Konoha's Genius is a bit Ordinary?

The small, dark-green snakes quickly memorized the scent from the black cloth and dispersed in all directions to track it down.

Maki, watching the snakes slither away, couldn't help but twitch slightly. These summons reminded him of Orochimaru.

"Now we just need to wait for my summons to return with news," Natsuro said, turning his gaze toward Maki. "Of course, you shouldn't sit idle. Even though we don't know why the Akatsuki is capturing Jinchūriki, it's certainly not to play house with them. The longer they hold him, the more danger Gaara is in."

"The more manpower we have searching, the faster we might be able to bring Gaara back."

"I understand," Maki replied, his expression bitter. He knew better than anyone how dire the situation was. Gaara was not only their Kazekage but also his most proud student. How could he not be anxious?

"Good." Natsuro nodded, then added, "Until the trail is found, is there a place where the wind is particularly strong? I'd like to visit it."

Maki was momentarily stunned but quickly made arrangements. The Sand Village might lack many resources, but it certainly had no shortage of strong winds. After all, it was a region perpetually plagued by relentless gusts.

Soon, Natsuro found himself standing atop a high cliff, feeling the never-ending wind brushing against him. He closed his eyes, his expression serene, clearly satisfied with the location.

Sensing this, Maki let out a small sigh of relief and said, "Alright, Lord Natsuro, I'll leave you to your work. I need to return and handle other matters—the village is still in chaos with the Kazekage captured."

"Go ahead," Natsuro replied without objection.

Once Maki had left, Natsuro sat cross-legged at the cliff's edge, closing his eyes and allowing his body to fully immerse in the sensation of the natural wind around him.

Even as he sat alone, dwarfed by the overwhelming power of nature, he remained steadfast and unshaken.

The Akatsuki's trail was located far sooner than Natsuro had anticipated.

One of the small, dark-green snakes had already picked up the enemy's scent.

Rising from his spot on the cliff, Natsuro headed back toward the Sand Village.

Although his time meditating in the wind was brief, he could feel that it had a tangible impact on him.

If chakra had elemental affinities, then it made sense that natural energy could as well.

Natsuro had been testing this theory, and he extended his hand. Invisible to the naked eye, natural energy began to gather in his palm.

He could sense that the natural energy he was gathering in this environment was distinctly attuned to the wind element. Converting this energy into chakra would naturally enhance the power of any wind-based jutsu he performed.

Even without converting it, the energy provided some benefit to his wind affinity. However, these gains were negligible compared to his already high proficiency with wind techniques.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder, what if he subjected himself to similarly elemental environments for fire, earth, and water?

His fire techniques had always lacked power, and his proficiency with earth and water was even worse. He had never considered improving these through training because of how slow the process would be.

But now, he believed he might have found a shortcut unique to him. Although this method likely wouldn't elevate those elements to the level of his wind and lightning techniques, it could still yield significant improvements.

However, even with this approach, fully mastering these elements would be a monumental task that would require time.

Yet Natsuro felt it was worth pursuing. At his current level, further breakthroughs in power were increasingly difficult and required him to explore uncharted paths. Broadening his skillset might not only make him stronger overall but could also provide insights for achieving the next step.

Having made his decision, Natsuro returned to Maki and informed him of the trail he had uncovered.

"Do you want us to send someone to accompany you, or should we wait for your companions to arrive before moving out?" Maki asked, torn between caution and urgency.

"There's no need for either," Natsuro replied bluntly. "To be honest, your people would only slow me down and be a liability in battle."

Maki fell silent, his expression complex. Although Natsuro's words were harsh, they were undeniably true.

"As for waiting for my comrades," Natsuro hesitated briefly before continuing, "I'm not sure when they'll arrive. By then, it might already be too late."

After some thought, Natsuro summoned another small, dark-green snake and handed it to Maki. He explained that any Sand ninja who wanted to join the pursuit could follow this snake.

"Thank you, Lord Natsuro," Maki said sincerely as he accepted the snake.

Watching Natsuro walk away, Maki felt a pang of mixed emotions. He recalled how, during the Chūnin Exams in Konoha, he could still stand on equal footing with Natsuro. Now, he had been completely left behind.

He could no longer even see Natsuro's shadow, he had been surpassed by such a wide margin.

Once he had finished coordinating with Maki, Natsuro placed the snake on his shoulder and vanished from sight.

"Please, succeed," Maki murmured, silently praying for their mission's success.

....

Not long after Natsuro had left, Sasuke arrived at the Sand Village with Jūgo and Karin. They were promptly escorted by Temari to meet with Maki.

Maki recognized Sasuke immediately and couldn't help but marvel at how much he had grown. He then briefed Sasuke on the situation.

"Natsuro has already gone ahead?" Sasuke frowned. However, not knowing what Orochimaru had told Naruto, he wasn't overly concerned.

