It's normal to get a kaleidoscope as a first deposit of six yuan, right?

"Should we bring that brat along too?" Scorpion asked Payne, though he felt he could manage on his own.

"Of course, you're a temporary team now, so you'll naturally have to go on missions together."

Upon hearing Payne's affirmative answer, Sasori put away the mission scroll and left.

If we need to bring another person to the desert, we'll have to prepare more water and food, which is really troublesome. But thankfully, there should be a stronger ninja on this mission who can replenish the puppet inventory afterward.

The next day, Scorpion, who was already fully prepared, looked at Zhixue, who was wearing a black sandproof down jacket, and asked, "Are you planning to go to the desert like this?"

"Otherwise what?" Zhixue waved her hands.

"The climate in the desert is different from other parts of the ninja world. No matter how strong you are, you need to bring enough water and food, otherwise... Heh, never mind, lecturing is too troublesome. Do whatever you want, but don't blame me for not reminding you when you're not in good condition."

Watching Scorpion turn and leave, Zhixue shook her head and followed him.

She could just buy these things from the system shop when she needed them; aside from items that boosted her strength, everything in the shop was very cheap. However, she only discovered when buying sanitary napkins that the system shop actually sold many items found in small shops and even restaurants, which was quite convenient.

Starting from Amegakure, Sasori and Shisuke, who were still with Hiruko, embarked on their journey to the desert of the Land of Wind.

the next day…

Because the Land of Rain borders the Land of Wind, the vegetation on the road that Shizuku and Scorpion are walking on is becoming increasingly sparse. There are still some traces of buildings left on the barren land, suggesting that villagers once lived here a long time ago.

Scorpion looked up at the yellow sand rising in the distance, then looked back in the direction of Zhixue.

"There's probably going to be a sandstorm later, let's wait a bit... Wait, where did you get that drink?" Scorpion turned around and looked at the steaming milk tea in Zhixue's hand, three question marks appearing above his head.

Why didn't I see Zhixue take anything when she left? And where did she get the hot water from? He didn't even notice.

"Hmm... Is there a problem? Didn't you say there was a sandstorm? Then it should be okay if I drink some earlier, right?" Zhi Xue inserted a straw, feeling the warm liquid with a sweet and sour taste, and spoke.

Scorpion didn't pay attention to Zhixue's actions, simply assuming she had secretly hidden herself using some unknown method. He knew she wouldn't be able to withstand it for long; the physical body was indeed troublesome. He needed to quickly gather the materials and technology to transform himself into a puppet, since only an eternal puppet could be a truly breathtaking work of art. However, he was still a human at the moment and needed sufficient nutrition and water.

Seemingly sensing that Zhi Xue's words made some sense, Scorpion, wearing a sand-brown vest, emerged from the puppet Fei Liu, taking out some water and soldier rations from the bag on his back.

"Huh, can you even eat something as hard and dry as a soldier's ration pill?" Just as Scorpion was about to put the soldier's ration pill in his mouth, Zhi Xue, who was standing next to him, took out a bag of steamed buns from her clothes, took out a few and stuffed them into her bulging cheeks and said.

scorpion:……

How did this kid manage to pull out all these strange things? Hmm? And this steamed bun is still steaming hot!?

Chapter 117, The Treasure Hunting Group

"Boss, can there really be treasure in this godforsaken place?" In a cluster of matchboxes created using earth-style techniques in the desert, a ninja wearing a rogue ninja headband asked the fierce-looking figure sitting on an earthen platform with some skepticism.

"I'm not entirely sure about this place, but according to the legends that have been circulating in the area for many years, this is what it's all about: as long as we can find the treasure left here by the Fourth Hokage, we can live a carefree and happy life without worrying about food or clothing for the rest of our lives."

The leader of the rogue ninja organization smiled slightly, but his face darkened when he heard the howling wind outside, which sounded like a demon.

"Why is there a sandstorm in this godforsaken place every day? It's unbelievable. If it weren't for the fact that we can still rob the surrounding caravans, we would be on the verge of starvation. Notify the rest of the brothers to strengthen their earth-style ninjutsu defenses, and also be on guard against sandworm attacks."

"Yes, boss!"

Several rogue ninjas who were still inside went out to relay orders. Originally, they didn't want to come, but recently a mysterious organization had sprung up in the underground ninja world, stealing a lot of their business and leaving them nowhere to be found. This annoyed them so they decided to gamble here. Even if they didn't find the treasure, they could still make a profit by picking up some goods on the trade route.

……

On the edge of the desert, Scorpion used puppets to prop up a square frame and stretched strips of cloth over it, temporarily creating a small haven there.

Listening to the sharp and terrifying howling wind outside, Zhixue took out her binoculars and poked them through the gaps in the cloth strips to watch the dust and sand whipped up by the wind flying in the sky like snowflakes.

