This is too absurd

Kankuro had heard that name from Temari's lips more than once.

The name Takasaki sounded like that of a boy.

Who exactly was this boy, and why did he occupy so much of his sister's attention?

Kankuro could clearly feel that over these past few days, the level of concern Temari showed for Takasaki even surpassed what she showed for him and Gaara.

This left Kankuro feeling very unbalanced.

He went downstairs and returned to the dining table, only to find that only Rasa and Ebizo were still seated and eating; he didn't know when Grandma Chiyo had left.

"Is Temari unwilling to deliver the bento to Gaara?" Rasa asked when he saw Kankuro coming downstairs alone.

"She isn't coming."

Kankuro returned to his seat, picked up his rice bowl, shoveled a mouthful of rice in, and said irritably, "Her mind is full of that guy named Takasaki right now; she doesn't care about me or our brother at all."

Rasa smiled.

He wasn't as angry as Kankuro, after all, he had experienced far more than Kankuro had.

Temari must have reached puberty and entered a rebellious phase.

Generally, the sign of a boy entering a rebellious phase is becoming fond of fighting and brawling, having a special desire for others to acknowledge him, and being desperate to prove himself by becoming stronger—this fit Temari's behavior at the dinner table perfectly.

After all, judging by Temari's remarks at the table just now, she was delusional enough to think she could suppress the Tailed Beast inside Gaara through her own personal strength in the future.

Such unrealistic fantasies often occurred in boys entering puberty.

Temari had a very strong personality, much like a boy's, so it was normal for her to have such thoughts.

As for why Temari was looking for that guy named Takasaki, Rasa could also understand: "Your sister is currently going through a rapid physical development and has entered puberty; it is inevitable that she would feel curious about the opposite sex. She must be thinking about romance."

"Sister has thoughts of romance?"

Kankuro didn't have any girls he liked, and at his age, he didn't yet understand what romance meant.

But Temari had once taken him to a video hall to watch some pure, sentimental romance films that girls liked, so he roughly knew what romance meant.

"In other words, Sister likes that boy named Takasaki?"

Kankuro's brow twitched, and he felt a trace of displeasure in his heart.

"That should be the meaning," Rasa laughed.

Kankuro continued to ask, "Does Sister want to marry that boy?"

The smile on Rasa's face froze slightly, and he shook his head: "Marriage is too far off. Besides, marriage is a matter between two families; it is not something your sister can decide on her own. It still requires my consent."

Kankuro's words served as a reminder to Rasa.

Dating was one thing, but marriage was no child's play.

He was the Fourth Kazekage, and as his daughter, Temari was worthy of any great clan in the Ninja World.

Conversely, only a great clan in the Ninja World was worthy of his daughter.

If that guy named Takasaki was merely from a commoner family and couldn't even pay the betrothal gift for his daughter, how could he give her happiness, let alone provide his future grandchildren with an environment of abundance?

Previously, when Temari asked him to investigate information on Takasaki, he hadn't taken it to heart; after all, he had to focus on arranging the attack on Konoha in a few months.

Now, he suddenly felt that the guy named Takasaki seemed more important than he had thought.

Temari's personality had always been headstrong.

A boy capable of being liked by Temari shouldn't be lacking in strength. Even if he were still studying at the Ninja Academy, he must be a genius student with top-tier grades; he could never be a dead last.

A trace of gravity flashed across Rasa's brow.

It seemed he really should put some effort into Takasaki and collect information about him as soon as possible.

It wasn't just about Takasaki's talent and strength.

Most importantly, it was whether Takasaki's family background was worthy of his daughter.

"Father, I really hate that guy named Takasaki. I feel like he stole the concern Sister originally had for me and Gaara."

Kankuro took a bento box from the sideboard and began packing the dishes from his plate into the box one by one: "Usually, it's Sister who brings the bento to Gaara, but now it's my turn to do it."

Rasa chuckled a few times and said nothing.

In his eyes, Kankuro was just a child.

Even ten years from now, when Kankuro grew up, had his own family, and even achieved great success in the Ninja World, he would still consider Kankuro a child.

After all, the way parents look at their children never changes.

Kankuro continued to grumble: "I can already control the three puppets: Crow, Black Ant, and Salamander. Once Grandma Chiyo teaches me to be more proficient in the Puppet Technique, I will definitely challenge that guy named Takasaki to a duel. If he can't even beat me, he isn't qualified to be with Temari, and I won't acknowledge him."

Rasa nodded along.

At home, his expression wasn't as stern as it was outside, and he was always a bit more indulgent toward his children.

