"There's no saving him..." At those words, Temari's face suddenly darkened. She looked at her motionless younger brother. On the monitor, his vital signs were gradually fading, and his pale face was tinged with black—the sign of poison spreading.
"How could this happen?" she murmured. Gaara had been captured, and Kankuro had been poisoned. At that moment, the strong female ninja of Sunagakure felt overwhelming sorrow. Why had this happened? Everything had only just begun. Gaara had only recently become Kazekage, and there were still so many things he needed to do...
Chiyo sighed. She had witnessed far too many partings of life and death. She should have long since become numb to scenes like this, yet every time she saw one, she could not help but feel emotional. Such was the helplessness of reality.
"Lady Temari, Lord Baki!" A Sunagakure messenger ninja suddenly ran in.
"What is it?" Baki turned to ask. Temari was grieving at the moment and clearly would not answer.
"Konoha... Konoha's ninja have arrived," the messenger said between gasps. He had run all the way here.
"Oh?" Chiyo's eyes opened a little wider. She had not expected Konoha to actually send reinforcements.
Although she had heard that Sunagakure and Konoha had become allies in recent years, her memories of Konoha were still filled with the days they had fought one another.
Sunagakure had clashed with Konoha in several Shinobi World Wars. Especially during the Second Shinobi World War, when all sides had fought in a chaotic melee in Amegakure—even Sasori's parents had died at the hands of Konoha's White Fang.
That was why she had always harbored deep prejudice against Konoha.
"Hmph. They probably sent a few useless ninja just to go through the motions. So-called allies are nothing more than a pretext for obtaining