Chapter 293: There Were Three Attackers
The Land of Wind had harsh living conditions. Most of its population lived along the nation's borders, where conditions were relatively better, or within oases scattered throughout the desert.
Sunagakure, however, was different. As the Land of Wind's shinobi center and military stronghold, it occupied a unique location deep within the country's interior, nestled among a cluster of oases.
In ancient times, the area may have been fertile land, home to thriving civilizations and prosperous cities. But as environmental conditions deteriorated, those settlements were gradually abandoned.
The buildings of the past became ruins, buried beneath the sands. Only the few regions suitable for habitation remained, all of which fell under Sunagakure's direct administration, much like the towns surrounding Konohagakure.
The desert itself served as their natural defensive barrier, effectively hindering enemy invasions. Shinobi from other villages might lose their way in the endless sea of sand before ever reaching Sunagakure, ultimately becoming nothing more than bleached skeletons buried beneath the dunes.
Konohagakure was still quite far from Sunagakure, and half of the journey lay across the vast desert. In the original timeline, even when Kakashi led Team 7 to provide support at high speed, it still took them three days to arrive.
As for Guy later getting fired up and claiming he could return to Konoha in half a day, he would have needed to open at least the Seventh Gate to pull that off.
So when Makoto told his students to reach Sunagakure within six hours, he was really just giving them a little push.
With the current strength of Team 7 and Team 8, they could indeed make it in six hours if they sprinted at full speed. But by the time they arrived, they would be completely exhausted. Without a day or two of rest, they wouldn't even think about recovering their combat effectiveness.
Shinobi could never afford to burn through all their chakra while traveling. They had to preserve enough stamina to deal with unexpected situations.
After charging ahead for several hours and realizing they had fallen for their teacher's trick, the students finally settled down and adopted a more reasonable pace.
Traveling, resting, then traveling again, they finally reached their destination the following morning.
Sunagakure's location was exceptionally unique. The village sat within a ring of towering cliffs, maximizing protection from the desert's relentless sandstorms.
The cliffs were naturally formed, enclosing Sunagakure like a fortress and serving as its second line of defense.
While the people living there undoubtedly felt secure, the living conditions were undeniably harsh. Local production was limited, water was scarce, and most daily necessities had to be imported from outside the village.
No wonder the village was constantly strapped for cash. It had gotten so bad that even the Kazekage had turned into a gold prospector.
Kirigakure's decline was self-inflicted. Sunagakure's problems, on the other hand, were simply the result of environmental limitations. In recent years, they had even begun restricting the number of shinobi they trained, shifting toward an elite-focused policy.
But according to Konoha's intelligence reports, the policy wasn't working particularly well. Sunagakure was now facing a severe talent gap. Whenever trouble arose, they could only turn to their ally, Konoha, for help.
If not for the interference of the Akatsuki and the later Ōtsutsuki invasion, one could easily imagine Sunagakure eventually falling out of the ranks of the Five Great Shinobi Villages and gradually fading into history altogether.
...
The natural cliffs surrounding Sunagakure were thick and sturdy. Only a single narrow entrance existed on the southeastern side.
It was the village's sole point of entry and exit, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Whether it had been carved by human hands or formed naturally was impossible to tell.
Sunagakure maintained a strong military presence there year-round, both openly and in secret.
The moment they spotted a group of seven approaching the village, several guards appeared and called out: "Stop right there. Shinobi of Konoha, please state your purpose for coming to Sunagakure."
"Konoha shinobi, Higashino Makoto. I've come at Sunagakure's request, leading a team here to provide support."
After stepping forward and explaining their purpose, Makoto handed over the relevant authorization documents.
The Sunagakure shinobi on duty were visibly stunned, and every one of them took a second look at Makoto. After all, his reputation was known throughout the entire shinobi world.
"Please wait a moment, sir."
After ordering his subordinates to remain on high alert, the squad leader personally took the documents back to report.
At the same time, several people quietly slipped away in secret. Whether they were Sunagakure ANBU or spies working for someone else, Makoto paid them no attention.
Sunagakure had no shortage of missing-nin. Sasori certainly wasn't the only one. Having informants inside the village was hardly unusual.
Orochimaru had informants inside Konoha as well. The village even knew who they were, yet had never moved against them.
Not long afterward, Baki personally came out to receive them.
Sunagakure's talent pool had withered badly over the years. This man was already one of the few notable figures they could still put forward besides the Kazekage.
"Higashino Makoto-sama, everyone from Konoha, my apologies. We didn't expect you to arrive so quickly. We originally estimated it would take at least three days."
Makoto smiled.
"Sunagakure is our ally. Naturally, Konoha wouldn't keep its allies waiting."
