Temari steadied her breathing and walked to the desk.
She looked at Teizawa.
Complex emotions churned in those emerald-green 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 a little.
She turned 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 his hair tied back.
Her brows furrowed slightly.
Aside from the red-haired girl, she knew the other two.
Hinata from 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, plus Karin, whom I got from Orochimaru."
Temari's frown deepened.
The Hyuga clan from Konoha. Someone from Orochimaru's side…
This man had made one trip to Konoha.
Not only had he brought back a massive amount of money, he had also brought back all these 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, folding his arms across his chest.
"Hinata and Karin will live with me. Give Neji his own place."
Huh?
Live with you?
The corner of Temari's mouth twitched.
As soon as those words came out, all three people in the room looked straight at Teizawa.
Even though Temari felt a sour twist in her chest, she still 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 stood 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 real goal?"
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 already 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 him alone.
It was the entire Hyuga branch family.
He wanted to dig the branch family out of Konoha.
All of them, brought to Sunagakure.
Hundreds of ninja with the Byakugan. Hundreds of taijutsu experts trained 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 it."
"What I'm giving 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 lifting slightly.
Sunagakure was getting better and better.
Everything was moving 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 steel puppet project had achieved a major breakthrough.
The new steel puppets jointly developed by Kankurō and Sasori had already entered field testing.
The formation of the flight unit was also beginning 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 in front of the desk, glaring at him furiously.
Her cloudy old eyes were full of 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 little too much, isn't it?"
"Too 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 in. Do you think it's 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 finger at Iwagakure…
As they saw it, who else could act inside the Land of Lightning and take the Four-Tails from Samui's team?
Who else but Iwagakure?
But Iwagakure had already stationed troops at the border and was 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 story, and neither would back down.
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)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]