Chiyo

Chiyo's residence wasn't large. It had once been an oasis within Sunagakure, but years of over-exploitation had greatly reduced its size. It was just enough to be enclosed by walls, becoming the Chiyo Clan's private land.

After Sasori's parents passed away, Chiyo moved out of the painful place with the young Sasori. The grandmother and grandson lived alone, and now, with Sasori's disappearance, she had moved back here again.

It was as if it were another cycle in the grand scheme of things.

Hoshino Maki followed Moyuzi, observing the residence as they walked. The courtyard wasn't large, but it was lush and green, a world away from the outside. Various plants and trees from the Land of Fire, Land of Lightning, and even farther places could be seen. Only two or three attendants served them, but Hoshino Maki's chakra perception was extremely keen. The dense chakra was considered excellent even among Jonin, and a few ninjas keeping watch in secret patrolled him with their gazes.

The perimeter of the courtyard was covered with intricate, pale blue Chakra Threads for security. He hadn't seen the security measures of the Kazekage Building, but he imagined they wouldn't be better than this.

"Place any ninja tools here."

The final step before meeting Chiyo was to disarm. Moyuzi had already instructed Hoshino Maki beforehand, so Hoshino Maki knew what to do and hadn't brought any ninja tools. After a search, he entered through the gate pushed open by two attendants.

"Follow me. Chiyo-sama requests your presence."

Moyuzi had already delivered the invitation, so someone was waiting here.

Led by a maid, the two descended a flight of stairs and arrived at an underground pond.

The pond wasn't large, but in the Land of Wind, within Sunagakure, having a body of water already spoke volumes.

But what truly made Hoshino Maki feel the immense power of the person before him was the grass and greenery surrounding the pond.

The fact that it remained verdant and lush without sunlight could only mean two things: either Chiyo had mastered ninjutsu to stimulate or restore plant Vitality, or these plants were frequently replaced.

Either way, it declared that the owner of this place possessed extraordinary Strength.

Under the shade of a tree by the pond, two elderly people in coarse cloth robes sat with their eyes closed, fishing.

The three stood not far away, waiting quietly. Only the sound of water droplets falling from the rock ceiling could be heard.

"Ugh--"

Chiyo suddenly clutched her chest, her fishing rod falling powerlessly from her hand. She curled up in pain and collapsed to the side.

"Chiyo-sama!" X2

"Sister!"

The attendants, Moyuzi, and Ebizo were greatly alarmed and immediately rushed forward.

"Just kidding! Haha!"

As they approached, Chiyo suddenly jumped up, grinning strangely and laughing.

"Sister, if you keep doing this, you'll soon be arranging my funeral."

Ebizo said, patting his chest with a hint of helplessness.

Moyuzi and the attendant stood halfway, awkward and at a loss.

"Little Moyuzi~ Long time no see."

Chiyo greeted Moyuzi casually, as if nothing had happened, but her gaze passed through the two of them, looking at Hoshino Maki, who had been standing still with a calm expression.

"Kid, aren't you concerned about my safety?"

"Your Chakra is profound and powerful, and your Vitality is even more vigorous than Moyuzi's, so I don't think you have any problems."

Hoshino Maki said in a flat Tone.

Moyuzi glanced back at the boy. He felt completely different from when he was at the hospital.

Indifferent, confident, a bit like... Sasori?

For some reason, Moyuzi's mind conjured up that red-haired, indifferent-faced super genius.

Also, it's one thing to say Chiyo's Vitality is vigorous, but why compare me to her?!

Are you daring to offend a single woman in her thirties!

Putting aside Moyuzi's inner monologue, which could fill a chapter, Chiyo looked at the boy before her and chuckled twice: "Little Moyuzi said there's a Medical Ninja genius in the village who can rival that fool Tsunade, that's you, right?"

"Sister, you're calling Tsunade names again."

"Am I wrong? Wasting Chakra on appearances, she's just a shallow fool!"

Hoshino Maki listened to the conversation between the two and felt even more confident about what he was about to say.

"Kid, Moyuzi said you're very talented and asked me to teach you Medical Ninjutsu. First, revive this fish and let me see your skills."

The argument ended, and Chiyo picked up a lively, fresh fish from a nearby fish bucket and casually threw it to him.

Hoshino Maki caught the fish, but by the time it reached his hand, it was motionless, its lips quivering, looking half-dead.

