Sand Siblings

After teleporting to the Sand Village, Arthur finally arrived at the Jōnin Station.

He had seldom heard about the Sand Siblings, even after having that encounter with Temari. Truth be told, he actually knew quite a lot about them.

The Sand Siblings were written to be a trio of exceptional ninjas. This team consisted of Gaara, Temari, and Kankurō, who were all the children of the fourth Kazekage.

Since Gaara was the Jinchūriki of the One-Tail, he was also the most feared ninja of his time due to his incredible abilities and strength. And with the help of Kankurō and Temari, he eventually found peace, learning to control his powers and use them for the greater good.

Temari, on the other hand, was known for her exceptional skill with wind-based techniques. Using her massive iron fan, which was made of steel and capable of withstanding various attacks, she was able to create powerful gusts of wind that could knock enemies back.

As she gained experience, she learned to control her fan with greater precision and speed. Her techniques also included the ability to cut through solid objects with her fan, as well as deflecting and blocking projectiles. She could even create a swirling tornado that could cause some severe damage.

Kankurō was a skilled puppeteer from a young age. As the second eldest of the siblings, he was often left alone with the task of looking after Gaara, and he learned to control his younger brother's destructive tendencies through the use of his puppetry.

With time, his skills in this field improved, allowing him to control multiple puppets at once. Right now, he could only use two. But in time, he would learn to use double that amount.

What Arthur needed to do now was discover their current situation.

Upon entering the Jōnin Station, he made his way past a handful of Jōnin who were engaged in intense discussions via his Transparency technique. He managed to avoid drawing attention to himself and headed to their report room.

There, he discovered that the Sand Siblings had ventured outside the village to a different village for a political meeting.

It didn't take Arthur long to discover that location and head there. When he arrived, he spotted them and decided to observe from a great distance. As he watched, he also read their lips. They were discussing a peace treaty needing to be signed.

This village wasn't anything special. Gaara mentioned how the treaty would help establish a better trade route between their villages—quite the benevolent soon-to-be Kazekage indeed.

As the ceremony concluded, Temari approached Gaara with a warm smile and said, "Congratulations, Gaara." She then patted him on the back. "You've finally come a long way after this."

"Thank you, Temari," he replied with a sincere tone.

This Gaara was most certainly rehabilitated thanks to the player's involvement.

Arthur watched as Temari's smile widened. Kankurō, however, maintained his stoic demeanor, but Arthur sensed a glimmer of pride in the puppeteer's eyes.

"We all know how much you've grown, Gaara," Kankurō said with subtle approval.

Gaara's expression turned serious, and he spoke of his lingering debt to the Leaf Village, a reminder of their past animosity. Temari chuckled softly, reminding him that he always brings up the Leaf, and everyone knows how he feels.

"I still want to repay them for their help," he affirmed.

The siblings shared a moment of understanding, and with their mission complete, they began their departure. Arthur remained hidden, watching as the three ninjas vanished into the horizon.

The desert was clear, and there was hardly a cloud in the sky while they traversed. To reach the Sand Village from their area would take a couple of hours on foot.

The heat radiated off the sands, but their spirits were high from the success of the peace treaty. Then suddenly, the mood shifted as they spotted a silhouetted figure standing far off.

As they drew closer, the figure became clearer. Silver hair fluttered in the desert wind, shimmering under the bright sun. They felt uneasy upon catching sight of his form.

Kankurō squinted against the sunlight and then glanced back at his siblings. "Wait a second... I think I recognize him."

Temari furrowed her brow and said, "I feel like I've seen him before too." Instinctively, her fingers tightened around the handle of her fan.

It's then they all understood who was in the midst of them.

"It's Kaito," Gaara said in a low tone. "Orochimaru's henchman."

Arthur had made quite a name for himself outside the borders of the Fire Country; the Sand siblings knew he was wanted dead in these parts for a million ryō.

"This guy's trouble," Kankurō grimly muttered before preparing to summon his puppets. Temari, in response, unfurled her fan wide.

"We don't know what you're doing," Gaara declared, taking a step forward with his arms crossed defiantly over his chest. "But you've made a big mistake coming here. You're wanted by our village, so it's in your best interest to turn yourself in."

Arthur let out a derisive scoff and said, "Spoken like a true leader… The thing is, I came here for something, and you have what I need."

His tone dripped with certainty, causing the three siblings to exchange wary glances.

"He must be referring to the One-Tail," Temari whispered under her breath, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

Gaara's gaze hardened as well, and he shook his head slowly. "If you're after Shukaku, we won't be handing him over."

Arthur didn't like the response. First, Gaara denied him, and second, he referred to his Tailed Beast as "him." To Arthur, they were just devils that needed to be put on a leash. A Jinchūriki like Gaara was no different.

With a flick of his wrist, Arthur summoned the Blade of Chaos. "That's quite the shame…"

The tension became heavier as he brandished the weapon, allowing them to hear the chakra coursing through it.

Gaara's expression remained steady, but he was confident since, behind him, Kankurō moved into position. His puppets were already summoned, while Temari deftly maneuvered her fan into an attack-ready stance.

"Keep this formation," Temari commanded.

