In recent months, the Hidden Sand Village has been making full use of the power of the Dragon Vein.
To prevent the Dragon Vein from being sealed away with a powerful fūinjutsu, they responded to the growing fear among the other nations by leading a full-scale assault on the Uzumaki Clan.
After wiping them out, they intensified the development and usage of puppets powered by the Dragon Vein, pouring vast amounts of manpower and resources into their creation. Step by step, they have amassed a formidable army of clay puppets.
Unlike traditional puppets that require a skilled puppeteer with ample chakra reserves, these clay puppets operate independently. As long as someone can give them basic commands, they can engage in combat.
The internal Dragon Vein Chakra Core supplies them with endless power.
This drastically lowers the bar for puppet users, making the technique more accessible. However, the chakra core of each puppet needs to be periodically recharged with energy from the Dragon Vein.
Only the Hidden Sand possesses the means to do this. Even if another village were to acquire these clay puppets, without a steady supply of Dragon Vein chakra, they would be nothing more than lifeless husks.
This monopoly grants the Sand Village a natural advantage, and they go to great lengths to keep it a secret. Outside of a handful of high-ranking officials and elite shinobi, almost no one knows the truth behind the puppets.
Now, the Sand Village is ready to seize this opportunity. They plan to use their clay puppet army to crush the Hidden Leaf Village!
Claiming the title of the strongest Hidden Village will allow them to expand their territory, seizing more fertile lands from the other nations.
With an army of tireless, chakra-fueled puppets, they can continue their campaign, conquering one village after another. This is the grand strategy of the Sand Village!
As one of the village elders and war strategists, Chiyo has played a pivotal role in orchestrating this scheme. She has pushed the plan forward with relentless determination.
Her hatred for Konoha runs deep—ever since Hatake Sakumo, the White Fang, cut down her grandson's parents, she has burned with the desire for revenge.
She throws more and more troops into the battlefield without hesitation, obsessed with the thought of tearing Hatake Sakumo apart limb by limb!
As long as the clay puppet reinforcements keep coming, she refuses to consider the long-term consequences of her actions.
In the Sand Shinobi war camp, orders are issued one after another.
The next morning, Uchiha Shin, along with Mikoto and Kanako, traveled into the heart of the Land of Wind.
As soon as they crossed the border, they could feel the shift in the environment.
The lush forests of the Land of Fire gave way to a dry, barren wasteland.
"What a desolate place. It's nothing but sand and rocks," Mikoto and Kanako muttered as they trudged deeper into the desert.
If they had been born in such an environment, they felt like their futures would have been doomed.
"There are pros and cons to every land," Uchiha Shin said with a smirk as he placed a hand on the ground.
A moment later, he murmured: "Magnet Release: Gold Dust Manipulation."
Fine golden grains began to rise from the desert floor, swirling into the air.
As the gold dust gathered into a compact mass, it soon formed a fist-sized orb of pure gold.
"All… all gold!?"
Even just that small sphere was worth at least a million ryō!
Uchiha Shin's mind raced. His sensory abilities told him that the entire Land of Wind was filled with hidden gold deposits.
This situation reminded him of the oil tycoons from his previous life.
"It's a shame that shinobi civilization has stagnated. If the Sand Village had modernized properly, they would be absurdly rich."
Muttering to himself, Uchiha Shin continued refining the gold dust while marching toward the Sand Village.
Wandering blindly through this vast desert was pointless. Who knew where Rōran was? Uchiha Shin had no clue about its exact location.
Rather than searching aimlessly, he figured he'd go straight to the Sand Village and 'ask' them directly.
If the Dragon Vein had nothing to do with this, he could always raze the village to the ground and become a hero of the war.
If it was connected, then he had even more opportunities to manipulate the situation.
"The Dragon Vein's power is enough to allow someone to travel through time and space…"
Uchiha Shin's heart pounded with excitement. He wanted to obtain this power—no, he wanted to control it!
Even if he couldn't use it now, who was to say he wouldn't figure it out in the future?
Just like his left eye's ability. It wasn't fully matured yet, but in time…
The importance of the Dragon Vein in his mind had skyrocketed.
Navigating the endless desert was a nightmare. Even with a detailed map, Uchiha Shin almost lost his way multiple times.
After making a few adjustments, they finally arrived at the outskirts of the Sand Village.
"Mikoto, Kanako, stay here. I'm going in alone."
"Yes."
The two girls obediently nodded.
"Sage Invisibility Technique."
Uchiha Shin used a technique similar to the one used by the Toad Sages to mask his presence.
His body gradually faded, vanishing completely like a mirage.
With his [Kagura Mind's Eye] suppressing his chakra signature, his concealment surpassed even the techniques used by the sages.
Soon, he arrived at the Sand Village's barrier.
Recklessly barging in would only trigger an alarm.
"Tch. The Sand Village's barrier is garbage," he scoffed.
With the fūinjutsu knowledge he had acquired from the Uzumaki Clan and Tsunade, dismantling the barrier was child's play.
"Release Seal."
With a single touch, he silently tore open a one-man-wide entrance and slipped inside.
The Sand Village lay before him—a dull landscape of earthen buildings, bleak and colorless.
Even standing here, he could taste the sand in the air.
"Kagura Mind's Eye."
Uchiha Shin ignored the depressing scenery and got straight to work.
Expanding his sensory net, he quickly located the strongest chakra signatures in the village.
"The building in the center, the one with the 'Wind' symbol… that's the Kazekage's Office."
Rather than heading straight there, he decided to split into multiple clones to investigate simultaneously.
As for the strongest chakra presence in the village? He would handle that himself.
After forming three shadow clones, they dispersed in four different directions.
Uchiha Shin himself made his way toward a heavily fortified section of the village.
The moment he arrived, he knew he had found something important.
"Three jōnin, ten chūnin, and thirty genin?"
Such a large force stationed in one place—this had to be something critical.
He wasn't in the mood for games.
A chilling white glow formed in his palm.
For the first time since developing it, he was about to use [Dust Release] in real combat.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Jutsu—Blade Form."
Under his refined chakra control, the deadly technique took the shape of a long, gleaming sword.
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Bonus Chapter - 150 Power Stones