Poison!

Hoshino Maki frowned slightly, feeling a tingling sensation in the palm holding the fish.

Seeing this, Chiyo smiled and said, "When you receive something from a stranger, you should wrap your palm with Chakra. This is the first lesson you need to learn. Also, when listening to ninjas speak, you should protect your ears with Chakra, otherwise, you might be hypnotized. This is the... Huh? You're fine?!"

Chiyo looked at the boy's clear eyes with some surprise.

"What about the third lesson?"

As he spoke, Hoshino Maki threw the fish back into the pond. The fish, which had been on its last legs, fell into the water, its tail splashing a few drops of water. It swam a couple of laps before diving deep into the pond.

"Interesting."

Chiyo paused, her withered hands clapping forcefully.

"Your application of Chakra is indeed excellent, but a Medical Ninja who only knows how to heal and save people isn't enough. You can't be a burden during missions either. Chihua, you spar with this kid."

"Yes."

The female attendant who had guided them earlier nodded respectfully, then moved to face Hoshino Maki, her aura shifting as she assumed a combat stance.

Making a sixteen-year-old boy fight a Jonin one-on-one, are you even human?

Hoshino Maki understood that the other party wanted to put him in his place.

Sunagakure was a village that valued tradition, the most important of which was respecting elders.

In the eyes of traditional Sunagakure villagers, Hoshino Maki's previous actions had offended Chiyo. As her attendant, Chihua wanted to use this opportunity to teach this arrogant kid a lesson.

Hoshino Maki nodded. The two faced each other and bowed.

But the moment Chihua bowed, she felt a gust of wind. By the time she reacted, Hoshino Maki had already closed the distance. His right hand condensed a vast amount of Chakra, his chest fully expanded, the veins in his right arm bulging like several Azure Dragons coiled around a pillar, ready to strike. His entire fist condensed an immense amount of Chakra, as if wrapped in pale blue Blazing Fire.

So fast!

With no time to accuse him of being dishonorable, Chihua quickly crossed her arms, attempting to block the heavy punch.

BOOM--!

Chihua's figure flashed, like a cannonball fired from its barrel, embedding directly into the stone wall. The entire cave shook, debris rained down, hitting the pond and creating ripples.

Moyuzi instinctively took two steps back, her mouth agape. She had thought the boy only possessed medical Talent comparable to Tsunade, but she hadn't expected him to be so formidable in combat as well.

Ebizo felt the same way at this moment, but another figure flashed through his mind, a figure he hadn't seen in a long time.

It was a man who could make even him, who had weathered many storms, tremble in fear.

His fishing rod fell into the water at some point, but no one noticed. All eyes were focused on the boy slowly retracting his fist.

"Cough, cough."

Chihua fell from the stone wall, landing on one knee, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

A '大' shaped indentation remained on the rock wall behind her.

Her arm was broken.

"I yield."

"You're despicable!"

Chihua said indignantly, getting up to fight again.

"Alright, Chihua, you lost. Staying in the mansion for too long has made you lose the basic vigilance of a ninja. Go to the front lines and train."

Chiyo shook her head and stopped Chihua, then looked at Hoshino Maki with a strange expression. "Monster Strength? You really are very much like Tsunade."

As she spoke, Chiyo's expression became somewhat peculiar. If she were to train someone who was even stronger than Tsunade, how amusing would that shallow, foolish woman's expression be?

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but throw her head back and laugh.

"You think I'm the next Tsunade?"

Hoshino Maki didn't have Mind Reading, but combining his performance just now with the other party's sudden laughter, he could guess some of Chiyo's thoughts.

Before Chiyo could speak, Hoshino Maki said, "But I want to be the next Stone Statue of the Elder Council."

In the Elder Council chamber, behind the Chief Elder's seat, stood three Stone Statues, just like Konoha's Rock Face. They were the three Kazekages of Sunagakure.

As soon as he said this, the scene fell into a collective silence.

It was good for young people to have aspirations, but those aspirations needed to be matched by Strength.

Let alone whether he had the Qualification to become like Tsunade now, even if he was Tsunade, he still wouldn't be able to sit in the Kazekage position.

It was simply because he was too young.

Rasa himself was questioned for not being mature enough to bear the Burden of Kazekage due to his age. How could this kid dare to think of it at his age?

