Chapter 695: Cruel News

Land of Wind, Hidden Sand Village.

Kazekage’s Office.

“Yashamaru, are you sure there’s no problem with the report you initially submitted? Does Iwagakure really intend to eliminate the Shinobi Sect?” Rasa asked, frowning.

“During that meeting, Iwagakure of Six Paths City did indeed express that intention,” Yashamaru replied.

Their elaborate scheme to sow discord hadn’t even been put into use; as soon as they spoke, Iwagakure began denouncing the Shinobi Sect’s ambition. This was clearly not the attitude a normal partner should display.

“Then why has Iwagakure been avoiding the topic of joint military action?”

Initially, Rasa was delighted with Yashamaru’s progress and swiftly dispatched Ninja to conduct formal negotiations with Iwagakure, but the results were unsatisfactory.

Iwagakure didn’t show any intention of refusing cooperation, but whenever Sunagakure suggested joint military action to eliminate the Shinobi Sect, Iwagakure would make various excuses.

They even offered to provide Sunagakure with supplies but refused to send Ninja to the battlefield, citing excessive losses during the Shinobi World War.

Rasa would be damned if he believed him. Iwagakure surrendered so quickly in the final battle that no one suffered significant losses.

As for before, although Iwagakure had suffered a minor defeat at Konoha, it was by no means an excessive loss.

“Perhaps they want to weaken our Sunagakure forces by taking advantage of the situation?” Yashamaru pondered before answering.

Compared to joint military action, Iwagakure definitely wanted to be a quiet bystander.

“Perhaps, but it’s strange that Iwagakure is willing to provide so many resources to support us,” Rasa said, crossing his arms and deep in thought.

Although Iwagakure appeared to be avoiding conflict, they were surprisingly willing to provide funds, which made Rasa a little tempted.

It was no exaggeration to say that the money Iwagakure offered was almost enough to hire Sunagakure for an entire campaign.

Moreover, the Shinobi Sect indeed affected Sunagakure’s interests and was a force Sunagakure needed to suppress.

After careful consideration, Rasa felt there was still a problem. Both were Ninja Villages, and Iwagakure also needed money, so why were they willing to pay this amount?

Due to the gravity of the matter, Rasa felt it was inappropriate to make a decision alone, so he had the Sunagakure Anbu summon the Sunagakure higher-ups for discussion.

“Advisor Chiyo, Advisor Ebizo.” Rasa, who had arrived early and was already seated in the conference room, quickly greeted Chiyo and Ebizo as they entered.

If they were ordinary higher-ups, Rasa, as the Fourth Kazekage, would naturally not need to be so deferential.

These two were indeed somewhat different.

Firstly, their seniority: Chiyo and Ebizo were already well-known higher-ups in Hidden Sand Village during the Second Shinobi World War, and they were among the most senior elders in the current Hidden Sand Village.

Secondly, their strength and influence.

Chiyo was currently the strongest Puppet Master in the Ninja World, and her Puppet Technique skill was highly ranked throughout the history of Puppet Technique.

Although Ebizo’s strength was not as great as Chiyo’s, he controlled Sunagakure’s intelligence department. During the civil war in Sunagakure after the Third Kazekage’s disappearance, the actual controller of the Sunagakure Anbu, directly commanded by the Kazekage, was Ebizo.

Finally, these two were siblings, which was what Rasa had been most wary of before.

Rasa was fortunate that Chiyo’s grandson had left Hidden Sand Village.

After Sasori left Hidden Sand Village, Chiyo seemed to have lost her soul, rarely involving herself in political affairs, either researching Ninjutsu or fishing.

Perhaps out of concern for his sister, Ebizo also put aside a lot of work and often accompanied Chiyo fishing.

Rasa took the opportunity to seize considerable power, increasing his influence in higher-level meetings.

“Fourth Hokage.”

The two nodded in response, neither cold nor particularly engaged.

Once all the higher-ups had arrived, Rasa began the meeting.

“The rapidly expanding Shinobi Sect has affected our and Iwagakure’s common interests, but regarding how to cooperate, Iwagakure has shown an anomaly.”

Rasa quickly explained Iwagakure’s strange conditions to the higher-ups.

“There is indeed a problem. Iwagakure is so reluctant to participate directly in the war. Is it possible that they possess intelligence that we don’t?”

“It’s also possible they want to preserve their strength for other plans, but on the surface, cooperating with Iwagakure is not a loss for us. With this money, we can alleviate a lot of military expenditure pressure.”

The higher-ups discussed animatedly, with considerable disagreement.

Some felt that they could try to earn this money, as Sunagakure could not sit idly by and watch the Shinobi Sect continue to develop.

Others felt that the money was too hot to handle, hiding Iwagakure’s conspiracy, and that cooperation was not an option.

Chiyo sat in her chair, gazing indifferently at the higher-ups, with no intention of speaking.

If it weren’t for Sunagakure’s dire situation, and not the time for full retirement, Chiyo would have resigned from her Advisor position long ago.

Her son and daughter-in-law died on the battlefield, her grandson voluntarily abandoned her, and she had fought for the Village for most of her life, only to be left with her brother by her side.

She had already given enough to this Village; she owed Sunagakure nothing; Sunagakure owed her.

“I will activate our covert agents in the Land of Rain and the Land of Earth to investigate. Iwagakure’s behavior is somewhat abnormal,” Ebizo said.

Ebizo, who worked in intelligence, was particularly sensitive to such abnormalities.

