"These... are the people we need to kill."
In Yubi's home, Sasori and Yubi sat facing each other.
After ensuring no one was watching, Sasori took out a stack of documents for Yubi to review, including some people's backgrounds.
Yubi flipped through them briefly and found they were all key figures from various institutions and departments of the Hidden Sand Village.
He hadn't expected Sasori to be so efficient; having only been in the Anbu for a short time, he had already mapped out some character relationships. Unsurprisingly, the people he pointed out were all part of the faction supporting the Third Kazekage... It seemed Sasori had done quite a lot while he was away from the Village.
"..."
Yubi picked up a piece of paper, looked at the name on it, and glanced at the calm Sasori.
A name was written clearly on it: Chiyo.
In other words, in Sasori's eyes, he believed that... to change the Hidden Sand Village...
Chiyo must also be eliminated.
As an Anbu member, Sasori not only followed the Kazekage's orders but also worked for other high-ranking officials, so... he could access the Village's core affairs.
"Sigh..."
Yubi sighed with emotion and put the documents down again.
How to put it regarding Chiyo... She indeed shared the same style as the Kazekage and was part of the high-level leadership. In the future, Rasa turning Gaara into a Jinchuriki, and Pakura's death in the original story, were all done with Chiyo's authorization. But while the old woman was muddled about some things, she wasn't as stubborn as the Kazekage, who wanted to go down a dark path to the end.
Furthermore, whether as a Puppeteer or a Medical Ninja, Chiyo's presence was a hard-to-replace part of the Hidden Sand Village's combat power.
Plus the relationship with Sasori... So, no matter how he looked at it, Yubi hadn't put Grandmother Chiyo on the 'cleanup' list.
"The death of a single Kazekage alone would have a huge impact on the Village, let alone Grandmother Chiyo 'passing away' as well... If we do that, our Hidden Sand Village will truly have no prominent figures left in the eyes of other hostile Villages." Yubi coughed.
Although he didn't want to admit it, among the Five Great Ninja Villages, the Hidden Sand Village's overall level was indeed at the bottom.
Economy, population, military, etc., were all lower than the other Villages.
This was partly from Yubi's own feelings since his Transmigration, and partly from the official data he had seen in his previous life.
Even the Hidden Mist Village was a bit stronger than the Hidden Sand Village.
"I understand. These people cannot be eliminated all at once, or the Village's combat power will have a huge vacancy, creating an opportunity for enemies to strike. My point is... over the coming period, we'll take them out one by one. Through a few years of buffering, we'll let the Village's power structure slowly renew and iterate, completing the reshuffle." Sasori said indifferently.
Oh?
Yubi raised an eyebrow and looked at Sasori with some surprise.
He didn't expect the always cold and tough Sasori... to have actually gained some insight.
One must know that because of his appearance, their current plan was much harder than Sasori's solo assassination of the Kazekage in the original story... This involved a "grand project" for the entire Village.
"You did well this time... The Kazekage should give you an appointment soon. Have you thought about which department to enter?" Sasori asked, ignoring Yubi's gaze.
Yubi was a Medical Ninja; logically, he would definitely enter the Medical Department.
Even if Yubi were to take over the entire Village's medical System, Sasori wouldn't be surprised.
Because the current Yubi indeed had the qualifications; no one would object, and his track record was brilliant enough.
Unlike Sasori himself, who was frantically building his resume with frequent 'minor missions', Yubi was a hero who had repelled the Hidden Mist this time and 'defeated' Yagura Karatachi of the Hidden Mist Village... His fame was unmatched for a moment. With this military merit alone, the appointment the Kazekage gave him wouldn't be bad.
Their two-plus years on the battlefield were not in vain.
"I want to... join the Council of Advisors."
Yubi smiled.
The Council of Advisors?
Sasori was silent for a moment. "Why?"
The Council of Advisors could be said to be the department with the least real power in the Village's structure.
Simply put, it assisted the Kazekage in various tasks from all levels of the Village and provided suggestions, but they weren't necessarily adopted.
It could also be seen as a think tank.
Basically, it was composed of older, more experienced people. Some weren't even Ninjas... just ordinary people, but they were skilled in matters like trade and development, having participated in some of the Village's major reform measures in the past.
A few were even veterans who had followed the Second Kazekage and worked on 'changing' the Hidden Sand Village back then.
However, nothing was absolute. There were also those with real power in the Council of Advisors, such as Ebizo.
But his real power came more from his personal military merits and resume from his youth, including being a member of the Chiyo Family... His status was prominent, and no one dared to ignore his voice.
If Yubi were to join the Council of Advisors, although the high-level officials would consider his suggestions, they definitely wouldn't have the same influence as Ebizo's.
Not to mention, Ebizo held the title of Advisor but was actually responsible for managing the entire Village's intelligence and espionage work...
This was an institution purely for building seniority and prestige. Given Yubi's age, if he wasted time there, he would likely end up as background scenery.
But Sasori knew Yubi wasn't stupid; he must have a reason for doing this.
"I want to find out exactly what the Village's current situation is—population birth rates, finances, assets, labor force, trade routes with the outside world, and so on. This detailed information can only be found by entering the Council of Advisors. Other departments don't really involve these administrative affairs and don't pay much attention to them."
Yubi smiled. "The Village lockdown has been lifted for a while now, but I think... you can also feel that the Village's current situation is not optimistic. I must find a way to improve the Village and strive to boost our Hidden Sand Village's economy during this relatively peaceful period. Furthermore, only by becoming an Advisor will I regularly report to the Daimyo's Mansion... having the chance to contact the Daimyo of the Land of Wind. I'm doing it for that guy... it has nothing to do with the Kazekage."
"..."
"If you take the initiative to ask the Kazekage to take over the Medical Department... our plan would be easier. Some of these people could die in the hospital without anyone knowing."
"There's no rush for that... sometimes, we don't even need to take risks ourselves."
Yubi curled his lips. "Pay attention to the relationships between these figures recently. Although they are all part of the core faction supporting the Third Kazekage, there are likely conflicts among them. The most obvious point is the rise of Rasa, representing the new generation... which has caused some changes in the Village's power groups. Anyone with eyes can see that once the Third steps down, the person most likely to become the Fourth is him. I don't believe that among these old-guard forces supporting the Third Kazekage, no one would be wary of this. Someone must be plotting against the Kazekage... The closer people are to the center of power, the more they crave it. If the Hidden Sand Village were truly harmonious... with everyone pulling in the same direction, the Village wouldn't have ended up in its current state."
"We didn't pay much attention to this aspect before and didn't know enough. Now... it's time to analyze it carefully."
"People are selfish... Fan the flames and let them make trouble for themselves first."
Yubi laughed.
"..."
Sasori fell silent.
"What? Do you think something is wrong?"
Yubi asked.
"No... I just think you've once again confirmed my judgment of you."
"What?"
"You... are very sinister."
"..."
Yubi.