"Kid, Shukaku is nearby." Nine Tails suddenly reminded.
"Huh?" Naruto looked left and right but didn't see anyone. He opened his mini-map and saw one large dot and two small dots, which were Gaara and his two siblings.
As they approached, Naruto waved. "Gaara!"
Gaara was a little surprised and asked, "Naruto? What are you doing here?"
"It's a long story. It started when our unreliable teacher took on a C-Rank Mission, and then... blah blah blah." Naruto explained what had happened.
I'm really sorry for being unreliable, Kakashi thought, not stopping Naruto from continuing. After all, Konoha ninjas entering the Land of Wind should be explained to Sunagakure Village.
After finishing, Naruto asked, "What about you guys?"
"We're also on a mission." Temari wanted to be evasive; they didn't need to tell Konoha about their affairs.
But Gaara was more straightforward. "People of unknown origin landed on the coast and attacked the Land of Wind's border. We've been tracking them all the way here."
Kankuro reminded him, "Hey, Gaara, this matter is..."
Gaara didn't care. "It's okay, we can trust them."
"Really..." Temari and Kankuro were helpless, but their tone seemed to reveal indulgence.
Naruto didn't stand on ceremony and asked directly, "Need any help?"
Kakashi reminded him, "Naruto, although they're allies, this is Sunagakure Village's mission. It's best if we don't get involved rashly."
"Well... actually, you're already involved." Temari pointed to the three fallen Female Knights and the armor-clad soldiers scattered on the ground.
"Could that be the enemy that invaded the Land of Wind?" Kakashi asked, pointing to the Steel Fortress ahead.
Gaara nodded and said, "That's right. It's a mobile fortress that can travel on land and sail on the sea like a large ship."
More black technology, Naruto thought excitedly. This thing is very similar to Howl's Moving Castle in terms of function. I want it.
Unfortunately, even if they captured it, it would be considered the property of the Land of Wind.
If he took it away, Gaara wouldn't be able to explain it.
"There's no choice." Kakashi scratched his head. How could taking on a Ferret-finding mission lead to involvement in someone else's border conflict? He resigned himself and said, "Judging from the performance of those three just now, their leader should be inside the ruins, seemingly looking for something. What exactly is that ruin?"
Gaara turned to look at Temari; he hadn't cared about such things before.
Temari said, "We don't know the specific details, only that it existed many years ago. There used to be a city, but it seems to have been destroyed in a war."
Kankuro adjusted the two puppets on his back and said, "In any case, we'll know once we catch him."
At this moment, the ground suddenly trembled. To everyone's astonishment, the entire ruin suddenly sank dozens of meters. The abandoned buildings collapsed with a rumble, and even the Steel Fortress was affected, falling down and being smashed into scrap metal by the rocks.
After a while, the shaking stopped. The area where the ruins had been was now a large pit, and a green light emanated from it. Within a radius of five kilometers, whether it was the Gobi Desert or the sandy desert, everything was covered with green grass and shrubs, directly transforming into an oasis.
Afterward, everyone present felt a burst of comfort in their bodies. Whether it was fatigue or injuries, everything disappeared.
"This seems to be life energy?" Kakashi felt the most significant change. He moved his shoulders and felt as if his body had become stronger.
The most miserable was Kankuro. The two puppets on his back, which had been tightly wrapped in bandages, suddenly twisted, and tender green shoots emerged from the gaps in the bandages.
"What's going on here!" Kankuro was on the verge of tears. Crow and Black Ant were the best puppets he could find in the Sand Hidden Village, but he didn't expect them to suddenly be ruined. He wondered if they could even be repaired.
Naruto, holding back a laugh, pointed to the large pit not far away and said, "Let's go take a look up ahead."
In the pit, a white-haired monster with black dragonfly wings on its back was strangling a boy in armor.
The boy struggled and asked, "Lord Hyde... why?"
Hyde said angrily, "Timsi, everything I've done is to obtain the Grael Mineral Vein. You are a member of the royal family of that former country, and only the royal family can open the mineral vein. I didn't expect your blood to destroy the mineral vein!"
Timsi found it hard to believe, "Lord Hyde, you were the one who saved me in the first place. You said it was to build an Ideal Country..."
"Yes, I saved you, but I was the one who destroyed your village in the first place. Everything was for the secret you held, but now my dream is shattered, and you are useless!"
Hyde plunged his hand into Timsi's chest, pulled out a piece of emerald green stone with patterns, and then threw the unconscious Timsi aside.
"Squeak squeak!" The Ferret pounced over to bite Hyde's ankle, but he kicked it away.
Hyde raised his head and looked at the people above the pit, shouting madly, "You... it's all because you got in my way that I failed! You will all be buried with my dream!"
After saying that, he flapped the wings on his back and flew up.
Hyde was strong. Not only could he fly, but with the Grael Stone embedded in the back of his hand, his speed, strength, and recovery ability far exceeded ordinary people.
But... strength is relative.
Kakashi raised his Forehead Protector, revealing the Sharingan.
Sakura stretched her wrists.
Sasuke drew his Lightning Blade, arcs of electricity dancing on it.
Naruto created clones, and the clones started making Dango.
Gaara's gourd plug popped out from behind him.
Temari unfolded her large fan.
Kankuro... stayed far away—a puppeteer without puppets was better off staying away.
Then Hyde died, buried by Gaara himself.
Unfortunately, the Grael Stone in his hand shattered, whether because it was overloaded or because it was broken. Otherwise, Naruto would have liked to study it to see if it could be used without turning into a monster.
However, after that wave of life energy baptism, it might have added +1+1+1+1 to their lifespans.
Sakura went to pick up the Ferret, checked it, and breathed a sigh of relief when she found that the injuries were not serious.
A dozen teenagers walked out of the abandoned Steel Fortress, looking at their hands blankly, seemingly unaware of what had happened.
"Sakura, see if that armored boy can still be saved. He should know a lot of information."
"Okay." Sakura woke up the unconscious Timsi.
Under Kakashi's eye signal, Gaara nodded and asked, "Who exactly are you people, and what's going on with those children?"
Timsi's eyes were vacant, and he said nothing.
Naruto slapped Sasuke on the back, "Sasuke, give him a look and let him figure it out himself."
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