Chiyo's mouth twitched sharply, deepening the wrinkles on her cheeks.
Enjoying time with her grandchildren?
From anyone else, it might have been well-meaning ignorance.
From Uchiha Yongye, it was blatant mockery and malice!
Yongye had captured her grandson. He was also the one who had spread the news that only his heart remained.
Chiyo gritted her teeth. In the end, she gave a firm nod, turned, and headed toward the alley.
She did not walk slowly, but every step landed hard. Her geta left a trail of deep prints in the sandy road.
As if she were stamping on Uchiha Yongye's head instead!
Only after turning into a narrow alley did she slow down. Ebizo emerged from the shadow of a mud wall and fell in beside her, with Baki and five other Elite Jonin behind them.
Baki's fists were clenched tight, his knuckles jutting out. He kept his voice low, but could not hide his anger:
"Elder Chiyo, even if we can't beat him, we have to fight!"
"The Kazekage's been captured, and we're too afraid to go to war. Instead, we've sent Pakura to entertain him! Sunagakure's reputation is finished!"
Chiyo neither looked back nor stopped walking.
Her voice carried back from ahead, steady and cold with a plan already in place:
"It's not that we won't fight. We'll fight another way."
"I've arranged everything. Pakura will poison that brat! Once I turn his corpse into a puppet, our reputation will be restored!"
"He's too strong to take head-on. That would be foolish!"
The Elite Jonin behind her faltered for a step, then quickly caught up.
The stifled anger on Baki's face visibly eased, as though someone had lifted a fraction of a crushing weight. The other ninja relaxed a little too.
Walking half a step behind Chiyo,