Kuromaru returned to the Konoha envoy's embassy.
Tsume and her colleagues were recording some of Sunagakure's war preparations.
Whether Sunagakure truly wanted to unite wasn't decided at the Five Kage Summit, but by the war preparations of the entire Village.
Now that Sunagakure has gradually recalled all its Ninjas from abroad, it proves they truly want to form the Shinobi Allied Forces to crusade against Madara.
Seeing Kuromaru return, Tsume threw a bone at him like a Kunai.
She huffed angrily, "Not barking in the morning, did you go to bite Sasori of the Red Sand? Didn't he poison you to death?"
Kuromaru let the bone hit his head, then squatted to the side with his head hanging, looking like he had done something wrong.
Tsume couldn't find Kuromaru in the morning and was extremely worried that he had gone to provoke Sasori.
Sasori was a rogue ninja of Sunagakure, a ruthless man suspected of killing the Third Kazekage.
Even if his wanted status had been lifted, Sasori was still too dangerous for people like them.
Someone like Sasori wouldn't care about envoys; if you provoked him, he'd skin you on the spot and stew you into dog meat soup.
Tsume made Kuromaru stand as punishment, but she was a softie at heart despite her sharp tongue; before long, she was grabbing his dog head to check for injuries.
"Fortunately, it seems Sasori of the Red Sand didn't lower himself to your level."
Kuromaru barked, "Tsume, I didn't go to bite him, I just took a pee in front of his house!"
Tsume thumped Kuromaru's head, "Sasori's home is Grandma Chiyo's home. Even though we represent Konoha, we can't be so arrogant."
"Woof! I got it!"
Tsume's nose suddenly twitched, "Why do you have a cat scent on you?"
Members of the Inuzuka Clan live with Ninja Hounds from childhood, so their sense of smell, hearing, and vision far exceed those of ordinary people.
They also have a Secret Technique that concentrates chakra in the nose to gain a sense of smell many times greater than a normal person's.
In the original work, Kiba the fraud used this technique to gain super-smell, but he was completely broken by one of Naruto's farts.
Even without using Secret Techniques, the Inuzuka Clan's sense of smell is much higher than average.
Kuromaru had been in contact with Ryou earlier; Ryou petted cats all day, so he naturally carried a cat scent.
"Well, I just ran into a thieving cat stealing fish and gave it a lesson!"
Kuromaru lied to Tsume, fearing she would discover Ryou's presence.
Someone like Tsume, who believes in the Will of Fire, would definitely take action if she knew Ryou was in Sunagakure.
It wasn't just her duty as a Konoha Ninja; Tsume herself was a resilient Ninja who wouldn't run away from difficulties.
"Is that so?"
Tsume squeezed Kuromaru's head, her eyes narrowing.
Kuromaru had grown up with her since childhood, and their bond was deeper than the one she had with her husband; as soon as Kuromaru stuck his butt up, she knew he was going to pee.
How could he lie to her?
But Tsume didn't press further; she believed her old partner of many years wouldn't harm her!
Tsume tapped Kuromaru's head, "I think you're the dog thief. Alright, stop standing around outside and come in to eat; I saved your favorite jerky for you."
"Woof woof!"
Kuromaru immediately wagged his tail wildly, his mouth splitting into a fawning and playful grin.
Tsume couldn't help but squeeze his head.
"Silly dog!"
...
Ryou and Pakura walked along the streets of Sunagakure.
As a handsome man and a beautiful woman, they had a high turn-back rate, but they were a bit of a mismatch.
Sasori's appearance was indeed handsome, but it was a youthful handsomeness; his face hadn't fully matured, so he looked like a beautiful boy.
Pakura was already mature enough; walking together, they didn't look like a couple, but rather like a sister and brother.
Ryou looked at the local customs of Sunagakure and frowned slightly, "The Village is still so desolate!"
Sunagakure was nestled in the folds of the boundless desert, wrapped in the yellow dust that filled the sky, even the sunlight filtered into a murky earthy yellow.
The entire Village had no extra colors, only earthy yellow walls.
It was nothing like Konoha—that realm of vibrant vitality where all things competed for growth was still vivid in his mind.
Pakura snorted, "What? Is the moon outside rounder than the one back home!"
Pakura didn't find the Village monotonous, frequently greeting people she knew.
Some were villagers doing business, some were civilian Ninjas who supported Pakura, and others were children from the Ninja Academy who admired her...
Sunagakure indeed lacked the vitality of Konoha and the steel-filled nature of Amegakure, but it had its own resilience.
If they could withstand the sand filling the sky, how could they not bear the heavy burden of life?
Ryou felt that Sunagakure was like Chiyo: old, declining, and lifeless, yet resilient, enduring, and moving forward strongly even in old age.
Ryou watched Pakura's interactions with the villagers; Sasori had just returned to the Village yesterday, so it wasn't common knowledge.
Moreover, Sasori had always stayed away from people in the past; even ordinary Ninjas rarely saw him, let alone these villagers.
When many people saw Ryou, they subconsciously assumed he was some distant relative of Pakura's.
After walking through a street that wasn't very crowded, Ryou said to Pakura, "Pakura, I didn't expect you to be so popular!"
Pakura said with some pride, "Of course. If your grandmother had supported me back then, Rasa wouldn't be the Kazekage now."
Ryou looked at Pakura, "You want to be the Kazekage?"
Pakura nodded, then watched the people coming and going in Sunagakure Village.
Because Sunagakure was summoning a large number of Ninjas from abroad, some desert nobles and lords who had heard rumors of Madara were also rushing to Sunagakure Village.
Although Sunagakure was poor, it was also a military stronghold of the Land of Wind.
Once war broke out, the safest place in the Land of Wind would be Sunagakure Village.
Even that guy, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind who looked down on Sunagakure, was trying to find a way to get there.
The popularity of Sunagakure Village had increased, and it had been somewhat lively these past few days.
Pakura answered Ryou, "Why wouldn't I? I've made it to where I am today entirely through my own efforts, without a clan or a master."
"The position of Kazekage would be the greatest recognition for me!"
Pakura wasn't like Sasori, who had a good family; his parents were Elite Jonin, and his grandmother and Granduncle were high-ranking officials in the Village.
Nor was she like Rasa, who had a master like the Third Kazekage and could learn the Village's Secret Technique—Magnet Release.
Pakura had no master and no clan; she was the perfect model of a civilian Ninja.
Diligent, ambitious, self-disciplined...
Her Scorch Release was entirely developed by herself.
Her talent for Ninjutsu was even higher than Mei Terumī's.
Although Mei Terumī had two Kekkei Genkai, they were both inherited through her bloodline; she was the only Ninja officially set to possess two Kekkei Genkai.
This kind of Kekkei Genkai wasn't like Madara's, which involved post-natal transplantation of Hashirama cells, but true bloodline inheritance.
And Pakura's Scorch Release was formed by fusing Wind and Fire in a 1:1 ratio; she was the only Scorch Release user in the Ninja World.
Thinking of this, Ryou felt disgusted once again by the stupidity of Sunagakure's high-ranking officials.
If Pakura's Scorch Release was a Secret Technique, it could undoubtedly be taught to a disciple.
Even if they wanted to kill Pakura, they should have at least waited until she passed Scorch Release on to Maki.
Even if it wasn't a Secret Technique, Pakura's Scorch Release had spontaneously integrated into her bloodline, which was a powerful bloodline capable of creating a Kekkei Genkai clan.
Were Rasa and the elders of Sunagakure all brainless?
Ryou really couldn't stand the stupidity of these people, and a desire for a purge stirred in his heart.
How could people like them be changed?
They can only be killed!