Sacrificial Pawns

Lin Chongshu lay still in bed as his mind began to race:

Was it an enemy? Did someone want to assassinate Gaara and use them as pawns? No.

He recalled that person's movements. They had been far too relaxed, without the tension of someone who had infiltrated enemy territory and could be discovered at any moment.

Enter the room, cast the technique, leave. Unhurried from beginning to end. There was no way they were an infiltrator from an enemy village.

Sunagakure was one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. It made no sense for an enemy ninja to give them orders to assassinate the Kazekage's son right under the Kazekage's nose and remain so relaxed.

They could only be someone from Sunagakure itself.

A memory suddenly flashed through Lin Chongshu's mind.

In the original story, when Gaara had been young—

The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, Gaara's biological father, had repeatedly sent people to assassinate his own son to test whether Shukaku inside him would go berserk when he was near death.

Yashamaru had been sent by Rasa as well, and he had ultimately died beneath Gaara's sand.

At that thought, Lin Chongshu immediately understood. That's right! It has to be this.

They had taken a group of unwanted orphans, filled their heads with hatred for Gaara, then placed them in front of him.

They used that hatred to provoke Gaara and see whether it would trigger Shukaku's rampage.

If the rampage could be controlled, the village would gain a controllable weapon. If it could not, only a few people nobody cared about would die.

Although the original story had never explicitly stated that Rasa deliberately provoked Gaara for experiments, people in the village had constantly been killed for enraging Gaara. Rasa's tacit approval had to be behind it.

Lin Chongshu pulled his hand out from beneath the blanket. His fingers were still trembling slightly, whether from pain or fear, he did not know.

He wanted to live. He had to escape.

But he had no backing and no strength. The meager attributes the system had given him meant nothing before a real ninja.

Facing them head-on would be suicide.

Fatty turned over beside him, still mumbling about becoming a "Kazekage guard."

Lin Chongshu lay awake, staring at the ceiling in the darkness as he combed through all the memories from both of his lives.

Every thread involving Sunagakure in the Naruto story, every person he could make use of, every possible method of escape.

Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, Baki, Yashamaru, Rasa—those names spun over and over in his mind.

Dawn was approaching.

The distant clinking of ninja tools rang out as someone prepared the day's training equipment.

A new day was about to begin.

Early the next morning, there were more people at the training ground than there had been the previous few days.

Several people without flak jackets had appeared beneath the rock wall, and people were moving around near the entrance as well.

Lin Chongshu saw Baki speaking with a young man.

The man had light-colored hair and gentle features. Standing beside Baki, he kept his body slightly bent and spoke with a smile.

Lin Chongshu recognized him. Yashamaru, Gaara's uncle.

The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, had come today as well. He stood on a high platform at the far end of the grounds, wearing the Kazekage's hat.

Seeing Rasa arrive, Fatty and the others shouted even harder. They felt that becoming "Kazekage guards" was already within reach.

Just as he had the day before, Gaara was escorted by several chunin to the edge of the grounds. He sat there hugging his ragged doll, his shoulders hunched.

With Gaara's appearance, several orphans near Lin Chongshu began to stir restlessly.

Their eyes unconsciously turned toward Gaara. "Monster... kill that monster..." The effects of the genjutsu cast the previous night were beginning to take hold.

Training began much as it had over the past few days.

Temari held her fan horizontally before her and moved with quick, small steps. Lin Chongshu also took up his stance, pretending to be ready for a serious fight.

But Temari's mind was clearly not on him today.

Temari threw a punch with only seventy or eighty percent of her usual strength, and even the angle was off.

Lin Chongshu sidestepped it, ducked low, and slammed into her arms. He wrapped both hands around her waist, hooked her leg, and sent them both tumbling onto the sand.

Then Lin Chongshu twisted around and straddled her. His knee pinned her waist while his hands pressed down on her shoulders, nailing her to the ground.

Temari let out a muffled grunt and twisted, trying to roll over, but Lin Chongshu had her firmly pinned.

He had been pretending all this time. Temari had grown accustomed to him becoming easier and easier to beat, so when he suddenly stopped holding back, she failed to react in time.

Temari glared at him, anger in her voice. "You were pretending before?"

"Yes."

"Why? Don't you want to become a Kazekage guard?"

"We can't become one."

"Why?"

"Because we'll all be killed by your brother." His voice was low, just loud enough for Temari alone to hear.

Temari stopped struggling for an instant. Her anger turned to vigilance. "Wouldn't it be enough if you just stopped provoking him?"

"That's impossible. We were originally test subjects meant to test your brother. The next time he loses control, we'll all die."

Temari froze for a moment, then immediately refuted him. "Impossible. You're all descendants of heroes who gave their lives for the village. You're members of Father's future guard. Who would dare use you as test subjects?"

Lin Chongshu did not answer. He merely looked at her, but the answer was already obvious.

Temari's lips moved, and her anger shifted into rejection. "You're slandering my father, slandering the Kazekage, slandering Sunagakure. I'll kill—"

"I'm someone who's going to die anyway. Whether you kill me now or not, it makes no difference to me." Lin Chongshu released her and swept his gaze around the grounds.

"Look at how many people are here. They're only training a few guards. Do they need this many jonin watching? Everyone's waiting for Shukaku to go berserk!"

Temari's pupils contracted.

Lin Chongshu looked down at her, and his tone suddenly softened. "If you don't believe me, we can make a bet."

"Go ask your father. Ask him one question: 'Are these people sacrificial pawns meant to test Gaara?' If he says no, you can deal with me however you like. If he confirms it all..."

"I only want you to tell me one thing before I die."

Temari said nothing, but her gaze had already begun to waver.

Lin Chongshu pressed on. "You don't dare ask?"

"My father would never treat the descendants of heroes this way."

"Then what are you afraid of?"

Temari's shoulders trembled, but she did not dare answer.

Lin Chongshu stood up. After pausing for a moment, he spoke without looking back. "My name is Jiro Hijikata. I'll be waiting for you anytime."

He shoved his hands back into his pockets, walked to the edge of the grounds, and sat down beside Fatty.

Fatty was clenching his fists as he stared at Gaara, completely unaware of him.

Temari still stood in the center of the grounds. She wanted to ask, but she was afraid that the answer would be one she could not bear—an answer completely different from everything she had always been taught.