43: Airborne Special: I am a puppeteer and a master of swordsmanship!

The next morning, the sun had not yet completely dried the moisture from the sand.

Tang Yan, Qian, and Zi Luo were already standing at the village entrance.

Ryosuke's figure quickly approached from not far away. He looked much more solemn today than usual, with even a hint of bloodshot in his eyes.

"Tang Yan, be extremely careful on this journey," Ryosuke's voice was as low as sand in the wind, audible only to the two of them. He paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully.

"The Kazekage has… extra attention on you."

The phrase "extra attention" was said with profound meaning. Rather than a reminder, it sounded more like a warning. Was it a reprimand, surveillance, or a more complex chess game?

Tang Yan's jawline tightened slightly. He simply nodded, not asking further. Some things had no answers even if asked; it was better to see them with his own eyes.

The Fifth Squad officially set off, their destination: the Wind Barrier defense zone.

That area was where Sunagakure and Konoha's territories intertwined like dog teeth, with yellow sand and fresh blood as the eternal pigments on this canvas.

The journey was monotonous, the wind howling.

Tang Yan could feel at least three hidden Chakra signatures, like scorpions beneath the sand, trailing them at a moderate distance.

An almost invisible Chakra thread drifted out with the wind, like a probe, gently landing on a dune a hundred meters away.

Hmm, one Chakra signature was quite reckless, while the other two were much more stable.

Whose people were they? Anbu? Or Root?

Well, let them scout ahead and see what else was hidden in this wind. He showed no change in expression, maintaining a steady pace.

Upon reaching a sheltered rock cave, the three rested temporarily.

Tang Yan took out an ancient scroll from his Pregnant and handed it to Qian.

"This is a good thing I got from Yura's side, a Summoning contract for the Sickle Weasel clan."

Qian took the scroll. It was covered with dense formations and incomprehensible scribbles.

Without hesitation, she bit her fingertip, quickly formed hand signs according to the scroll's instructions, and pressed her bloodied handprint in the center.

"Summoning Technique!"

"Bang!"

A puff of white smoke exploded, and a Sickle Weasel, about half a meter long, pure white, and with unbelievably nimble eyes, appeared out of thin air. Its front claws were as sharp as blades, and it sported a flashy small cloth bag around its neck. It was scratching its ear with a hind leg, surveying its surroundings with a look of disdain.

"My name is Scythe Wind Slash, Contractor, greetings," the white Sickle Weasel spoke human words, its voice clear and cold, with a hint of natural arrogance.

Qian was overjoyed and reached out to stroke its smooth fur.

Scythe Wind Slash, however, deftly flicked its head, dodging her hand. Several invisible wind blades appeared out of nowhere, slicing a nearby half-human-sized boulder into pieces, the cuts as smooth as a mirror. It then nodded with satisfaction, seemingly showcasing its worth. "My abilities are Wind Release Ninjutsu and reconnaissance."

"Specializes in wind blades and reconnaissance, not bad," Tang Yan commented.

On the other side, Zi Luo was practicing the shuriken techniques Tang Yan taught him against a large rock.

His menacing iron hand on his right and the gauntlet on his left arm gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

"Exhale… Inhale…"

He adjusted his breathing, practicing the Seven Day Breathing Method.

With a special rhythm, his arm muscles subtly bulged, and a condensed force circulated within his body.

"Whoosh!"

With a flick of his wrist, several iron pieces smaller than a fingernail shot from his hand, almost silently, embedding themselves into the distant sand.

The tails of the iron pieces glowed with a faint blue light in the sunlight.

A few days later, the Fifth Squad finally arrived at the Wind Barrier frontline command post.

It was a fortress half-buried beneath the sand dunes, the air thick with the heavy scent of blood, disinfectant, and gunpowder, making it hard to breathe.

Injured Ninja were constantly being carried in and out, their faces etched with exhaustion and numbness.

Inside the command post, an old Jonin with a severed arm and a face full of scars was grumbling at a sand table.

He lazily lifted his eyelids when he saw Tang Yan and the other two enter.

"Fifth Squad, Tang Yan, Qian, Zi Luo, reporting for duty," Tang Yan handed over their orders.

The old Jonin took it, pinching it with his single arm, and casually glanced at it, his lips curling in disdain.

"Hah, another gilded Special Jonin," his voice was hoarse and grating. "The battlefield isn't a playground for you greenhouse flowers."

No sooner had he spoken than a Chunin with a scarred face, who was wiping a kunai nearby, stood up and provocatively scanned Tang Yan from head to toe.

"Kid, I heard you're a Puppet Master?" He plunged the kunai into the table with a crisp "clang." "Are you even old enough to be a Special Jonin?"

"Come on, let grandpa loosen you up! So you don't wet your pants on the battlefield!"

The Chunin grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, his large fists cracking as he clenched them.

The other Ninja in the command post also stopped what they were doing, casting curious glances.

Some were purely bored, while others held clear hostility.

Frontline Ninja most disliked these "geniuses" who parachuted in.

Qian's brows furrowed, and her hand instinctively moved to the Ninja tool pouch at her waist.

Tang Yan, however, didn't even lift an eyelid. His gaze passed over the Chunin and landed on the weapon rack in the corner.

"Too noisy."

