The early spring chill had not yet fully retreated from the Land of Fire, but the wind already carried a faint, barely perceptible dampness—the breath of awakening life.
After staying to care for Tsunade and the newborn Hii Kao for a month or two, ensuring their health had stabilized, Hii Kōri finally packed up the fully tuned mechanical bird and other usable parts and returned to Sunagakure with Sakaki Tatsuma.
As usual, he first went to the Kazekage Building for a brief debriefing with Vegeta.
There wasn't much to say. Pakura and Karura had already explained why he had stayed away so long. The only things worth mentioning were Jiraiya's injuries and the scattered intelligence gathered through the guild's channels during that time.
Admittedly, due to poor cash flow, Konoha's intelligence network was being rebuilt at a painfully slow pace. Even Shimura Danzō, with all his skills, couldn't do much.
But Sunagakure wasn't much better off. The geographic disadvantages were a constant drag. Because of these difficulties, Hii Kōri's uncle Ebizō was losing hair faster than the Third Kazekage had in his prime. He was the complete opposite of Chiyo.
To this day, Chiyo still looked under forty not at all like someone pushing fifty.
That was only natural. Her foster son had achieved great things. Her grandson was growing strong, guided out of his darkness by Hii Kōri alongside his disciples. Even her eldest son and daughter-in-law who had died in the war might have a chance at revival. And Sunagakure's future looked bright. With all these factors combined, of course Chiyo's mental state was good.
If it weren't, wouldn't Hii Kōri's efforts have been for nothing?
Leaving the Kazekage Building, Hii Kōri didn't go straight to his workshop. He first stopped by Chiyo's house.
Pushing open the familiar door, he was greeted by a scene… very full of "life." Well, let's just call it a mess.
Chiyo was sprawled on the sofa in a pose that severely tested one's flexibility. Her right leg was hooked over the backrest. Her left leg was half-bent, ankle wedged between her right leg and the sofa cushion. Her torso twisted in the opposite direction, upper body lying sideways, head on the armrest. Her right arm lay across her chest, her left arm dangling off the edge.
She looked exactly like a cat sleeping through the end of the world.
Very Chiyo.
As a current elder of Sunagakure, Chiyo's life had been remarkably uneventful lately.
She had long since handed her positions as head of the Puppet Corps and Medical Division to capable, hardworking juniors. With Sunagakure advancing at such a steady, impressive pace fueled by the technological dividends Hii Kōri had brought and the guild's financial support there were few of the troublesome issues that require her and the other elders to deliberate for ages before deciding.
They said the face reflected the heart. Combined with medical ninjutsu's upkeep, she didn't look particularly aged but her prime as a ninja was definitely behind her.
With her physical condition irreversibly declining, and her signature puppetry gradually being replaced by Hii Kōri's new technology, she had simply let go of personal training and enjoyed the leisure.
Her current hobbies included: visiting the crop modification department's test fields to critique the oddly shaped fruits and vegetables; fishing in the underground city's semi-outdoor ponds; and suddenly appearing at Sasori and the others' training grounds to mess with them.
It wasn't that she had become a "childish old person"—she had been like this her whole life.
The moment she saw Hii Kōri push open the door, Chiyo who had been lying there like a pile of mush jolted upright with the vitality of a dying patient suddenly revived. Her bright eyes locked onto her foster son, her face full of teasing.
"Oh ho~ Our busy young man is back~"
Chiyo crossed her legs, propped her chin on her hand, and grinned. "Not bad, you little brat. You went and got your hands on Konoha's 'Princess' without a sound?"
Her reaction wasn't surprising. During the war, Tsunade's medical ninjutsu had caused her no end of trouble.
Without Tsunade and her slug, Konoha's casualty ratio would have been far worse.
Hii Kōri rolled his eyes, using his spirit-thread nerves to gather the dirty clothes strewn across the floor and the unwashed dishes on the table. He walked to the window and opened it for ventilation.
"To be honest, I wish I'd never done half that unnecessary stuff."
He cleaned the messy room as he spoke, sighing sincerely. "A bad fate. Pure bad fate."
"Bad fate or good fate, don't act like you're not benefiting~"
Chiyo waved a hand dismissively, then leaned forward with keen interest. "Enough of that. What about the child? How is it? Boy or girl?"
"What else? Mother and child safe."
Hii Kōri carried an armful of dirty clothes toward the laundry room, his voice carrying clearly through the doorway and hall: "Named Kao. Hii Kao."
"Kao…that's a good name."
At his answer, the teasing expression on Chiyo's face softened into a warmth unique to the elderly. The fine lines at the corners of her eyes crinkled with gentle affection. "When are you bringing them back to visit? A grandmother should at least see her grandson, shouldn't she?"
"Let's wait a few years. The war just ended. I have to consider Tsunade's feelings."
Hii Kōri's voice was slightly muffled by the sound of running water and the washing machine spinning. "And there's the baby's health to think about. I had to adapt to this godforsaken desert when I first came. What kind of parent drags a newborn into the desert to eat sand?"
"Alright, alright."
Chiyo pouted, knowing he was right, and didn't argue.
From the founding of Sunagakure, the First Kazekage Reto had wanted to move out of this damn desert. There was no logic in moving people back in.
"Speaking of which, has anything noteworthy happened around here or in the village lately?"
Drying his hands after washing the dishes, Hii Kōri walked back to the living room and asked about business.
