Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

Page 282

The three immediately stopped smiling, stood up straight, and their expressions became serious: "Lady Tsunade! (Grandma!)"

Tsunade nodded in satisfaction, her gaze sweeping over the three of them, and said in a deep voice, "Well, enough of the small talk. I called you here today because there is an important task that I need you to complete."

Sasuke keenly caught Tsunade's choice of words and frowned slightly: "Lady Tsunade, do you mean... you need the three of us?"

Class 7 has been disbanded, and the members are now in different departments.

Tsunade didn't answer directly, but glanced in the direction of the office door: "Come in."

The office door was pushed open again, and a figure walked in silently.

The newcomer appeared to be around the same age as Sasuke, dressed in the standard uniform of the Konoha Anbu, and wearing an animal mask on his face.

But when he slowly removed his mask, what was revealed was an extremely handsome, even somewhat pale face.

He had short black hair, narrow eyes, and a smile on his face that was... extremely standard, yet seemed to have been measured with a ruler, devoid of any warmth.

"Nice to meet you,"

The black-haired boy's voice was calm and even, and his smile seemed welded on: "I'm Sai. It's nice to meet you."

His language was polite, but his empty eyes and stiff smile conveyed no trace of "happiness".

Instead, it has an indescribable eeriness.

Sasuke's eyes shifted slightly, almost imperceptibly, as he stared at Sai's utterly fake smile.

His brows furrowed even more, and he said coldly, "But your expression and tone don't sound like you're 'very happy' at all."

Uchiha's intuition made him wary of this suddenly appearing, strangely aura-filled fellow.

Sai's smile remained unchanged, as if he had expected this question.

He replied in a calm, even tone, "I'm very sorry. During my training at the 'Roots,' the parts related to emotional expression were erased and suppressed as much as possible."

"If this makes you uncomfortable or bothered, I regret it."

This word sent a chill down the spines of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.

That was Danzo's secret force, even darker than the Anbu, which only followed absolute orders.

Although after Danzo's downfall, the "Root" organization has been gradually reorganized and incorporated by Lady Tsunade.

But those who emerge from it still carry that indelible chill and mystery.

Tsunade tapped the table, breaking the slightly awkward and tense atmosphere: "Alright, Sai used to be a member of Root, but now he belongs to the Anbu Special Operations Team."

"His ninjutsu techniques will be of great help in this mission. The specific mission details..."

She picked up a document that Shizune handed her, her expression turning serious: "Just yesterday, we received an urgent request for assistance from Sunagakure."

"Traces of Orochimaru and his forces have been discovered. They are currently gathered at an ancient ruin in the Land of Wind—Loulan."

"Orochimaru?!"

The three of them gasped in unison! This name represented too much danger and bad memories!

Tsunade said in a deep voice, "Based on the intelligence provided by Sunagakure and our analysis, Orochimaru's target is most likely the huge energy source buried beneath Loulan—the 'Dragon Vein'."

"Dragon Vein?" Naruto looked blank; he had never heard of such a thing.

Sakura seemed to be deep in thought: "I think I saw a record of it in an ancient book. It is said to be a natural energy aggregate containing an unimaginable amount of chakra."

Tsunade gave Sakura an approving look: "That's right."

"Although more than ten years ago, Minato set up a powerful sealing technique to prevent the dragon vein from being used."

"Dad's seal?" Naruto was taken aback.

"Yes. Minato sealed it himself. But..."

Tsunade's tone was full of worry: "Given Orochimaru's knowledge and research on forbidden techniques, it's not impossible for him to break Minato's seal given enough time."

"If he were to gain control of the dragon vein's power, the consequences would be unimaginable!"

The atmosphere in the office instantly became incredibly heavy.

Orochimaru plus the Dragon Vein—just thinking about this combination sends chills down your spine.

"Therefore, Sunagakure has requested that we send an elite squad to assist them in going to the ruins of Loulan to investigate the situation and, if necessary, stop Orochimaru!"

Tsunade's gaze swept over the four people in front of her: "Considering the danger of the mission and the special nature of the opponents, I have decided to rebuild Team 7 to carry out this mission!"

"Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and... Sai!"

"You four will form a team and depart immediately to the Land of Wind to join the team sent by Sunagakure!"

Sasuke and Sakura immediately responded in deep voices, their eyes sharpening.

Although Sai's arrival was somewhat unexpected, Orochimaru's appearance immediately put them into battle mode.

