Konoha, Police Force Headquarters.
The Uchiha squad led by Uchiha Tekkai, along with the ANBU ninja dispatched by Hatake Sakumo, returned to the village.
Their footsteps were steady and grim, drawing sidelong glances from villagers passing by.
Some whispered in hushed voices, speculating about the details of the border mission, but no one dared step forward to ask.
Tekkai did not linger. He walked directly toward Police Force Headquarters.
He knocked on the door of Chiya's office, and from inside came a lazy "Come in."
When he pushed the door open, he saw Chiya sitting in his wide office chair.
Uchiha Mikoto stood beside him, a faint blush still lingering on her cheeks.
It was obvious that the two of them had been interrupted by Tekkai's arrival.
"Mission complete."
Tekkai was oblivious by nature and did not notice anything unusual.
He went straight into his report on the border operation.
It covered the raid on the laboratory, Orochimaru's escape, and the one child who had survived.
Yamato (young).
"The people from all the major ANBU clans saw Orochimaru with their own eyes."
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of Tekkai's mouth.
"Right now, they are probably even angrier than we are."
Chiya let out a soft laugh and tapped his fingers lightly against the desk.
"Well done."
"What about the child?"
Chiya asked.
"Already brought back. Vital signs have stabilized."
Tekkai answered.
"Send him to the orphanage."
Chiya said evenly.
"The orphanage these days is nothing like the forgotten place it used to be."
Tekkai nodded.
Konoha's orphanage was no longer what it once was. Two elite ninja stood guard at the entrance year-round. One was from the Uchiha, one was from the ANBU.
On top of that, the Konoha Police Force and ANBU patrols also gave the place special attention.
All of this had been arranged personally by Chiya, both as protection and as a silent warning.
No one dared lay a hand on those children under the watch of the Uchiha and ANBU.
"Understood."
Tekkai received his orders and left.
Inside the office, Chiya leaned back in his chair, his gaze drifting through the window toward the direction of the Hokage Building.
"The major clans should already be in an uproar by now."
He murmured quietly to himself.
Mikoto gently poured him a cup of tea. Her slender fingers pressed lightly onto his shoulder, kneading with just the right amount of pressure.
"Chiya-nii, what are you scheming?"
She asked softly.
Chiya closed his eyes and enjoyed her attention. A meaningful smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
"It is not what I am scheming. It is what they will choose."
At the same time.
Inside the Hokage's office, the atmosphere was heavy enough to suffocate.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at his desk. The pipe in his hand had long gone cold, but he still rubbed it absentmindedly, his brow tightly furrowed.
The desk was piled with petition scrolls submitted by the major clans.
The Hyūga, the Akimichi, the Nara, the Yamanaka. Even the usually neutral Aburame Clan had sent someone to express their discontent.
"Orochimaru has truly crossed the line this time."
Koharu Utatane said gravely.
Homura Mitokado pushed up his glasses, his tone cold.
"Human experimentation, harming children, even killing fellow village ninja. This is no longer within the realm of research."
Hiruzen was silent for a long time. Finally, he let out a long, heavy sigh.
"What do you think I should do?"
The two advisors exchanged a glance. Koharu said in a low voice, "Hokage-sama, this matter can no longer be suppressed."
Homura added, "The stance of the major clans is clear. If Orochimaru is not dealt with, the resentment of Konoha's major clans toward us will only continue to grow."
Hiruzen's fingers trembled slightly.
This was his most beloved student.
In the end, he still picked up the brush.
On the document lying on the desk, he slowly wrote out a few words.
Orochimaru, confirmed as a rogue ninja. Wanted immediately.
The instant the brush tip came down, Koharu and Homura's pupils contracted slightly. They had clearly not expected Hiruzen to act so decisively today.
This meant that Orochimaru had been completely abandoned.
News of Orochimaru becoming a rogue ninja spread through Konoha quickly.
"Orochimaru became a rogue ninja?!"
"So it really was him. Those missing children."
"The Hokage didn't cover for him this time."
"..."
The streets buzzed with discussion.
Some were furious, some were shocked, and some quietly felt a sense of satisfaction.