"Is this a sandstorm? It looks spectacular." Zhi Xue said, holding binoculars in one hand and looking at the magnificent scenery outside, her eyes seemingly shining.

In her past life, she was a socially awkward person who had never been to the outside world, such as the ocean or the desert. Now, her wish to see these sights has been fulfilled.

Scorpion looked at the curious Zhi Xue without saying anything. When he first saw a sandstorm as a child, he was in a similar situation to Zhi Xue now. However, he had come to regard it as commonplace. Instead of watching a bunch of sand flying around and being of no use, he might as well look at the component decoration diagrams of a puppet.

"Once the sandstorm ends, let's set off immediately. According to the intelligence we've received, the target we need to eliminate is located in the eastern part of the desert. There's a small oasis nearby. If we stop early, we can probably complete the mission tonight," Scorpion said, taking a bite of his steamed bun.

"Does it have to be this fast?" Zhi Xue turned around and looked at Scorpion's meticulous expression with some surprise. She hoped that the bandits she was about to wipe out could hold out a little longer so that she could perfectly get the slacking-off reward.

While Zhixue was quietly watching the sandstorm outside, a slight tremor suddenly came from the ground, startling Xie. He then manipulated Feiliuhu to grab Zhixue and jump out of the shelter they had set up. A huge sandworm emerged from the ground, its ferocious mouthparts hissing at Zhixue and Feiliuhu. More than a dozen sharp, scythe-like legs lay on the sand, as if it was angry about the failed hunt.

"Wow, this worm looks so ugly," Zhixue remarked, looking at the sandworm a dozen meters away.

“Sand worms of this size should usually be found in the heart of the desert. It seems that neither it nor we are very lucky.” Scorpion said expressionlessly, then ate the bun in his hand in one bite, and pulled a scroll from his waist with a large “seal” written on it.

"Get out of the way, I'm about to unleash a puppet."

“Okay.” Zhi Xue retreated to a distance of 50 meters, while Xie opened the scroll. Under a bright white light, more than a dozen puppets dressed in red robes flew in mid-air.

It's just a bug, not worth the Hundred Machines Maneuver or the Third Kazekage. But if you mess with him, he definitely won't let this bug leave here alive.

Seeing the puppet arsenal displayed by the little man in front of him, the insect screeched, coiled its multi-legged, blade-like body, burrowed into the sand, creating a huge trench on the surface, and swooped down towards the scorpion.

Seeing the sand worms attacking, the chakra threads between Sasori's ten fingers vibrated like harp strings. The puppet still flying above stretched out its hand, and more than ten claws connected by steel wires slammed into the ground, stirring up a cloud of sand. Blood stained the sand, and after a mournful cry, the sand in front of them was torn apart. The long worms covered in blood pounced on Sasori like a humpback whale.

However, just as the sandworm was about to succeed, a tremendous force came from the steel claws gripping its flesh from behind. At the same time, something like a steel whip lashed out from a distance. The powerful blow almost pierced through the sandworm's carapace, leaving a large dent, and it flew more than ten meters away.

Scorpion manipulated Hiruko to retract its tail and fly to its side. Using the power of the aerial puppet, it dismembered the screaming sandworm in the sea of ​​sand, where it was gradually buried by the yellow sand blown by the sandstorm.

“Things without value are useless even if made into puppets.” Scorpion glanced disdainfully at the 30-meter-long sandworm corpse, then put the puppet away and returned to Zhi Xue’s side, where he heard Zhi Xue clapping.

clap clap clap!

"A good performance."

Scorpion didn't say anything in the face of Zhixue's praise, but seeing his art recognized still brought him a sense of joy. His goodwill towards Zhixue also increased a lot; at least this little guy knew what he was talking about.

……

While Zhixue and Xie were waiting for the sandstorm to pass in the sand, an uninvited guest arrived far away in Konoha Village.

In a dark corner of Konoha's streets, a small white snake slithered out from a crack, then its mouth tore open at an incredible angle, and Orochimaru, covered in slime, emerged from it.

After gently smoothing his hair with his hands, a cunning glint flashed beneath Orochimaru's cold, dark golden pupils.

"I never expected that after so long, Konoha's defenses would still be so tight. It's fortunate that Kabuto Yakushi covered for me, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to sneak in so easily." Orochimaru licked his lips in a sickly manner, then took out a scroll and slammed it on the ground. A dozen small snakes, each biting the scroll, scattered and disappeared into the shadows in the corners of the walls.

"This time I came prepared, one Uchiha against seven... For the sake of scientific and intellectual progress, you'll have to sacrifice yourself for my future and science... Hehehe..."

Chapter 118, The Butterfly's Wings

The sandstorms in the desert are like ferocious beasts under the yellow sky. The fierce hurricanes sweep up the yellow sand and travel across the world. Even ninjas will inevitably lose their way and gradually get lost in this desolate area.

"Is it like this all year round?" Zhixue asked Xie with a puzzled look, placing her small hand on her chin.

scorpion:……

Do you think the desert has four seasons?

