyes flickered.
"We must stop the Konoha rogue ninja—Morino Yūgetsu—from crossing the border," Ryuun said gravely.
"Otherwise, village intelligence could leak."
"He once handled border defense intelligence."
"He's seen far too much."
"For the village—we must bring him back."
"Mm."
After eating, the trio resumed searching the street.
They questioned residents one by one.
No leads.
Eventually, Ryuun questioned an elderly woman—nothing.
As she turned to leave, the old woman coughed and headed for the street exit.
Moments later—
Ryuun and Yūko returned to the same eaves.
"Where's the old woman who claimed she lived here?"
"No idea. She probably fled."
Ryuun's expression darkened.
"So he already knows we're here…"
"Ryuun—go block that gate."
"I'll notify Yunma to watch for anyone using Transformation Jutsu!"
"Got it!"
Whoosh—whoosh—
After they left, Morino Yūgetsu emerged from the wall, patting his chest.
"Good thing Orochimaru-sama gave me power…"
"I'm not weak anymore."
"If they think I'm heading to the Land of Lightning…"
"Then I'll go to the ruins of the Whirlpool Country."
"I heard there's a group there specializing in ambushing Mist ninja."
"Joining them might help me master this power."
He pressed the curse mark on his neck.
Orochimaru had transplanted flesh from a Doton ninja into him—granting Earth Release and explosive power.
The earliest Sage Curse Seal.
Orochimaru had warned him: use it only as a last resort.
It forcibly ignited vital acupoints—burning the body to charcoal.
Forced Eight Gates.
With Yūgetsu's strength, he couldn't last long—nor match Might Dai, let alone Might Guy.
But trading his life for an elite jōnin?
Possible.
He sank underground via a wall, never using Transformation Jutsu—leaving the three jōnin baffled.
According to intel, Yūgetsu had only Water Release.
A mere chūnin.
Thus, they concluded—
"Intel error."
"And someone inside the village helped him."
Ryuun knelt, examining loose soil.
"Earth Release."
"C-rank—Earth Submarine Voyage."
"Only someone who's developed Earth nature transformation could pull this off."
She exhaled.
"I suspect human experimentation."
"…And the one capable of that?" Yūko asked quietly.
"You already know."
"…Yes."
"That person's status is too high."
"We report this to the Hokage later."
They couldn't accuse lightly.
"Notify Yunma."
"We pursue south."
Panting, Yūgetsu fled.
"I need to change direction…"
"Exit through the Land of Rice Fields."
According to Orochimaru's map, one route bypassed border defenses.
"Morino Yūgetsu!"
"You can't escape!"
"I won't go back!"
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Bang!
"Split up!"
"What—he can use Shadow Clones?!"
Yūko gasped. "One per person!"
The real Yūgetsu resurfaced elsewhere.
"I trained this jutsu secretly…"
"Two or three minutes is enough."
Once the clones were exposed, he was already gone—hidden in a cave, erasing all traces.
The pursuit failed.
Mission failed.
Elsewhere—
The Sunagakure team officially arrived in Loran.
Their secret mission had begun.
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
patreon.com/nani_kaito