"I never thought that one day this old lady would actually team up with you on a mission."
Inside the Land of Rivers, Chiyo, whose body was slightly hunched, was walking slowly while glancing sideways at Tsunade beside her.
"I also didn't expect the Sand Village to send out an old lady like you! Wouldn't it be better to enjoy retirement in the village and drink tea with old friends?"
Tsunade snorted twice in response.
"But after all, it concerns my grandson," Chiyo said with a complex look in her eyes. She hadn't expected the village to want to recall Sasori.
Based on what she knew about Rasa, he wouldn't allow anyone who could threaten his position as the Kazekage to appear in the Sand Village.
Although Pakura was forced to flee to Konoha, her status rose sharply among the Konoha delegation by some accident.
Still, the two seemed to have an unspoken understanding, without the undercurrents that marked Rasa's early days as Kazekage.
After all, over these years, Rasa had firmly secured the Kazekage seat. Pakura and her subordinates no longer held grudges.
Judging by how the Sand Village had developed, Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, aside from being deeply tied to Konoha, was a capable and excellent leader.
Although much of that was thanks to the power of Konoha and the Land of Fire, in such a difficult situation, no one else would have done better than him.
Chiyo was very satisfied with this.
But she was still surprised by Rasa's desire to bring Sasori back.
After all, she had pushed for Rasa to become Kazekage in the first place.
If Sasori hadn't disappeared, with his talent and strength, he would have been a strong contender for the Kazekage position.
Was it because Rasa believed his prestige and strength could suppress any risks, and so wanted to fill the village's strength gap?
Or do we need Sasori's talent with puppets?
Right now, the puppet business and research in the Sand Village are booming.
The only thing missing is a manager with enough skill and an extraordinary talent for puppetry.
"Then maybe you should prepare yourself mentally," Tsunade said, looking at Chiyo's slightly aged face. Suddenly, she lost interest in arguing with her.
"What kind of mental preparation?" Chiyo sensed there was more behind Tsunade's words. She keenly felt that there might be some information about Sasori that she didn't know.
"He has already destroyed three small ninja villages," Tsunade revealed the intelligence Konoha had gathered.
Seeing Chiyo's expressionless face, without any reaction, she continued, "We found the power of Magnet Release at the battle site."
"Magnet Release?" Chiyo finally showed some confusion on her face. In her memory, Sasori never awakened Magnet Release. Looking at Tsunade's cold face, an uneasy feeling grew inside her.
"Isn't the Third Kazekage missing?" Tsunade reminded her gently.
"Impossible!" Chiyo instinctively rebutted with strong emotion.
It was because of the Third Kazekage's disappearance that the Third Great Ninja War broke out.
Especially since it invited the attacks of the Cloud Ninja barbarians, who almost destroyed the Sand Village.
Although in the end, the Sand Village fought hard to drive the Cloud Ninja out of their territory, it was with the help of Konoha and Iwa.
In fact, if Konoha hadn't restrained part of the Cloud Ninja's power early on, the Sand Village would probably have been crushed by the sudden attack.
Right now, Tsunade mentioning the Third Kazekage being with Sasori was so absurd it was hard to believe.
Unless, the Third Kazekage had met with some accident!
Chiyo's heart suddenly sank.
The village had never stopped searching for the missing Third Kazekage, and there were many different guesses about his disappearance.
After all, someone disappearing silently without alerting the entire Anbu was extremely suspicious.
Many higher-ups had even pieced together clues from the smallest signs.
But since it involved Chiyo and her brother, no one dared to speak out. There was no solid proof to confirm those guesses.
Chiyo knew well that the village had once suspected Sasori.
After all, Sasori disappeared around the same time as the Third Kazekage.
Being her grandson, Sasori had the chance to secretly meet the Third Kazekage without anyone noticing, and the Kazekage wouldn't be wary of him.
The Third Kazekage always seemed to admire Sasori. Whether it was to show Chiyo or genuine admiration, his attitude was clear.
If it was proven that the Third Kazekage's disappearance was related to Sasori, then this mission wouldn't just be about recalling Sasori to the village — it would be about capturing him!
Understanding this, Chiyo immediately looked at Baki behind her and stared at him tightly.
"Is there any information? You can tell me now, right?" she asked firmly.
"It's just to prepare you mentally, Elder," Baki sighed. "A reunion after a long time isn't necessarily joyful."
"So, the mission isn't to bring Sasori back?" Chiyo asked directly. She also grew unhappy with Rasa for hiding things from her.
Was this to hurt their reputation in the village and secure power for themselves?
Even if Chiyo and her brother were hiding in the Oasis, was that not allowed?
"That depends on the intelligence from Konoha. If it's false, then it's an invitation for Lord Sasori," Baki lowered his head slightly in respect.
"And if the information is true?" Chiyo narrowed her eyes slightly.
"That means capture. At the very least, bring him back to the village for punishment," Baki replied respectfully.
"No wonder Konoha has to get involved. With Konoha's involvement, when the time comes, no matter what, I will have to put the village first and punish my own kin. You and Tsunade will be witnesses. Rasa really knows how to play these tricks," Chiyo shook her head.
"The Fourth Kazekage does not mean that. It's just that the village needs Sasori's talent and strength right now. Our mission this time is definitely not to kill Sasori, but to bring him back alive."
Baki, a loyal subordinate of the Kazekage, showed no sign of displeasure that Chiyo called the Kazekage by name. He only emphasized his promise to Chiyo.
The Sand Village indeed needs Sasori's power.
When Sasori was in the village, he led the research and created many amazing puppet mechanisms.
Some of these puppets are still considered excellent works even now by the Sand Puppet Division, good enough to be used for teaching puppetry.
"And you? With Konoha and Cloud ninja being so tense, how did they even send you out of the village to help with this mission?"
Chiyo felt a little upset inside as she looked at the respectful Baki. She held back her anger and glanced at Tsunade nearby, shooting a sharp remark.
After all, the tense situation between Cloud and Konoha lately has greatly affected the ninja world's atmosphere.
Even merchants active in the Land of Fire have become cautious, fearing another war might break out.
"You old hag doesn't need to worry about that," Tsunade replied irritably.
Not to mention all the preparations Konoha's Technology Development Department has made over the years, if things really go wrong, there's also the Third Raikage from the Hidden Cloud who can be called upon.
Anyway, even if Orochimaru and Kagetsu's plans are exposed by now, they have developed some risk resistance.
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