Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha lacks motivation.

The blazing sun high in the sky baked the golden sand dunes, and the flowing sand resembled gold leaf. Amidst the howling wind and sand, a group of people wearing tawny cloaks sped across the soft and scorching yellow sand.

The burly man at the head of the group gazed towards his distant hometown, a faint look of joy appearing on his fleshy face.

He tightened his cloak around his sand-diving clothes and silently made a promise to the bored, plump raccoon in his consciousness space.

"Shouhe, when we reach Loulan, I'll treat you to my favorite childhood snack."

"snack!?"

Shukaku, who had been lying on the ground with its eyes glazed over, suddenly lit up with a bright light when it heard the word "snacks."

"That's right, the delicious wind serpent of Loulan is a famous delicacy far and wide, you must try it."

The monk's beady eyes narrowed slightly, as if he were savoring an exquisite delicacy.

The so-called delicious wind serpent is actually just a desert flying lizard that lives near Loulan.

However, after being cooked using the unique methods of the local residents, it became a local delicacy suitable for all ages and deeply loved by the residents of the Wind Kingdom.

"Then hurry up and get it done!"

The greedy Shukaku was practically drooling at the mention of this, and kept urging Shamon to hurry on his way, as he was determined to taste this magical delicacy.

"Soon, once we cross that hill, we'll see Loulan."

Looking at the endless sand dunes before him, Shamen nodded confidently.

He knew every inch of his hometown like the back of his hand; he could run precisely from Sunagakure to the gates of Roran even with his eyes closed.

"what?"

Suddenly, Shukaku, who had been salivating, felt a strange chill run down his spine—a tremor originating from the very core of his soul.

Its hands, which had been raised high in joy, slowly lowered. Its large, coin-like eyes followed the mysterious aura, piercing through the pitch-black sand and dust, and landed on the highest hill in the distance.

"Hey bald guy, wait a minute!"

"Hey, I'll make sure you eat your fill later!"

Thinking that Shukaku wanted to bargain with him about the food, Shamon, with his home in sight, waved his hand in a good mood and made a very generous promise.

"Idiot, there's an enemy!"

Shukaku wanted nothing more than to jump up and knock on Shamen's shiny bald head to check if there was anything inside.

"enemy?"

Shamon frowned upon hearing this. He now completely trusted Shukaku's words, so he stopped without hesitation, raised his hand, and the Sand Ninja ANBU following behind him also paused in unison.

"Kazekage-sama?"

The squad leader cautiously surveyed his surroundings but found nothing amiss. He then approached, puzzled, to inquire.

"There's an ambush."

At this moment, Shamon, guided by Shukaku, had already spotted the faint black figure atop the distant sand dunes, and his heart sank slightly.

The person who came was clearly waiting for him, but his departure route was a closely guarded secret. Could it be that there was a traitor in Sunagakure?

"Could it be a traveler?"

The squad leader, using his binoculars, spotted a blurry figure in the distance, but the person was alone and didn't seem to be planning an attack.

"You few, go and investigate."

However, out of concern for Shamen's safety, the squad leader of the dark unit still ordered several of his capable subordinates to make contact with the strange figure first.

"yes!"

The selected figures jumped out of the formation and sped forward, their footsteps echoing through the yellow sand.

"Hey bald guy, I have a bad feeling about this. Let's run."

As time passed since the first sighting of the stranger, Shukaku felt a growing unease. Its instincts, like a wild animal's radar, were beeping in its mind, warning it to stay away from the strange person.

"Really?"

Sensing Shukaku's genuine unease, Shamon was slightly taken aback. This fat tanuki was someone who dared to confront even the Nine-Tails head-on; could he really be up to no good?

"Wait a minute."

However, since his subordinates had already sent men to investigate, Shamen decided it was best to observe the situation for the time being.

After all, he still had the dignity of a strong person; how could he desert his post without even seeing the enemy's face?

The scouting team quickly arrived at a position ten meters away from the black figure, each member gripping a weapon and vigilantly observing the obstacle.

Standing before them was a burly figure shrouded in a black cloak. The sensory ninja among them searched him thoroughly but found no trace of chakra. Emboldened, he questioned him sharply.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

The group did not lower their guard just because the strangers in front of them did not possess chakra.

Because in this desolate desert, the appearance of an ordinary person is far more illogical than the presence of a well-equipped ninja squad.

"Mission objective detected."

The figure being questioned slowly raised its head, a glint of red flashing in its black eyes hidden beneath the cloak. Two pale hands rose somewhat stiffly.

"What are you going to do?"

Upon noticing the stranger's strange behavior, the several ANBU officers acted decisively, adhering to the principle of "better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free," and tentatively threw out their kunai.

whoosh-

Several pairs of eyes from the ANBU were fixed on the gleaming kunai, while simultaneously raising their hands to form hand seals in case the opponent suddenly attacked.

