Sasori was very interested in this; he had long heard that the Hokage was the strongest ninja in the world, so his disciples must also be exceptionally powerful.
Tomorrow, there might even be a direct sparring match.
Thinking this, Sasori felt a sudden nervousness. If he lost before the actual competition, wouldn't that be too embarrassing?
"What are you thinking, brat? Go to sleep already."
"Oh! Oh, right!" Sasori responded, then scurried upstairs to rest.
Seeing this, the Kazekage stretched and looked at the extensive analysis of the Leaf Village's contestants written on the table, shaking his head.
The families of the Leaf Village were sending nothing but geniuses. The more he analyzed, the more anxious the Kazekage became.
How could the younger generation of the Leaf Village be so strong? Even more outrageous, the First Hokage of the Leaf Village was still alive and healthy, showing no signs of age.
It was truly preposterous.
Perhaps the Leaf Village possessed some secret jutsu for eternal youth? He couldn't say for sure.
But he knew that such a secret was not something he could casually investigate. If he were to anger the Hokage, the good relationship they had built over many years could collapse in an instant.
Sunagakure would also suffer the consequences, so it was better to simply pretend to be deaf and mute. It worked out quite well.
"It seems Sunagakure will never surpass the Leaf Village."
He had once made grand declarations, vowing to make Sunagakure a prosperous village.
He did achieve it, but only with the Hokage's help.
Two generations of Kazekage had toiled their entire lives without achieving this goal, yet the Third Kazekage, by simply fostering a good relationship with the Leaf Village and completing a few collaborations, had brought about earth-shattering changes in Sunagakure in just ten years.
How could the Kazekage possibly have the ambition to contend with the Hokage for the title of the strongest village in the ninja world? What capital did he even have to compete?
Moreover, Sunagakure had received such great favor from the Leaf Village; he certainly couldn't be ungrateful.
Now, with peace in the ninja world and a prosperous village, this life was quite good, and he no longer harbored many extravagant hopes.
After tidying up the list of contestants on the table, the Kazekage also went upstairs to rest.
The next morning, around eight or nine o'clock, the Kazekage brought Sasori to the Kumotsuru Clan compound.
Being a child, Sasori was curious about everything, asking questions left and right along the way.
The Kazekage didn't find it annoying, patiently answering Sasori's questions.
"The Kumotsuru Clan, Master, I read about them in a book. They seem to be a very ancient family."
The Kazekage nodded. "Indeed, it's said to be a clan from the era of the Sage of Six Paths. Hokage-sama is the current clan head. Let's go in."
Sasori nodded. That day, he had only caught a glimpse of Hokage-sama and hadn't been able to get a good look at him.
Upon learning he could visit the Kumotsuru Clan compound, Sasori was so excited he couldn't sleep all night.
The Kazekage knocked on the Kumotsuru Clan compound's gate, and then the master and disciple slowly walked inside.
"Is Hokage-sama home? I've brought my disciple to visit you."
Torifu, who was sitting leisurely drinking tea in the courtyard, immediately stood up upon hearing the voice.
"Oh, Kazekage-sama is here. Please, come in, come in, and sit."
He greeted the Kazekage with great warmth. Seeing that Sasori had also come, Torifu then called Yahiko and Konan over.
"Yahiko, Konan, this is your very formidable opponent I told you about, Kazekage-sama's beloved disciple, the puppet master — Sasori."
Yahiko and Konan immediately smiled and extended their hands to Sasori. "Nice to meet you. I'm Yahiko, Hokage-sama's disciple, and this is Konan."
"Hello, I'm Sasori."
Sasori also smiled, a little shy, seemingly a bit embarrassed.
Children always find things to talk about, despite the initial awkwardness of meeting.
Before long, the three of them were playing together, chasing each other in the courtyard, occasionally even cheating with chakra.
Torifu and the Kazekage watched the children run around the courtyard from the pavilion.
"Sasori is a great kid, truly worthy of being the grandson of the First Kazekage."
The Kazekage didn't deny it, instead nodding proudly. "This little fellow has the highest talent in the village. Chiyo-sama entrusted him to me to train him with the intention of having him compete for the future Kazekage position."
Torifu thought about it. With Sasori's talent, becoming Kazekage should be simple. He just wondered if, without his mind being twisted, he would still be able to develop the Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets.
This jutsu was the pinnacle for puppet masters; no one else could surpass it.
"Later, why don't we let Sasori and my two disciples have a little spar? Just a warm-up."
The Kazekage nodded at this. Besides visiting, his second purpose today was precisely this: to see the true strength of the Hokage's disciples.
The other clans' talents were somewhat predictable, but it was truly difficult to guess the strength of those taught by the Hokage.
"Alright, just let the younger generation play around. But we absolutely mustn't let it damage their friendship."
Torifu said calmly, "Naturally."
The two talked animatedly in the pavilion, discussing everything from their villages to the ninja world. It was rare for Torifu to have such an opportunity to chat with another Kage.
He was quite unrestrained today.
Just as they were about to start a new topic, Amado's door opened.
"Eh? We have guests?"
Amado walked out, rubbing his eyes for a good look, only then realizing it was the Kazekage.
He and the Kazekage had known each other for a long time; Amado basically knew all the prominent figures in the ninja world.
After all, he was the greatest inventor in the ninja world, his status no lower than a Kage's.
"Amado, my friend, I specifically came to visit the Hokage, and you're up quite late."
Amado scratched his head with a laugh. "Ah, I was messing around with research last night and lost track of time. I haven't pulled an all-nighter in ages."
Saying this, Amado walked to the pavilion and sat down, casually picking up a fruit, a specialty of the Land of Wind that the Kazekage had brought, and began to eat it.
Then he pointed to Sasori, who was playing with Yahiko and the others. "Is he your disciple? He looks like a good kid. I wonder how strong he is?"
Torifu smiled faintly at this. "He might even be stronger than you. How many years has it been since you used any jutsu? You must be rusty by now."
Amado naturally understood that his Elder Brother was teasing him, so he laughed and said, "No matter what, I'm still a jonin. If a kid like him can beat me, I'll eat my TV while standing on my head."
Afterward, Amado called Yahiko, Konan, and Sasori over.
"What is it, Amado-uncle?"
Amado waved his hand. "Nothing much. You three are all disciples of Kage, so your strengths should be about the same. It's a good time to have a small match."