Chapter 144: Chiyo Reassumes Control of the Sand Ninja
Amid the surging undercurrents sweeping across the entire ninja world, tension quietly spread in all directions.
As the village that suffered the heaviest losses among the Five Great Ninja Villages, with more than half of it even destroyed, Konoha instead became the calmest place in the entire ninja world.
Relying on the strength of a single village to withstand the assault of four great ninja villages was a feat sufficient to shock the entire ninja world.
Even though Konoha now appeared to be the easiest target to invade, no one dared to make a move, as no one could be certain whether Konoha still possessed the ninjutsu left behind by the First Hokage.
Everyone was waiting for some reckless fool to probe Konoha's true strength.
If Konoha no longer had such means, then the village founded by Senju Hashirama would undoubtedly be breached by the entire ninja world in the shortest possible time.
The current Konoha was like a piece of fat meat placed before everyone's eyes, yet no one knew whether the path leading to it concealed traps or an abyss.
All ninja villages could sense that the impact this great war had on the ninja world had only just begun.
The Land of Wind, Sand Village.
As a ninja village surrounded year-round by desert and established in a harsh environment filled with sandstorms, it was naturally built in a place suitable for survival.
In the desert, the most important resource was water, and thus rivers were equally vital to the establishment of the Sand Village.
Beside a river that passed through the Sand Village, two somewhat aged figures sat on small stools, holding fishing rods and quietly watching the water's surface.
These two were Chiyo, an advisor of the Sand Village, and Ebizo, who once oversaw the village's entire intelligence network.
Even though Ebizo was now advanced in age and had long since stepped back from the front lines, he still maintained numerous covert connections across the major countries.
"Outside, things are probably already in chaos."
Ebizo gently flicked his fishing rod twice and spoke in a calm voice.
"I'm just a useless old woman now. The affairs of the Sand Village are no longer something I can manage, nor something I should manage."
Chiyo narrowed her eyes slightly, as if she were about to fall asleep, and replied flatly.
Hearing her words, Ebizo could not help but show a bitter smile.
If anyone else in the Sand Village claimed they no longer cared about the village, Ebizo might believe it, but if his sister said such a thing, he did not believe it at all.
Having lived through prolonged turmoil and marched through countless wars, his sister had devoted nearly her entire life to the Sand Village.
However, her hatred toward Konoha and anxiety over the Sand Village's weakness had left her with a deep sense of powerlessness.
Especially when the Sand Village shook hands and made peace with Konoha, the blow to Chiyo, who had always harbored hatred toward Konoha, was undoubtedly severe.
This was also the most important reason she had retreated behind the scenes back then.
Ebizo fell silent for a moment, then slightly turned his head to look at Maki kneeling behind them not far away. He let out a soft sigh and spoke again.
"That boy Maki has been kneeling there since morning."
Chiyo remained silent, as though she had already fallen asleep.
After a long while, Chiyo slowly opened her eyes and said, "Where is Rasa?"
Ebizo's eyelids twitched slightly, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes as he answered softly, "Dead."
Rasa was dead?
Chiyo's hand, which had been gripping the fishing rod, suddenly trembled. After a moment, she raised her head to look at Ebizo beside her and asked in a hoarse voice, "Who killed him?"
"Konoha's rogue ninja, Orochimaru."
Ebizo answered truthfully.
"Konoha again?"
Chiyo let out a low murmur, cold light flickering in her eyes. "Ebizo, how is your old line of work? You haven't grown lax, have you?"
A smile was forced onto Ebizo's deeply wrinkled face. "I've done it my whole life. Even if I wanted to slack off, I wouldn't be able to."
Chiyo lifted her fishing rod and slowly stood up. As she turned and began to walk away, she spoke with a faint smile.
"Then tell me everything that has happened recently."
Ebizo also stood up and hurriedly followed after Chiyo.
Maki looked at the two figures approaching him, joy appearing on his face.
With the Kazekage dead, the only ones in the Sand Village capable of stabilizing the situation and possessing sufficient prestige were these two before him.
Especially Lady Chiyo, who once possessed the feat of capturing an entire city single-handedly.
Chiyo stopped in front of Maki and spoke in a calm voice.
"Get up. Kneeling here like this is unbecoming."
After saying that, Chiyo and Ebizo walked past Maki and headed toward the Sand Village.
Joy filled Maki's face as he quickly stood up and followed behind them.
Along the way, Maki and Ebizo gave Chiyo a general account of what had happened.
"The four great ninja villages attacking Konoha was indeed a grand event for the entire ninja world, but for Konoha to still retain such methods means the entire ninja world has underestimated it."
"As for the Mist Village's sudden betrayal, it shows that the one in command not only has accurate judgment, but also looks far ahead."
Chiyo sighed softly, then continued.
"If the Mist Village only wanted the tailed beasts, there would have been no need to take Temari and Kankuro away. Clearly, the Mist Village has other designs on our Sand Village."
Ebizo nodded with a grave expression.
"That's right. I think so as well. And even setting aside the identity of the One-Tail jinchuriki, Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro are all children of the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa."
"Based on that identity alone, our Sand Village must bring all three back safely. Otherwise, we will become the laughingstock of the entire ninja world."
Ebizo's words echoed in their ears, causing both Chiyo and Maki to wear solemn expressions.
———
On a rock near the sea in the Mist Village.
Yuto lay lazily atop the stone, enjoying the rare stretch of clear, sunny weather in the Mist Village.
A palm-sized turtle lay just as lazily beside Yuto, its tail occasionally lifting before dropping back down again.
Before long, the sound of light footsteps came from the other side. Isobu, the Three-Tails, lifted its head to glance at the approaching figure, then lay back down again.
The figure walked to Yuto's side, glanced at his languid posture, and could not help but show a helpless smile.
She then sat down beside Yuto.
Although Yuto did not open his eyes, he already knew who had taken a seat next to him.
"You're certainly at ease. The entire ninja world is on the verge of chaos."
Mei Terumi looked at Yuto, a trace of helplessness in her voice.
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