The next second, they only saw a blur before their eyes, and the black-robed man standing ten meters away had vanished from his spot.

"Set up the formation!"

The group instantly became alert and stood back to back in a defensive stance. The sensory ninja in the middle quickly closed his eyes, formed hand seals, and used his sensory jutsu to detect the other party's whereabouts.

"Snapped!"

But before he could extend his senses, he heard several crisp sounds, and his head felt hot and damp.

The pungent smell of blood instantly filled his brain, startling him so much that he immediately opened his eyes. However, what he saw before him terrified him.

"Everyone."

The team members who were covering him were now lying on the ground, teetering on the verge of collapse. Their familiar faces had been smashed to pieces with brutal force, and their mangled heads were splattered with juice like watermelons that had been smashed on the ground.

Before him, the black-robed figure who had just vanished was silently shaking his fist, which was stained with blood and gore. His eyes, hidden beneath his cloak, were fixed intently on him.

"you!"

Overwhelmed with grief and anger, the sole surviving sensory ninja knew he was doomed and drew his treasured explosive tags, intending to perish together with his opponent.

"Snapped!"

Unfortunately, the last thing he saw was a dark red fist. His fragile skull was no match for the monstrous punch and shattered on the spot.

Like his dead teammates, the headless corpse of the ninja twitched a few times before slowly falling backward, the unactivated explosive tag in his hand being blown away by the sandstorm towards his distant hometown.

"don't want!"

The massacre that unfolded in the distance happened in mere seconds. Before Shamon and the others could even blink, the last sensory ninja followed in his teammate's footsteps.

Witnessing all this, the Sand Ninja's blood boiled, and they all drew their weapons, glaring at the person in charge present.

"Kazekage-sama!"

"Prepare to engage the enemy!"

Seeing his subordinates brutally murdered, filled with remorse, Shamon ignored Shukaku's warning in his consciousness, waved his hand, and charged ahead of the dark figure in the distance.

despair--

After landing, Shamen didn't bother with further communication. He wouldn't waste words on someone he saw as an enemy from the start.

He slammed his hands down on the ground, and countless grains of yellow sand instantly erupted, rushing towards the black-robed man who stood frozen in place.

"Sand-bound coffin!"

The yellow sand, imbued with life by Magnet Release, coiled around the black-robed man like venomous snakes. As Shamon clenched his fist slightly, the binding force of the Sand Coffin tightened accordingly.

"Let me see who you really are!"

Shamon, who was manipulating the sand coffin, did not let his guard down just because his opponent was bound. He raised his hand and unleashed a wind release, aiming straight for the opponent's face, wanting to see the attacker's true appearance.

The black-robed man remained calm and composed in the face of the bindings and wind-style techniques. His bound arms tightened slightly, and the Shamon, who was manipulating the Sand Coffin, immediately looked at his trembling fists in surprise.

This person was able to resist the bindings of his own sand coffin using only his physical strength.

However, what happened next was what shocked the monk the most.

"boom!"

After a deafening roar, the black-robed man actually managed to break free of the sand-binding coffin using the strength of his arms. Upon seeing this, the monk immediately reacted, raising his other hand and conjuring a sharp sand spear in mid-air.

whoosh-

Faced with the unstoppable sand spears, the black-robed man, whose hands were free, calmly raised his arms and forcefully blocked the sand spears that were powerful enough to pierce through the city walls. The sand that flew up, under the blazing sun, draped his black robes in a layer of golden feathers.

"Prepare for attack!"

While Shamon was engaged in battle, the Anbu squad wasn't just standing by. Their squad leader decisively gave the order to attack, and the group immediately gathered chakra and began forming hand seals. A sharp wind-style attack slammed into the trapped black-robed man in an instant.

Boom—

Rumbling--

Countless ninjutsu techniques engulfed the black-robed man, and the aftershocks of the attacks stirred up a cloud of yellow sand, engulfing everyone present.

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The monk, who was completely focused, suddenly felt his grip loosen; this was the feedback that the sand-bound coffin had lost its target.

Were they blasted into dust?

A faint doubt flashed through Shamon's mind, but Shukaku in his consciousness space grew increasingly terrified. With its tailed beast instincts, it could clearly sense that the newcomer was unharmed.

"Watch out, bald guy!"

"ha?"

Heeding the warning from Shukaku echoing in his mind, Shamon immediately retreated several steps.

"what!"

"what!"

"."

In an instant, screams of agony from the ANBU ninjas echoed from all around. Shamon, filled with alarm, immediately raised his hands...

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

The hurricane swept away the surrounding yellow sand in the blink of an eye, revealing to the monk the scattered, mangled bodies of his men.

"Kazekage-sama."

The only remaining member of the ANBU squad, still breathing, was being held in the hand of a black-robed man who had somehow escaped. Blood dripped from his mouth onto the scalding sand, making a sizzling sound.

