With the matter settled and the thing he wanted in hand, Teizawa did not hesitate any longer.
At his command, Sunagakure's procession changed direction and sped toward the heart of the Land of Wind.
The carriage raced down the official road, its wheels grinding over gravel and dust, kicking up clouds of yellow sand.
Hinata sat inside the carriage and lifted the curtain.
She looked out at the increasingly desolate scenery, unease stirring in her heart.
Karin was curled up in the corner.
She hugged her knees and said nothing.
Neji rode beside the carriage on horseback.
His face was expressionless.
But his gaze kept sweeping the surroundings with constant vigilance.
No one spoke along the way.
Several days later, the procession finally entered the borders of the Land of Wind.
Desert replaced green fields. Yellow sand replaced soil. The air turned dry and scorching.
Even breathing carried the roughness of sand grains.
Hinata lowered the curtain.
She leaned against the carriage wall, closed her eyes, and sighed softly.
She already missed Konoha's green hills, clear waters, and damp air.
But when she thought of that person, her feelings became complicated again.
Another two days passed.
When the setting sun once again sank below the horizon, Sunagakure finally appeared in the distance.
Hinata lifted the curtain and poked her head out.
She stared at the village built in the middle of the desert.
Then she froze.
She had never been to Sunagakure before.
But she had heard the elders of her clan describe it.
The Sunagakure in her mind was supposed to be gray and dusty, with low, shabby buildings and narrow, muddy streets.
Even the villagers' faces were supposed to carry a kind of exhaustion, as if life itself had bent their backs.
That was the first time she had learned that places this poor existed in the shinobi world.
But the village before her…
It was completely different from what she remembered.
Tall city walls had replaced the low earthen barriers.
Every few steps along the walls stood a ninja holding ninja tools.
Their gazes were sharp, their postures straight.
The city gate was wide and imposing, solemn beneath the afterglow of sunset.
Sunagakure's banner flew above the walls.
A blue field with golden wave patterns.
It snapped loudly in the evening wind.
The carriage drove through the gate.
Hinata's gaze moved from the city walls to the streets.
Her mouth opened slightly and stayed that way for a long time.
The streets were broad and level, paved with blue stone slabs. On both sides stood neat rows of shops and homes.
The shop signs were brand-new. The walls of the houses were clean and white.
The windows were set with transparent glass, glowing warmly in the sunset.
People flowed through the streets.
Ninja in flak jackets, women carrying vegetable baskets, children chasing one another and laughing…
Their faces held no exhaustion. No numbness.
Only bright, heartfelt smiles full of life.
"This… this is Sunagakure?"
Hinata murmured, her voice as soft as sleep talk.
Karin poked her head out from the corner.
Behind her glasses, her blue eyes went round.
She had spent several years in Orochimaru's Otogakure and had seen many things.
But the prosperity of the village before her still exceeded her imagination.
Broad streets, orderly buildings, bustling crowds, and villagers with smiles on their faces…
None of it matched the rumor that Sunagakure was poor.
Neji's gaze swept over the streets.
A flash of shock crossed his eyes.
He had come to Sunagakure before on a mission.
Back then, the village had been run-down and bleak.
There had not even been a decent inn.
They had stayed in a drafty adobe house and eaten dry rations that were hard to swallow.
But this village before him was even more prosperous than the Konoha in his memory.
His brows furrowed slightly.
His gaze settled on the brand-new buildings, then on the smiling villagers.
A complicated feeling rose in his heart, one he could not put into words.
This change had only happened during the time that man had become Kazekage.
So…
What exactly had that man done?
The carriage stopped before an imposing building.
The building towered upward, its exterior clad in white stone panels.
Under the sunset, it shone with a soft luster.
On both sides of the entrance stood two massive puppet statues.
One on the left, one on the right, like two silent guards.
Four large characters were carved above the doorway…
Kazekage Tower.
Teizawa jumped down from the carriage and stretched.
Then he looked back at them.
"What are you standing around for? Get down."
Hinata climbed down from the carriage in a fluster.
Standing beside him, she looked up at the towering building, her mouth still slightly open.
Karin followed behind her.
She held a shabby bundle and timidly looked around.
Neji stood a few steps away, expressionless.
But complex emotions churned in those Byakugan eyes.
