When Granny Chiyo returned to Sunagakure, she discovered that Rasa and the One-Tail had both gone to Konoha. After questioning the village leadership to no avail, she found some clues in the archives and decided to seek out her younger brother, Ebizo.
At Ebizo's secluded residence, Granny Chiyo learned even more troubling news.
Ebizo's expression was grave as he told her, "Sister, Fourth Kazekage Rasa's recent behavior has been very strange."
"Oh?" Chiyo frowned slightly. Though she had long since retired, she still could not stand entirely apart when Sunagakure's safety was at stake.
"He and Orochimaru had been plotting the 'Konoha Crush Plan,' intending to launch a surprise attack on Konoha during the Chunin Ninja Exams," Ebizo said quietly. "But ever since the Heavenly Screen showed those images of the future, Rasa's attitude has changed."
Chiyo narrowed her eyes. "What did he see?"
"I'm not sure." Ebizo shook his head. "While he was in the village, he went out alone once. After he returned, he was silent for a long time. Then he left the village with a few trusted followers, saying he was going to Konoha."
"To Konoha?" Chiyo sneered. "Surely he isn't planning to confirm the Heavenly Screen's authenticity himself?"
Ebizo sighed. "The problem is, he left in such a hurry that he didn't even call a leadership meeting. Now everyone in the village is on edge."
Chiyo gazed silently out the window. The sunset over Sunagakure was still as red as blood, but her heart was heavier than ever.
"What have we spent our lives fighting for?" she murmured to herself.
Ebizo knew what his sister was thinking. The two of them had followed First Kazekage Reto in founding Sunagakure, lived through several Shinobi World Wars, and witnessed the sacrifices of countless comrades. But nothing pained Chiyo more than the deaths of her son and daughter-in-law in the war, and the defection of her only grandson, Sasori, who had vanished without a trace.
"I thought Sasori had merely gone missing..." Chiyo smiled bitterly. "But the Heavenly Screen told us that he was actually the one who murdered the Third Kazekage and had become a missing-nin."
Ebizo comforted her. "Sister, things may yet turn around. The Heavenly Screen has shown all kinds of things. Perhaps it can change the future too."
"Change the future?" Chiyo shook her head. "Sunagakure is beset by troubles from within and without. Rasa's whereabouts are unknown, and the leaders all have their own agendas. What can an old woman like me do?"
She slowly closed her eyes, scenes from the past appearing in her mind—
When the First Kazekage founded Sunagakure, she and her brother had still been young and full of passion, believing the village would become an oasis in the desert.
During the Second Shinobi World War, her son and daughter-in-law had died in battle, leaving only the young Sasori behind.
Sasori's defection, the Third Kazekage's disappearance, Sunagakure's decline...
"Is there really no hope left for Sunagakure?" Chiyo murmured.
Ebizo patted his sister on the shoulder and said gravely, "Sister, Sunagakure won't fall just like this. The appearance of the Heavenly Screen may be a turning point in our fate."
"You mean..." Chiyo looked up at her brother.
"If Rasa has really thought of something, he may change his plans," Ebizo reasoned. "And since the Heavenly Screen revealed Sasori's past, it might reveal more truths as well."
Chiyo fell silent for a moment before finally sighing. "Perhaps... But I no longer have the strength to interfere."
Ebizo knew how weary his sister was, but he still said firmly, "No matter what, Sunagakure's future still needs us old folks to protect it."
After hearing Ebizo's words, Chiyo's gaze gradually sharpened. She slowly rose to her feet, her aged fingers clenching into fists.
"No, we can't just sit here and wait for death." Her voice was low but firm. "No matter what Rasa is plotting in Konoha, Sunagakure's future can't be left for him alone to decide."
Ebizo was slightly taken aback. "Sister, you mean...?"
"We're going back to the village," Chiyo said coldly. "Gather those we can still trust and prepare for the worst."
