In the end, with Naruto supporting him, Gaara returned to the village. On the day they came back, all the people of Sunagakure gathered outside the village to welcome their Kazekage.
After they returned, Ebizo sat alone beside Granny Chiyo's body and opened the Shin his older sister had left him.
Before Granny Chiyo was buried, this was the only time Ebizo had left to spend with his sister.
"It seems we old folks really are behind the times."
In the Shin, Granny Chiyo described Sasuke's performance in his fight against Sasori and the details of their battle. She also explicitly told Ebizo that Sunagakure must not make an enemy of Konoha.
At the end of the Shin, Granny Chiyo urged Ebizo to stand behind Gaara and support him.
Judging by Sasuke and Naruto's attitude toward rescuing Gaara, this young Kazekage could become a bridge between Konoha and Sunagakure.
Although Gaara now had the support of the villagers, Sunagakure's old guard still distrusted him, and they remained hostile toward Konoha.
Granny Chiyo and Ebizo had once been among them. Now, Chiyo had realized it was time to change.
From now on, with Ebizo backing him, Gaara would no longer have to endure people using their seniority to undermine him as Kazekage.
After all, no one in all of Sunagakure had greater standing or prestige than Ebizo.
In the Hokage Office in Konoha, after Naruto and the others left on their mission, Madara broke with his usual routine and did not return to the Land of Rice Fields. He stayed in Konoha, keeping track of Sasuke and the others' progress.
At that moment, Shikaku and Madara were playing a game of shogi.
As soon as the game began, Madara launched a fierce offensive against Shikaku. Shikaku played steadily and cautiously,