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The setting sun stretched the shadows of the two people long across the ruins. Sayo simply treated his wounds and took a Military Ration Pill to restore his chakra. Elder Chiyo stood silently, the wrinkles on her aged face seeming deeper than before. Her gaze swept across the ravaged battlefield, finally landing on the massive remnants of iron sand from the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release, her eyes filled with pain and struggle.
The Jōnin scout returned to report: "Elder Chiyo, no traces of other personnel were found. The enemy's tracks disappeared after entering the Quicksand Area. Furthermore... the residual chakra at the scene is complex, but the main components seem to be signs of violent Magnet Release collisions and extensive puppetry activity." He cautiously avoided voicing the most terrifying suspicion, but the shock in his eyes was undeniable.
"Understood. Continue to be vigilant," Elder Chiyo waved her hand, her voice sounding tired.
After the Jōnin left, she slowly walked up to Sayo and lowered her voice, every word sounding incredibly heavy: "Sayo, you saw it all. Sasori... he has completely gone mad. What happened to the Sandaime... must never be revealed to the public."
Sayo looked up, understanding Elder Chiyo's concerns. He nodded and whispered, "I understand. If the news leaks, the fourth generation leader will surely be furious and will use the entire Village's strength to hunt down Brother Sasori. But right now..." He looked at the Sunagakure Ninja busy searching around them, "Kumogakure just retreated, Iwagakure is eyeing us covetously in the northwest, and a great war has already broken out. The Village can no longer withstand any massive internal turmoil. What's more..."
He paused, his voice even lower: "...A Kazekage being turned into a Human Puppet—if this matter spreads, the Hidden Sand Village will lose all face in the entire Ninja World, become a laughingstock, and might even attract more opportunists looking to take advantage of our misfortune."
Elder Chiyo looked at Sayo with some surprise. She hadn't expected the young man to consider the implications so deeply. She nodded heavily: "You are right. Rasa has only just stabilized the situation. This news would be a devastating blow to him and to the Village. We must conceal it."
But how should they explain this earth-shattering battle? The two fell into a brief silence. Sayo's mind raced, and a relatively plausible explanation gradually took shape.
"Elder," Sayo began, "Perhaps we can report it this way: I went out alone to search for special materials to upgrade my puppets and encountered a small team of elite Iwagakure reconnaissance troops. I managed to repel them using the Puppet Technique and Magnet Release. As for those powerful Magnet Release traces... we can explain that there was an individual in the Iwa squad skilled in Earth Release or a similar Bloodline Limit, or that they used a powerful Magnet Release Ninja Tool."
Elder Chiyo listened carefully, her cloudy eyes brightening slightly. Blaming everything on the enemy is the most common approach during wartime. Sayo's Magnet Release did indeed bear some resemblance to Iwagakure's Earth Release in certain manifestations, which was enough to pull off the deception.
"Good! We will do as you say!" Elder Chiyo decided immediately. "I will personally report this to the fourth generation leader to standardize the story. I will issue a Gag Order to all team members involved. Everything seen today will be classified as Top Secret."
Soon, the Sunagakure Search Squadron assembled. Elder Chiyo stood before the crowd and solemnly announced the "investigation results." Although the Ninja still harbored doubts—the scale of that battle didn't look like a small reconnaissance squad—Elder Chiyo's authority and the severity of the Wartime Regulations immediately forced them to suppress all questions.
On the way back to the Village, Sayo sat on a bumpy pack animal, his heart heavy. He had concealed the truth, but he had also let go of the Kazekage-killer traitor, burying a heavy secret deep in his heart.
After returning to the Village, a mission report was presented to the Fourth Kazekage Rasa's desk. Rasa looked at the report, his gaze lingering for a moment on phrases like "traces of violent Magnet Release collisions." He frowned slightly but ultimately did not investigate further. The war effort was demanding, and a small-scale border skirmish where their side won was no longer his priority.
Sayo, meanwhile, returned to his small house with his injuries and a pile of broken puppet parts. Closing the door, he opened his palm. Resting in his hand were several special, jet-black, heavy Iron Sand particles that he had secretly collected during the final moments of the battle from the shattered fragments of the "Third Kazekage" Human Puppet.
He looked at these particles, a determined light flashing in his eyes. The path to becoming stronger allows for no slack.
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