Something is wrong.
The handwriting is correct, and the common phrases and grammar between the words are all in Yaeko Iwanemine's style. The writing is neat, and each letter ends with a small plum blossom drawn with a brush.
This is Yaeko Iwanemine's favorite flower.
The kimonos she usually wears, or the ones in the izakayas of Kirigakure, are often adorned with plum blossoms.
Everything seems normal, but...
A strong, unsettling feeling welled up deep inside Linto.
He closed the letter, took out his Polaroid camera, and used Hermit Purple's "thoughtography" aimed at Yaeko Iwanemine.
After a moment of waiting, a dark, black photo was ejected.
There was almost no light source in the photo. Even if it were given to Star Platinum, it could only faintly make out the silhouette of a woman in the center of the picture.
The clock in the Kazekage's office showed the time.
10:47 AM.
The Yaeko Iwanemine Linto knew was not a woman who slept in.
Besides, even when sleeping, what normal bedroom would have absolutely no light source?
Linto and Rasa exchanged glances, a possibility dawning on them:
A dungeon.
Only in an underground prison would there be such complete darkness.
Could it be... Yaeko Iwanemine was captured long ago?
Who?
And for what purpose?
Linto took a deep breath, stopped his aimless speculation, stood up, and said:
"About how far is Karin City from Sunagakure Village?"
Rasa pointed in a direction.
"Head west for about two hundred kilometers. You'll see two oases that mirror each other. That's Karin City, one is the North City, and the other is the South City."
"I understand."
Linto pushed open the door and walked out of the Kazekage's office.
Kakashi was still waiting outside. Seeing Linto's solemn expression, he understood that something new had happened. Thinking for a moment, he leaned over and whispered to Sasuke:
"Did something happen to Yaeko Iwanemine?"
Sasuke asked in surprise, "How did you know... were you eavesdropping?"
"This requires no eavesdropping."
Kakashi said, "If the Kazekage had said something he shouldn't have, knowing Linto's personality, he would have already started slashing in the Kazekage's office.
Since he didn't act, it must be about someone else.
And the "someone else" in the Land of Wind that could make Linto worry is only Yaeko Iwanemine, who came to provide teaching support."
Kakashi looked at Linto's retreating back, recalling what Linto had said to him last night, and sighed softly:
"He always cares deeply about the people around him."
Linto walked out of the Kazekage building, preparing to head to Karin City.
This time, they didn't choose to walk slowly. They had learned what they needed to about the Land of Wind. Saving the person was urgent now, and they couldn't waste time on other things.
Kakashi, Sasuke, and Little Momo walked into the Ghost Room.
This way, Linto could shed all his weight and fly to Karin City at the fastest speed.
Of course, this was not without its drawbacks.
The Ghost Room can store non-living objects. However, for living beings to stay inside for an extended period, Linto needs to constantly maintain the activation of his Stand.
In other words, while Linto is carrying living people, all his abilities—including Star Platinum's time stop and the use of other Stands—will be affected.
This is also why Linto chose to leave Terumi Mei and the others behind and go alone to find Oda Hideyoshi during the Kyoto Water Garden Festival battle.
That night, everything happened too quickly. His enemies were Kakuzu and Hidan, two elites from the Akatsuki organization. Linto had to ensure that the duration of his time stop was optimal.
Watching Linto's figure disappear into the clouds, a faint smile appeared on Rasa's stern face.
He knew it was wrong.
After all, Linto's friend's life was in peril.
But when Rasa thought that someone had acted foolishly and messed with the wrong people, and that many bureaucrats and tycoons might die as a result, he couldn't help but want to laugh.
"No, I can't laugh. I have to hold back."
He told himself.
"If I'm going to laugh... I'll do it after they're truly dead."
Suddenly, Rasa sensed a gaze from the side. He turned his head and met a pair of dark eyes.
Gaara.
Gaara's eyes were filled with rigidity, despair, and ruthlessness.
Just like the current Land of Wind, people's hearts had long been buried by the desert. The so-called oases were nothing more than mirages.
Rasa was the instigator of Gaara's current state.
To prevent the One-Tail Shukaku from going berserk, Rasa had always managed the young Gaara under extreme pressure.
Adults would break down under such pressure, let alone a child.
Rasa, who hated the Land of Wind the most, had personally created a human embodiment of it.
Looking into his son's eyes, a flicker of guilt crossed Rasa's mind, but his stern face showed nothing. He gave Gaara a cold glare and turned back into the Kazekage building.
...
Linto flew through the sky, rushing all the way. By that afternoon, he arrived over Karin City.
Looking down from the sky, Karin City was made up of two vast oases.
The two oases were tens of kilometers apart, each shaped like a semicircle. Together, they formed a complete circle.
Linto found a deserted corner and landed silently.
About ten minutes later, he arrived at a church.
The teaching methods for the awakened thought-waves varied in different regions.
In the Land of Water and Kirigakure, they openly established specialized schools and offered corresponding courses.
In Konoha, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure Village, separate courses were set up within the ninja academy, and any resident interested was free to attend.
However, in cities outside the major ninja villages, the teaching of awakened thought-waves was more ambiguous.
Sometimes it was taught privately, or clubs were formed during free time. Rarely was it openly advertised.
After all, everyone knew who Linto's awakened thought-waves were targeting, and what kind of impact widespread dissemination would cause.
The awakened thought-wave class in Karin City was held in a small church.
It was usually used by believers for prayer, and classes were only held every evening.
The content of the lessons mostly related to improving productivity in various industries, with a small portion covering philosophy, politics, and history. The style was similar to the evening mini-classes Linto originally held in Kirigakure.
When Linto arrived at the church, it seemed that a sermon had just concluded.
A group of elderly people were gathered at the church entrance, each receiving a bag of free eggs to take home.
Before leaving, they asked:
"Will there be eggs tomorrow?"
The priest said, "Yes."
The elderly people happily beamed and patted their chests, promising to come back on time tomorrow.
This showed their firm faith.
After the elderly people dispersed, Linto walked over.
The priest looked up and saw a young face. He instinctively said:
"Young people don't get free eggs."
After speaking, the priest realized he was mistaken.
The four people in front of him had upright postures and extraordinary auras. How could they look like people who would come to claim free eggs?
One of them even wore a Konoha village ninja headband. It was clear that these four were either samurai swordsmen or ninjas from a major village.
Linto got straight to the point and asked, "Is Teacher Iwane here?"
Upon hearing the words "Teacher Iwane," the priest finally understood that they were looking for someone.
The tension in his expression lessened, and he said, "Teacher Iwane isn't feeling well today and is resting at home this morning. She just arrived at the church not long ago. I'll take you all to find her."
When Linto heard that Yaeko Iwanemine was at the church, he was slightly relieved:
"Thank you."
"It's no trouble,"
The priest said, "Teacher Iwane has helped us a lot, giving many people in despair a new direction of hope. It's also because of her that I learned that problems that the gods can't solve, people can actually solve themselves."
As the priest spoke, he led Linto deeper into the church. After several turns, he pointed to a graceful figure and said, "Over there."
He raised his voice slightly and called out, "Teacher Iwane."
A beautiful woman turned around with a smile and met Linto's gaze.
Linto closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and in a low, emotionless voice, he called out:
"White Snake."
---
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