The next morning, the first bird calls woke Taiichi from a deep, dream-filled sleep.
He glanced around the tent. Still no sign of Yohei or the others. Taiichi could only sigh. He was itching to test his newly upgraded Yang Nature Transformation on Yohei's Mangekyō and finally calm the restless excitement buzzing inside him.
It felt exactly like a kid who had just gotten a brand-new toy and couldn't wait to find a quiet corner to play with it.
Still, Taiichi was a proper shinobi. Respecting teammates' privacy and not prying into missions was basic ninja common sense. Unless something urgent came up, all he could do was wait and stick to his daily routine—training hard and teaching others.
Time flowed on, indifferent to anyone's wishes, following its own steady rhythm.
The ninja world was already a stormy sea. Skirmishes and clashes erupted everywhere, like waves crashing without end.
But a massive underwater earthquake had already happened. The shockwaves were still building deep below the surface. When they finally reached the shore, they would become a towering tsunami, swallowing everything in their path.
That same evening, after traveling day and night without rest, Chiyo and her delegation finally reached Sunagakure just before sunset.
The first thing she did was find her brother—Ebizō—and demand every detail about the Kazekage's disappearance.
"What exactly happened? How could the Kazekage disappear?"
No pleasantries, no small talk. Chiyo wanted answers, and she wanted them now.
But reality disappointed her once again.
"Even now, we still don't have a clear answer," Ebizō said helplessly. Four days had passed since the Kazekage vanished, and Sunagakure hadn't found a single trace—alive or dead.
"Sister… there's something you need to prepare yourself for," Ebizō added hesitantly.
"Spit it out already. Stop acting like a nervous old woman," Chiyo snapped, too impatient for his hemming and hawing.
"At the scene… we found human puppets. The person who fought the Kazekage was a puppeteer who uses human puppets!"
It hit Chiyo like a thunderclap—far more shocking than hearing the Kazekage had simply gone missing.
"What?! Human puppets?! That's impossible! How could—"
Her eyes lost focus. She stood there muttering to herself in a daze.
Ebizō watched his sister with a heavy heart. When he had first read the battlefield report, he had reacted the same way.
A long moment passed before Chiyo regained her composure. Her voice came out flat and emotionless.
"Tell me everything you know about the scene."
"The area was covered in iron sand and destroyed puppets. We found twelve human puppets alone… so the opponent was definitely that puppeteer.
Besides the puppets, there were no other bodies. Neither the Kazekage nor his opponent left any trace.
After our people arrived, we found signs of Earth Release tunneling underground. The trail led toward the Land of Earth, but it could have been a deliberate misdirection…
Also, near the Central Oasis, we discovered an underground hiding spot created with Earth Release. It was clearly occupied during the battle."
Ebizō laid out every detail he knew without holding anything back, then waited quietly while Chiyo processed it.
"What's the village's plan?" she asked. No matter what, she still loved Sunagakure as much as she loved her own grandson.
"Although we haven't confirmed it yet, everyone knows the Third Kazekage is most likely dead. Right now the elders are all arguing over who should become the Fourth. They haven't stopped bickering."
"What a bunch of useless idiots!" Chiyo's face turned iron-gray. At a time like this—when Iwagakure or Konoha could attack any day—they were still fighting over power instead of stabilizing the village!
"Go. Immediately notify everyone. Call an emergency elder meeting right now. We're settling the Kazekage matter tonight!"
Ebizō hesitated, glancing at the sky. "Isn't this a little too rushed?"
"Just go! We're at a life-or-death moment for the village. Even if it's the middle of the night, drag them to the meeting if you have to!"
Chiyo's authority and resolve were unshakable. Only someone with her prestige could make such a decisive call.
Half an hour later, twelve Sunagakure elders had gathered in the meeting room. This time the head seat was empty. Chiyo sat beside it, clearly presiding over the meeting.
"Since everyone is here, I'll speak plainly. The Third Kazekage has been missing for four days. I'm sure you all understand what that likely means. With war on the horizon, we must immediately select the next Kazekage to lead the village forward!"
Chiyo's blunt words sparked immediate discussion among the elders.
"How can we give up on the Third so easily?"
