The council chamber in Sunagakure was filled.
Around it sat the elders of Suna, their faces weathered by desert sun and war. At the head sat the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa. His face which always had a frown, but today the corners of his mouth lifted just a little.
Sōshi Kuromiri stood in the center. His puppeteer robes were clean now, but faint bloodstains still showed on the cuffs. He had just come back from the mission after sending injured Shoto to the hospital.
The one that killed Kurogiri Tetsu and most of Iwa's Explosion Corps.
The elders were smiling. Even Elder Haran, who always frowned like he'd eaten sand, had a grin.
They had heard everything. Twelve Suna shinobi against fifteen Iwa elites. Less than ten dead. And the prize, Iwa was coming to the table. Begging for peace. They were also successful in crippling Iwa's explosion corps, thus weakening Iwa.
In the great shinobi wars, they lost hundreds in a single battle. Ten deaths? That was nothing. A good day.
But the real reason they smiled was the boy.
Shota Aizawa.
He was back in village safe. He had injuries but no life threatening or crippling injuries.
Elder Natsume Hōzan leaned forward. He was old, with a long white beard and kind eyes. He handled treaties and talks with other villages.
"For all the blood Suna has spilled," he said, "we can ask for a few things. Not too much. Iwa wants this ceasefire more than we do. They need it."
The elders nodded. They talked fast. What did Suna need? What could they take without breaking Iwa?
After the discussion, Natsume spoke again. "Two B-rank earth jutsu. Ones we don't have. It would be good for our earth shinobi. Then twenty tonnes of chakra metal. We'll take ten if they push back. And no Iwa missions in the Land of Fangs for ten years. All those jobs would come to us."
Rasa raised a hand. "Add two hundred million ryō. If they pay, we use it for the families of the dead during the third great ninja war. And to rebuild after all the losses that we have suffered during the past two wars."
Everyone agreed. It was fair. It was smart. It hurt Iwa without starting another war.
Then the talk shifted.
Elder Tōjūro adjusted his glasses. He handled domestic village affairs.
"Sōshi," he said. "The boy. Tell us about him."
Sōshi took a deep breath. "Shota is… special. A prodigy. Ten years old, and he took down the second-in-command of the Explosion Corps. A jōnin. And a chūnin. At the same time."
The elders leaned in.
"He was hurt bad," Sōshi went on. "Cracked ribs. Burned arm. But he didn't stop and came back to help us. His ability of looking at a man and taking his chakra, it saved us countless times. Without it, we'd all be dead. The Explosion Corps would've turned that valley into a crater."
He paused.
"But it's not just his eyes," Sōshi said. "It's his mind. It's as if he is a Nara. He saw Kurogiri's mining field which was full of hidden mines. Shota made a natural storm. He created natural lightning. He directed it right into the field to disable the minefield."
The Kazekage's eyes narrowed. "A Nara?"
Tōjūro answered. "We don't know his parents. He was a baby when the orphanage matron brought him from a burned village in the Land of Wind. She's loyal and we all know that we can't question her."
Everyone nodded. Some things were left alone.
Tōjūro smiled. "Combat genius. Sharp mind. The resemblance to Sasori… it's uncanny."
Sōshi's head snapped up. "He's not Sasori."
"He's not cold like Sasori."
The room went quiet.
Sōshi's eyes were wet. "After the battle… we counted the dead. Our dead. He sat by the bodies. Tears running down his face. He didn't make a sound. Just cried. For men he barely knew."
He looked at the elders. At the Kazekage.
"He has a heart. A good one. He won't become another Sasori."
Then he smiled, soft and sad. "His dream isn't big. Not like becoming Kazekage. Not like being a legend. He trains every day, not to be S-rank. Not for glory. He wants to be strong enough that no one messes with Suna again. And then… he wants to quit. Live lazy. Drink tea on the roof. Rub his cat's belly. Sleep in the sun."
A few elders chuckled. One snorted. "To stop wars, he'd have to be the God of Shinobi. Like Hashirama. Ridiculous."
Sōshi didn't laugh. In his mind, he thought: 'Ridiculous? He just beat impossible odds. Give him ten years…'
But he said nothing.
Elder Haran slammed a fist on the table. "Bwahaha! I knew it! Give me the boy! Put him in my External Defense department! I'll make him a wall no village can break! Kumo, Kiri, Iwa, they'll think twice before attacking!"
Everyone ignored him. They knew that no elder would be able to get Shota in their department.
Rasa spoke,"There's a bounty coming on Shota's head. Iwa will pay others to hunt him. Shota won't be able to do normal missions anymore."
"I will be sending him to ANBU. Assassination and Hunter-nin squads. Both. His skills will be best used there. No one will know where he would go for missions thus there would be no possibility for ambushes."
The elders nodded. Shota's future was decided.
-------Author Notes---------
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