Moreover, judging by his words, he intended to contend for the position of the Fourth Kazekage, which was even more of a fantasy.

It was hard to imagine even in the relatively open-minded Konoha, let alone the traditional and conservative Sunagakure.

At this age, unless Hashirama Senju was reincarnated, it would be absolutely impossible.

Chiyo's good mood was also ruined by his words. Her evaluation of him dropped a notch. She slowly put away the smile on her face and said indifferently, "It's good for young people to have aspirations, but they still need more tempering."

Hoshino Maki didn't reply immediately this time. Instead, he took two steps forward and stood opposite Chiyo. Chihua wanted to step forward to stop him, but Chiyo stopped her with a look. She also wanted to hear what words could move her.

Chiyo understood that the young man in front of her wanted her support to become Kazekage, but why should she?

Setting aside the fact that he wasn't qualified now, even if he were, Chiyo had no intention of getting involved in such disputes anymore.

She had lived long enough and seen too much of the world. Now, nothing could move her.

Hoshino Maki sat down cross-legged. As his lips moved, Chiyo's expression changed from shock to excitement. Then, she made a move to get up, stumbled, and knocked over the fish bucket. The fish she had been fishing for half the day all escaped, but she didn't care. Then, as she stood up, her body froze. She wanted to say something but held back. She took a deep breath and said, "You come with me. Others stay put. Ebizo, you too."

Hoshino Maki had used Chakra to transmit the secret message just now. Others knew that they wouldn't dare to eavesdrop on their conversation.

But Hoshino Maki was still cautious and chose to turn his back to Chihua and Miho. This was because experienced ninjas could read conversations by observing lip movements. He didn't know if the two of them had mastered this skill.

Hoshino Maki believed that Moyuzi and Chihua were both Chiyo's confidantes, but Chiyo might not want too many people to know about this kind of information.

To Hoshino Maki's surprise, Chiyo stopped him mid-sentence. She didn't even let Ebizo listen, showing how cautious and serious she was about Sasori.

That's right, Hoshino Maki intended to play the Sasori card.

Hoshino Maki followed Chiyo to an inconspicuous room. The two sat opposite each other. Chiyo's face was no longer manic, and she said with a serious expression, "There's a special barrier here, you can speak now."

Chiyo's words had two meanings: one, the barrier here could block any eavesdropping, and two, if he didn't explain clearly, he might not be able to leave this room today.

Hoshino Maki didn't mind. He leisurely brewed himself a cup of tea, gently blew on the steam to cool the tea soup, took a sip, and praised, "Good tea."

Chiyo opposite him had a cold expression, staring intently at him.

"I know where Kazekage-sama is."

This sentence exploded in Chiyo's ears like thunder.

"How do you know?!"

Chiyo leaned forward, saying somewhat excitedly.

She had mobilized the entire village and couldn't find him, yet this kid claimed to know the Third Kazekage's whereabouts.

"Who are you?!"

Chiyo now felt that the young man before her might not be just a genius. Could there be some restless interest groups in the Land of Wind behind him, or perhaps forces from other countries secretly supporting him, intending to usurp power, or even overthrow Sunagakure?

Could the Kazekage's disappearance also be their doing?

Vaguely, Chiyo felt that Sunagakure was facing an unprecedented crisis, and her gaze towards Hoshino Maki carried a hint of killing intent.

Hoshino Maki saw that the other party seemed to have suddenly changed. He carefully recalled their previous conversation and understood the ambiguity.

He put down his teacup, looked directly at Chiyo, and said solemnly, "I am Hoshino Maki of Sunagakure, now and in the future. The village's interests are my interests. If I had any support, I wouldn't need to say these ridiculous things to alarm you."

The two stared at each other for a long time. Finally, Chiyo slowly said, "If one day I find out you've done anything to harm the village, I will kill you."

In Chiyo's heart, Sasori was her beloved, and Sunagakure was the same.

It was something she had participated in building from scratch, filled with her lifelong efforts.

"I won't disappoint you."

Chiyo nodded, suddenly feeling something was off. It was as if she was supporting him to become the Kazekage?

"Ahem, let's talk about Sasori first. Where is he?"

Chiyo quickly poured herself a cup of tea, changing the subject.

Hoshino Maki was silent for a moment: "There's something I need to tell you first. Kazekage-sama is with Sasori. He... has become a puppet."

Crack--!