"We should nominate Rasa. He has already mastered Magnet Release—he's the perfect choice."
"I think Pakura would be excellent. Her strength and reputation are both top-tier."
"Isn't selecting a Fourth Kazekage a bit too hasty?"
The meeting room quickly filled with overlapping arguments.
Chiyo's expression grew darker by the second. These people were still fighting over power and influence while ignoring the village's survival.
Bang!
She slammed her hand on the table. The room fell instantly silent. All eyes turned to the furious elder. Several of the younger ones even shrank back—Chiyo's usual authority was not to be taken lightly.
"What time do you think this is? Stop bickering!
Do you really believe that by tomorrow, word of Sunagakure's internal unrest won't already be sitting on the desks of the other villages?
The day after that, they'll all know the Third Kazekage has disappeared.
And the day after that, the Land of Wind will be crawling with spies from every other village."
Some elders looked skeptical, thinking Chiyo was overreacting. Others agreed but still had reservations about the candidate.
"Reku, Goyōemon, Baki—you are all veteran elders of the village. Shouldn't you speak first at a time like this?"
Seeing them still hesitating, Chiyo stopped being polite and directly called out the most respected elders.
"Well… regardless, we still haven't found the Third's body. Selecting a Fourth so quickly does seem inappropriate," Reku said. As the cousin of the First Kazekage, his words carried heavy weight. But he continued, "However, the external situation is truly dangerous. The village urgently needs a leader. Why don't we first choose an acting Kazekage? He can lead us for now. Once the Third's fate is confirmed—or if this person's prestige is sufficient—we can formally appoint the Fourth."
The others exchanged glances. Fine—whether it was appropriate or not, he had said it. What else could they do?
Goyōemon and Baki quickly voiced their agreement to select an acting Fourth Kazekage. Chiyo and Ebizō immediately followed.
In the blink of an eye, five of the twelve elders—the most influential ones—had agreed. There was nothing left to discuss. The rest nodded in approval.
Now came the question of who would serve as acting Kazekage.
There was actually no real debate. If Rasa hadn't already mastered Magnet Release: Gold Sand, there might have been some suspense. But his luck was simply too good.
Magnet Release wasn't an ordinary kekkei genkai. It was one of the rare bloodline limits that could be passed on through learning. Its greatest value right now was the ability to partially suppress the One-Tail Shukaku. In a time when top-tier combat power was desperately needed, this ability was priceless.
Sure enough, when the final vote came, all but a few elders cast their ballots for Rasa.
And so, Rasa became the acting Fourth Kazekage. The formal announcement and the village's next steps would come tomorrow.
Chiyo had achieved her goal. The moment she returned, she had stabilized Sunagakure's internal crisis and united the village's strength to face the external threat.
At almost the exact same time, far away in Konoha, Jiraiya's urgent report finally reached Sarutobi Hiruzen's hands.
Reading the emergency scroll, the Third Hokage's first reaction wasn't shock—it was suspicion that Jiraiya might be unhappy with the village's recent decision and was using this report to question him. But the timing didn't match.
With a mix of anxiety, he opened the scroll. The headline alone left him frozen in place.
The Death of the Third Kazekage.
The Kazekage was dead? How was that possible?!
Hiruzen could hardly believe it. He quickly scanned the entire report, reading every line.
When he reached the part where Matsushita Taiichi had personally witnessed the event and brought back the Kazekage's body, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
When he read how Taiichi had seized the moment during their mutual destruction and killed Sasori of the Red Sand as well, taking the final spoils, he could only sigh. Truly, timing created heroes. Only someone like Taiichi could stumble into such a perfect coincidence.
He closed the report and looked at the accompanying storage scroll. Inside were the bodies of the Third Kazekage and Sasori. This was an incredibly valuable—and extremely hot—gift.
"Go and summon the three advisors immediately!" the Third ordered, his voice cutting through the thick pipe smoke.
"Yes, sir!" A shadow figure appeared behind him, bowed, and vanished.
Half an hour later, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado hurried into the Hokage's office. Being called so late at night meant something urgent had happened. They had rushed straight from home without delay.
