Chapter 24: The Third Kazekage

Hatake Sakumo gently closed Nara Hirano's eyes, then hoisted the unconscious middle-aged ninja onto his back. Clutching his White Fang short blade, he turned his piercing gaze toward the vast desert.

In the distance, a dark cloud formed of iron sand was surging toward him with overwhelming force.

As the most dangerous target in Sunagakure's eyes, Sakumo could never break through into the Land of Wind without paying a price.

And within the ranks of Sunagakure, the only one capable of wounding a warrior as strong as Sakumo was none other than the one hailed as the strongest Kazekage in history—the Third Kazekage.

"No need to keep running. We're safe now."

The massive black cloud in the sky was visible from miles away.

Upon noticing it, Ishito breathed a sigh of relief and motioned for everyone to stop.

"That's… the Third Lord's Magnet Release!"

Miba exclaimed excitedly.

"What a shame. Jūichi stayed behind to hold off the White Fang so we could escape… Sigh."

Kanai dropped to the scorching sand with a sigh.

From the others' perspective, Jūichi had heroically sacrificed himself—staying behind during the retreat to delay the enemy and protect his teammates.

He had even managed to hold off Hatake Sakumo for a few exchanges, buying some time.

"We lost a jōnin and failed to accomplish our objective… Looks like the mission was a failure."

A special jōnin said while wrapping a bandage around his wounds.

"Let me help. I know some basic medical ninjutsu."

Miyuki (Jianxue) approached with a faint green glow emanating from her palm.

"No, if we managed to injure the White Fang—even slightly—then the mission wasn't a failure. That's a victory in itself."

Ishito stood beside a line of puppets, took a soldier pill from his pouch, and swallowed it to recover chakra.

"With my strength, I might barely be able to delay him for a few moments—just enough to create an opening for the Third.

Send word to the village via summoning beast. Miba, take the rest back to Black Sand City to regroup!"

"Yes, sir!"

Miba nodded solemnly.

The chūnin who had previously guided Shimizu's group bit his finger again, summoning a messenger lizard from the village's communication corps.

He wrote a message on a scroll tied to the lizard's leg and then released the summoning.

The forces split into two groups.

Ishito headed back alone with five puppets, while Miba led the rest toward Black Sand City.

Black Sand City was one of the few prosperous cities in the Land of Wind.

A river originating from the Land of Rivers crossed the border and flowed into the city. Blocked by surrounding mountains, it bent southward toward the sea.

Where there is water, there can be a city—and what brought true prosperity here was the Third Kazekage, who, twenty years ago, while newly mastering his Magnet Release, sensed a massive iron ore deposit in this location and began mining operations.

The iron ore here was loose, easy to mine, abundant, and dark in color—hence the name Black Sand.

With the river, its border proximity, and excellent transportation links, the area flourished into a key economic hub of the Land of Wind over the next two decades.

Iron meant weapons, and some of the trace metals present in the ore were especially valuable to ninjas. As a result, many shinobi were stationed here during peacetime, and during the war, the city was a prime target for enemy sabotage.

Despite a recent raid by Konoha's elite squad, the city remained lively—bright with lights at night.

Under normal circumstances, Shimizu might've wandered around the city after the mission.

But not tonight—no one was in the mood for fun.

"I wonder how the Third Lord and Captain Ishito are doing…"

On a Sunagakure outpost rooftop, Miyuki sat on the eaves, gazing up at the moon, her expression dazed.

"The Third should be fine. Even if the Third Hokage personally fought, he wouldn't defeat our Kazekage.

I'm more worried about Captain Ishito—White Fang's abilities are a direct counter to puppet masters."

Miba sat beside his sister, looking down at Shimizu and Sasori, who were repairing puppets in the courtyard.

Fatty was mostly intact.

Little Boy had sustained damage, but Shimizu had spare parts in his scroll and could fix it tonight.

Sasori's White Ant, however, was basically totaled—repairing it would be akin to rebuilding it from scratch.

The Salamander puppet had taken some damage, but it was still repairable.

"Just how strong is the White Fang?"

Miyuki asked her brother.

Shimizu paused his work and tilted his head, listening intently.

Before his transmigration, he had heard of Konoha's White Fang—Kakashi's father—a legendary warrior known for defeating Sasori's parents during the war.

But in the anime, Sakumo's strength was never shown on-screen—not even once.

Even now, Shimizu only knew that Hatake Sakumo was immensely powerful—clearly a Kage-tier combatant—but he didn't know his precise abilities.

This recent encounter gave him the faintest glimpse of Sakumo's edge.

Though busy fleeing and unable to witness the battle with Jūichi, Shimizu had felt the terrifying aura Sakumo radiated upon his arrival.

Weaker Genin might not even be able to move in front of such killing intent.

Sasori also stopped his repairs. His face was calm—like still water.

"You might be disappointed.

During that mission a year ago, when most of our Squad Six was wiped out, I was seriously injured at the start and fell unconscious.

I survived by luck and never faced White Fang directly.

And those who did—all died."

Miba shook his head.

"Rather than ask me… you should ask Captain Ishito when he returns."

And speak of the devil—

The sky darkened as a mass of iron sand drifted in, descending slowly.

Standing atop a platform of iron sand, the Third Kazekage appeared, clad in his white Kage robes.

On his back, he carried Ishito, whose body was half-stained red with blood.

"Do we have a medical ninja? Jōnin Ishito is seriously injured."

The Third slowly descended and swept his gaze over the courtyard.

"Lord Kazekage! I attended Lady Chiyo's medical training class—let me stabilize Captain Ishito!"

Miyuki and Miba jumped down from the rooftop.

Miyuki took Ishito from the Kazekage's arms and carried him inside like a princess, heading straight for the infirmary.

The Third Kazekage stood still, watching the door close—then turned to inspect the others in the courtyard.

"I remember you—Miba, correct?

Promoted to special jōnin this year. Sixteen years old and already a special jōnin. Impressive."

"Thank you for the praise, Lord Kazekage!"

Miba bowed deeply, visibly excited.

(End of Chapter)