Regardless of how strong that guy named Takasaki was.

At least Takasaki's existence could motivate Kankuro to work hard and improve, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

"By the way, why did Grandma Chiyo leave the table so early today?" Rasa looked at the empty seat beside him.

That was the seat where Elder Chiyo had originally been sitting.

When Temari went upstairs, Elder Chiyo had also set down her bowl and chopsticks to return to her room.

"She might be wanting to fall in love, too; she hasn't given me a pleasant look all day," Ebizo remarked from the side, displeased as he continued his meal at a leisurely pace.

Rasa laughed heartily upon hearing this, not taking it to heart; he simply assumed that the siblings, Ebizo and Chiyo, were having a spat amidst their peaceful twilight years.

After all, Chiyo was his elder, and her contributions to the Sand Village were immense, so he held her in high regard.

Unless there was a mission of extreme difficulty that required her expertise, he would never restrict Chiyo's daily life.

At this moment.

Inside Chiyo's room.

The door was double-locked, and the curtains were drawn tight.

She retrieved the Diary from her consciousness space and browsed through the two entries Takasaki had written, sighing, "Why has Takasaki written the names of so many women in this Diary—even Temari's—yet he hasn't written mine?"

"Since Takasaki even knows Temari, he shouldn't be unfamiliar with my reputation."

When Chiyo first discovered this Diary, she hadn't taken it seriously.

She hadn't even thought much of it when she saw the first entry.

She had merely assumed it was a bored, lecherous boy playing a dull prank.

It wasn't until she discovered that the Diary could be stored in her consciousness space at will that she sensed something was amiss.

Such a ninjutsu was simply beyond her comprehension.

Not even Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha from the Warring States Period could have achieved such a feat.

From that moment on, Chiyo began to study the mysteries of the Diary.

After reading Takasaki's second entry, Chiyo realized that the young girl mentioned in the records, Hinata, also possessed a Diary.

Furthermore, Hinata was exceptionally adept at utilizing the rules of the Diary, deliberately getting close to Takasaki to obtain extra rewards.

An increase of 10% in physical stamina.

When she saw this extra reward, Chiyo's heart began to thump rapidly.

In the eyes of others, an increase in stamina meant an enhancement in taijutsu.

But in Chiyo's eyes, that was not the case at all.

As an elderly woman whose body was failing, her stamina was far from what it used to be; she did not expect to become any stronger, she only hoped to live a little longer.

Her grandson was still missing, but she had a premonition that he was not yet dead.

She hoped she could live until the day she saw him again.

And an increase in stamina meant better physical condition, which would allow her to live longer.

"In other words, as long as a name is written in the Diary by Takasaki, there is a possibility of obtaining a reward. The more times a name is written, the more rewards one can obtain."

This was not merely a deduction Chiyo had made; it had been verified.

On the very night she obtained the Diary, Temari had excitedly found her and asked to spar.

At the time, she hadn't paid much attention to it.

After all, she frequently trained both Temari and Kankuro.

Naturally, she had won that training session against Temari.

The issue was that she clearly felt Temari was stronger than before.

Especially her chakra reserves, which were about... 10% higher than usual; this was a judgment Chiyo made based on her past experience sparring with Temari.

Ninjutsu could be learned quickly, but an increase in chakra reserves was an extremely slow process.

How could Temari have increased her chakra so significantly in such a short time?

Chiyo had felt something was wrong back then, but she hadn't revealed it, merely praising Temari: "You've become stronger, Temari. Can you tell me how you achieved this? I can clearly feel that your chakra reserves have increased."

Temari had been very excited at the time, and after being praised, she seemed subconsciously inclined to tell her the reason.

But immediately after, a flicker of panic appeared in Temari's eyes.

After a pause of several seconds, Temari said, "It was all through hard training, or perhaps my talent for ninjutsu is only just manifesting now. In any case, Elder Chiyo, I will definitely become very strong in the future!"

Looking back now, Chiyo was more certain than ever.

Temari's 10% increase in chakra must have been obtained through a reward from the Diary.

It appeared that the rewards obtained from the Diary were not fixed, but rather diverse.

Was it possible that it could allow her to live longer, or perhaps make her younger?

Just as Chiyo was pondering this, there was a knock at the door.

She tucked the Diary back into her consciousness space and opened the door to find Ebizo standing there.

"Chiyo, what on earth are you doing in your room? Why have you even switched to blackout curtains, and why are they all drawn in the middle of the day?" Ebizo peered into Chiyo's room.

