Sunagakure, inside the Kazekage's office.
Ryūnosuke showed no particular anger. They had walked right into Konoha's trap, but the losses were minimal. In a battle involving more than four thousand shinobi on both sides, Sunagakure's casualties were only a few hundred.
Such losses were still within Ryūnosuke's acceptable range. More importantly, the war had not cost them much in terms of high-level combat power.
The number of fallen jōnin was only three to five. Although Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law held respected positions, their strength had not yet reached the level of elite jōnin. Ryūnosuke did not feel deep grief over the couple's deaths.
"That being said… their child—if I remember right, his name is Sasori—was said to have exceptional talent. Elder Chiyo once mentioned that his potential might even surpass mine."
Muttering this to himself, Ryūnosuke paused to think, then issued instructions to the subordinate at his side:
"Go to Elder Chiyo's home and send some introductory shinobi reading materials, along with a few ninjutsu scrolls. Sasori's parents gave their lives for the village—Sunagakure must shoulder the responsibility of raising this child in their place.
Also, Elder Chiyo has surely been struck hard by the loss of her son and daughter-in-law. She's likely in no state to handle battlefield matters. Let her take their remains back home to rest for a time.
It will also give her the chance to care for Sasori herself. Losing his parents so young, it would be good for him to grow up with his grandmother, so she can help him develop a cheerful personality."
Ryūnosuke believed his arrangements to be full of compassion—never imagining that these very decisions would bring him immense disaster in the future.
Ryūnosuke was correct in one regard: Chiyo, now a middle-aged woman who had lost her son, had no heart left for dealing with the myriad matters of war.
War affairs aside, she could hardly eat. She had been sitting in her son and daughter-in-law's tent for days.
Every day, she simply stared blankly at their memorial portraits. Her younger brother, Ebizō, paced anxiously in circles, helpless to do anything.
Chiyo's life had been one of hardship. As the wife of the First Kazekage, Reto, she and her husband had devoted themselves fully to the growth and prosperity of Sunagakure.
After Reto's passing, she continued as an elder—raising their child while assisting the Kazekage in governing the village.
She had given the best years of her life to Sunagakure. By middle age, she had finally been able to rest and enjoy the warmth of family with her son, daughter-in-law, and young grandson—only for the outbreak of the Second Shinobi World War to drag her to the battlefield once again.
She had long understood the cruelty of war and had considered the possibility of losing her life, or even her family. But she had never imagined the tragedy would come so swiftly—or that she would face the cruel scene of an elder burying the young.
The thought made sorrow well up in her heart—but she had no tears left to shed. She had cried far too much in the past two days.
"Sister, please… try to eat something. The dead cannot return, but even if you cannot think about the war right now, think of little Sasori.
He's still so young. With only you left as his grandmother, what would happen to him if something happened to you?"
Hearing this, the emptiness in Chiyo's eyes shifted slightly.
"Yes… yes, there's still Sasori. There's still Sasori."
At almost the same moment, a Sunagakure ANBU member lifted the tent flap and bowed to the withered figure of Chiyo.
"Elder Chiyo, the Kazekage has sent orders. He says that you are not suited to handle war matters right now. You are granted leave to return home and lay your son and daughter-in-law to rest, and to look after your grandson.
When you've recovered, you can return to the front."
A rare smile broke across Chiyo's face.
"I knew Ryūnosuke was a good boy. Yes… yes, I'll return. I must go see Sasori."
...
Sunagakure — Chiyo's home.
As soon as Chiyo returned home, she saw her six-year-old grandson. The moment she saw Sasori, her tears began to flow uncontrollably
She rushed forward in quick strides and scooped him into her arms.
"Sasori, Grandma's come home to see you."
Sasori smiled upon seeing her. He wrapped his small arms around her and, after a moment's hesitation, asked the question Chiyo least wished to hear:
"Grandma… why haven't Mom and Dad come back yet?"
Chiyo's body trembled. Looking into his innocent, uncomprehending eyes, she could not bring herself to tell him the truth—that his parents were dead.
After a long hesitation, she forced herself to give a strained explanation:
"Well… your mom and dad have an important mission—very far away. They won't be able to come back for some time. But they asked me to tell you that they miss you very much."
Any adult could have seen through her expression, but to six-year-old Sasori, the lie passed without question.
Accepting the "kind" falsehood, he kept it in his heart, but frowned and muttered:
"Uncle Ryūnosuke is a bad man."
Startled, Chiyo quickly asked:
"Why do you think the Kazekage is a bad man?"
Sasori answered with simple stubbornness:
"Because he sent Mom and Dad so far away on a mission, and won't let them come home to see me. That makes him a bad man."
Chiyo was at a loss, managing only a strained smile.
"Don't blame the Kazekage. He has his own reasons…"
"But… what should I do if I miss Mom and Dad?"
After a moment's thought, Chiyo made up her mind.
"It's getting late, Sasori. Go to bed now. Tomorrow, Grandma will take you somewhere fun—how about that?"
Children are children, after all. The promise of something fun distracted Sasori from his longing. After wishing her goodnight, he ran off to his room.
The next morning, Sasori had just opened his sleepy eyes when he was surprised to see a strange-looking little figure waving at him from the doorway.
Startled but intrigued, he hurried after the strange-looking little figure, following him all the way to Sunagakure's puppet workshop.
"This is the puppet workshop. Inside are many materials for making puppets, as well as broken ones. From now on, you'll learn puppet techniques with Grandma, alright?"
Thinking back to the strange little figure from earlier, Sasori smiled and sweetly agreed.
Inside the workshop, Chiyo soon made a startling discovery—Sasori's talent for puppetry was far beyond her own.
When she explained difficult points about puppet-making, Sasori absorbed them easily. More impressively, after hearing her describe the principle of chakra threads just once, he was able to use them successfully.
Such control—Chiyo herself could not match it, and even Monzaemon himself would have been humbled.
"Grandma, can I try making my own puppets in the future?"
Holding a small puppet that danced in his hands, Sasori felt—for the first time—a strong creative urge.
He had already decided on a name for his first work: "Mother and Father."
Author's Notes:
I have modified the circumstances of Sasori's parents' death. I felt that the original story's setting was a bit off. In the Second Great Shinobi War, Sunagakure and Konoha were fighting each other to the very end, but for Sakumo to be able to just rush into the village in the middle of it seemed too ridiculous. If a village could be torn to shreds by an enemy but still fight for so many years, it would be a bit too stubborn. So I slightly changed this setting and made it so they died on the battlefield.
Also, this is just a brief mention of Sasori's story, so it doesn't follow the original flashbacks exactly.