Scorpion's straightforward answer made Zhixue scratch her head awkwardly. She was just curious, and besides, aren't there oases in the desert?

After taking a look at the sandstorm weather outside, Scorpion turned back to Zhixue and said, "The sandstorm should be over soon. Let's set off in a bit."

“Okay.” Zhi Xue smiled, but the bright smile quickly froze, and a bead of cold sweat appeared on her forehead.

Feeling the contractions in her lower abdomen, Zhixue's face darkened. "Damn it, Auntie Period, you have no sportsmanship, you actually ambushed me at this time."

"What's wrong with you?" Scorpion asked, seemingly noticing that something was wrong with Zhixue.

"Excuse me, I'm on my period. I'll have to go out for a bit." Zhi Xue said, standing up from the stone slab. She used earth magic to create a small matchbox outside, sealed the space, and then took out a sanitary napkin to treat her bleeding.

Stepping out of the matchbox, Zhixue felt a pain in her lower abdomen and scratched her head in distress.

It happens once a month, and each time it lasts for a whole day. It's really uncomfortable. Suddenly I feel that being a boy isn't so bad after all.

Ding! It's impossible for the host to turn back into a boy. From the moment you bound yourself to the system, your body's form has gradually merged with your soul. Even if you are born as a boy in your next life, you will gradually transform into a cute girl.

"Ah, I see. I was just reminiscing about my old life. But does it matter to you, a system, whether I'm male or female?"

Ding, it doesn't matter much, but since the host is a girl, it will be easier for her to slack off at work. Her highly deceptive appearance can also protect her safety to some extent in the early stages, provided she doesn't encounter any perverts.

If it weren't for her period, Zhi Xue would quite like being a girl. Although she often felt empty when she first transmigrated, she gradually got used to it and found it wasn't so bad.

After dealing with her period, Zhixue and Xie waited for a while until the wind gradually subsided before heading into the desert to search for the bandits hiding there.

An hour later, in the vast desert, Zhixue and Xie left a trail of footprints on the sand. Zhixue held a compass and headed towards the heart of the desert.

The sun was just approaching noon. Zhi Xue shook the yellow sand off her collar and activated her senses, seemingly able to see a group of buildings about five kilometers away.

“There appears to be a cluster of buildings about five kilometers away, at an angle of 45 degrees east of north.”

“That should be our target. But are you a sensory ninja?” Sasori looked at Shiki with some surprise.

He had always thought that the Uchiha clan specialized in training the Sharingan for sensory abilities, but he never expected that Xiaoxue would excel in this area.

"Ah, I guess so. Apart from sealing techniques and barriers that I don't understand, I think I know a little bit about everything else."

Scorpion followed the direction Zhixue had indicated and indeed found a group of matchbox-shaped structures made of earth magic in a higher area. Several figures were moving around inside, seemingly organizing their people and preparing to do something after the sandstorm ended.

"There are indeed quite a few people. It seems we'll have to get serious." Sasori made a preliminary assessment of the number of ninjas, finding at least several hundred, perhaps even close to a thousand. No wonder those merchants were willing to pay them.

Scorpion took out the scroll of the Third Kazekage, and Shiki obediently stayed behind him, ready to watch Scorpion's performance before slacking off herself.

However, just as Sasori had summoned the Third Kazekage to prepare to make his move, the numerous rogue ninja below seemed to have noticed something and scattered in all directions to escape.

In Zhixue's perception, a very obvious chakra node seemed to have appeared underground, flickering like the fluorescent light of Dark China.

"Wait, don't make a move yet, there seems to be something going on down there." Zhi Xue stopped Scorpion, who was about to run down to deal with the mission target, and then pointed to a purple light that had appeared in the enemy camp.

Scorpion frowned as he watched the purple hue gradually emerge below.

"What...is that?"

……

In Konoha, in the Hokage's office, Kakashi placed a half-burnt scroll on Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk.

"Lord Hokage, this seems to be the third scroll found in Konoha."

Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his pipe and carefully examined the half-scroll in his hand.

"Has the sealing team and other ninjas proficient in ninja tools been shown this?"

“We’ve already shown it to them, but because most of the sealing techniques were burned, we can’t accurately determine the scroll’s purpose. Also, we found this near the burned scroll.” Kakashi pulled a small piece of translucent snakeskin from his pocket, which made Hiruzen Sarutobi’s expression turn serious.

Could it be that Orochimaru has returned? What kind of trouble is he planning to cause in Konoha?

Hiruzen Sarutobi had once cared deeply for his disciple, but now he was just as troubled by him. Why had he been so soft-hearted as to let him go back then?

"Tell the Anbu to increase their nighttime patrols recently, and also inform the security team to be on alert for the security situation in Konoha. If they find anything amiss, report it immediately."

"Yes!" Kakashi bowed and left the Hokage's office.