The next day.
It was another rare day when the Sixth Team had no immediate work to do.
At the puppet unit's base, Hiriito was practicing his puppetry skills using public training puppets on the covered playground.
One of the perks of being part of the puppet corps was access to shared puppets for training. These training puppets were heavy models, weighing over 100 kilograms, and equipped with non-lethal weapons.
Hiriito was controlling two of them, pitting them against each other in mock combat to sharpen his black secret technique and improve his multitasking ability with chakra threads.
Sasori, however, showed little interest in such activities. While he could master puppet manipulation with minimal effort, his true passion lay in the research and development of new puppets.
Meanwhile, Nanako sat under the eaves, engrossed in a book.
Their peaceful day was interrupted when Nanaken, their team leader and Nanako's older brother, suddenly arrived.
"Brother? What brings you here?" Nanako asked, tilting her head curiously.
Nanaken's expression was unusually serious. "Get ready. We leave in fifteen minutes. I'll explain the mission on the way."
"No need. Our puppets are all here. If this is a mission, we can set off immediately," Hiriito replied, retracting the chakra threads and wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"I'll go get Sasori!" Nanako said, dashing into the workshop to fetch her teammate.
Nanaken nodded approvingly. "Good. I'll keep it brief then. A small elite team from Konoha infiltrated the Wind Country, destroyed the black iron ore mine in Kurosa City yesterday, and disappeared. The village has issued orders for the puppet troops to work with the border garrison to track them down.
"Our mission is to find and, if possible, capture them alive. The mission is rated A-rank."
Hiriito froze for a moment. "A-rank? That means we're dealing with jonin-level enemies…"
Nanako frowned as well. "Capture them alive? You're kidding, right? How are we supposed to do that?"
"The main target isn't their jonin," Nanaken clarified. "According to our intelligence, there's an Uchiha in the group who has activated his Sharingan. The jonin will be dealt with by Captain Ishido and the jonin stationed at the border. Our job is to focus on capturing the Uchiha alive."
Hiriito's mind raced. Capturing an Uchiha alive was easier said than done. The Sharingan was one of the most coveted and dangerous bloodline abilities in the ninja world. If Sunagakure managed to capture the Uchiha, he would likely end up as a test subject for the village's experiments—or worse.
Sasori's eyes gleamed with interest at the mention of the Uchiha. The thought of turning an Uchiha into a human puppet was enticing, though it was unfortunate that human puppets couldn't retain their bloodline abilities.
"Let's move. We'll head there to meet Captain Ishido and proceed to Black Sand Castle," Nanaken ordered.
"Yes!" the three responded in unison.
Minutes later, the team arrived at the Sand Village's main gate, known as black sand Castle.
The name, referred to the narrow canyon that served as the village's only entrance and final line of defense. The towering cliffs on either side created a natural chokepoint that was nearly impossible to breach without heavy losses.
A single Kage-level ninja with a few jonin to assist could hold this position against an entire army. However, its strategic advantages came with economic drawbacks, as the restricted access hindered trade and growth.
Hiriito couldn't help but recall how, in the future, Sasori and Deidara would bypass this defense entirely. By using Sasori's sleeper agent, Yūra, they easily infiltrated the village—a testament to how even the strongest fortresses could fall from within.
After verifying their mission credentials with the gate guards, the team quickly set out for Black Sand Castle.
The team arrived at their destination just before sunset, greeted by the sight of border garrison ninjas maintaining a vigilant watch.
"Reinforcements at last!" one of the garrison chunin exclaimed, relief evident in his voice as he approached Nanaken.
"What's the situation?" Nanaken asked.
"Jonin Kyuichi and his sensory ninjas are tracking the Konoha team. Meanwhile, the Konoha forces attempting to support them at the border have been pushed back by Jonin Rasa. Once we gather enough reinforcements, we should be able to corner and eliminate the intruders."
"Good. Arrange for someone to guide us. We'll move out immediately," Nanaken instructed.
"I'll lead the way," the chunin offered, summoning a small desert lizard with a bite of his thumb. The lizard had a piece of paper tied to its foot, containing directions to the enemy's last known location.
"Let's move out!" Nanaken ordered, and the team followed without hesitation.
Meanwhile, on the Sand Dunes
A small group of Konoha ninjas crouched behind a dune, their clothing and faces covered to shield them from the relentless desert wind.
"Destroy the logistics of the Suna village? What kind of ridiculous mission is this? It's nothing but sand!" one of the younger ninjas complained, spitting sand out of his mouth.
"It's your fault, Uchiha Shinae!" snapped another ninja, wearing a green flak jacket. "The captain told you to use the Sharingan to hypnotize the guards, not kill them! Now they know we're here!"
"What was I supposed to do? Let them kill you? You'd be dead if I hadn't acted," Uchiha Shinae retorted, his Sharingan glowing menacingly.
"Enough!" barked Nara Hirano, the jonin leading the group. He sighed deeply, rubbing his temples.
Tensions between the Uchiha clan and the rest of Konoha were at an all-time high, and the animosity had even spread to field operations.
"Our priority now is survival," Hirano said firmly. "The Sand Village will be closing in on us soon, but I've sent word to Lord White Fang. He's mobilizing an elite team to attack the Sand Village front and create a diversion. Until then, we hold our ground."
The group nodded, though unease lingered in the air. Their mission had taken a dangerous turn, and survival was far from guaranteed.
(End of Chapter)