In the Land of Vegetables, at the Dojari clan's temporary settlement, Arakawa Arashi arrived in his capacity as the head of the Intelligence Department.
He immediately launched a series of investigations to secure evidence regarding the current crisis.
"How much does the Dojari clan actually know about the Box of Ultimate Bliss?"
Following the Kazekage's orders, Arashi, Morimoto Ryoji, and Dojari Souji had jointly accepted the mission. Upon meeting, the three began to consolidate and categorize their respective intelligence.
Inside a sprawling command tent, Arashi held a sample of the viscous sand, his expression grim. As a member of the Arakawa family, he recognized it instantly as the most orthodox form of their clan's sand manipulation—yet, he was currently the only person alive supposed to have mastered this secret art.
Arashi's presence made the local Sand shinobi stationed there extremely nervous. The arrival of an Intelligence Department high-official, combined with the dark rumors surrounding his past actions, put them on edge.
The temperaments of the three leaders varied wildly. Arashi did not fully trust Dojari Souji; after all, Souji was a recent addition to the village, and Arashi maintained a skeptical view of his loyalty.
Similarly, Morimoto Ryoji treated Arashi with cold indifference. As the "spymaster," Arashi's reputation was polarizing, especially concerning his role in the purge of his own clan.
Ryoji, who now viewed Souji as a trusted comrade-in-arms, was visibly displeased by Arashi's hostility.
Souji, however, had no energy to waste on his companions' friction. The disappearance of his Clan Head and the ongoing collapse of his homeland weighed heavily on him.
"The Dojari clan did guard the Box of Ultimate Bliss for a time, but it was lost during the eras of war. Currently, the only lead we have is the ancient city where the Box was originally sealed."
Though the Clan Head remained missing, Souji had discovered in the clan archives that the sealing site was a ruined city located on a deserted island to the south of the Land of Vegetables.
Opening a map, Souji pointed to the city's coordinates. "To reach this place, we must cross the 'Infected Zone.' We need a way to deal with the natural energy invading the human body."
Arashi placed a scroll on the table. "Before I left, Lord Kazekage entrusted me with a ninja tool that can briefly shield us from the infection."
The expedition to the southern ruins was perilous; ordinary shinobi could not hope to survive the zone. After deliberation, Arashi decided that he and Souji would carry out the insertion while Ryoji remained to guard the base in the Land of Vegetables.
The Prodigy's Progress
Back in the New Hidden Sand Village, within the greenery of the oasis, Maki placed a tray of steaming pastries on the table for the master and disciple.
She then picked up a teaser toy to play with the plump orange cat. Though the cat loved the feather ball, its body remained rooted to the spot; only its front paws batted lazily at the air.
"Little Orange, you really need to move a bit."
"Meow..."
The weak, pathetic meow made Maki sigh. The cat was simply incorrigibly lazy.
Shiraishi ignored the cat and looked up at his disciple. "Tomoki, how many shadow clones can you maintain now?"
"Five clones, Master."
In a short time, Tomoki had successfully stabilized five shadow clones, including his original body, that made six—a testament to his growing control over the technique.
His talent exceeded Shiraishi's expectations. Under this high-density training regimen, Tomoki's progress in a single week matched what a normal student would achieve in months.
As they spoke, the two were engaged in a game of shogi. Shiraishi placed a black stone with a sharp click. "For the next period, you will attend the Ninja Academy."
Tomoki was puzzled. "But the academy courses are very simple compared to what you've taught me."
"Beyond the academics, there are other things you need to learn."
The Academy Shiraishi oversaw had been heavily reformed, featuring a massive public library and advanced training facilities. Shiraishi also planned to hold a joint Chunin Exam between the six branch academies of the Sand to test their practical standards.
Retaliation Against the Stone
With Tomoki's foundation settled, Shiraishi turned his focus toward vengeance against the Hidden Cloud and the Hidden Stone.
The assassination attempt during the Five Kage Summit had incensed the village. While the Cloud was across the sea, the Hidden Stone was physically close, making them the primary target for immediate retaliation.
If the Sand did not strike back, every village would feel emboldened to target the Kazekage. The assassination of the Third Kazekage remained a lingering scar on the village's pride, making them loath to let history repeat itself.
Even if the world craved peace, the Hidden Sand was united in support of a retaliatory military strike.
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind was helpless to stop it; the Sand's economy was now self-sufficient and no longer under his total control.
The operation against the Stone was mobilized rapidly. On the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth, the Stone occupied the northern regions of the Revelation Mountains. The Sand's objective: a lightning strike to seize the entire mountain range.
At the frontline command post, Shikasa acted as the General Commander and head of the Puppet Brigade. Alongside Hoshino Mai of the Mobile Unit and several other Jonin, they finalized the map for the assault.
The Stone had stationed over four thousand shinobi in the area. Shikasa's plan was to occupy the heights while encircling and annihilating the enemy's active forces.
As a veteran of the Third World War, Shikasa was cold and calculated. He established a plan to deploy the new generation of auxiliary puppet devices: the Flying Fish Mirrors, which allowed for long-range puppet deployment. This would allow puppet masters to strike the Stone from unexpected angles.
"The Stone base has a Jinchuriki stationed there, along with a specialized Explosion Style unit. They will be difficult to handle," Shikasa noted, squinting at the troop comparisons.
"Our puppets will be dropped into their weak rear sections. The Mobile Unit will then coordinate with the puppets to complete a perfect pincer movement."
In early Konoha Year 48, the Hidden Sand launched a massive military strike on the Revelation Mountains, marking the beginning of their official retaliation against the Hidden Stone.
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