Chiyo stared hard at Teizawa.
"You brat…" Her voice dropped low. "Where exactly did the Four-Tails go?"
Teizawa rolled his eyes.
"How would I know?"
He set the scroll down and leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly against the armrest.
The Four-Tails was missing…
Who could make a move inside the Land of Lightning?
Who could steal the Four-Tails from Samui's squad?
Aside from Iwagakure, who else?
As for anyone targeting a tailed beast…
There might only be one possibility.
Teizawa's pupils narrowed slightly.
Akatsuki.
Only they had the strength.
Only they had the motive.
They were collecting the tailed beasts.
From the One-Tail to the Nine-Tails, they would not let a single one go.
The Four-Tails had been one of their targets from the start.
He had simply beaten them to it.
Now, they must have shifted their target to the Four-Tails' return route.
They could seize a tailed beast and provoke a war between Iwagakure and Kumogakure at the same time.
Two birds with one stone. A neat little scheme.
Teizawa's fingers stopped tapping.
He said nothing. He only leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling on the sunset-reddened sky beyond the window.
Chiyo watched his thoughtful expression, and her frown deepened.
"Do you know something?"
Teizawa shook his head.
"Just a guess."
He rose and walked to the window, his back to Chiyo.
"But I can't confirm it yet."
Chiyo opened her mouth.
She seemed about to say something, then swallowed it back.
She looked at Teizawa's back and stayed silent for a long time.
"You…"
Her voice suddenly softened. "You didn't get hurt this time, did you?"
Teizawa turned around. When he saw the concern written all over her face, he smiled.
"No."
Chiyo let out a breath.
"That's good."
She paused. "Those people you brought back… the girl and boy from the Hyuga clan, and that red-haired girl. What are you planning to do with them?"
Teizawa returned to the desk and sat down.
"Hinata and Karin will follow Temari for now. She can help them get used to the village. As for Neji…"
He paused.
"I'll have them learn under me for the time being."
Chiyo nodded.
"Fine."
She rose, leaned on her cane, and walked toward the door.
When she reached it, she stopped.
She did not look back.
"Teizawa…"
"Hm?"
"You're young, but you see farther than old fossils like us."
Her voice was very soft, almost like a sigh.
"I can rest easy leaving Sunagakure in your hands."
Teizawa froze for a moment, then smiled.
"Thank you."
Chiyo said nothing else. She pushed the door open and left.
Her footsteps gradually faded.
The tapping of her cane against the floor grew softer and softer.
At last, it vanished completely at the end of the corridor.
Teizawa leaned back in his chair and stared at the closed door.
He was silent for a long time.
Then he picked up the intelligence scroll on the desk.
He read through it again.
Iwagakure and Kumogakure were facing off at the border.
The Four-Tails was missing.
Akatsuki was stirring in the shadows.
The balance of the shinobi world was beginning to break.
And he was the one who had broken it.
He put the scroll down and closed his eyes.
There was still a great deal left to do.
…
By the time Teizawa returned home, night had completely fallen.
Sunagakure's nights were not as brightly lit as Konoha's.
Scattered points of light shone from the windows of each household, like fireflies sprinkled across the desert.
The Kazekage residence stood in the center of the village, not far from the administration building.
It was an independent two-story house.
The outer walls were painted with white limewash, and several drought-resistant palm trees grew in the courtyard.
He pushed the door open. A lamp was lit in the entryway.
Under the dim yellow light, a familiar pair of shoes sat neatly by the door.
The corners of Teizawa's mouth lifted slightly.
He bent down, changed his shoes, and walked into the living room.
Temari was sitting on the sofa with a document in her hands.
She seemed to have been waiting for something.
When she heard his footsteps, she looked up.
"You're back?"
Her voice was quiet, almost as if she were talking to herself.
Teizawa walked over, sat beside her, and reached out to wrap an arm around her waist.
"I'm back." He paused. "You smell good."
Temari turned her face away and did not answer.
But the tips of her ears quietly turned red.
She set the document down.
Then she leaned against his shoulder, closed her eyes, and let out a soft sigh.
The air filled with an indescribable, ambiguous warmth.
Like a summer night's breeze, like spring sunlight, like two hearts long separated slowly drawing close in the dark.
Then…
The unspoken longing between them finally caught fire.
They were both young. They had been apart for a long time.
Restraint was never going to last.
The night quietly deepened.
…
In the room next door.
Hinata and Karin lay side by side on the bed.
They stared at the ceiling. Neither of them could fall asleep.
This was their first night in Sunagakure.
The room was not large, but it was very clean. The bed was soft, and the bedding carried the scent of sunlight.
Hinata curled up under the covers.
Her hands clutched the edge of the blanket, and her thoughts were a mess.
She did not know why she had followed that man to this place.
She did not know what Neji-niisan was doing right now.
She did not know how her father would react once he learned she had disappeared.
She only knew one thing.
She could not go back.
Suddenly, a sound came from the room next door.
The two girls exchanged a look.
Then both of them turned toward the wall.
Hinata's ears immediately perked up.
She turned onto her side and pressed her ear against the wall.
She wanted to hear what was happening over there.
Karin also sat up.
Her glasses sat crooked on the bridge of her nose, and her blue eyes were full of confusion.
"What is it?" Karin whispered.
"Shh…"
Hinata raised a finger to her lips.
"This is…"
Hinata froze. That was Temari's voice…
That blond, gallant kunoichi.
When she had brought them to their room during the day, she had been cold and distant.
But now…
"Is Temari getting beaten up?" Karin asked in a low voice, worry flickering through her eyes.
Hinata shook her head.
She did not know either.
She lay against the wall and pressed her ear closer.
Temari seemed to be saying something, but her voice came in broken fragments.
"I'll use my Byakugan to look."
As soon as she said it, she did it.
"Byakugan, come!"
But the moment she saw the strange chakra flow in the room next door, Hinata's face turned scarlet.
She suddenly understood.
She jerked back, buried herself under the blanket, and did not even dare show her head.
"What happened?"
Karin stared at her blankly.
"N-Nothing…" Hinata's muffled voice came from beneath the blanket. "Sleep."
Karin blinked, then looked at the wall next door again.
A vague understanding began to dawn on her as well.
She lay back down and pulled the blanket up to her chin.
Then she stared wide-eyed at the ceiling.
She emptied her mind.
Her face was as red as a boiled shrimp.
Her heart was beating like a drum.
But she did not dare move, and she did not dare make a sound.
(End of Chapter)
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