She strode outside. Though her steps were slow, they carried an unmistakable resolve. Watching her back, Ebizo seemed to see the puppeteer who had dominated the battlefield decades ago.
As Chiyo walked through the wind and sand of Sunagakure, her thoughts drifted back many years—
Back then, the Third Kazekage had mysteriously disappeared, plunging Sunagakure into unprecedented chaos. The leadership urgently needed a new leader, and there were two leading contenders: Rasa and Pakura.
Rasa, the Third Kazekage's disciple, possessed the ability to control Gold Dust. He was ruthless in his methods and full of ambition.
Pakura, a hero of Sunagakure, was a gifted ninja with the Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai. She was beloved by the villagers and had an upright, uncompromising nature.
At the time, Chiyo had hesitated.
"Sister, who do you think is more suitable?" Ebizo had asked her.
Chiyo had been silent for a long time before finally saying, "Rasa. He's calm and knows how to get things done. Though Pakura is very strong, she's gentle by nature. He's better suited to lead the village than she is."
But Rasa's methods had proved more ruthless than she had imagined.
Pakura had not only been one of Sunagakure's strongest fighters, but also a mentor deeply respected by her subordinates.
Chiyo still remembered one occasion when Pakura had returned from a mission, her face full of exhaustion. Yet her student—a young girl—had timidly asked her for help with her training. Pakura had simply smiled, wiped the sweat from her brow, and said:
"All right, come on. Let me see how much you've improved."
At that moment, Chiyo had seemed to see her younger self—steadfast, passionate, and willing to give everything for the next generation.
Yet it was Pakura, a person like that, who was ultimately betrayed by the village.
At the time, Sunagakure had been locked in a decisive battle with Iwagakure, while its rear was threatened by Kirigakure. Under the pretext of a "secret diplomatic mission," Rasa had sent Pakura to Kirigakure to negotiate.
"This is for the village's future," Rasa had said, his voice cold and calm.
Pakura had suspected nothing. She believed that by going, she could buy Sunagakure some breathing room. But when she entered Kirigakure's territory, she was met not by a negotiating table, but by an ambush of countless Kirigakure Ninja.
"Why...?" To her dying breath, Pakura had not understood why the village had abandoned her.
The truth was that Rasa had long since reached a secret agreement with Kirigakure, trading Pakura's life for the safety of Sunagakure's rear.
"If I'd insisted on supporting Pakura back then... would Sunagakure be different?" Chiyo murmured to herself.
Pakura's death had cost Sunagakure a true hero and left Chiyo utterly disheartened, prompting her to go into seclusion. But now, the Heavenly Screen's revelations and Rasa's unusual actions had made her realize that Sunagakure could not go on like this.
"Ebizo." Chiyo suddenly stopped, her gaze sharp as a blade. "Contact the ninja who are still loyal to Sunagakure, especially... Pakura's former subordinates."
Ebizo's gaze sharpened. "You intend to...?"
"If something happens to Rasa, someone in Sunagakure has to step forward," Chiyo said coldly. "This time, I won't stand by and do nothing."
In the distance, the wind and sand began to rise. Sunagakure's fate might soon take a new turn...
Sunagakure was a village standing amid endless wind and sand.
The environment was harsh and resources were scarce. Rock walls eroded by years of wind and the dry air made survival difficult. Worse still, as the daimyo cut funding year after year, the village's finances grew increasingly strained, and its ninja were treated far worse than before.
Even so, Sunagakure's ninja had never given in.
Under Fourth Kazekage Rasa's iron-fisted rule over the years, Sunagakure's power structure had long since hardened.
The ninja who had once followed Pakura, though quite capable, had gradually been pushed to the margins because they refused to accommodate Rasa's rule.
Elites who had served as Jonin instructors were sent on border patrols or low-level missions.
Rasa's trusted troops received priority for ninja tools, intelligence, and high-level missions, while Pakura's former subordinates could only rely on their own abilities to struggle at the bottom.
