Land of Wind.
The sky was dotted with stars, and Linto and his companions sat in the desert.
Four camels lay on the ground in each direction, resting and forming a circle to block the wind.
Sasuke was throwing firewood he had collected into the campfire.
This is the good thing about desert areas: firewood, camel dung, or anything else, has had its moisture and bacteria removed by the sun, making it very easy to burn and not very smelly.
Little Momo hugged her knees, resting her chin in her hands, watching Sasuke skillfully start a fire and cook.
Linto was on the other side, diligently grading the math homework of Sasuke and Little Momo.
This scene of peace and tranquility, as seen by Kakashi, slightly dispelled the gloom in his heart.
A week had passed since they left Konoha, and they expected to arrive at Sunagakure Village by tomorrow morning.
According to Linto's plan, they would first go to Sunagakure Village to visit the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, and exchange information about Shinno.
Shinno and the Sky Ninja Corps were not targeting Konoha alone; they were targeting the entire existing ninja village system.
Once the Sky Ninja Corps was formed, Sunagakure Village would be the first to be affected.
Linto wanted to get more information from the locals.
After obtaining enough information…
It would be time to launch a surprise attack on Shinno.
To ensure the effectiveness of the surprise attack, Linto had traveled incognito, even leaving a "body double" in Konoha.
A ninja was walking around the village with Linto's face every day.
On the way, Kakashi had asked, "What if something goes wrong in the process, and the information leaks?"
Linto's answer was simple.
"If it leaks, it leaks. Plans and changes are part of any operation."
They had trump cards, and their enemies did too. It was simply a matter of both sides playing their cards and seeing who could achieve ultimate victory.
And to have an in-depth exchange with Rasa, Linto had to personally see what life in the Land of Wind was like.
The result of observing along the way was…
"That familiar, awful feeling."
Kakashi sighed.
He knew the Land of Wind very well, and the reason was simple:
Because of his father.
More powerful than the Sannin, and more feared by enemies…
Konoha's White Fang – Hatake Sakumo.
Kakashi showed ninja talent at a very young age and was called a genius by many. But Kakashi knew that compared to his father, his talent was nothing.
When Kakashi was young, this man, who was invincible on the battlefield, had to rack his brains and tell Kakashi battle stories in various ways to coax him to sleep.
The most frequent stories were about battles in the Land of Wind's Sunagakure Village.
Therefore, Kakashi knew about the customs of the Land of Wind, about desert beetles, and about Sunagakure Village's puppet manipulation techniques.
After his father's death, Kakashi did not deliberately discard his father's belongings.
But as time passed, things aged and faded – like the memory of his father in his heart.
Gradually, there were no traces of his father's life in the house. In recent years, Kakashi felt that he had forgotten that old man who would scratch his head whenever he talked about stories.
But…
The heat of the Land of Wind brought Kakashi back to past summers.
Summers when he was three or four years old, Hatake Sakumo would fan Kakashi with a fan while clumsily telling stories.
Summers when he was seven years old, Hatake Sakumo ended his life at home amidst gossip.
The same heat, the same unforgettable pain.
Kakashi sighed lightly, "Tsunade-sama, you've really given me a difficult task."
"Perhaps she just wants you to hear about your father from another perspective."
Linto's voice came from the other side of the campfire.
Kakashi was stunned.
He licked his dry lips, pondered for a moment, and asked,
"Can you read minds?"
"No."
Kakashi understood. The matters concerning his family were not secrets. Most people who lived through that era knew about them.
He was silent for a moment and then asked, "What do you mean by 'another perspective'?"
"From the enemy's perspective."
Linto said, "Many people have forgotten the terror of Konoha's White Fang, forgotten his deterrence on the battlefield.
Tsunade wants you to hear and see your father's past from the enemies."
Kakashi was a person who adhered to the "Will of Fire."
He knew his father was right, and there were many hidden circumstances surrounding what happened back then.
However, for the sake of the village's stability, Kakashi chose to suppress his emotions.
It was like stuffing a pile of dirty clothes haphazardly into a closet, pretending not to see them.
And one of Tsunade's objectives in this mission was to have him sort out the thoughts he had shoved into the closet, one by one, in the vast desert.
Hate what needs to be hated, love what needs to be loved.
Kakashi was a smart person, and he understood the cause and effect after a moment's thought.
He stared blankly at Linto.
"Does Tsunade-sama mean to…"
Linto finished grading the last question, put down the workbook, and said softly,
"Under Hiruzen's leadership, Konoha's heart has become too 'damp,' and dampness easily breeds insects and germs."
"We need to take it out and let it dry thoroughly in the sun."
Kakashi was momentarily speechless. So many deliberately sealed memories surfaced like stars in the sky, and after years of active forgetting, they truly flickered like stars, indistinct.
Finally, Kakashi closed his eyes and lay down, leaning against a camel.
"Then… let the memories bask in the sun."
…
"I've really had enough of this darn sun."
Shinno, shirtless, with a towel around his neck and a watermelon in his hands, had tanned three shades from being in the Land of Wind. His once fair skin had darkened.
Although Shinno looked like a farmer, he had lived a life of luxury and had never suffered so much.
However…
He looked at his secret base, built in the desert.
A brand new sky fortress was nearing completion, and it was faster, stronger, and more terrifying than the previous one.
And at the core of the sky fortress was its most powerful weapon.
"Zero-Tails Core."
For the revival of the Sky Country, for his ambition, everything was worth it.
"Once the second unit is completed, Linto and the Konoha Village will just be a bunch of stinking dogs I step on."
As if thinking of that scene, Shinno grinned innocently.
"Lord Shinno, something bad has happened! Linto is here!"
Shinno choked halfway through his smile, not getting enough air. The elderly man in his sixties coughed uncontrollably, his Byakugan almost popping out.
The vice-commander of the Sky Ninja Corps, who rushed to deliver the news, quickly patted Shinno's back and explained,
"My lord, you misunderstood. It's not that Linto has found us; he has arrived in the Land of Wind."
"I misunderstand your mother!"
Shinno finally managed to catch his breath and pushed away the messenger vice-commander, asking, "Wasn't Linto in Konoha?"
"That was a fake person in Konoha. Just a moment ago, a secret letter arrived saying that Linto and his group have reached Sunagakure Village."
"Damn it!"
Shinno had never encountered an enemy like Linto.
He was powerful enough, yet he still engaged in this kind of stealthy infiltration and surprise attack.
"What a despicable outsider."
The vice-commander asked, "What should we do next? Should we make a move?"
Shinno stroked his chin and thought for a moment:
"No rush, let's play with him first."
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