Ten minutes after that, Danzo Shimura pushed open the door. Compared to the other two, he moved with far more composure. Seeing that Koharu and Homura were already present and he was the last to arrive, he quickened his pace and took his seat.
Once everyone was gathered, Hiruzen didn't waste time. He turned the urgent scroll from Jiraiya face-up on the desk and slowly unrolled it.
"This is an emergency report from Jiraiya at the southern camp. Read it yourselves."
All three looked puzzled—this kind of scene was rare. They stepped forward and focused on the scroll. The bold headline was impossible to miss:
The Death of the Third Kazekage.
The office fell into dead silence. Even Danzo's usual half-closed eyes snapped wide open for a moment. Koharu sucked in a sharp breath, while Homura instinctively adjusted his glasses as if to see more clearly.
Hiruzen spoke in a heavy voice, summarizing the key points.
"It was Matsushita Taiichi. While on an infiltration reconnaissance mission, he personally witnessed the entire event deep in the Land of Wind: the Third Kazekage was killed by their own missing-nin, Sasori of the Red Sand.
Taiichi even seized the perfect moment during their mutual destruction, killed Sasori himself, and brought both bodies back."
The bombshell left the three advisors speechless. They had never imagined hearing news like this.
Koharu was the first to recover. She pointed at the report, voice urgent.
"The Kazekage… is dead? Killed by a traitor from his own village! Once this is confirmed—"
"Sunagakure's sky has fallen," Danzo cut in coldly, a hint of schadenfreude in his tone. "Chiyo just used that so-called mutual defense pact to take back their prisoners. Now their Kage is gone… Heh. Sunagakure is about to descend into chaos!"
He immediately saw this as a golden opportunity for Konoha and asked sharply, "What about the bodies? You said they were brought back?"
Hiruzen gestured toward the storage scroll beside him. It contained the bodies of the Kazekage and Sasori.
Danzo's eyes burned with intense interest. He probably hadn't looked at his own wife with such heat.
"The Kazekage's body is an incredible bargaining chip. Not only can it throw Sunagakure into further turmoil, but if we play this right, we can force them to make concessions on the border—or even in future conflicts! Hiruzen, we must use this well!"
Homura frowned, thinking further ahead. "Danzo is right. Sunagakure's internal chaos is our chance. But it won't last long. What we need to worry about most are the wolves circling us.
Iwagakure continues to reinforce their forces in the Land of Grass. They're almost certainly doing the same toward the Land of Birds. As for Kumogakure… who knows what those madmen will do?
Once they confirm the Kazekage's death, will they pass up the chance to attack a weakened Land of Wind?"
He looked at Hiruzen, hesitated, then continued, "We just signed a mutual defense pact with Sunagakure. If they are truly invaded by Iwagakure, what do we do? Do we stand by and watch… or honor the pact and join the fight?"
Everyone except Danzo turned grim. The defense pact they had signed simply to ease pressure had now become a fuse that could drag them into war. Not to mention the hundred-plus prisoners they had released for free.
It was like losing the wife and the soldiers too.
The decision had become a thorn in their throats, constantly reminding them how foolish they had been.
Hiruzen let out a long sigh. He didn't want to dwell on it any longer. His gaze fell on the storage scroll as he considered how to maximize its value.
After thinking it over, given Konoha's current situation, there wasn't much they could do beyond the early warning advantage the intelligence provided.
As for the two bodies, they were probably only useful for research. Magnet Release and Sunagakure's puppet techniques were both incredibly valuable secrets.
"We cannot reveal that the Kazekage's body is in our hands—at least not right now," Hiruzen said. "Sunagakure probably isn't even certain of his fate yet. If we leak it first and they decide we killed him, we'll have no way to defend ourselves."
The others agreed. Under massive internal pressure, Sunagakure might try to vent its anger by blaming Konoha.
"Then that's it for tonight. Danzo, have Root intensify surveillance on Sunagakure. We need their movements as soon as they happen. Also, send orders to the defensive units watching Iwagakure and Kumogakure. Tell them to stay extra alert during this period. Don't give the enemy any openings."
As for the reward Jiraiya had mentioned for Taiichi at the end of the report, Hiruzen naturally wouldn't discuss it here. He had the authority to grant such rewards directly anyway.