Yubi's home was located in a relatively peripheral part of the Hidden Sand Village.
Like other buildings, it appeared to have a "sandbag" shape.
Not having returned for several months, the front door was covered in dust.
He unlocked the door and pushed it open.
Looking at the familiar room... with a thud, he flopped onto the bed.
His residence was simple, just a one-bedroom apartment.
This kind of housing was standard for most ordinary Ninjas in the Hidden Sand Village... and on the living room wall hung two funeral portraits.
They were Yubi's parents.
The entire Ninja World War had turned many children in the Village into orphans.
Although he was a transmigrator, losing his parents had still made Yubi sad for a time, but he understood... he couldn't have stopped it.
He had only hoped the two of them could live until the end.
In the end... they still died young.
The possibility of an ordinary Ninja surviving on the battlefield was very slim.
This border mission had allowed Yubi to experience it firsthand.
After resting for a while, Yubi was just about to get up to see if he could find something to eat... when there was a knock at the door.
He opened the door and saw it was Chiyo.
"Grandmother Chiyo."
Yubi immediately broke into a smile.
"Yubi, am I disturbing you?"
Chiyo asked kindly.
"Not at all... please come in."
Yubi turned and gestured for the old woman to enter.
Then, he awkwardly tidied up the messy room.
Since his parents passed away, Yubi, living alone, had completely let himself go... the room wasn't exactly filthy, but things were strewn about and the bed wasn't made, making it look somewhat slovenly. His teacher at the Ninja Academy would come by occasionally to help him tidy up, but within a few days, it would be back to this... Chiyo didn't mind... after all, in her eyes, Yubi was just a child.
Losing his parents was already heartbreaking... a child this young wouldn't know how to do housework.
"Your father Hase and mother Rika were both very good people... it's a pity..."
Sitting down, Chiyo glanced at the photos on the wall and gave a soft sigh.
"Grandmother Chiyo, you came to see me for a reason, right?"
Yubi chuckled and went to the kitchen to boil a pot of water.
"I came to talk to you about Sasori..."
Chiyo said.
"Sasori? What's wrong with him? I think he's doing quite well..."
Yubi understood in his heart.
He had thought Chiyo was looking for him regarding Medical Ninja or Puppeteer matters.
Seeing Yubi's cheerful appearance, Grandmother Chiyo felt a mix of emotions; she wished so much that Sasori could be like Yubi, maintaining a bright and optimistic attitude.
Despite also losing his parents, Yubi still gave off such a cheerful impression.
His mindset was very good.
Of course, the passing of parents certainly has an impact on an individual.
But such things are unavoidable... it all depends on one's own mindset.
"Arai told me a bit about the two of you... you and Sasori have a very good relationship," Chiyo smiled.
"Yeah... we're good friends."
Yubi sat across from Chiyo, the cold gaze Sasori had given him flashing through his mind—especially during the time they were competing while raiding the border of the Land of Rain, that undisguised hostility... he spoke firmly.
"When I saw you at the border back then, I noticed it too... Sasori seemed to care about you."
Chiyo had no doubt at all about Yubi's words.
"Ever since his parents died, Sasori's personality has become more and more withdrawn. I'm very happy he could become friends with you..." Chiyo said.
Has she noticed already?
Hearing Chiyo's words, a thought flashed through Yubi's mind.
It was very likely that Chiyo already had a premonition that if Sasori continued to grow in "darkness," he would eventually head down a path of no return.
As expected of a blood relative, Chiyo understood Sasori very well... she already had an intuition about this.
Of course, it was also clear that Chiyo loved Sasori dearly; she just had no way to enter his already closed-off heart.
"I hope you can help me change Sasori, Yubi. Try to communicate with him as much as possible. If he has a friend like you, I believe... he will get better and better." As a legendary female Ninja of the Hidden Sand Village and a member of the upper echelon, the old woman seemed to shed all her glory when facing a little kid like Yubi, becoming just an elder concerned for her grandson.
"I understand!"
Yubi nodded heavily.
He appeared to have agreed to Chiyo's request.
But he knew very well... Sasori's personality could no longer be changed.
Even now, Chiyo hadn't realized this... it was true that the root cause affecting Sasori was his parents.
But what intensified his descent into darkness were the Village's decisions.
All Yubi could do was change the direction of Sasori's future... as for his actual temperament, that was hard to say.
"The worst part is... in the short term, I have no way or ability to change the Village's will. This means that at least the course of the Second Great Ninja War, and Sunagakure's subsequent plans for the near future, will be the same as in the original story... the death of the White Fang, the peace talks between Sunagakure and Konoha, and the atmosphere of tools and interests created by the Third Kazekage's administration..."
Yubi thought.
These... were the giant hands pushing Sasori into the abyss.
But there was no other way... without peace talks, they couldn't beat Konoha. If they kept playing this way, the Hidden Sand Village's fate would be even worse.
Then, Yubi stood up and brewed a cup of tea for Chiyo.
The old woman told him many stories about Sasori's childhood... attempting to give Yubi a deeper understanding of him.
It wasn't until dark that Chiyo stood up to leave.
Before leaving, she thanked Yubi once more.
"Yubi... you are a very independent child. Regarding the Kazekage's proposal today, no matter what you decide, if you have any thoughts, you can tell me. Whether it's Medical Ninjutsu or Puppet Jutsu... if you want to learn, I can teach you."
Chiyo said.
"Mhm."
Yubi nodded.
Then, he bowed politely to Chiyo's receding figure.
"A very kind elder... but ultimately, she also adheres to the consistent style of the Hidden Sand Village's high-level officials. Her core hasn't changed; she still believes I have value to the Village... and this value is viewed from the perspective of utility. There's a bit of human touch, but not much... birds of a feather flock together; perhaps it's not just Sunagakure, but in this Ninja World, the governing styles of the Great Ninja Villages are probably all the same..."
"After all... the mainstream is still this concept of war."
Yubi smiled faintly, thinking of the group in Konoha led by Hiruzen Sarutobi, and shrugged his shoulders.
It's just... sometimes, these people go a bit too far and don't know how to maintain a balance at all.
A little while later, Yubi headed out to the street.
He was planning to find a place to eat.
Tomorrow morning, he still had to register his newly developed Ninjutsu.
He needed to sleep early.
"Yubi."
However, just as Yubi was about to enter an Oden shop, a voice suddenly came from behind him.
He looked back and saw a little girl with her hair in a bun.
"Pakura."
Yubi called out her name and smiled.
That's right, this girl was the "hero" who would be sacrificed by the Village in the late stages of the Third Great Ninja War—the successor to the Hidden Sand Village's Bloodline Limit, Scorch Style, Pakura.
She was a bit younger than him and Sasori, and was still attending the Ninja Academy.
"Maybe I can't change Sasori's personality, but the fates of Sasori and Pakura... must be saved!"
Looking at the little girl running toward him, a thought crossed Yubi's mind.