Anyone who openly questioned Rasa's decisions would be accused of "undermining morale." At best, they would be demoted; at worst, they would be sent to the most dangerous front lines.
But even so, they had not abandoned Sunagakure.
Iron Sand, Pakura's former deputy, specialized in Wind Release and the Puppet Technique.
He now served as an instructor at a Sunagakure border outpost and still trained young ninja in private, passing on Pakura's approach to combat.
He often told his students, "A true ninja doesn't fight for power, but lives for their comrades and village."
Other ninja had openly questioned Rasa's policies and been demoted to Sunagakure's logistics department, where they were responsible for maintaining ninja tools.
When Chiyo and Ebizo stepped back into the center of power in Sunagakure, these forgotten ninja all looked up.
Chiyo stood by the window of the Kazekage's Office, gazing out at the village standing firm amid the wind and sand.
"Rasa thought he could make Sunagakure rise through brute force alone, but he was wrong," she said slowly.
Ebizo nodded. "True strength has never lain in political maneuvering, but in the hearts of the people."
Chiyo took a deep breath and gave her first order:
"Gather everyone who's still willing to fight for Sunagakure... It's time to set this village back on the right path."
Outside Sunagakure, fierce winds howled, sweeping up yellow sand. Several hidden outposts received urgent secret orders from the village one after another.
"Lady Chiyo's orders: all outposts are to heighten their vigilance. There may be unexpected developments soon."
[Border outpost: Iron Sand Wall]
Outpost leader: Iron Sand (Pakura's former deputy)
Iron Sand unrolled the scroll in his hands, his brow tightly furrowed. The young ninja beside him asked quietly, "Sir, has something happened in the village?"
"Lady Chiyo..." Iron Sand put away the scroll, his gaze sharp as a blade. "Pass down the order. All patrol squads are to pull back their defensive lines, step up reconnaissance, and guard against infiltration by other forces."
The young ninja hesitated. "But isn't Lord Kazekage currently with Konoha..."
"Rasa?" Iron Sand sneered. "He sees nothing but his own ambition. When has he ever truly cared whether Sunagakure survives?"
He turned toward the village and said quietly, "It's time to settle the score for Lady Pakura."
Zhuoyan burned the secret orders, and the ashes scattered on the wind. Her deputy's expression was grave. "Is Lady Chiyo planning to... oppose the Kazekage?"
"This isn't opposition. We're setting things right." Zhuoyan's fingers brushed the Kunai at her waist. A scorch mark was etched into it—the last mark Pakura had left her. "How many comrades has Rasa sold out for power over the years? He even discarded Lady Pakura like a pawn... This time, we won't stay silent."
In the eyes of Rasa's trusted followers, Chiyo's actions since returning to the village amounted to rebellion—an attempt to seize power.
"The ninja at those outlying outposts have suddenly become active..." An Anbu knelt as he reported. "They seem to be deploying defenses."
Rasa's confidant, Yesha, the commander of Sunagakure's Anbu, narrowed his eyes. "That old hag Chiyo should have stayed quietly in retirement. Instead, she's taking advantage of Lord Kazekage's absence to start issuing orders. Does she still think she's an elder? We haven't even gone after her for the fine things her grandson Sasori did that the Heavenly Screen showed."
He snorted coldly and ordered his subordinates, "Send people to watch all the outlying outposts at once, especially Iron Sand and Zhuoyan's movements. Also..." He lowered his voice. "Send word to Lord Kazekage that something is happening in the village. Tell him to return at once."
Chiyo stood atop the lookout tower at Sunagakure's highest point, gazing into the distance at the faint lights of the outposts in the desert.
Ebizo walked over to her. "Sister, the ninja at the outlying outposts have all responded to your arrangements."
"Good." Chiyo's gaze was as deep as the night. "Rasa thought he could control everything through brute force, but he forgot that Sunagakure's foundation has never been the Kazekage's authority and schemes, but these ninja who hold fast amid the wind and sand."
"I hope I'm just overthinking everything."