"What! Ryosuke is going to kill the Daimyō, destroy the conglomerates, and seize the entire Land of Wind?"
When Rasa heard this, he couldn't sit still anymore. He rushed out in a few big strides, his face filled with urgency.
Didn't he already agree with Ryosuke that when it came time to kill the Daimyō, he had to count him in? Ryosuke seemed like a good guy, so why was he…
Planning to hog all the credit?
Rasa hurried off to find Ryosuke.
Leaning by the window, Kakashi glanced back at Rasa's retreating figure and moistened his lips, which felt dry from the heat.
Kakashi knew the truth. Ryosuke had told him. They were only going to Warsaw City to sign an agreement.
There might be some negotiations in the process, but unless the Wind Daimyō and the financial clans were completely brain-dead, there was little chance of a fight breaking out.
"So how did this rumor get twisted out of shape? Not even three hours, and it's already blown this far out of proportion?"
Kakashi muttered under his breath.
He was only twenty-five, still considered young, yet he felt his mind and energy couldn't keep up with this group anymore.
Even Rasa, who spent his days working and mining gold, seemed more full of vigor than Kakashi.
Kakashi's mission in Sunagakure with Ryosuke was to find the culprit behind the Konoha attack. With Shinnō dead, the Sky Ninja Army either dead or captured, he had basically completed his task.
By his habit, once the mission ended, he should head back to Konoha, rest, wait for the next mission, repeat the cycle, and eventually die on some assignment.
That, to him, was the destiny of a shinobi.
As Kakashi gazed at the busy crowds outside the window, he suddenly felt a murderous gaze fall on his back.
It was from an old woman.
Chiyo.
A first-class puppet master who could control her puppets with a single finger, skilled in taijutsu, medical ninjutsu, and fūinjutsu.
Even Hanzo the Salamander's poison had been countered by her. She was, in the truest sense, an all-around kunoichi with unfathomable strength.
During the Second Shinobi World War, her son and daughter-in-law were killed by Konoha's White Fang, Sakumo Hatake.
After that, Chiyo grew disheartened and eventually went into complete seclusion in her old age, no longer interfering with Sunagakure's affairs.
It was Rasa who persuaded her to come back, giving two reasons.
First, Sakumo's son, Kakashi Hatake, had come to the Land of Wind.
Second, Sunagakure was about to rebel.
No one knew which reason worked, but Chiyo had returned. For days now, she had been quietly watching Kakashi, like a scorpion clinging on, haunting him without rest.
At first, Kakashi was very alert, especially after learning about the blood feud between them. But after a few days, Chiyo didn't show any intention of striking.
Since Sunagakure was now an ally, Kakashi couldn't just… attack an old woman simply because she glared at him.
"You could attack, but you wouldn't win."
Chiyo's sinister voice came from behind him.
Kakashi turned his head and noticed a tiny puppet, no bigger than a palm, clinging to the door. It was the one speaking. Looking back at where Chiyo had been sitting, she was already gone.
Kakashi shook his head, unwilling to quarrel with an old lady. He turned away, intending to pack his things and return to Konoha.
The small puppet leapt across the roof tiles.
"I originally came here to kill you."
"But the moment I laid eyes on you, I felt killing you was meaningless."
"Because you're far too weak. Compared to your father, you're nowhere close. So far behind that killing you would be a mistake..."
"Only if you live, can the shinobi world know that the son of the legendary White Fang of Konoha… is nothing special."
Thud!
A kunai pierced the little puppet, nailing it to the wall.
Kakashi's eyes turned cold.
The puppet stared back at him, gave a mocking laugh, and then went silent.
Back at his quarters, Kakashi packed his things, ready to leave for Konoha that very day. From the very first second he set foot in this land, he had felt a ghost clinging to him.
He didn't know if the ghost belonged to his late father, or to his childhood self. Or maybe… both.
The ghost whispered endlessly in his ear, the sound mixed with the desert wind of the Land of Wind, pouring into his head.
Kakashi couldn't make out a single word. His ears, and his brain along with them, just buzzed in confusion.
As he packed, when he was about to strap his backpack shut, he hesitated.
Chiyo's words echoed over and over in his heart, until…
———
[Afternoon, 18:10 pm]
The convoy's supplies were ready. Dozens of camels chewed their tongues, squinting, waiting to depart.
Salt had been sprinkled on their tongues to make them feel thirsty and drink large amounts of water in advance for storage.
This time, the people accompanying Ryosuke to Warsaw City numbered six, Takeshi, serving as Ryosuke's guard.
Rasa and Chiyo, one Kazekage, one elder, representing Sunagakure.
Their presence in the negotiations would add pressure on the Wind Daimyō's side. But Ryosuke figured Rasa's real reason for coming was to find a chance to lop off the Daimyō's head.
As for Chiyo, she still had old political acquaintances in Warsaw. With enough interest at stake, she could lend Ryosuke a hand at a critical moment.
Another was City Blind.
It wasn't just Gorin City that had "rats." Every major city in the Land of Wind was the same. Blind Shi had roamed the land for years and kept ties with all the local rats.
Once in Warsaw, he could provide intelligence from another angle.
The last was a special case, Gaara.
Bringing this withdrawn boy along wasn't for any mission. Ryosuke simply didn't feel safe leaving him behind in Sunagakure or Gorin City.
From Shinnō's memory disk, Ryosuke had learned that Akatsuki had already started their tailed beast collection plan, intending to use them to create a super weapon.
Since he knew Gaara was a target, better to bring him along than leave him behind to be snatched away.
Sasuke and Rei rode horseback, leading thirty cavalry of the Extermination Army.
They weren't coming to Warsaw. They had another crucial task, delivering Shinnō's memory disks and jutsu records back to the research institute.
With Tsunade's support, the institute had made breakthroughs studying Hidan's ashes. They urgently needed Sasuke's jutsu-nullification ability to create a "no-ninjutsu environment" to aid research.
Both Sasuke and Rei wanted to visit Warsaw City, but priorities were priorities. They had no choice but to wave pitifully at Ryosuke, urging him several times to bring back lots of souvenirs.
Ryosuke watched them depart. Then he raised the reins in his hand and looked toward the setting sun.
"Let's go too."
The convoy began to move slowly forward, when suddenly...
"Wait."
Kakashi, backpack on his back, leapt in from afar.
Ryosuke asked in surprise, "Weren't you supposed to head back to Konoha today?"
Kakashi opened his mouth, but didn't know how to answer.
Yes, he should be going back. But…
This time, he wanted to make a change. He still hadn't made out the words of the "ghost" whispering in his ears.
"I…"
Kakashi couldn't explain.
Suddenly, a hand stretched out toward him.
Ryosuke smiled. "Get on."
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