"Thank you. It seems you all hurried here at top speed. After such a long journey, let me have someone take you to rest first."
Makoto shook his head.
"No need. The important matter comes first."
Baki thought about the condition of his students and ultimately did not refuse.
"Then I'll leave it in your hands. Please follow me."
He led the Konoha group directly to a corridor outside the hospital ward.
Through the glass, Makoto saw Temari and Kankurō lying unconscious in their beds, barely clinging to life. Even in their comatose state, their expressions were twisted in pain, clear signs of severe poisoning.
Temari's condition was especially serious. Not only was she poisoned, but her right hand was wrapped in thick layers of bandages.
Together with Gaara, the two were the children of the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, and the absolute elite among Sunagakure's younger generation. They had long since surpassed the stage of operating under Baki's direct leadership and were capable of handling missions independently.
They were the finest examples of Sunagakure's elite-focused policy.
Yet during what had appeared to be a relatively low-risk mission, two had been gravely injured and one had gone missing.
Makoto glanced through the window.
"The poisoning looks severe."
Baki nodded.
"It is. A stubborn new compound poison. We've been unable to eliminate it. I ask that you please save them."
Makoto did not even enter the room.
"Sakura, I'll leave it to you."
"No problem, Sensei."
When it came to combat strength, she couldn't compare to her two monster teammates. But in the field of medical ninjutsu, the pink-haired girl was completely confident in her abilities.
She immediately entered the ward and took over treatment.
Baki hesitated.
"Sir, aren't you going to examine them personally?"
Makoto smiled.
"Don't worry. Sakura was trained by both Tsunade-sama and myself. Her medical skills are absolutely trustworthy."
A short while later, Sakura emerged after completing her examination.
"Sensei, detoxifying them won't be a problem. But Temari's right hand has already been badly corroded by the poison. I'm afraid amputation may be necessary."
Compared to saving her life, losing a hand wasn't the worst outcome.
But for a shinobi, it would undoubtedly cut her combat effectiveness by more than half.
Baki looked troubled. He wasn't in a position to make that decision himself.
After all, she was the Kazekage's daughter.
"Then amputate it. Saving her life comes first."
A voice suddenly sounded from behind them.
Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, had rushed over after receiving the news. As Temari's father, he immediately approved the treatment plan.
Following behind him were two of Sunagakure's oldest veterans: Chiyo and Ebizō.
The siblings were visibly advanced in age, but with Sunagakure facing a crisis, they had no choice but to step forward. They couldn't allow their allies to look down on the village.
Granny Chiyo gave Makoto a slight nod before entering the ward to watch Sakura work.
For a brief moment, she thought she saw the shadow of an old rival.
The only difference was that the girl's chest wasn't nearly as... magnificent.
...
Ebizō had overseen Sunagakure's intelligence operations for most of his life. Even after retirement, there were still many things he learned about immediately.
He knew Konoha's team had arrived in only a third of the expected travel time.
Yet looking at these young shinobi, he couldn't detect the slightest sign of fatigue.
The old man sighed inwardly.
Even though Sunagakure had adopted an elite-focused policy, the gap between their younger generation and Konoha's remained enormous.
For the first time in a long while, he felt lost.
He simply couldn't see where Sunagakure's future lay.
Rasa had no time to dwell on such thoughts.
Even if the victims happened to be his own children, he was still the Kazekage.
As the leader of a hidden village, he was responsible for the safety of all Sunagakure.
"Higashino Makoto-sama, please come with me. There are matters we need to discuss."
Makoto exchanged glances with Naruto and the others before following Rasa and Ebizō into a hospital conference room.
Once seated, he spoke first.
"Kazekage-sama, if this were only about treating your two children and tracking down the One-Tail, there would have been no need to specifically request my presence in the aid letter."
He looked directly at Rasa.
"I assume there's information your side hasn't shared with Konoha."
Rasa nodded.
"That's correct. There were three attackers involved in the assault on Gaara's team."
"We've already identified two of them."
"They were Deidara, a missing-nin from Iwagakure, and..."
He paused briefly.
"Our own missing-nin, Sasori of the Red Sand."
"But the third individual may have ties to Konoha."
"Kankurō reported before he lost consciousness that the person used Wood Release."
Ebizō continued: "We inspected the battlefield afterward. A small forest had been left behind."
"It was definitely Wood Release."
Makoto raised an eyebrow.
"So Sunagakure suspects Konoha was involved?"
Rasa immediately shook his head.
"No. I believe Konoha would never betray its allies."
"However, in the current shinobi world, the only people known to possess Wood Release are you and your younger brother."
"Other than the two of you, I can't think of anyone else who could wield that bloodline."
"That's precisely why I invited you here—to verify the truth."