"It's been a long time, Uchiha... Kiyoshi."
Pakura, whose back alone was enough to inspire imagination, turned around.
She emphasized the name "Kiyoshi" with extra volume, staring intently at him. Beside her stood several other Hidden Sand ninjas. This was the only path leading to the Hidden Sand Village, so they had come early to receive the party.
"Indeed, it has been a while," Kiyoshi said, looking at Pakura.
Pakura was the oldest among their batch in the Chunin Exams and was currently in a stage of rapid physical development. Her attire was becoming increasingly similar to that of the original story—a sleeveless, backless ninja outfit that exposed her fair back and arms, glowing brilliantly under the sun. A sash was wrapped around her waist; under the constraint of the white cloth, the rounded curves of her figure were emphasized even more, visibly rising and falling with her gentle breaths.
"Very nice," Kiyoshi's eyes flickered.
Wasn't this a mature leek ready for harvest? Moreover, the ninja world did not yet have plastic surgery technology; everything was completely natural. The disguises of the Transformation Technique were merely false illusions that reverted once chakra was exhausted. Even Orochimaru's B-rank Vanishing Facial Copy Technique was just a highly sophisticated disguise—attaching another person's facial skin to one's own to achieve a perfect disguise that didn't require chakra.
"It is quite nice. Seeing you, my wish can finally be fulfilled," Pakura said, a slight curve appearing at the corner of her mouth.
Friendly sparring to promote "Leaf-Sand" friendship was perfectly normal, right? She had thought of many ways to counter Kiyoshi's strength in taijutsu.
"This guy is pretty good, isn't he?" Tsunade looked at the two of them, and as if thinking of something, she laughed and patted Kiyoshi on the back.
Even with Kiyoshi's current physique, he felt a sharp pain. Anyone else would likely have been pounded straight into the ground.
"You've misunderstood, Lady Tsunade."
"Oh, come on. Who hasn't been young once?" Tsunade's light brown eyes crinkled with laughter, her exaggerated chest swaying up and down.
Young people these days certainly had talent; even the beautiful geniuses of foreign villages couldn't stop staring at him. During the Chunin Exams, Asuma and Kurenai had been busy fighting Baki, so they didn't know exactly what had transpired between Kiyoshi and Pakura—they only knew that Kiyoshi had driven her away.
'Kiyoshi is actually making eyes at Pakura' Asuma thought with secret joy.
If that was the case, didn't that mean no one was competing with him for Kurenai? A temporary lead was nothing; the one who laughed last was the winner!
Unlike Asuma's expression, which was on the verge of a grin, Kurenai's expression turned quite gloomy. Previously, Kiyoshi had been holding a Priestess, and now he was somehow entangled with Pakura. Weren't they enemies?
"Pakura, is that the Uchiha genius from the Leaf?"
The speaker to Pakura's right was a handsome young boy with red hair.
"The Leaf truly has many people. One White Fang dies, and another genius rises to take the relay."
Sasori, who looked harmless and handsome, spoke without mercy. This caused Tsunade to immediately knit her brows.
"Sasori!" Pakura barked, telling him to show some restraint.
Sasori's parents had been killed by Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of the Leaf, so his hatred for Leaf ninjas was natural. However, the Leaf party was here as envoys today; a slight lapse could result in a serious diplomatic incident!
Sasori didn't speak further, merely turning his head to gaze at the empty wasteland. Pakura suddenly understood why Sasori, who was usually very reclusive, couldn't control his emotions today. It was because the object of his hatred was already dead, leaving him with no way to claim his revenge. It was like a fist gathering all its strength only to hit a pile of cotton—leaving the person frustrated with nowhere to vent.
Pakura sighed and looked at Tsunade, who was leading the group.
"Apologies for showing you something unsightly. Please follow me; it's still a bit of a walk to the village."
Pakura turned and continued leading the group toward the Hidden Sand Village, leaving a trail of footprints in the desert. Tsunade looked at Sasori's red hair, remembering that Sakumo Hatake had indeed killed a couple famous for their puppetry years ago. Was this child their descendant?
Tsunade signaled the trio to keep up as they walked through the vast desert. Kiyoshi glanced at Sasori ahead, already calculating in his mind. The White Fang was dead, and Sasori would eventually poison the Third Kazekage; it was only a matter of time. Sasori would direct his resentment over his parents' deaths toward the Third Kazekage, believing that the failure and incompetence of the village leader had allowed the Leaf to attack and force his parents to die.
The logic was abstract, but that was how Sasori thought. This was why Kiyoshi believed the ninja world was full of extremists and the mentally ill.
The Leaf didn't have a department responsible for child psychology, and neither did the Sand. Looking across the ninja world, no village had established an institution like a "Child Psychology Clinic."