“This is a serious matter, and we certainly cannot make a decision lightly. We must investigate thoroughly. Thank you, Advisor Ebizo.”

The higher-ups who had previously been in disagreement all expressed their agreement with Ebizo’s idea.

Those who reached the higher-up positions were not foolish; they could all see that something was amiss with Iwagakure, they just didn’t know what Iwagakure was hiding.

Thus, the higher-up meeting concluded, and discussions would resume after Ebizo’s intelligence was in place.

However, what Ebizo didn’t expect was that while Iwagakure’s anomaly wasn’t investigated, some unexpected intelligence was uncovered.

After reviewing the intelligence, Ebizo immediately sought out Chiyo.

“I think I’ve found Sasori,” Ebizo said.

A trace of emotion appeared on Chiyo’s calm face, but then she shook her head with a desolate expression, saying, “What’s the use of finding him?”

If Sasori had left due to persecution or harm, Chiyo would have tried everything to find him, but Sasori had voluntarily left Hidden Sand Village, voluntarily left her side.

With Chiyo’s influence in Hidden Sand Village, if she truly wanted to find Sasori, unless Sasori did nothing but hide, she would have found some news. But for so many years, except for the very beginning, Chiyo had not actively sought Sasori.

Because she knew that even if she found Sasori, it would be useless; as long as Sasori didn’t want to be with her, she couldn’t stop him.

“Where is he? How is he doing? Is he settled or just temporarily staying?” Chiyo couldn’t help but ask.

Sasori was still her grandson after all. It was one thing not to know, but after receiving news, she would instinctively worry about Sasori’s life.

“It’s Six Paths City in the Land of Rain. I don’t know if he’s settled or how he’s doing. I’m just making a judgment based on the intelligence that Sasori might be there,” Ebizo replied.

The Puppet Technique mentioned in the intelligence could definitely not have been developed by those third-rate Puppet Masters outside of Sunagakure.

Considering Sasori’s previous direction in developing Puppet Technique, even if Sasori himself wasn’t in the Land of Rain, Ebizo could be certain that the origin of the Shinobi Sect’s Puppet prosthetic limbs was Sasori.

“Six Paths City? Isn’t that where the Shinobi Sect is located?”

Chiyo was not unfamiliar with the Shinobi Sect, this emerging force. Even though she hadn’t been as concerned with Ninja Village affairs since Sasori left, the Land of Rain bordered the Land of Wind, and various news always came through, making it difficult for Chiyo not to know.

“Yes, Sasori might have joined the Shinobi Sect, or he might have reached some kind of cooperation with the Shinobi Sect.”

Ebizo nodded and explained the matter of the Puppet prosthetic limbs.

“Sasori couldn’t possibly join a Ninja force.” Chiyo instinctively wanted to deny Ebizo’s conjecture, even though Ebizo only said “might.”

Sasori didn’t even want to stay in Hidden Sand Village, where he grew up. Why would he go to Ninja forces inferior to Hidden Sand Village? Whether from the perspective of technical conditions for researching puppets or family ties, Sasori would not possibly join the Shinobi Sect.

Ebizo said nothing, only sighed.

Chiyo was silent, the light in her eyes dimming a bit.

In terms of her life’s journey, Sasori’s departure was only four or five years, not long.

But for Sasori, a teenager, this was already a quarter of his current life.

In such a situation, it wasn’t impossible for Sasori to have experienced things she didn’t know about, to have undergone changes she wasn’t aware of.

“Why, of all places, the Shinobi Sect…” Chiyo murmured.

Undoubtedly, the Shinobi Sect, with its considerable ambition and huge potential, was Sunagakure’s next enemy.

If it weren’t for the fear of Sōsuke’s ability to defeat Hiruzen Sarutobi, Sunagakure’s Ninja forces would probably have already entered the Land of Rain.

If Sasori truly joined the Shinobi Sect, then Sasori would become Sunagakure’s enemy, standing on the opposite side of Sunagakure, and they might even meet on the battlefield.

Just imagining it, Chiyo couldn’t help but feel faint. That was her own grandson.

“It’s just a possibility,” Ebizo said to comfort her.

“I will have my spies obtain definite news about Sasori at all costs.”

Ebizo should have been focusing more on the Land of Earth and Iwagakure, but he simply couldn’t let Chiyo go.

What if Chiyo went to the Shinobi Sect herself if the spies didn’t investigate quickly enough?

Entering Six Paths City was easy, but getting out would depend on the Shinobi Sect and Sōsuke’s mood. Ebizo couldn’t let his sister take such a risk.

Actually, Ebizo hadn’t even wanted to tell Chiyo this intelligence. It was truly terrible news for Chiyo.

The main reason was that the Shinobi Sect’s prosthetic limbs were no longer a secret, and Chiyo could learn about the prosthetic limbs from other sources at any time and then deduce news about Sasori, which is why Ebizo chose to inform Chiyo.

“Mm,” Chiyo nodded.

Chiyo had originally planned to go fishing today because the weather was nice, but after receiving such news, she instantly lost all thought of fishing, her mind filled with Sasori.

She desperately hoped this was a misunderstanding, that Ebizo’s intelligence was wrong, and that Sasori was not in the Land of Rain, not in the Shinobi Sect.

PS:

This is 3k, and the two chapters together are exactly 8k, which means the third day of intensive updates has been successfully completed.

Please give me your monthly votes!