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Spring of Konoha's 49th year brought no warmth to the Land of Rivers battlefield; only a thicker stench of blood and scorching desperation. Hidden Sand's early unstoppable advance stalled the moment it pierced the Land of Fire's border, met by the fiercest resistance Konohagakure had ever mounted.
The main army led by Elder Chiyo found every step forward a struggle. Konoha shinobi, armed with intimate terrain knowledge, endless secret techniques, and a do-or-die drive to protect their homes, fought a brutal tug-of-war across every front. The front sank like mud, Sand's death toll climbed daily, and supply lines groaned under the strain.
Far away in Sunagakure, the Fourth Kazekage Rasa faced the daily stack of deadlocked reports. He knew that once war became a war of attrition, it spelled doom for resource-poor, sparsely populated Sand. The original blitz to seize rich Fire territory and "feed the war with war" was slipping through his fingers.
No more waiting.
Rasa shot up from behind the Kazekage desk, eyes sharp as blades. "Elder Chiyo has given everything at the front, but Konoha's resistance exceeds every forecast. If we stay deadlocked we'll only bleed until we collapse." He strode to the huge tactical map, finger stabbing the border. "I will personally lead the reserve army to the front. We'll concentrate our strongest force, punch through a single point, and drive deep into the Land of Fire."
Amid the tension, a new dispatch reached Sayo's hand. The scroll marked the start of a new chapter in his career:
The former Sandstorm Squad is officially disbanded.
Special Jōnin Sayo is hereby appointed Captain of the 3rd Company, 1st Battalion, Puppet Brigade.
Complete preparations within three days and march with the Fourth Kazekage.
Sayo drew a slow breath. Sandstorm Squad was history—Iryō retired, Lucado fallen, Xu transferred. A pang of loss hit him, but heavier still was the weight of new responsibility. As a company captain, dozens of puppeteers' lives now hinged on his calls.
Without hesitation, he reported to Puppet Brigade HQ. He spent the next 72 hours memorizing his subordinates' specialties and equipment. He dove into maintenance, using his engineering background to tweak formations and repair the veterans' battered puppets.
He also mastered his own rising strength. The Pocket Body Cultivation Furnace on his wrist fed him a steady trickle of energy, keeping him at peak performance. He practiced weaving his Magnet Release, the Mirage, and his Spider Legion into company-level operations, shifting his mindset from a solo fighter to a strategic commander.
Departure day arrived. Sunagakure's main square blazed with banners. Fourth Kazekage Rasa, clad in formal robes, stood stone-faced above the assembled Sand Ninja, his natural chakra pressure bending every head. Sayo stood within the Puppet Brigade block, three squads at his back. Dozens of puppeteers watched their startlingly young new captain with a mix of curiosity and hope.
Rasa offered no speech—only a curt sweep of his arm: "Move out."
The vast ninja floodgates opened; a yellow torrent poured eastward toward the meat-grinder battlefield. Sayo turned resolutely forward, melding into the current. His role had shifted from spear-tip fighter to a commander who must scheme for every pawn.
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