"What is it?" Chiyo did not answer Ebizo's question.

Her mind was entirely focused on studying the diary.

Ebizo chuckled foolishly. "It's nothing, I just wanted to take a walk with you. Don't we usually go for a stroll to digest after our meals? For the past few days, I've been walking alone, and it's truly been a bit lonely."

"Fine." Chiyo nodded.

After all, Ebizo was her only living relative. At the same age as her, he was not just her younger brother, but more like her lifelong companion.

Before long.

The two were wandering through the streets of the Sand Village.

Usually, whenever Chiyo strolled to a spot with Ebizo, she would chatter away, reminiscing about the past.

Yet on this trip, Chiyo didn't say a word, appearing deeply preoccupied and lost in thought.

Her expression was very similar to the one Temari had worn during their meal just moments ago.

Ebizo watched Chiyo's expression, sighed, and said, "Chiyo, you said you would spend your twilight years with me. If you're looking for a new partner, I'm going to have a very hard time adjusting."

He was a ninja who had lived alongside Chiyo since the Warring States Period, having survived several Ninja World Wars and relying on each other for companionship.

At the very least, Ebizo had grown accustomed to having Chiyo by his side.

If Chiyo wanted to find a new partner, he would be deeply uncomfortable and would certainly not approve.

"Find a new partner?" Chiyo stopped in her tracks, stunned for a moment.

Once she understood what Ebizo meant, she came back to her senses, shook her head, and laughed. "I'm at my age; what kind of partner would I be looking for? I only hope that before I pass away, I can see my grandson, Sasori of the Red Sand, one last time."

Hearing this.

Ebizo felt slightly more at ease.

The problem was that Chiyo's demeanor over the past few days was exactly like how she had acted when she was young and in love.

Ebizo asked tentatively, "Are you really not thinking about a man?"

Thinking about a man?

Chiyo chuckled softly and shook her head. "Why would I be thinking about any man?"

She truly wasn't thinking about a man; to be precise, she was thinking about a boy.

Because, based on the contents of the diary, Takasaki should just be a boy who hadn't even graduated from a Ninja Academy in some country yet.

In her eyes, Ebizo's worries were entirely superfluous.

Even if she did like Takasaki and wanted to have a twilight romance, she was far too old; Takasaki would certainly never look her way.

Unless...

Unless she could get close to Takasaki, have him write her name in the diary a few times, and then obtain some kind of reward through the diary that could make her young again.

Her appearance in her youth was definitely not inferior to Temari's, especially when she wore a swimsuit.

Otherwise, the First Kazekage would never have fallen in love with her at first sight, married her, and had children with her.

"By the way, Ebizo, you were in charge of the village's intelligence and espionage work back in the day. Even though you've retired to the second line, you must still have a large number of secret channels in various countries, right?" Chiyo asked, as if suddenly remembering something.

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"If I asked you to investigate someone's background, would it be very difficult for you?"

Hearing this.

Ebizo seemed to perk up, his energy suddenly restored.

Men remain boys until they die; even at his advanced age, Ebizo still hoped to be admired by a woman.

What's more, this woman was the only family member currently by his side.

If he could show Chiyo that he still had the capability to earn her admiration, perhaps he would become more charming in her eyes and she wouldn't be so dismissive of him as she had been these past few days.

Just thinking about it made Ebizo stand a little straighter. "Whoever you want to investigate, just tell me. Although I've retired to the second line and my intelligence-gathering skills aren't what they were compared to those in the Intelligence Division, they aren't bad at all. As long as the person has a name, I can find out about them for you..."

Before he could finish his sentence.

Ebizo seemed to realize something and changed his tone. "The person you want me to investigate... it wouldn't be a man, would it?"

"It is a man."

Chiyo nodded. "To be precise, it's a boy named Takasaki."

After saying this.

She clasped her hands behind her back and continued to stroll forward at a leisurely pace.

Ebizo, however, stopped in his tracks.

"Takasaki?"

The sagging skin on Ebizo's cheeks trembled slightly.

He was somewhat familiar with that name.

Wasn't that the very person the Kazekage had mentioned at the dinner table earlier—the one Temari liked and was desperate to find?

According to Chiyo, Takasaki was just a boy, likely around the same age as Temari. In terms of age, they were a perfect match for Temari to have feelings for him.

Why did Chiyo want information on Takasaki as well?

A sudden sense of crisis welled up in Ebizo's heart.

Could it be that Chiyo also liked this fellow named Takasaki?!

Impossible... that's just absurd, Ebizo thought to himself.