Chiyo and Ebizo woke up very early, as there was a high-level meeting today regarding how to deal with Sasori.
Sunagakure, Kazekage Building.
Chiyo brought up the matter of the Mysterious Masked Man, adding another new possibility to the disappearance of the Third Kazekage.
A Space-Time Ninjutsu of the Uchiha clan's Mangekyo Sharingan.
The elders facing Chiyo and Ebizo immediately latched onto this.
"Right, why didn't we think of that? Lord Third might have been made to disappear by a Space-Time Ninjutsu."
"The mysterious Mangekyo Sharingan wielder... it must have been Uchiha Madara's doing."
"Damn Uchiha Madara! He must have felt Lord Third's power was a threat to him, so he wanted to eliminate him early."
Only Chiyo and Ebizo truly understood the extent of Madara's power, but the others did not.
They genuinely believed the Third Kazekage was the strongest Kazekage in history, possessing such great potential that Madara targeted and dealt with him early.
Rasa stroked his chin. If it was a Space-Time Ninjutsu, that could indeed explain the Third Kazekage's mysterious disappearance.
But it was still too far-fetched.
Rasa leaned more towards Sasori assassinating the Third Kazekage.
An opposing elder raised a question.
"Grandma Chiyo, you say Sasori left back then to pursue the murderer who took Lord Third. That's just Sasori's own claim."
"There's no evidence to prove Lord Third was taken by Uchiha Madara."
Chiyo retorted, "Then is there any evidence to prove the Third Kazekage was assassinated by my Sasori?"
"..."
That elder couldn't reply, because there was similarly no evidence proving Sasori was the killer of the Third Kazekage.
Their suspicion of Sasori stemmed from the fact that the Third Kazekage's disappearance and Sasori's defection were linked; Sasori defected right after the Third Kazekage vanished.
At that time, the entire Village was busy searching everywhere for the Third Kazekage, and everyone thought Sasori had also gone to look for traces of him.
When things settled down, everyone realized Sasori hadn't returned to the Village, meaning he had defected.
But by then, they had no energy to deal with him, because an even greater chaos arrived.
That was the Third Great Ninja War.
Similarly, Sasori had been very clean in his dealings with the Third Kazekage, leaving not a single clue.
One elder suggested, "The Anbu has a Secret Technique that can probe Sasori's mind. Whether he did it or not will be clear once the Anbu investigates."
Chiyo glared at that elder. "Kid, do you really think my grandson is a soft persimmon, for you to handle as you please?"
"Let me tell you, with Sasori's Forbidden Jutsu, the Hundred Puppet Technique, he can control over a hundred puppets simultaneously."
"If he goes on a rampage, the entire Anbu together wouldn't be his match."
Many elders collectively glared at the one who suggested probing Sasori's mind.
Sasori and Pakura were different. Pakura loved this Village and, even more, the people around her.
If her disciple, Matsuri, were controlled, Pakura would likely surrender without a fight.
But Sasori was different.
Even if Chiyo and Ebizo were captured, don't even think about threatening him with it.
Judging by the Forbidden Jutsu he displayed last night, the more people there are, the stronger he becomes, because few can resist Sasori's control.
Only Kage-level Ninja like Rasa and Pakura could deal with him.
Rasa stepped forward and said, "Alright, everyone, stop arguing. I think what the Grandmother says makes sense."
"Sasori also once received favors from the previous Kazekage and was considered a trusted aide. It's unlikely he would strike."
"Uchiha Madara's suspicion is great. The previous Kazekage might currently be imprisoned in the Hidden Rain Village."
"Later, we can form a Shinobi Allied Forces, attack the Hidden Rain Village, and find an opportunity to rescue the previous Kazekage."
Rasa had received benefits from Chiyo; it would be unreasonable not to support her now.
Seeing the Kazekage had spoken, the elders stopped making a fuss and unanimously agreed to cancel Sasori's bounty.
From this moment on, Sasori was no longer a rogue ninja of the Village, but Sunagakure's genius Artistic Puppeteer.
Chiyo and Ebizo smiled, feeling a sense of relief in their hearts.
...
Ryou woke up when it was already noon, pulled up by Candy.
"Ryou, get up, stop sleeping. You're here in Sunagakure to infiltrate and spy. Who allowed you to sleep in?"
Right.
Ryou propped himself up. Matatabi brought water for Ryou to wash up.
Candy took the opportunity to tell Ryou about the elder council meeting at the Kazekage Building.
How did she know?
There were Candy's spore on Ebizo; she listened in through them.
The foundation of Sunagakure was ultimately too shallow. Even without Sasori's identity, Ryou could easily infiltrate it and do as he pleased.
Ryou listened quietly, nodding occasionally.
In another two days, Sunagakure would probably issue a new Kill Order for Sasori.
Chiyo and Ebizo, who had fought so hard to protect Sasori, would suffer then.
Ryou looked at the Sasori nearby.
At this moment, Sasori was lying on top of the "Father" and "Mother" puppets, as if protecting them.
Candy pointed at Sasori and said, "It slept on those two puppets all last night."
Ryou nodded, then said to Candy, "Candy, collect a list of the elders who opposed Grandma Chiyo and Ebizo."
"Give it to Sasori. Let it deal with them itself."
If Sasori didn't care about Chiyo and Ebizo, he would ignore it. If he did care, he would kill those who opposed them.
Sasori slowly opened its eyes, its pupils flickering with an eerie light.
Chiyo called from outside at that moment, "Sasori, come on, get up and eat! Everyone is waiting for you!"
"Okay!"
Ryou tucked Sasori into his sleeve, had Candy and Snowy burrow underground, and then went out for the meal.
As they neared the living room, Sasori finally couldn't help but remind him, "Uchiha Ryou, you idiot, your Transformation Technique has worn off."
"Huh?!"
It turned out Ryou had slept so comfortably last night that he had released the White Zetsu Transformation Technique. Maintaining a technique constantly consumes chakra.
Chakra is linked to physical stamina.
Sleeping was for rest. Even with vast amounts of chakra, having a leak was psychologically grating and made it hard to sleep well.
Ryou quickly absorbed Sasori's chakra and then transformed into Sasori's appearance.
Before going to see Chiyo and Ebizo, Ryou gave Sasori a good shock.
"Sasori, remember clearly. You must call me Master."
"(#`皿 ´)."
Sasori clenched its large pincers tightly, enduring the pain of being electrocuted by Ryou.
Ryou entered the living room.
Pakura and Matsuri were also waiting for Ryou.
Matsuri gave Ryou a sweet smile. Ryou returned a smile, and Matsuri immediately blushed and lowered her head.
Pakura snorted at Ryou, "Seems like you didn't sleep well while being a rogue ninja outside. Coming home, you sleep until noon."
Ryou snorted back at Pakura, "Pakura, with that awful personality of yours, you probably aren't well-liked by the Village elders, are you!"
"Hmph!"
Pakura turned her head away, ignoring Ryou.