Afterwards, she jumped up and swung her fan in an arc. "Ninja art: wind scythe jutsu!" Multiple wind blades sliced through the air like crescents, carrying a cloud of sand toward Arthur.

Gaara was going to make his move to manipulate the sand's flow, but Arthur responded swiftly. With what looked like mere casualness, he slashed once toward the oncoming wind and sand.

The wind blades disintegrated one by one, leaving nothing but a trail of charred grains in their wake. The siblings watched in shock, bewildered by the sheer power of this rogue—his weapon seemed capable of burning away their techniques as if they were mere illusions.

"What kind of weapon is that?" Kankuro whispered in disbelief.

"I hope you three don't disappoint me," Arthur called out.

Kankurō, recovering from his astonishment, reached into his arsenal and sent out one of his puppets—Crow. The black-clad puppet sprung forward, its arms outstretched, aiming to ensnare Arthur in a trap.

Arthur deftly swung the Blade of Chaos again, slicing through the air with elegance. In a blink, the puppet's chakra strings, which connected it to Kankurō, snapped like twine, leaving Crow hovering ineffectively.

Kankurō's eyes widened as he sensed the immediate danger; it was as if Arthur had seen right through his technique.

"Wait, he knows our strategy!" Temari understood, stepping back. She quickly bit her thumb. "Summoning Jutsu!" In a puff of smoke, Kamatari appeared, a giant white weasel wielding a scythe in his paws. "Summoning blade dance!"

With a swift swipe, Kamatari unleashed a torrent of slicing winds that tore through the air, aiming straight for Arthur.

Rather than cower, Arthur spun around with an elegant flourish with his weapon. The winds seemed to halt mid-attack, held at bay by the immense chakra radiating from his blade.

This caused the trio to be stunned, witnessing the effortless control Arthur had over the very elements they wielded.

"I see you guys want to die," he calmly announced after finishing his smooth spin.

Gaara stepped into the fray, shifting the sand beneath him into a massive tide aimed to engulf Arthur entirely. "You've got this twisted."

The grains of sand prepared to submerge Arthur, but he leaped high into the air, evading the rising sand with unearthly agility. It was as if he were gliding, leaving the trio momentarily flabbergasted.

"Don't you get it?" he taunted as he soared above them. From his aerial vantage point, he observed Kankurō deploy his second puppet, Black Ant. The black puppet whirled, spinning multiple blades aimed directly toward him. In a fluid motion, he sliced the air three times with the Blade of Chaos. Sharp arcs of chakra cut through the puppet, causing streams of fire to erupt in the sky, incinerating the puppet to mere ashes before it could even reach him. Then he landed with grace, with the pieces slowly falling like confetti. "You're all too weak…"

The sheer destruction left Kankurō breathless; Black Ant could no longer be used, and it only took three swipes to take out.

The shock registered in Gaara's eyes, and Temari gritted her teeth.

"How can he be this strong?" Kankurō muttered under his breath, horrified by the loss of his puppet.

"The real question to ask is why you three haven't started trying yet," Arthur proclaimed.

"Then we'll start now!" Temari declared, waving her fan to conjure another attack.

Kamatari aided her barrage of wind, which made it swirl like a typhoon. But Arthur merely cocked his head back at this futile attempt. Spinning with the Blade of Chaos once more, he sent out a minor shockwave that not only deterred their technique but also swept them off their feet and caused Kamatari to disperse.

The backlash sent them stumbling back, barely maintaining their footing against the force of his attack. It's then Arthur shifted into a low stance, and before the Sand Siblings could react, he vanished, blurred against the desert, and reappeared right in the center of them.

Their eyes widened in shock as Gaara shouted, "Fall back!"

Though the three pulled away, Arthur was quicker; he extended one hand out and grabbed Temari by the heel. Then he slammed her against the sands again and again, each impact sending tremours through her body. Until, with a final, mighty stomp, he brought his foot down directly onto her chest, knocking the wind from her lungs completely.

"No! Temari!" Kankurō screamed. "You'll pay for that!"

His fingers twitched to command his remaining puppet. As he focused, however, something was wrong. The strings were not responding.

"What—?" he panicked, looking down, only to see severed chakra strings that lay like limp threads on the ground.

"I told you…" Arthur said. With alarming swiftness, he vanished again, appearing several feet behind Kankurō out of nowhere. His weapon was already extended outward as the whirling sound of the blade cut through the air, and before Kankurō could react, he was slashed multiple times and then fell to the ground. "You're too weak…"

Kankurō gasped at the sudden onslaught and the blazing pain radiating from his wounds. He couldn't even see the move, and now he couldn't think due to this incredible pain.

A sand tendril threatened to lash at Arthur, but with one foot, he moved back, easily avoiding it. Then he admired his weapon with a nonchalance that stoked Gaara's anger.

"This is too powerful for the likes of you three," he decided, recalling the blade into its scroll.

He had honestly collected enough necessary data and no longer had use for it right now. And as far as he was concerned, with or without the sword, he could have easily defeated all three of them.

"Enough…" Gaara finally said, forming a hand sign. The wind brushed past Arthur's hair, more vehement than Temari's techniques. "I won't let this continue any further."

Now Arthur had done it; he had awoken the Jinchūriki from his slumber.