In the Uchiha Clan grounds, Chiya listened to his clansman's report. A flash of mockery passed through his eyes.
"Hiruzen was decisive for once."
Mikoto asked softly, "What comes next?"
Chiya picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said lightly, "What comes next? Watch and wait."
"Orochimaru will not disappear just like that, and the prestige of the Hokage's lineage."
"A crack has opened in it that cannot be repaired."
Late in the night, Chiya stood alone on the rooftop of the Police Force Headquarters, looking out over all of Konoha.
He slowly raised his hand. A cluster of deep blue chakra gathered in his palm, casting light over his cold and composed face.
"Konoha is like a great tree. The rotting and dead parts will fall away sooner or later. New life will always come."
The nights of Sunagakure were always wrapped in the howl of wind and sand. The red-haired boy, Sasori of the Red Sand, returned home with silent steps.
His expression was calm, like a still pool of water. Only those unfathomably deep eyes occasionally flickered with a cold ripple.
Chiyo was sitting beneath the lamplight. Her aged fingers slowly unrolled an old puppet technique scroll. Her brow was slightly creased, as though she was studying some complex mechanism formula.
She had not noticed Sasori come back.
Knock. Knock.
A short and brisk knock sounded at the door.
"Come in."
Chiyo said without raising her head.
The door was pushed open. A Suna ANBU ninja knelt on one knee, presenting a scroll with both hands.
"Lady Chiyo, the Kazekage has sent me to deliver urgent intelligence."
"At this hour?"
Chiyo was slightly surprised.
She quickly unrolled the scroll. On it was a single short line.
[Tonight during a sparring session with Sasori, every move he made seemed as though he was trying to take my life.]
Chiyo's fingers clenched sharply. The scroll crumpled in her grip.
'Sasori. What is he trying to do?'
Chiyo shot to her feet. She did not even have time to throw on an outer robe before she strode quickly toward Sasori's room.
The candlelight in the corridor swayed, stretching and shortening her shadow, as if reflecting the unease in her heart at that moment.
She reached the door to Sasori's room and pushed it gently. She looked inside through the gap.
What she saw made her eyes go wide. She froze on the spot.
Sasori sat quietly in the center of the room. And beside him were two lifelike puppets.
They were his parents.
Chiyo's breath nearly stopped.
The puppets' surfaces had been restored to near perfection. Even the folds at the hems of their garments had been replicated without a single detail missing.
They slowly raised their arms. The movements were stiff yet gentle. One on each side, they softly wrapped Sasori in an embrace.
Sasori closed his eyes. A faint smile touched the corners of his mouth, as if he was savoring the hug.
Chiyo's throat tightened. A faint warmth prickled at the corners of her eyes.
She opened her mouth, but could not say a single word.
Sasori slowly opened his eyes. His gaze passed over the puppets' shoulders and met Chiyo's.
"Grandmother, is there something you need?"
His voice was calm to an unsettling degree.
Chiyo's fingers trembled faintly. In the end, she only shook her head.
"Nothing. Remember to rest early."
She quietly pulled the door shut. When she turned and walked away, her footsteps were heavier than when she had come.
Chiyo sat alone in the courtyard, her mind restless and troubled.
The night wind brushed past her white hair, carrying the dry and bitter quality unique to Sunagakure.
She stared at the puppet component in her hand. It was the very first toy Sasori had made as a child. Crude, but full of childlike innocence.
And now, he could restore puppets to perfection.
She thought of Sasori's expression just now.
The sight of him closing his eyes and savoring his parents' embrace, as if that was his only comfort in the world.
'Does he hate me?'
'Does he hate this village?'
'Does he hate us, for failing to protect his parents?'
Chiyo was silent for a long time. She let out a quiet, drawn-out sigh.
She gripped the puppet component tightly in her palm, until the sharp edges cut into her skin and drew blood.
Inside the room.
Sasori gently stroked the face of the parent puppets. His fingertips traced along those precise seams.
"Just wait a little longer."
He murmured softly. His voice was gentle to a near-eerie degree.
"Soon. It won't be long."
Outside the window, the moonlight was swallowed by dark clouds. Sunagakure fell into darkness.
The corners of Sasori's mouth slowly curved into a cold smile.
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