Linto really did need to go to the Land of Wind.
On one hand, he had to deal with Shinno and the Sky Ninja Legion, and find out who was backing them.
On the other hand, the Hidden Sand Village was one of the few major ninja villages that had proactively sought help from the Awakened Ideology. Linto had always wanted to have a direct talk with the Kazekage.
It was said that the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, spent most of his time, when not handling official duties, using his abilities to pan for gold and earn money to support the village.
You could say he was more of a gold miner than a ninja.
The reason the Fourth Kazekage supported the village this way was simple:
The Land of Wind wasn't providing adequate military funding.
But was the Land of Wind actually short on money?
The answer was no.
Everyone knew that the desert held vast amounts of oil, minerals, and rare resources. The Land of Wind's corporations had long become rich from these, but they were unwilling to share this wealth with the ninja villages and civilians.
Just for that, Linto felt he and the Fourth Kazekage would have plenty to talk about.
The last reason for going to the Land of Wind was Iwamine Miyako.
She had set off for the Hidden Sand Village months ago to provide instruction and guidance. She was supposed to return in a month, but due to various issues, it kept getting delayed. Linto planned to go see her after a long time.
After the combat meeting ended, Tsunade dismissed everyone.
The conference room became quiet and empty, with only Linto and Tsunade remaining.
Tsunade took off her glasses and placed them on the table. "When are you planning to leave?"
"Today."
"So soon?"
Linto nodded. "Shinno could treat a Sky Fortress as a disposable item for display.
Either he's a madman who gambled everything just to gain their favor;
or, he has more backup plans, more resources, enough to build a second, a third Sky Fortress."
Judging from General Hōjiro's memories of Shinno, he was cunning and devious, but he would never gamble everything.
The defeat in the Second Great Ninja War had made him accustomed to "hiding."
Whether it was Shinno himself hiding in the rear or hiding his backup plans.
The Land of Sky had a small territory and scarce resources. Building one Sky Fortress was already their limit.
Shinno's ability to expend a Sky Fortress proved he had made contact with the Land of Wind very early on – perhaps the night of the Water Garden Festival in Kyoto, or even earlier, on the day Linto killed the previous Daimyo of the Land of Water – and obtained some resources.
The longer this dragged on, the more resources would be converted into fighting power.
Linto disliked prolonged situations.
"I understand."
Tsunade nodded. "I'll send someone to go with you. If needed, intelligence ninjas embedded in the Land of Wind will also support you."
Linto didn't refuse.
He was confident in his combat abilities, but he also knew that fists couldn't solve everything.
After discussing work, Tsunade leaned on the table, gently patting her shoulder with her hand.
"Once this is over, I can finally relax a bit."
Linto thought of another matter.
"If you have some free time..."
He took out a thumb-sized glass vial from his ghost room. Inside, it contained a pinch of dark ash.
"Interested in joining a research project?"
"Research?"
Tsunade took the small glass vial and brought it close to her eyes to examine it carefully.
A faint green light flashed in her hands, as she clearly activated several Medical Ninjutsu.
"I can feel a strong life force within this... and it's familiar. Wait!"
Tsunade looked at Linto, her eyes filled with surprise.
"The Jashin Cult?"
Linto nodded. "Do you remember the 'Holy Grail' the mad leader mentioned?"
Of course, Tsunade did.
She placed her right hand over her heart.
Although the scar had long since healed, the piercing pain that lasted for days was something Tsunade swore she would never forget.
All the pain, the loss of life, was to create that so-called Holy Grail.
Linto continued, "During the battle at the Water Garden Festival in Kyoto, I 'captured' the Holy Grail – perhaps that's not the right word. In any case, I brought back most of him in the form of ashes."
After being brought to the research institute, Hidan's ashes had been absorbing surrounding life force, trying to reform and regenerate.
This clearly went beyond the scope of Ninjutsu. Perhaps only a divine miracle from Jashin could explain it.
This discovery had shaken the understanding of many researchers at the institute.
But upon further thought, couldn't Tailed Beasts also revive at will?
Even Tailed Beasts left no ashes when they died, yet they could revive with complete memories.
"Do you think—"
Tsunade shook the glass bottle in her hand. She only then noticed that the bottle itself was specially made to isolate and prevent the absorption of life fluctuations.
"Did the 'Holy Grail ritual' mold Hidan into a creature similar to a Tailed Beast?"
"No."
Linto stated his suspicion:
"I suspect the real Hidan died in the ritual long ago. What survived is a monster with Hidan's memories, but its soul and body are entirely from Jashin... or rather, a monster formed by the will of 'self-destruction'."
"That's a very bold idea."
Linto shrugged.
"It's just my guess. The results will depend on the researchers... Are you interested?"
Tsunade held the glass vial up to her eyes and smiled.
"Outside of work, one needs a hobby. Count me in."
Linto looked at her strangely.
"I thought your hobby was gambling?"
Tsunade chuckled.
Since becoming Hokage, she hadn't gambled much.
In the past, she could afford to lose anything, but now...
"There are too many important things to care about around me. I can't afford to gamble or lose."
Linto nodded and got up to leave.
As he was about to exit the conference room, he remembered, "You said you'd send one ninja with me to the Land of Wind. Who is it?"
Tsunade didn't answer. She gazed out the window at the rising sun, the village bustling with life.
"The Third Hokage left me with many difficult problems.
Some are external, like a shortage of personnel and a gap in our ranks.
Some are internal, like past mistakes in decision-making, the 'sacrifice' of people who shouldn't have died, leading to divisions in people's hearts."
Tsunade looked at Linto and said seriously, "I am an ambitious person. I've already started solving the former, and I want to start tackling the latter as well."
Linto pondered for a moment and slowly nodded.
"I know who it is."
Tsunade smiled, leaning back in her chair. She closed her eyes to rest, and a slightly sleepy voice drifted over.
"When you leave, please close the door for me."
"Okay."
Linto left the conference room. Just as he was about to close the door, he paused, then took a blanket from his ghost room and tossed it over.
"At least cover your stomach."
With that, he closed the door and left.
Tsunade caught the blanket and muttered, "What a strange obsession."
Though she said it, she dutifully covered herself with it.
Linto walked through the Hokage building and arrived at the elevator. Kakashi, who had been waiting, pressed the elevator button.
The elevator door opened, and the two of them stepped inside.
"When are you leaving?" Kakashi asked.
"Now."
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