Escaping the Mist Ninja starts with backstabbing your teacher.

"Seriously, I remember this node only broke down not long ago, how come it's broken again?"

"Did the guy who did the repairs last time cut corners?"

The Sand Ninja responsible for maintaining the barrier looked at the damaged nodes, somewhat puzzled.

However, while searching, he discovered a piece of bone buried under the gravel, the origin of which was unknown, and finally found the reason.

He picked up the skeleton and said with some disgust, "The sandstorms outside are getting stronger and stronger; they've even blown bones over here."

"This bone was probably the last straw; the impact likely damaged this joint again!"

The Sand Shinobi muttered a complaint, lamenting that of all times, the problem had to occur while they were on duty, and at night no less.

Isn't this just making things difficult for people? He casually tossed the bone away, complained a few words to his companion, and continued repairing it.

The sooner we finish the repairs, the sooner we can go back and get some rest. Anyway, the barrier team's tasks aren't heavy.

Below, in the shadows of the building, two figures in cloaks, having heard the complaints, quietly disappeared.

……

"I didn't expect them to get in like this. The Sand Ninja are still a bit lacking in vigilance!" Izumi said in a low voice as he followed behind Yekura.

At the same time, while concealing and suppressing chakra fluctuations with the [Yin Yang Seal], the veins in his right eye bulged slightly as he looked around.

Ye Cang said in a deep voice, "That's normal, because no one comes to the desert, and people who are not familiar with the desert will disappear into it on their own."

"Especially near the Sand Village, there is the Demon Desert."

This was a familiar location to him; it seemed to be the site chosen for the second Chunin Exams, and it was fraught with various dangers.

"Try not to roll your eyes, as some people are very sensitive to visual cues."

"Just follow me. I'm very familiar with Sunagakure."

"Let's go to Juan's house first, find out the situation, and then decide what to do."

Izumi had no objection to Yekura's arrangement, giving a slight "hmm" while simultaneously sensing the situation within Sunagakure.

It was clear that the area in the heart of the village had significantly more guards, followed by the area inside the Wind Shadow Building.

It was nighttime, and there weren't many people left inside. However, one particular chakra caught his attention; it was most likely Rasa's.

Izumikawa then pondered for a moment and asked Pakura, "Do you now have the confidence to control Sunagakure?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Cang paused, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke again: "No!"

She was tempted, but she also understood that she could not return to Sunagakure now, nor could she become the Kage of Sunagakure.

If her disciple grows and has the ability and aptitude, she wouldn't mind helping them become the Kazekage.

But she also knew that Juan probably didn't have the qualifications or the ability.

Hearing Yekura's response, Izumi glanced at Sunagakure and felt a little regretful. If he could control Sunagakure, he could do even more.

Even though Sunagakure may be the weakest of the Five Great Ninja Villages now, it is still one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, and no other village can compare to it.

Since Yekura didn't work, he gave up on the idea. After all, Sunagakure was a quagmire, and once you got stuck, it was hard to get out.

The fundamental problem is that Sunagakure is poor, and a poor village can't afford to suffer.

……

Soon, led by Ye Cang, they arrived at a residential building with ease.

However, after Izumi's warning, Yekura stopped and pointed to the spot where the light was on in the window.

"That's Juan's home. Her parents died in the war, and now she lives alone."

"However, it seems that someone is still watching her."

Izumi nodded slightly; he sensed that a ninja was monitoring the area.

He then activated his Byakugan, looked over, and said in a deep voice, "There are indeed ANBU members monitoring this place."

This made Yecang frown slightly, realizing that Juan's current status in Sunagakure was probably very low, and that he was still being suspected even after a year.

Luo Sha is indeed extremely suspicious, which is probably why they haven't contacted him for so long.

Because under such surveillance, Maki, who was only a genin, had no ability to make contact.

"However, there was only one person in the surveillance unit, and it seems that due to the long-term surveillance, his attitude was not very dedicated."

Under Izumi's disapproving gaze, the ANBU member's actions were completely exposed, from his subtle movements to his yawning and other reactions.

At the same time, Izumi's gaze fell on the room that Yekura had pointed to, and he saw that Maki was inside, seemingly cultivating.

Izumikawa then observed the surroundings, the nearby terrain, and the structure and doors of the building where Maki was located.

He said in a low voice, "It's not a big problem. We can make some noise, find an opportunity, and sneak in!"

"Um!"

Yecang understood Izumi's idea, and conjured a wind bullet in his hand, flicking it slightly with his finger.

Compared to the scorching release which emits light, the wind release is more intangible and formless, merely a transparent stream of air passing by.

The sound of things breaking was especially noticeable at night, drawing attention to the dark areas as well.

Just as the other party shifted their gaze to search for any movement, Izumi and Yekura transformed into black shadows and quietly slipped into the area.

……

Inside the room, Juan was holding a roll of white cloth; this was the technique she was skilled in.

"Who?"

The commotion outside naturally made her raise her head slightly, but the next moment two figures appeared inside the room, instantly making her tense up.

Just as Maki's wary voice rang out, Yekura pulled down her mask, revealing her true face.

"teacher!"

The wary look on her face melted away instantly, turning into a joyful smile, and she hugged Ye Cang tightly.

Ye Cang gently stroked Juan's head. She liked this hardworking disciple very much, but now she also felt quite sorry for him.

Izumi also pulled down his mask, examined the scroll, and slowly said, "It seems there are no problems; the memories have been fully restored."

The mental perception and the backup plan he left behind have both been triggered. The cards have been tested and there are no problems!

Upon hearing Izumi's words, Maki stepped out of Yekura's arms, looking somewhat apologetic, and said, "I'm sorry, teacher, I haven't been able to find a chance to contact you."

"Yashamaru told me that he and I had been suspected ever since we returned to the village, and he was no exception; there were people watching him."

"So they told me not to make any contact, which caused my infiltration to fail, and even helped point out the secret agents monitoring me, so I could be careful."

Just as Ye Cang had suspected, they hadn't been able to contact each other because they were still being watched. She offered a comforting words: "Thank you for your hard work!"

Ye Cang said in a slightly cold voice, "Luo Sha is indeed very scheming, but unfortunately, he doesn't have many capable people left to use."

"A person like him has no one he can truly trust, and he won't reveal his inner thoughts to others."

Juan nodded in agreement, adding, "Actually, many people in the village aren't very satisfied either, but they have no choice."

"Because apart from Rasa, no one in the village can currently handle the One-Tailed Beast's rampage, or fill the village's funding gap."