The teacup fell onto the tea table and rolled a few times. Scalding tea soup spilled onto Chiyo's hand, but she seemed not to feel it, her entire body like a stone sculpture.

Puppet, Kazekage, missing.

Chiyo wasn't stupid. With Hoshino Maki's words, she had already guessed most of the truth.

It was just like when Sasori was a child, turning his best playmates into puppets. Except this time, Sasori had set his sights on the Kazekage.

But precisely because of this, she now didn't know what to do.

Hoshino Maki said nothing more, giving her time to digest the shocking news.

After drinking three cups of tea, Chiyo opposite him finally reacted.

Her eyes were red, her throat hoarse as if seared by a hot iron. "Tell me, tell me Sasori's location."

The village, Sasori. This old woman had made her choice.

"What do you intend to do? Kill Sasori? To be frank, you are no match for Sasori now, who possesses the Kazekage puppet."

Before Chiyo could speak, Hoshino Maki, as if divining her thoughts, interrupted, "I know there's still the clan, and you're prepared to die without returning. But what's the point of killing Sasori?

You know Sasori's strength better than anyone. How many people would it take to kill him?

The Kazekage is already dead. Once you and your clan are severely wounded, the internal opposition within the village will not let this great opportunity pass. The ninja villages outside will also be coveting us. Who do you think can turn the tide?

Rasa?

Or the container for the One-Tails Jinchuriki, whose whereabouts are unknown?"

Chiyo was rendered speechless by his barrage of rhetorical questions.

She wasn't unaware of these things. But her grandson had caused such a monstrous disaster; if she didn't clean it up, who would?

She naturally understood Sasori's strength and had prepared for a mutual destruction. It was just a pity that the Ninjutsu, which represented her life's work, might not get to be used.

Recalling Sasori embraced by the puppet 'parents', the Epiphyllum-like smile on that child's face was Chiyo's eternal pain.

If only she had stopped them from going to Konoha back then.

"If it's as you say, then me killing Sasori is the best solution."

Chiyo lowered her gaze. Mustering the resolve to kill her own grandson had already exhausted her spirit. Now, she just wanted to quickly find out Sasori's whereabouts and end this damned business.

"I can bring Sasori back alive."

Chiyo suddenly looked up, giving Hoshino Maki a surprised glance, then chuckled mockingly. "You think too highly of this old woman's abilities. Even if you bring Sasori back, I won't have the ability to let you become Kazekage."

Chiyo was indeed the most influential person in the village, but Sunagakure was not her one-man rule, and the Fourth Kazekage was not someone she could decide on her own.

To Chiyo's surprise, Hoshino Maki shook his head: "I don't ask you to support me as Kazekage, but I hope to become the Commander of the Medical Ninja for the Frontline Troops this time, and please don't send Rasa to the front line."

This exchange condition surprised Chiyo.

Neither of these two points was difficult for Chiyo, and could even be said to be very simple.

Originally, the Medical Department was Chiyo's private domain, and Moyuzi was her spy in the Elder Council. Although she was no longer in the Elder Council, she could still grasp the general movements of Sunagakure's higher-ups. As long as she went with the flow and expressed her wish for Rasa to remain in the village to guard the Teakettle that sealed the One-Tails, Chōjūrō would definitely take action.

Righteousness plus power was enough to prevent Rasa from leaving the village.

But what did this kid want?

Although they had only spent a short time together, Chiyo could see the deeper meaning behind this guy's every move. She didn't believe that the position of Commander of the Medical Ninja would allow this guy to become Kazekage.

This guy had other plans.

Chiyo was certain in her heart, but she really couldn't refuse this deal.

If the village wasn't harmed, and Sasori could survive, it would truly be the best outcome.

Moreover, if the kid in front of her couldn't fulfill his promise, she could bring him up just as easily as she could bring him down.

"When can you bring Sasori over?"

After another period of silence, she let out a hoarse voice.

"Two years. You know Sasori's temper. Without corresponding Strength, we won't even have a chance to Dialogue."

Chiyo nodded, picked up the now cold Teacup that had fallen on the table with her right hand, and poured herself a cup of tea.

Hoshino Maki wisely got up to leave. Just as he was about to grasp the doorknob, Chiyo's words came: "You can show yourself more at the hospital recently."

"Yes."

Hoshino Maki opened the door, and a kind smile reappeared on his face.