That afternoon, the weather around Sunagakure began to turn nasty. The wind picked up, whipping up waves of yellow sand. The sky, which had been fairly clear, was soon obscured, and the day grew noticeably darker.
At Rasa's direction, Uzumaki Kuming entered the Kazekage's office building. In a secret meeting room on the third floor, Rasa and Ebizo received him.
As for Pakura, Ebizo had sent her to keep watch over the Puppet Squad shinobi Rasa had temporarily detained outside. She was also charged with guarding the office building, and no one was allowed within five meters of it.
"For the sake of keeping our conversation private, I'm going to set up a barrier," Rasa said after Kuming entered the meeting room and sat down. He had warned Kuming beforehand that he would put up a barrier, worried Kuming might suspect him of plotting against Ebizo.
"That's fine. Don't worry. Since I chose to sit down, I'm not afraid of you trying anything."
Kuming sat in a chair, crossed his legs, and replied with a smile, unconcerned by Rasa's words. He genuinely had nothing to fear from Rasa's barrier tricks. With his expertise in Barrier Ninjutsu, he could tell at a glance what kind of barrier Rasa had set up.
Besides, Ebizo's life was in his hands. Judging by Rasa's earlier reaction, he wouldn't let Ebizo end up in danger.
Rasa nodded and began setting up the barrier in the meeting room. Ebizo sat opposite Kuming, carefully studying the shinobi from Konoha who had taken him hostage.
"He really is young!"
Ebizo marveled inwardly. Kuming was tall, and his manner didn't seem like that of a teenager, but his face still had the innocence of youth. Looking at him, Ebizo couldn't help feeling wistful. He envied Konoha for having such