"Kazekage-sama is back…"
No one knew who shouted first, but the crowd on the street erupted at once.
"Kazekage-sama! Kazekage-sama is back!"
People surged over from every direction.
They crowded both sides of the road, waving their arms.
Cheers rose one after another.
Children sat on their fathers' shoulders, craning their necks to look.
Women jostled each other, eager to catch a glimpse of the Kazekage.
Ninja rushed over from all directions.
They dropped to one knee and lowered their heads respectfully.
"Thank you for your hard work, Kazekage-sama!"
"Long live Kazekage-sama!"
Teizawa smiled and waved to the crowd, then turned to Hinata.
"Let's go. Inside."
Hinata followed behind him, head lowered.
Her fingers twisted the hem of her clothes, and her face was as red as boiled shrimp.
She had never been watched by so many people before.
There was curiosity in those gazes, appraisal…
And something else she could not quite describe.
She did not know how those people saw her, and she did not dare think about it.
She only lowered her head and silently followed Teizawa.
Karin hugged her bundle and jogged after them, nearly knocking her glasses askew.
Neji walked at the rear, his gaze sweeping over the cheering crowd.
The complicated feeling in his heart only deepened.
Inside Kazekage Tower, the décor was even grander than the exterior.
The floor was laid with smooth marble, and portraits of the past Kazekage hung on the walls.
Crystal lights on the ceiling cast a soft glow.
Offices lined both sides of the corridor.
The doors were half-open, revealing civil staff busily at work inside.
When they saw Teizawa pass by, they all stood and bowed respectfully.
Teizawa led them to the top floor and pushed open a heavy door.
"Come in."
The room was a spacious reception office.
Sofas, a coffee table, bookshelves, and potted greenery were all arranged inside.
A massive desk sat near the window.
Piles of documents and scrolls covered it.
Sunset poured through the window and fell over the documents.
It gilded them in warm gold.
"Sit."
Teizawa pointed at the sofa, then walked behind the desk and sat in the chair.
Hinata and Karin sat down on the sofa.
They were so stiff they looked like two children on their first day of school.
Neji stood by the window, arms crossed.
He looked out at the bustling street view in silence.
"Kazekage-sama…"
A clear female voice came from outside the door.
There was a trace of urgency in it.
The door opened, and a golden figure walked in.
Golden-blond hair. Emerald-green eyes.
She wore a fitted Sunagakure uniform, with a three-star fan hanging at her waist.
Temari.
…
Temari steadied her breathing and walked to the desk.
She looked at Teizawa.
Complex emotions churned in those emerald eyes…
Longing. Resentment.
And a joy she could not quite hide.
"You're back."
Her voice was very soft, almost like a sigh.
Teizawa nodded, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
"I'm back."
He paused. "Did you miss me?"
Temari's face reddened slightly.
She turned her head away and did not answer.
Her gaze fell on the three unfamiliar faces sitting on the sofa…
A black-haired girl in a white kimono.
A red-haired girl with glasses.
A Byakugan boy with a ponytail.
Her brows furrowed slightly.
Aside from the red-haired girl, she knew the other two.
Hinata of Konoha, and Neji.
Both were old acquaintances.
"What's going on with them?" she asked.
"New recruits," Teizawa said casually. "Neji and Hinata from Konoha, and Karin, whom I took from Orochimaru."
Temari's brow tightened further.
Konoha's Hyuga clan. Orochimaru's subordinate…
This man had gone to Konoha once.
Not only had he brought back a huge sum of money, he had also brought back this many people.
What was he planning?
She opened her mouth.
She wanted to say something, but swallowed it back.
"Arrange rooms for them."
Teizawa leaned back in his chair, his hands folded over his chest.
"Hinata and Karin will live with me. Arrange a separate place for Neji."
Huh?
Live with you?
The corner of Temari's mouth twitched.
The moment those words left his mouth, the gazes of all three people in the room landed on Teizawa.
Although her heart felt sour, Temari said nothing.
As for Hinata and Karin's opinions…
They were not important.
She nodded, then turned to Hinata and Karin.
"Come with me."
Hinata rose and glanced at Teizawa.
Her lips moved.
But in the end, she said nothing.
She lowered her head and followed Temari out.
Karin hugged her bundle and jogged after them.
Neji remained where he was.
"Something else?"
Teizawa looked at him.