The first one wouldn't be established until six months after the Fourth Great Shinobi War ended, proposed by Sakura after much time and effort. Under the ninja system, they had all been quietly warped.
'I should find a time to try and induce Sasori.' Kiyoshi thought. A warped Sasori could be used for his purposes; it would be a way for him to contribute. After all, the Sasori in the original story never did anything decent for humanity.
...
The group soon arrived at the Hidden Sand Village. It was situated in the heart of the desert and was one of the few oases. The Sand ninjas had built their home relying on these difficult geographical conditions. Kiyoshi observed the strange architecture. Looking at it for too long gave one a sense of oppression—the beige buildings stretched as far as the eye could see, all built in the shape of fortresses. Even a splash of color was a luxury.
Pakura noticed Kiyoshi's gaze and huffed. She felt that Kiyoshi definitely wasn't looking with an appreciative eye, but rather with the superiority of someone born in a fertile land. Kiyoshi turned to see Pakura's proud expression. Patriotism was a priority in every village. Pakura, having lived here since childhood, didn't feel the oppression; they were used to it.
The official novel *Gaara Hiden* mentioned that most Sand ninjas were not interested in a luxurious lifestyle. In Kiyoshi's view, this was just finding joy in hardship; if they didn't learn the spirit of being content with what they had, they would eventually suffocate in this desert and become a meal for vultures. Those ninjas who did want a better life were likely living in purgatory every day.
As the group walked through the village, curious Sand residents cast their gazes over them. They had clearly spotted the Leaf symbol on the forehead protectors.
"We're here."
Before long, Pakura stopped in front of an imposing building. The building used for the Kage's office, diplomacy, and task distribution was always built more grandly than the rest. Once inside, the man working at his desk looked up.
"Welcome, ninjas of the Leaf, to the Hidden Sand Village."
The Third Kazekage had pale blue hair and narrow eyes, wearing a blue ninja outfit slightly darker than his hair.
"Third Kazekage, I am here representing the Leaf to discuss the alliance treaty," Tsunade's lazy expression became much more serious. She pulled out a sealing scroll and produced several papers covered in dense text.
"Of course," the Third Kazekage nodded. He had expected the Leaf's desire to reinforce the alliance. He hadn't stopped Tsunade's party because the Leaf had already sent notice via long-range electronic equipment.
Tsunade and the Third Kazekage began discussing the treaty—how to strengthen it and whether to modify previous unreasonable terms. Kiyoshi glanced at the Third Kazekage before withdrawing his gaze. The *Book of People* described him as the "strongest Kazekage in history." His great strength came from the Bloodline power granted Magnet Style, which allowed him to convert highly refined chakra into magnetic force to freely manipulate Iron Sand. Furthermore, any weapon that could be interfered with by magnetism could not affect him.
His setting was very powerful. His death at Sasori's hands was likely because he didn't expect someone he trusted to use poison and play dirty. After waiting for about two hours, the Third Kazekage looked up at Sasori, who was standing behind him.
"Take them down to rest first. It is getting late."
"Yes, Lord Third Kazekage," Sasori said flatly, his expression showing no emotional fluctuation. The Third Kazekage was used to this attitude. Sasori, Lady Chiyo's favorite grandson, was a genius in every aspect despite his reclusive personality. He had mastered Chiyo's puppetry and poison techniques at a young age. As expected, he would surely become a powerful force and a pillar for the village in the future.
Sasori walked ahead, leading the party out. Pakura stayed behind to report to the Kazekage on whether the Leaf ninjas had acted suspiciously along the way.
...
"Sasori, could you take me on a tour of the Sand?" Kiyoshi suddenly asked once Sasori had brought them to their quarters.
Sasori gave Kiyoshi a strange look but nodded. It was nothing; as long as he accompanied him, nothing would happen.
"Kiyoshi, I want to go too," Kurenai said, her small face hiding her exhaustion. They had been traveling for days; the desert was over 40°C by day and dropped below freezing at night. They hadn't rested well at all.
"Rest, Kurenai. I'm just going for a quick look and will be back soon," Kiyoshi smiled.
"...Alright," Kurenai could only nod.
Asuma breathed out a sigh and said, "We're going to rest now." He walked into one of the rooms. Everyone had a small independent room; as part of an embassy, they received this minor courtesy.
"Come back early," Tsunade said.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade."
Kiyoshi nodded and left with Sasori. Along the way, Kiyoshi occasionally asked Sasori questions about the Sand, and Sasori answered with a blank expression. Kiyoshi intentionally walked toward the crowded areas. The more people there were, the better he could hide what he intended to do. They were squeezed into a busy street; the weather was good, and there were many pedestrians.
"I heard your parents died at the hands of Sakumo Hatake?" Kiyoshi asked suddenly.
***
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