Chiyo slumped back onto the sofa and answered lazily: "Nothing major. The daimyō's attention is still on land reclamation. But… the Land of Rain some rumors have leaked out. That old exhaust pipe Hanzō isn't very good at keeping secrets."
"Normal. We sent so many 'laborers' to help with reconstruction. It's easy for spies to slip in."
What Hii Kōri really wanted to ask was whether anything strange had happened in the village whether Black Zetsu had sneaked in to cause trouble while he was away. But since Chiyo hadn't mentioned it, probably not.
He rummaged through the cabinet for a while, found a tea he liked, and brewed a pot. "The war just ended. Unless Hanzō is so incompetent that news of his coup against the Land of Rain's daimyō leaked, no one's going to restart a war over rumors."
"As long as the project isn't delayed, it doesn't matter."
The "project" Hii Kōri mentioned referred to the tunnels being excavated in the Land of Rain and the water storage systems under construction.
The tunnels were meant to open alternative routes, reducing Sunagakure's dependence on Ichi Sen Ten canyon.
The water storage was a form of "waste utilization" capturing the Land of Rain's heavy rainfall to try developing hydroelectric power, while also creating a strategic water reserve to improve the Land of Wind's harsh environment.
Some had proposed more aggressive solutions like blasting open parts of the mountain range to channel the Land of Rain's moisture into the Land of Wind.
But the mainstream explosive was still explosive tags. Cost aside, current technology couldn't achieve such precise blasting. A mistake could trigger unpredictable disasters.
Opening a few side gates was different from demolishing the entire wall.
"Huh… that's true enough."
Chiyo grunted in agreement.
After getting the room more or less presentable, Hii Kōri clapped his hands and said to Chiyo, now a puddle of cat again: "Come to my workshop for dinner. If you could come earlier and help, that would be even better."
"Huh? Why do I have to go there?"
Chiyo protested immediately: "You're back. Shouldn't you come home and cook to honor me?"
Notably, with more free time and the need to cook for Sasori and the other three children, Chiyo's cooking had improved dramatically from "medicinal meal with no meal" to "home-style cooking."
It was amazing how true the saying was: grandparents spoil grandchildren more than parents. Think about Hii Kōri, Mataza, Matazaburō had any of them ever eaten a proper home-cooked meal from Chiyo?
"My workshop has more space. You could even stay overnight if you want. It's still early spring, the weather's cold. I can't make Master Bunpuku run back and forth, can I?"
Hii Kōri answered confidently, but Chiyo wasn't having it.
She clutched her chest dramatically, wailing about how "this family is doomed" and "I'm your foster mother, why are you running off with that old monk!"
After a moment, she peeked through her fingers at Hii Kōri, who wore a practiced smile that said "caring for the disabled, starting with you." She lost interest.
She let her hands drop, slumped back into the sofa, childishly narrowed her eyes, and stuck out her tongue at him.
It was hard to tell who was the elder here.
As Hii Kōri bent down to change his shoes at the door, Chiyo climbed back onto the sofa and called out in a lazy drawl: "Hey brat I want baked potatoes tonight~ The crispy kind~"
"Yeah, yeah. I'll definitely not make them for you."
Hii Kōri waved without looking back.
"You brat! How dare you!" Her indignant yell chased after him.
Hii Kōri smiled, a genuine warmth in his chest, and strode out the door.
This was the essence of their relationship.
That evening, Hii Kōri's workshop was livelier than ever. Except for his foster father Matazaburō—still wandering, not seen for years—almost everyone close to him was there.
Chiyo, predictably late and having helped with zero cooking, traded jabs with the Third Kazekage, who had hilariously tied a black cloth over his face. Bunpuku sipped tea quietly, holding the small mechanical creature that housed Shukaku's consciousness.
Karura, off work early for once, and Pakura, who had deliberately taken no mission, bustled about helping serve. Sasori, Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato had also set aside their training for the day.
Even Sakaki Tatsuma who had returned with Hii Kōri was there.
"Hey, what's this 'even' business? Like I don't belong!"
The loud-mouthed man jabbed Hii Kōri's ribs indignantly until Hii Kōri caught his hands and shoved a bottle of high-proof spirits into his mouth.
Ahaha-kun shut up immediately.
The gathering was a resounding success, putting a perfect period on Hii Kōri's "vacation."
Afterward, he walked the Third Kazekage to the door, then retrieved Sakaki Tatsuma who had blacked out completely and was hugging a table leg, mumbling "I don't wanna work… I wanna slack off… dried squid… delicious…"—and carried him to a guest room.
When he returned to the living room, Chiyo was already on her feet.
"Alright, old woman. Rest today. You can help tomorrow after you've slept, how about that?"
Seeing her ready to dive into something bloody, Hii Kōri waved her off. "You're not like me—you need sleep. Wait until you're fully rested before doing experiments."
"Heh. You just want to make me do the dishes, don't you?!"
"Oh? Is it that obvious?"
Smiling, Hii Kōri didn't argue. He walked down the stairs to the underground space, descending into the dungeon.
Before leaving, he had carved out an additional prison cell here. The Konoha ninja he had captured were all locked up.
Chiyo had already neutralized them, stripping them of all resistance. They hung in the air like pigs in a slaughterhouse, awaiting Hii Kōri's "disposal."
This was another reason he had left Tsunade at the guild branch.
Even if her sense of belonging to Konoha had greatly diminished due to what they were doing to her grandfather's remains, he couldn't exactly conduct human experiments on Konoha ninja right under her nose.
If she found out, it would be… problematic.
"Now then… let's begin the experiment."
***
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