Neji was silent for a moment before speaking.
"What… are you really trying to do?"
His voice was quiet, yet every word carried weight.
"Why did you bring us to Sunagakure? What is your true purpose?"
Teizawa leaned back in his chair and looked at him.
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
"I told you… I'm very interested in the Hyuga clan."
"No. More accurately, I'm very interested in the branch family."
He paused, then continued, "I've undone the Caged Bird Seal."
"I can undo it for the rest of the branch family too."
"But the condition is… they have to follow me."
Neji's pupils contracted slightly.
He understood.
This man's target had never been just him.
It was the entire Hyuga branch family.
He wanted to dig the branch family out of Konoha.
To bring them all to Sunagakure.
Hundreds of ninja with the Byakugan. Hundreds of taijutsu masters proficient in Gentle Fist…
That force would be enough to change the balance of the shinobi world.
"You're insane."
Neji's voice was rough, as if his throat were full of sand.
"Maybe."
Teizawa smiled.
"But you have to admit something."
"What I'm offering you is something Konoha will never give you."
"Freedom."
He stood and walked to the window, turning his back to Neji.
"Go back and think it over. Once you've figured it out, come find me anytime."
Neji stood in place.
He stared at Teizawa's back for a long time.
Then he turned and walked out.
The door closed softly behind him.
Teizawa looked out at the sky dyed red by the sunset, the corner of his mouth rising slightly.
Sunagakure was getting better and better.
Everything was going according to plan.
He took a deep breath.
Then he turned, walked back to the desk, and picked up the latest report.
The seawater desalination project had been completed.
The first batch of fresh water had already been transported into the village.
The road construction project was seventy percent complete.
The main road connecting Sunagakure to the southeastern coast had already opened.
The puppet steelization project had achieved a breakthrough.
The new steel puppets jointly developed by Kankurō and Sasori had already entered field testing.
The formation of the flight unit had also begun to take shape.
The demolition ninja trained by Deidara could now skillfully control clay birds.
Everything was improving.
Teizawa put down the report, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.
But suddenly…
The door was shoved open from the outside.
Bang!
The door slammed into the wall, shaking loose flakes of plaster.
An elderly figure strode in.
Her cane struck the floor.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Every step carried anger.
The corner of Teizawa's mouth twitched slightly.
"Elder Chiyo. Long time no see."
Chiyo stood before the desk, glaring at him furiously.
Her cloudy old eyes were filled with anger.
"You finally came back!"
Her voice was sharp and urgent. "You've thrown the entire shinobi world into chaos!"
"Hey, hey, hey…"
Teizawa leaned back in his chair, looking innocent.
"That's a bit much, isn't it?"
"A bit much?"
Chiyo snorted coldly. "Am I wrong?"
She took a scroll from her robes and slammed it onto the desk.
"Because of you, Iwagakure and Kumogakure are about to go to war!"
"This intelligence just came back. Do you think it can be fake?"
Teizawa's brows furrowed slightly.
He picked up the scroll and unrolled it.
His gaze swept quickly across the page.
The more he read, the deeper his frown became.
After Samui's team escorted the Four-Tails out of Konoha, they were attacked by an unknown force within the Land of Lightning.
The Four-Tails' whereabouts were now unknown.
Kumogakure immediately pointed the spear at Iwagakure…
As they saw it, who else could act inside the Land of Lightning and take the Four-Tails from Samui's team?
Iwagakure, of course.
But Iwagakure had already massed troops at the border, preparing to threaten Kumogakure into handing over the Four-Tails.
They were convinced the Four-Tails had been taken by Kumogakure.
And now Kumogakure was turning around and blaming them.
A thief crying "thief."
When the two sides met, both were dumbfounded.
"Wasn't Iwagakure the one that took the Four-Tails?"
"Bullshit! When did Iwagakure ever take the Four-Tails? You were the ones who took it from us!"
"What we took was your money, not the Four-Tails! We bought the Four-Tails from Sunagakure!"
"That's Iwagakure's tailed beast! What right does Kumogakure have to buy it?"
"You couldn't come up with the money yourselves. Whose fault is that?"
"You…"
Both sides clung to their own version of the story, neither willing to yield.
Now, the two great ninja villages had already stationed troops along the border in a tense standoff.
One wrong word, and war would break out.
(End of Chapter)
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