Chương 26: Inside the Village hidden by Sands (2)

The air was thick with tension as two shinobi sat across from each other in the dimly lit room. The only sound was the soft hum of a lantern casting flickering shadows on the walls.

A man wearing a green hat with Wind shadow engraved on it, his eyes narrowed into a piercing gaze spoke "Shamon, tell me honestly, why do you keep sending our shinobis out of the village?"

"I've been sensing that some of our strongest Jonins have been leaving the village, what kind of mission did you give them?" his eyes grave with concern

"Ah is that what you want to talk about, yes I did task some of our elite a mission" Shamon leaned back in his chair

The silence that followed was oppressive, heavy with anticipation and foreboding

"I've tasked them to attack some villages in the land of Rivers"

The Kazekage's expression turned grim "Shamon you already ordered over 50 of our elite to raid the villages are they not enough that you needed additional 20 Jonins and 35 chunins?"

The Kazekage stood up and looked down on Shamon "You're weakening our defences too much, just what are you planning?"

Shamon's eyes widened "W-what are you talking about lord Kazekage? I didn't send out additional shinobis" His voice was low and urgent

"Don't play dumb with me Shamon, I already sent my men to talk to the guards at the secret passage, they told my men that you instructed them to allow shinobis to pass through"

"What! Lord Kazekage I did no such thing" Shamon's gaze locked onto the Kazekage's

As the Kazekage gazed intensely into Shamon's eyes, he could feel his instincts screaming at him to trust his gut. He had always been good at reading people, and he was convinced that he could spot a lie from a mile away.

But as he continued to scrutinize the person's facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language, he began to feel a creeping sense of uncertainty. Something didn't seem quite right.

"*sigh* Looks like you don't know what happened, you're too focused on that research of yours you started to neglect your duties"

The Kazekage slumped back in his chair, closed his eyes, and said in a low tone, "Something is going on that we're not aware of Shamon, I've been having a bad feeling since two nights ago"

Shamon stared at the Kazekage with wide eyes, understanding how serious this situation is

"20 jonins and 35 chunins left the village in two days, but there might be more as I only rely on my sands to sense the shinobis going in and out of the secret passage"

"When I sent out my men to investigate, the Guards stationed at the entrance lied and used your name" The Kazakage's expression was grave, his voice low and measured

"They must've known that I was focusing on my research and used my name. Who could have done this? And why?"

The Kazekage nodded

Shamon's eyes widened in shock. His world was turned upside down, and he felt like he was punched in the gut. He took a deep breath, trying to process the gravity of the situation

Shamon stood up and said "Lord Reto, allow me to –"

Before Shamon could finish his sentence, the two felt humongous chakra not far from them, they both looked at each other their eyes wide with terror, and their eyebrows furrowed. Their mouth is open, and their face pale

About Four hours ago

Mizuna and the others are walking towards a temple. A majestic structure that rises from the dunes like a mirage. Its walls are crafted from intricately carved sandstone, worn smooth by the relentless winds that sweep across the desert landscape.

As one approaches the temple, the sun beats down relentlessly, casting a golden glow over the intricate carvings that adorn the walls. The doors, made of a single piece of polished obsidian, are adorned with patterns that seem to shift and shimmer in the light

"Pakira why are you here? And who are they?"

A Jonins seemingly the leader of a six-man squad asked eyes fixed intently on the approaching group

"Lord Kazekage tasked us to come here, he said he felt something wrong with the one-tailed beast and wanted us to check on it"

"As for them" Pakura looked at the others wearing masks some covered their entire face

"They are the ones Lord Shamon trained to specifically deal with the one-tailed beast if it went on a rampage"

"Hurry! We need to check the status of the one-tailed beast!"

The leading Jonin looked at his squad members seemingly asking for their opinion. Their hands tightened on the hilt of their katana, and the leader could see the tension building

"Alright but we will accompany you"

Pakira, Mizuna and the others together with the six shinobis guarding the prison entered the temple, as they stepped inside, the scorching heat of the outside was replaced by a sense of serenity and tranquillity.

The air is cool and calm, filled with the sweet scent of incense wafting from intricately carved sandalwood

At the end of a corridor, they saw an old man sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed inside a prison cell

"You've come," The old man opened his eyes and looked straight at Mizuna

"You're already that powerful at such a young age" The old man smiled bitterly

"Please don't destroy the village young man, many innocent people are living here"

Mizuna removed his mask and smiled at the old man, his body instantly got covered with blood-red chakra, and his white eyes became red with pinwheel

"Old man, I am not that heartless"

The leader of the guards took a few steps back "A Jinjuriki" was the last words he said as one of his squad members sliced his head off from his body

"Good job you all, now please return outside and continue to guard this place"

"You could have told us that you also enslave them you know, I thought we'd need to fight them" Kimi looked at Pakira and Miss Jonin

"Well Mizuna wanted to keep it a secret, we've been going around the village these past two nights"

"You'll be surprised with the number of shinobis he managed to enslave" Miss Jonin looked at Mizuna with admiration in her eyes

Mizuna walked towards the metal bars and bent it, while his blood chakra started to envelop the entire prison cell

The old man's eyes widened as he gazed upon the walls of his cell, where a faint, ominous glow began to seep into the cracks and crevices.

The light was a deep, blood-red hue, like the colour of dried, rusty iron. It seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy as if the very fabric of reality was being torn asunder.

The air in the cell began to vibrate with an eerie, malevolent presence, making his skin crawl. As the chakra continued to spread, the old man felt an unshakeable sense of dread creeping over him

"Don't worry, old man. I just want to talk to Shukaku"