"Do you want to rest for a bit before heading out?" Maki noticed the fatigue on Sasuke's face and asked.

"There's no time. Which direction did Natsuro head?" Sasuke declined immediately, his focus sharp.

After pointing out the direction, Maki added, "If you go this way, you should catch up with our main search team soon, but you may not be able to catch up with Natsuro."

Sasuke nodded, understanding perfectly. He hadn't expected to catch up with Natsuro anyway. Of all people, he was well aware of Natsuro's unparalleled speed. He'd never seen anyone faster.

"Do you two need to rest? If so, I'll head out on my own first," Sasuke asked, glancing at Jūgo and Karin.

"Of course not! Sasuke-kun, are you worried about me? I'm so touched! I'll stick to you no matter what!" Karin's previous exhaustion seemed to vanish instantly as she lit up with enthusiasm.

Jūgo, on the other hand, simply shook his head, indicating he was fine as well.

"Count me in," Temari said from beside Maki.

"Alright, let's move out!" Sasuke said decisively, stopping Karin from clinging to him with one hand and acknowledging Temari's request with a nod.

Clearly, Sasuke had grown used to situations like this.

Watching them leave, Maki couldn't help but reflect on how the young Uchiha brat from years ago had matured so much.

But just when he thought everyone had arrived, Kakashi's and Guy's teams also reached the Sand Village, leaving Maki utterly speechless.

"So you're all arriving in waves now? Couldn't you have come together?" he muttered under his breath.

Still, as he considered the situation, Maki felt a deep sense of gratitude. These Konoha shinobi must have rushed here right after resolving the issue with Mōryō. Despite the Sand's past betrayal of their alliance, Konoha was treating them with such sincerity.

It left him reflecting bitterly on their past mistakes. They had truly been blinded by Orochimaru's manipulations. Unforgivable.

Not wanting to waste time, Maki quickly briefed Kakashi and Guy on everything.

"As expected of Natsuro, he's remarkably efficient," Kakashi said with a sigh. They had hurried as much as they could but were still a step behind. Natsuro's speed was simply extraordinary, not only had he reached the Sand Village first, but he had also successfully treated Kankurō, who had been beyond the local medics' ability to help, and tracked down the Akatsuki's trail.

And he still managed to move out ahead of them.

Kakashi could only marvel at the sheer speed and efficiency. Could they really blame Natsuro for being too fast?

"Damn it!" Naruto clenched his fists in frustration, visibly anxious.

"Natsuro…" Ino felt a growing unease in her heart as she stared into the distance.

"Would you all like to rest? You seem quite exhausted," Maki suggested once more.

"Haha, no need. Everyone's pretty eager to move," Kakashi began, only to notice Naruto already dashing off ahead. Waving farewell to Maki, he said, "Well, we'll take our leave now."

"So… is everyone from Konoha this fast-paced?" Maki muttered in awe, watching their retreating figures.

In that moment, if not for his responsibilities in organizing the Sand Village's response, Maki might have been tempted to join them himself.

In front of a highly concealed cave, Natsuro stood on the trunk of a massive tree.

Inside the cave lay the destination revealed by his dark-green snake summon. However, the snake had not ventured inside and had been dispelled after relaying the information.

For a while, Natsuro processed the new details in his mind. He had sent a shadow clone to scout the cave, and the results confirmed Gaara's presence inside.

Yet, he felt uneasy. The path he had taken to arrive here had been far too smooth. From his memory of the original story, Kakashi's and Guy's teams had faced significant resistance.

But Natsuro had encountered no such obstacles. Perhaps his presence hadn't been detected, so no one had been sent to intercept him?

He mulled this over while cross-checking the shadow clone's report. It confirmed that his target was indeed inside this cave.

His sensory ability also picked up three chakra signatures, presumably belonging to Deidara, Sasori, and Gaara.

With no reason to hesitate further, Natsuro carefully placed a Flying Thunder God kunai outside the cave and stealthily made his way inside.

However, the instant he stepped in, an overwhelming sense of foreboding enveloped him. He instinctively tried to retreat, but the ground beneath him suddenly opened like a trapdoor, revealing a bottomless chasm below.

Natsuro remained calm. He had been prepared for surprises and adjusted to peak readiness upon entry. Such a trap wasn't difficult for him to evade.

But then...

"Who's there?!"

His body froze as every hair on his body stood on end. He sensed a sudden chakra fluctuation above him. Without hesitation, he hurled a Flying Thunder God kunai toward the source of the fluctuation and threw another toward the upper side of the chasm.

Turning swiftly, Natsuro's eyes locked onto a face he recognized all too well.

And those eyes…

The Rinnegan.

Pain?!

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Currently on Chapter 252 - Eight Gates Formation