Following the attack on the Hidden Sand Village, the theft of Shukaku continued to ferment, causing the international reputation of the Land of Wind to grow increasingly pathetic. Many nations began to stir with restlessness. They were eager to test the waters and see if the Land of Wind had truly declined.
Naturally, the nations truly interested in testing the Land of Wind would not act personally. Doing so could cause the situation to spiral out of control. Instead, they let smaller nations do the dirty work. Consequently, against this international backdrop, a localized battle broke out.
Along the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers, Hidden Sand ninjas were coldly observing the battlefield in the distance.
"Are these Land of Rivers rebels insane? They actually dare to launch an attack on us?" a Hidden Sand ninja remarked with utter disdain.
As ninjas of a Great Nation, it was always they who bullied others. When did it become someone else's turn to bully them first? It would be one thing if it were another Great Nation, but the one to strike first was a small country like the Land of Rivers—and a rebel organization from within it at that! This was a blatant insult to the Land of Wind and the Hidden Sand Village.
The one responsible for this localized battle was a Hidden Sand Jonin named Jiro Haragami. Hearing his subordinate's question, Jiro Haragami pointed at the enemies moving with disciplined coordination on the field and sneered, "You call these guys 'rogue ninjas'?"
Although their coordination was not as seamless as that of Great Nation ninjas, one could vaguely see they had been specifically trained. Ordinary rogue ninjas could never achieve such teamwork. Furthermore, among that enemy force was a Jonin whose strength rivaled his own. You call that a rogue ninja?
With Jiro Haragami's reminder, the subordinates finally realized the truth.
"Boss, you mean these enemies were specifically trained by other hidden villages to deal with us?"
Jiro Haragami glanced at him and said bluntly, "Nonsense. However, trying to use these guys to defeat us would be underestimating both ourselves and the people behind them. At most, this is just a probe."
The subordinate scratched his head. "In that case, shouldn't we strike with full force to give them a lesson?"
Jiro Haragami nodded slightly, his gaze turning dangerous. "Fine. Since the entire Land of Rivers has become the Land of Fire's dog, this is the perfect chance to make them realize something. Among the Great Nations neighboring them, there is the Land of Wind in addition to the Land of Fire!"
After the incident with the Jashin Religion, the ninjas the Land of Rivers had spent years cultivating were almost entirely wiped out. In such precarious times, they naturally needed to find a powerful force to provide protection. Both the neighboring Hidden Sand Village and the Hidden Leaf Village were viable choices. However, since the Land of Rivers had been the first to ask the Leaf for help—and the Leaf had indeed agreed and sent elites—the Land of Rivers naturally fell into the Leaf's embrace.
Later, to demonstrate its Will of Fire, the Leaf actively took in refugees from the Land of Rivers and dispatched forces into the country for protection. Despite this, the Land of Rivers remained in chaos for a long time, leading to the rise of rebels across the land. The rebel army attacking the Land of Wind border a few days ago was one of the strongest among them.
"According to the Kazekage's orders, we will use this battle to briefly demonstrate our Hidden Sand Village's new secret technique," Jiro Haragami said with an expectant look.
A subordinate immediately asked, "Boss, are we going to start using the Scorpion Jade?"
Jiro Haragami nodded. "Mhm. Since they want to test our strength, let's give them a taste." He officially commanded, "Everyone, you are authorized to use the Scorpion Jade secret technique and the Special Food Pills. Make sure they see the power of the Hidden Sand Village!"
"Yes!"
As the words fell, the ninjas from the Hidden Sand were instantly filled with passion. They were ninjas of the Hidden Sand, one of the strongest powers in the Shinobi World. Yet, this great power had faced immense contempt and ridicule internationally over the past month or two. Every Sand ninja held a grudge in their heart. Now that they finally had the chance to release that frustration and prove their strength, how could they not be excited?
Upon receiving the order, the Hidden Sand ninjas quickly condensed special secret technique chakra to activate the Scorpion Jade on their bodies. The rebel ninjas watched in horror as eight sharp limbs and a flexible, piercing scorpion tail instantly grew from their opponents' bodies.
This made close-quarters combat incredibly difficult for the rebels. They were used to fighting humans with only two hands. Facing an enemy with two hands, eight claws, and a tail, they simply couldn't hold their own. While you were trading blows, the enemy's tail would suddenly drive forward and pin you to death.
In an instant, the tide of the battlefield turned. The battle was nearing its end, and both sides were low on chakra, moving into the stage where Taijutsu decided the winner. When these strange appendages suddenly sprouted from the enemies, the rebels suffered heavy losses.
"What are these damn things? They look a bit like Kagune."
The speaker was the ninja Jiro Haragami had identified as having Jonin-level strength. He was carefully observing the changes on the battlefield. It had to be said that the things the Hidden Sand ninjas mastered looked very similar to the Kagune used by Ghouls, yet they weren't exactly the same.
"Regardless, I must report this information to Lord Danzo."
This Jonin from Root narrowed his eyes. Suddenly, a Hidden Sand ninja rushed out from behind him.
"Feel the power of the Hidden Sand Village, you bastard!"
The ninja swung his sharp tail, preparing to pierce the enemy like a spear. However, sneak attacks were the bread and butter of Root ninjas. Killing with despicable methods was their specialty. Just as the Hidden Sand ninja charged, he was entangled by a wire so fine it was nearly invisible. Then, a flash of a blade pierced his shoulder, and a paralyzing poison spread from the edge.
This Root ninja chose not to kill him directly. Instead, he planned to take him back for his colleagues at Root to research. However, things did not go as the Root ninja imagined. As he was about to lose consciousness, the Hidden Sand ninja crushed the Special Food Pill he had placed in his mouth beforehand.
A massive amount of Yang Style chakra instantly erupted. While it repaired his wounds, it also granted him even greater strength. It was the Sage Power from nature! Although it was quite weak compared to true Sage Power, it was enough to send this Sand ninja into a berserk state, allowing him to launch a terrifying new offensive against the enemy with even more ferocity.