"How dare you!"

The monk's eyes widened in fury.

"Boom!"

But the man in black ignored him and, without hesitation, crushed the throat of the dark squad leader.

"ah!!!!"

Seeing this, Shamen went completely berserk. At this moment, all he wanted was to kill the attacker before him and avenge his loyal subordinate.

"You bastard, even if God forgives you, I won't!"

"henshin!"

With a ferocious expression, Shamon pulled out a driver he hadn't used in a long time and fastened it to his waist. He then pulled out a gleaming Shukaku card and a simple buckle, inserting them without hesitation.

Seeing the transformed Shamen, the man in black robes did not intervene until the green raccoon-headed knight appeared, at which point his dim eyes began to light up slightly.

At almost the same time, similar scenes were happening in the four major ninja villages besides Konoha.

Hidden Rock Village

On a cliff not far from the village, Onoki, panting heavily, had wide, bulging eyes. All around him lay the corpses of dead Iwa ninja.

"You bastard, are you an assassin from Konoha?"

He assumed that Konoha had discovered his previous actions and had sent assassins to warn him of his transgression.

But the dark figure standing in front of him did not answer, only relentlessly pushing him into a corner.

In this situation, calling for reinforcements is impossible, and escaping using the Light-Heavy Rock Technique is even less likely.

"I will definitely kill you!"

Onoki gritted his teeth and pulled out the driver from behind him, his eyes burning with the flames of revenge.

Even a clay figure has a temper; he's usually cautious (or cowardly), but his awareness as a shadow still remains.

"henshin!"

Hidden Mist Village

Just a few nautical miles from the main island of Kirigakure, countless wrecked ships lay scattered on the turbulent sea, where countless Kirigakure ninja had perished.

In the center of the wreckage, the Third Mizukage, Katsura, knelt alone on one knee, his feet resting on a frozen expanse of ice. His usually tightly closed eyes were wide open, his pupils radiating a ravenous aura.

"Who exactly are you!?"

"."

Before him stood a dark figure atop a mast that had not yet sunk to the seabed, its dim eyes devoid of joy or sorrow, as if waiting for something.

Gui slammed her fist into the ice.

Since even his prized Ice Release technique was ineffective, then it was merely...

"henshin!"

Hidden Cloud Village

The Silver and Gold Brothers, who were out on a mission alone, looked at the two mysterious black-robed figures with identical builds before them, their eyes filled with solemnity.

They had already exchanged several blows with the two, and the brothers' years of honed physical skills were showing signs of being suppressed.

"oioioi, are you two brothers too?"

Golden Horn chuckled as he clenched his bruised fist, his mind racing as he tried to decipher the other person's identity.

"Could it be the 'Careless and Grumpy' duo who were so popular a while ago?"

"Brother, the troop has told us to run quickly."

Silver Horn leaned closer and whispered, his voice filled with worry.

"Hmph, that's what Eighth Brother said too, but do you think they'll let us leave so easily?"

Kinkaku, who had also reached a consensus with the Tailed Beasts, was well aware of the Eight-Tails' warning, but the current situation was not one where he could simply leave.

"Hehe, it's been so long since I've had a satisfying battle. I feel like I'm about to rust."

Faced with the inexplicable pressure from the duo, the fiercely determined Kinkaku didn't retreat but advanced, laughing wildly as he exchanged a glance with his brother. The two, perfectly in sync, simultaneously pulled out their respective drivers.

"Let's cause a huge ruckus, little brother!"

"Yes, Nii-san!"

"henshin!" *2

With the power of the Knight System boosting them, the Tailed Beast Knights initially gained the upper hand in their battle against the man in black robes.

Enraged, the knights unleashed their ultimate techniques.

The pitch-black vengeful god of war, with the red full moon behind him, sliced ​​through the black-robed man's outer garment.

The veteran driver in red swiftly kicked the black-robed man out of his disguise with six quick kicks.

The blue sacred staff grazed the black-robed man's shoulder, and the extreme cold emanating from it instantly froze the fluttering cloak.

Before the silver tiger could be seen, the sound of freezing descended rang out first, and with a flash of silver light, the black-robed figure fell to the ground.

The giant purple bull, wielding a chainsaw, slammed it down on the black-robed man's outstretched arms. The roar of the engine, accompanied by the jarring sound of its sharp teeth, tore open the truth hidden in the shadows.

"Let me expose your true colors!" *5

As the smooth, black hair hidden beneath the cloak cascaded down, the five knights froze in place, their eyes wide with disbelief.

"How could it be you!" *5

Even with their wildest imaginations, they never guessed that the attacker would be him.

When questioned, the attacker, who had revealed his true form, did not answer. His face, pale as a ghost, was expressionless, and his lifeless black pupils stared intently at the driver on the Tailed Beast Rider's waist.

"The mission objective has been made collectable." (End of Chapter)