An invisible wind barrier shielded Uchiha Kaien from the scorching desert heat.
Even the swirling sandstorms were completely kept at bay.
Compared to manipulating the external winds to carve a path forward, it was far less taxing to simply cloak himself in wind directly.
Still, the sight of Cloudpiercer gliding silently through the sky looked almost magical.
Kaien decided it was time for a change in appearance.
The only question was—who to mimic?
Anyone Kaien had encountered before was fair game. As long as he didn't replicate their abilities and only borrowed their appearance, he needed just a sliver of information.
He had collected plenty of data back in Kumogakure—especially on certain voluptuous blonde onee-sans.
Much as Kaien enjoyed that particular aesthetic, it definitely wasn't suitable for the situation.
Besides, the best of the blondes was still that one from Konoha. In Kaien's eyes, she was the most "nourishing."
Honestly, if he just showed up and told Tsunade he came at Orochimaru-sensei's request, he might even get a warm welcome.
After weighing his options, Kaien decided to go with the image of a gentle, kind-hearted girl.
Nohara Rin fit the bill perfectly.
Even though Rin was barely three years old right now, Kaien had already seen her when he teased Kakashi. He'd even pinched her soft little cheeks a few times.
He hadn't expected that, in the middle of wartime, Hatake Sakumo would entrust Kakashi to the care of the Nohara couple. Turns out Kakashi and Rin were genuine childhood friends.
At this point, Uchiha Obito hadn't even met Rin yet.
Then again, it made sense. These brats were only about two and a half years old—just barely learning to read. Unless they'd met from birth, they wouldn't have had the chance to know each other until the Academy.
The Uchiha compound wasn't exactly closed off to outsiders at this time, but the presence of the Konoha Military Police Force meant that few villagers wandered in.
So unless Obito left the compound on his own, there was no way he'd meet Rin early.
Rin had a gentle smile and a naturally healing aura. If a boy had someone like her in his life during childhood, it would be hard to imagine him falling into darkness.
And so, Kaien chose to use the information he had on Nohara Rin.
The issue of Rin's age wasn't a concern.
So long as the phantom beast had the proper data, it could replicate any age range of a person. Kaien also knew what teenage Rin looked like, so he had plenty to work with.
Considering Sasori's current age, Kaien opted for the look of Rin at around seven or eight.
Sasori and Nagato were the same age—probably still at the Academy or tinkering with puppets alone at home.
Gifted children who lost their source of love... all it took was the slightest warmth to change their path forever.
Kaien was also intrigued by Shukaku.
Magnet Release was derived from Shukaku's power—and yet, that same power could suppress Shukaku. Now that was interesting.
A Tailed Beast defeated by its own chakra?
No other Tailed Beast had a record of that happening as much as Shukaku.
Kaien wasn't sure when Shukaku had learned sealing techniques, but for some reason, it still got sealed. A bizarre creature, truly.
From what Gaara later demonstrated, Shukaku likely already knew sealing jutsu by then—otherwise, Gaara wouldn't have been forced to constantly suppress it, even while sleeping.
The power of the One-Tail... was definitely worth acquiring.
If Namikaze Minato became the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, he could study the chakra openly and without restrictions.
Kaien would help him control the beast, develop new applications together, and Minato would surely be deeply moved by his assistance.
In the process, Kaien could gather all the information he needed on the Nine-Tails.
With that in mind, Kaien didn't hesitate any longer. The phantom beast morphed from Cloudpiercer into the form of a small girl around seven or eight.
Even in this form, Kaien could still use the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Rather than carving seals into the sand one by one, he could simply toss out a few kunai. If another village's ninja picked one up—well, all the better.
Something worth a hara-kiri apology, perhaps.
Any kunai that got recovered would likely be reforged or locked away in the village's arsenal.
And if Kaien could infiltrate that arsenal at will—that would be a huge win.
Now that the wind and sand no longer impeded him, Kaien's travel speed increased significantly.
In less than a day, he had crossed the Land of Fire and arrived at Sunagakure.
At the entrance to the village stood a massive, heavily fortified gate, guarded around the clock by three rotating squads.
To Kaien, it may as well have been invisible.
The phantom beast casually transformed into a peregrine falcon and soared into the air, letting out a sharp cry before gliding lazily over the village.
"A peregrine falcon? Haven't seen one of those in ages."
One of the guards below looked up and muttered.
"Don't get nostalgic just yet. First verify if it's a summoning beast or if it carries chakra."
Their squad leader wasn't one to let things slide.
"Report, Captain! Our sensors confirm—it's a regular falcon. No chakra."
Kaien listened to the exchange with detached interest. The phantom beast mimicked real creatures so perfectly that as long as it didn't use chakra, it was indistinguishable from a regular animal.
There was no way these guards with their half-baked sensory skills would notice anything off.
From the sky, Kaien began his survey of Sunagakure. His wide-range sensory jutsu expanded slowly as he searched for Shukaku—and a certain red-haired boy.
"Shukaku's not in the village?"
The falcon circled the perimeter but still found no trace of the Tailed Beast.
To be fair, flying as a bird was very different from his true form.
It felt so free, so exhilarating—Kaien had grown fond of it.
"There. Found Sasori."
He decided to make contact with the red-haired boy first.
After all, Sasori would be vital later when it came to hunting Tailed Beasts.
The Akatsuki was such a fascinating organization. It would be boring if his actions prevented it from forming altogether.
He'd still need to pay a visit to Kakuzu one of these days.
Break four of his hearts, then invite him to join with a smile—Kakuzu-san would surely be thrilled.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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