"Old hag, enough already!"
Sasori looked at the old woman outside the prison cell and sneered contemptuously. "Things have come to this, what more do you want to lecture me about?"
Hearing this, Chiyo fell silent.
She had come directly to the prison after leaving Ryuji's house.
Originally, it was to relay Ryuji's message, to make him cooperate with peace of mind.
But upon seeing her grandson locked in a cell, she couldn't help but start lecturing him.
Her son and daughter-in-law died in the Second Shinobi World War, and now her talented grandson had done this.
This caused Chiyo great pain.
She wanted to know what had made her grandson do such a thing.
However,
She had barely spoken a few words before Sasori coldly mocked and retorted.
"...You won't be harmed."
After a moment of silence, Chiyo said.
"Huh?"
Sasori was stunned for a moment and couldn't help asking, "I committed the serious crime of assassinating the Kazekage. You can actually protect me from that... What did you give up?"
"Nothing."
"Old hag, are you still trying to fool me like when I was a child?"
Hearing the scornful tone, Chiyo's cloudy eyes were veiled with sadness.
Sasori was only four years old when his parents died.
Chiyo was worried that Sasori's young heart would be traumatized, so she kept lying to him, saying his parents had just gone on a long-term mission.
And taught him puppet techniques to divert his attention.
But paper can't wrap fire, and lies will eventually be exposed.
Sasori eventually learned the truth about his parents' deaths.
From then on, the originally lively and upbeat Sasori's eyes gradually turned cold.
Chiyo had noticed these subtle changes in Sasori at the time, but thought it was just the news of his parents' death making him depressed.
Although her heart was heavy, she didn't pay it much mind.
After all, for Shinobi, having lighter emotions isn't necessarily a bad thing.
But she never expected Sasori would end up like this.
Perhaps Sasori was saddened by his parents' death back then, but more than that, he was disappointed with the village because his only remaining relative was still lying to him, right?
From Sasori's tone, Chiyo sensed the reason he had come to this point.
'If I had realized that back then, given him proper comfort and guidance, perhaps this wouldn't have happened!'
Chiyo took a deep breath, looking deeply at Sasori, at her grandson who seemed indifferent to everything but occasionally glanced at her.
That wrinkled old face couldn't help but squeeze out a faint smile. "My dear grandson, I really didn't give up anything. It was that Ryuji's idea."
"Ryuji?"
"Yes, him."
Next, Chiyo told Sasori everything Ryuji had instructed her to say.
Sasori sat inside, quietly listening.
Soon, Chiyo finished speaking.
Sasori was silent for a moment, then asked, "Did he really say the Third Kazekage isn't dead yet?"
"Yes, something about the body being dead but the soul remaining."
Saying this, Chiyo also felt puzzled. "I'm a puppeteer too, of course I know such a state is impossible. But the human puppet..."
"Human puppets can't do that either." Sasori snorted coldly. "The body dies, but the soul lives on... I don't have the ability to kill the body and keep the soul perfectly intact."
"That youngster is definitely lying. But why tell such an easily exposed lie?"
There were many flaws in Ryuji's words. If pondered carefully, one could notice something off.
But the higher-ups at the round table were all eagerly scrambling for power, and then their eyes were filled with the desire for immortality, unable to calmly consider the loopholes in Ryuji's words.
"It won't be that easily exposed."
"Hmm?"
Chiyo looked up at Sasori, who was scornful about this, and asked in confusion, "Why?"
"You'll know when the time comes."
Sasori looked up toward the window of the opposite cell. Thick clouds drifted, blocking the last sliver of moonlight.
'Killing the body, preserving the soul... If one could achieve that, then they could truly change bodies at will, achieving eternity.'
...
4:00 AM.
Precisely when the sky isn't yet bright, and people are most drowsy.
Sunagakure is situated in a canyon deep in the desert, surrounded by weathered, dry cliffs that even shinobi cannot traverse. Only in the direction sheltered from the wind year-round is there a road leading outside the village.
At the end of the road, atop the canyon.
Two mountain peaks stand opposite each other, forming a natural pass fortress like a narrow sky.
With just a hundred people stationed on the two peaks, combined with pre-set traps and devices, they could hold off thousands of troops.
"Ah... so sleepy!"
At the edge of the peak, a Sunagakure's Shinobi on guard duty yawned.
His companion beside him comforted him, "Almost time to change shifts, hang in there a bit longer!"
"You, you're just too honest." This Sunagakure's Shinobi waved dismissively. "The Land of Wind is all desert, nothing profitable here. Who would bother attacking us?"
That Shinobi deeply agreed with his companion's words but still had some concerns. "...That may be true, but right now most of the village's personnel are out investigating Kazekage-sama's whereabouts. Even the border defense forces have had most of their manpower pulled. This is exactly when..."
"Alright, alright, you're too cautious."
"Better safe than sorry. The high council has already terminated the mission. It won't be long before the Shinobi out on missions return. Then we'll have more people for shift changes, and we'll be much more relaxed."
"I know, I know, I was just joking. Your personality is too..."
Squelch!
In the darkness, something flew over, piercing his throat. Blood gushed out.
He clutched his throat, wanting to say something, but could only make gurgling sounds, finally collapsing unwillingly.
The other companion's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked toward the endless desert.
In the darkness, he could vaguely make out the outlines of a large advancing group.
"Enemy attack!"
A heart-wrenching roar echoed over Sunagakure, followed by explosions and rumbles.
The peaceful night was shattered.
...
"Finally done."
Putting the mechanical bird into a scroll, Ryuji stretched, his bones cracking pleasantly, feeling immensely comfortable.
Suddenly, the roof trembled slightly, dust constantly falling.
The communicator on the wall also rang, with Aka's voice coming through, "Master, it's bad, there are intruders!"
"Intruders?"
"Many people, Shinobi from other villages. The village guards are fighting the enemy."
"I understand."
Hanging up, Ryuji clenched his fist, his eyes flashing with uncontrollable anger.
"Were those higher-ups raised on shit?"
This crisis could have been avoided. If the higher-ups had issued the mission termination order immediately, the Shinobi out on missions could have returned that very night.
But instead, those higher-ups first thought of scrambling for power, not putting the village's safety first at all.
'Those guys have to be cleaned out, otherwise Sunagakure can't develop. But now isn't the time to assign blame. First, repel the enemy.' Ryuji glanced at the still-unconscious Third Kazekage lying on the console and turned to leave the workshop.