Only Naruto, after a brief moment of shock, slapped his thigh, his face instantly blazing with intense fighting spirit and urgency, and roared:

"What are we waiting for?! Let's go! We absolutely cannot let that Orochimaru, that pervert, succeed! And this time we must thoroughly beat him to a pulp!"

He completely forgot about it at that moment!

Nothing is more important than stopping Orochimaru and protecting the village!

The new Team 7, carrying the bonds of the past and the unknowns of the future, is about to embark on a journey to the Land of Wind.

Chapter 302 The Situation Outside Loulan

The sun shone brightly in front of the gates of Konoha Village, yet a chilling aura of impending doom seemed to hang in the air.

The four members of the rebuilt Class 7 gathered here.

Naruto rubbed his hands together, his face beaming with eager fighting spirit.

His golden hair shimmered in the sunlight. He waved his hand with great flair: "Alright! Class Seven! Let's go! Destination—Loulan!"

However, a voice so calm it was almost imperceptible poured down like cold water: "At our usual pace."

Even if we maintain a forced march the whole way, it will take at least two days to reach the Loulan ruins on the border of the Wind Kingdom.

"This process will consume a lot of physical strength and chakra, which is not conducive to the battle that may occur immediately after arrival."

Naruto turned his head and looked at Sai, the black-haired boy who had spoken.

Even though I know the other person is now my teammate, their tone is so precise, almost like a machine, and completely devoid of emotion.

It always made him feel uneasy, as if ants were crawling all over him.

He retorted irritably, "What can we do? Are we supposed to fly over there?"

Sai nodded, his standard smile unchanged, and his tone remained steady: "Yes, fly over there."

"Huh?" Naruto was taken aback.

Fly? What are you talking about?

Sai calmly took a scroll from behind his back, spread it out on the ground, and pulled out a uniquely shaped calligraphy brush.

He took a deep breath, his eyes instantly became focused, and with a flick of his wrist, the brush flew across the scroll as swiftly as flowing water!

With just a few strokes, a magnificent bird with an astonishing wingspan vividly leaps onto the paper!

Its exquisite details make it seem as if it's about to burst off the paper at any moment!

"Ninja Technique: Super Beast Fake Painting!"

As Sai completed his final hand seal, he forcefully channeled his chakra into the scroll!

The ink on the scroll suddenly lit up!

The next moment, under the astonished gazes of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.

The giant bird in the painting actually let out a clear and melodious cry.

Suddenly breaking free from the two-dimensional painting, it transformed into a physical, giant bird made of ink lines and chakra.

Fluttering its wings, it hovered in mid-air, creating gusts of air!

Wow!! That's amazing!

Naruto's eyes instantly lit up with stars, and his earlier displeasure vanished in an instant.

He hopped and skipped around the giant black bird, his eyes filled with curiosity: "It really flew! That's so cool! Sai, your ninjutsu is so convenient!"

Sasuke's Sharingan activated silently in an instant, the three tomoe slowly rotating within his crimson pupils.

He stared intently at the ink bird and the chakra patterns flowing on it.

An attempt was made to analyze the underlying principles and weaknesses of this peculiar ninjutsu.

"To materialize chakra through a special medium and give it a temporary form and the ability to act..."

"Similar to the principle of detonating tags, but more complex... Is it amplified and shaped by that pen and scroll?" he muttered to himself, his Uchiha's studious instincts fully activated.

Sakura was also amazed by this amazing ninjutsu, but seeing Naruto and Sasuke having a blast while the other was doing research, she sighed helplessly.

He then put his hands on his hips and said, "Alright! You two! Stop dawdling! Get up there now!"

As she spoke, she used both hands, grabbing Naruto by the back of his collar with one hand while he was still bouncing around.

With his other hand, he grabbed Sasuke's arm, who was engrossed in his analysis, and with a slight pull of both arms—

"Hey! Sakura! Wait for me..." Naruto's protest was not finished.

"..." Sasuke's analysis was interrupted.

The two of them were lifted up by the super-strong girl like two little chicks and then accurately thrown onto the broad back of the black bird.

"Sai, come on up quickly!" Sakura leaped up gracefully and called out to Sai below.

Sai nodded, put away the scroll and pen, and nimbly jumped onto the bird's back, controlling the ink bird to flap its wings.

"Sit tight."

He gave a completely emotionless reminder, and the black bird immediately let out a long cry and took flight.

It quickly took off, carrying the four people, and sped towards the Land of Wind!

The whistling wind rushed past my ears, and the scenery on the ground shrank rapidly.

Traveling by flying is far more efficient than walking, not to mention that this bird has no fatigue level.