Hearing Uchiha Yuan's concerned question, Ye Cang turned to look at him.
The boy before her wasn't even as tall as she was yet—
But somehow…
He gave off a strange sense of reliability.
"Why do you think the village did this to me?"
Ye Cang asked.
Yuan replied calmly:
"You already know why the Sand Village abandoned you."
"They couldn't sustain the war against the Mist any longer."
"I understand how it feels to be betrayed."
"Especially by the very village you devoted yourself to…"
"Deceived… and sent like a fool straight into an ambush."
He paused, then continued:
"What you feel most… isn't just anger."
"It's unwillingness."
"You're unwilling to accept that the village chose Rasa… and abandoned you."
Ye Cang fell silent.
After a moment, she gave a bitter smile.
"…You're right."
When she was ambushed—
She had already realized it was Rasa's scheme.
But she wasn't naïve.
With her status in the village—
Rasa alone couldn't have done something so blatant.
That meant—
The higher-ups had agreed.
After a long silence—
Yuan spoke again:
"Perhaps… it's because the Sand Village is poor."
"That's why they abandoned you."
"I don't understand."
Ye Cang frowned slightly.
"I've heard Rasa inherited the Third Kazekage's abilities."
"He can extract gold dust from sand."
Yuan said.
Ye Cang nodded.
"Yes… that gold is one of the village's main sources of income."
Then—
Her expression suddenly changed.
"…Are you saying…"
"The village chose him… because of that?"
She didn't want to believe it.
But deep down—
She knew.
No one understood the Sand Village's poverty better than her.
Yuan smiled faintly—
And patted her shoulder.
"If you think of Rasa as…"
"A miner working hard every day in the desert, panning for gold…"
"Does that make you feel any better?"
Ye Cang froze for a moment.
Then—
She imagined it.
Rasa…
Standing in the desert—
Sifting through sand like a laborer.
A small smile appeared on her lips.
At that moment—
Whoosh!
Uchiha Daishi landed before them.
"Leader, we captured a survivor."
A brown-haired rogue ninja was dragged forward.
He immediately knelt.
"T-Toromaru greets you, my lords!"
Yuan looked at him coldly.
"Give me a reason not to kill you."
Toromaru trembled.
He cautiously raised his head—
Glancing at Ye Cang—
Then met Yuan's piercing gaze.
He hurriedly spoke:
"I-I know Kawasaki Town well!"
"I handled most of the Tyrant Blade Gang's affairs!"
"You'll need someone familiar with the city to manage things!"
Yuan fell silent.
His gaze swept over Daishi and the others—
Then returned to Toromaru.
"…You can live."
"Thank you, my lord! I'll serve you loyally!"
Toromaru said quickly, overjoyed.
At the same time—
He secretly observed Yuan.
It was obvious—
Even someone like Ye Cang—
The famed hero of the Sand—
Was following this boy.
"May I ask… how should I address you?"
Toromaru asked cautiously.
"I am… Ming King."
Yuan replied indifferently.
Then he continued:
"Go."
"Inform the people of Kawasaki Town—"
"From today onward…"
"This town is under the rule of…"
"The Navy."
"…The Navy?"
Toromaru froze.
His face filled with confusion.
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