He uttered three words faintly, his voice not loud, yet it instantly silenced the entire command post's chatter.

The Chunin's face instantly turned a pig-liver color: "What the f—"

Before he could finish speaking, a silver light flashed.

"Clang!"

The kunai the Chunin had stuck in the table was neatly sliced in half, the cut incredibly smooth. The severed upper half spun twice in the air and accurately landed back on the table.

Everyone was stunned, unable to see what had happened.

Tang Yan had, at some point, moved in front of the Chunin, toying with a small, blue-glowing surgical blade in his hand. The blade danced nimbly between his fingers, like a butterfly.

He finally looked up at the burly Chunin, his eyes calm and unruffled.

"My blade is for killing, not for sparring with trash."

"Do you… want to try?"

Zi Luo's brows furrowed into a knot. Just as he was about to step forward, Tang Yan's arm was already across his front, not heavy, but unmovable.

Tang Yan calmly looked at the scarred-faced Chunin, even a slight upward twitch at the corner of his mouth.

"Alright."

Before he finished speaking, his entire being abruptly vanished from his spot.

No sound, no warning, as if what had stood there moments ago was merely an illusion.

The provocative Chunin's pupils sharply contracted, his muscles instantly tensed. The instincts honed through years of life and death made his scalp tingle. He had no time to think, only wanting to turn and defend.

Too late.

An icy touch was already pressed against his throat, carrying the unique texture of metal.

Tang Yan had, at some point, appeared behind him like a ghost. The Tang sword, covered in dark patterns, was out of its sheath, its sharp blade steadily pressed against his carotid artery. With just a slight flick of the wielder's wrist, his head would be separated from his body.

The entire process was so fast that, apart from the one-armed Jonin, no one in the command post even saw Tang Yan draw his sword.

"A sword, once drawn, always wants to cut something."

Tang Yan's voice was very soft, whispered close to the Chunin's ear, yet it made everyone present's heart skip a beat.

Cold sweat instantly poured down the Chunin's forehead, his body stiff as a dried rock. Forget moving, even his breathing almost stopped.

He could clearly feel the chilling cold from the blade and the restrained yet all-cutting sharpness.

This… this is a Puppet Master? This swordsmanship, this killing intent, when did Sunagakure produce such a monster!

The command post was dead silent, not even a breath could be heard.

The one-armed Jonin's single eye flashed with shrewdness. For the first time, he truly looked at the black-haired young man before him. This skill, this profound killing intent, could definitely not be cultivated in a greenhouse.

He thought to himself that even if he were in perfect condition, avoiding that elusive strike just now would likely come at a significant cost.

"Clang."

Tang Yan sheathed his sword, his movements fluid and graceful, the sound of the blade returning to its sheath crisp and pleasant.

"Now, can we talk business?"

The one-armed Jonin gave him a deep look, his tone no longer dismissive, but rather more solemn. He pointed to the sand table: "The Kazekage has already issued orders. Fifth Squad, this is your first mission."

He used a wooden stick to point to an area marked with a red skull on the sand table.

"B-rank - Rescue: Immediately proceed to the Ant Lion Hazard Zone and rescue the medical team trapped there." He paused, emphasizing his words. "They are carrying detailed lists of severely wounded frontline personnel, as well as intelligence on the antidote developed by Konoha against our toxins. They absolutely cannot be lost."

"Ant Lion Hazard Zone?" Qian leaned closer, looking at the treacherous canyon on the sand table, marked with various danger signs in red.

"That's right," the one-armed Jonin's face darkened. "According to the latest intelligence, there are Konoha Ninja active near the Ant Lion Hazard Zone, and it's highly probable that there's a female Ninja skilled in manipulating insects among them."

Aburame Clan? Tang Yan's gaze swept across the sand table, his fingers lightly tracing a few passes in the canyon.

"This place isn't just complex in terrain, but also…" He paused, his gaze falling on the direction of several intersecting mountain ranges. "If the earth pulse map is correct, there should be a natural Chakra disturbance zone here."

For the first time, surprise appeared on the one-armed Jonin's face.

This young man, not only unbelievably strong, but also so perceptive regarding battlefield geography.

"You're right. There are indeed several areas within the Ant Lion Hazard Zone where Chakra flow is chaotic. This is also the main reason why the medical team's communication and sensing were cut off, leading to them being trapped."

Tang Yan nodded, having a plan in mind. He quickly formed hand signs and let out a low shout.

"Summoning Technique!"

"Bang!"

A puff of white smoke exploded, and a Ninja Toad of similar height to him appeared in the command post.

It carried a specially made miniature sand gourd on its back and a short Tang sword at its waist. Its eyes were sharp, and upon appearing, it knelt on one knee, its posture steady.

"Yan!"

"Go, scout the perimeter of the Ant Lion Hazard Zone. Report any disturbances immediately."

"Yes!"

The Ninja Toad responded, its body blurring into an afterimage as it vanished from its spot, even faster than the Body Flicker Technique.

Everyone in the command post was once again stunned by this move. Even his summoned beast was so formidable. How many more trump cards did this guy named Tang Yan have?

Before departing, Tang Yan noticed that the one-armed Jonin's gaze, which had initially been disdainful, had turned to scrutiny, and a hint of… wariness that only those of similar caliber could perceive.