While Ryou was thinking, Pakura spoke up: "We're here, Temari's house is right there!"
Ryou looked in the direction Pakura was pointing.
The Fourth Kazekage's residence wasn't as simple as he had imagined, but it wasn't unexpectedly luxurious either.
The main structure consisted of a two-story drum-shaped building, flanked by two slightly shorter semi-circular auxiliary wings.
The outer walls were built from a mixture of clay, sand, and straw, then covered with a layer of sandstone veneer, colored a deep ochre yellow.
Ryou was about to visit Rasa's home, but showing up empty-handed would make him look like a beggar.
"Pakura, wait for me a moment. I'm going to buy some gifts before we go in."
Ryou ran off without waiting for Pakura's consent.
Pakura was a bit stunned; she felt that Sasori's image wasn't that of a Ninja with much human touch.
Speaking of which, was Sasori really this kind of person?
Sharp-tongued, foul-mouthed, and somewhat shameless in his actions.
Pakura began to have some doubts about the Sasori that Ryou was impersonating.
However, regarding gifts, while Pakura didn't have a good opinion of Rasa, she held the village's kindest siblings in high regard.
Pakura went back toward the commercial street they had just passed to buy some gifts for the visit.
Ryou turned a corner and stood there thinking about what gifts to give.
For Temari's gift, Ryou considered her Ninja equipment from the original work. In the original work, Temari had a giant folding fan that could assist her Wind Release Ninjutsu.
Temari liked fan-type Ninja tools.
Ryou used Wood Release to create a Gunbai suitable for a child.
Kankuro didn't matter as much, so he'd just make him a wooden toy in the image of Shukaku.
As for Yashamaru, Ryou estimated he liked cute and exquisite things, so Ryou had Candy summon the flower and grass seeds it had collected.
Ryou selected Lily of the Valley seeds and created a potted Lily of the Valley plant.
Karura presented a bit of a challenge for Ryou; he hadn't interacted with her and didn't know what she liked.
But he could guess. Karura was pregnant, so she should like things related to babies.
Ryou thought for a moment and used Yin-Yang Release to make a baby outfit based on the Calabash Brothers, paired with a large gourd.
When Gaara is born, he'll have him do cosplay—cosplaying as a Calabash Brother!
As for Rasa, he didn't care. The Kazekage is so busy, how could he be at home?
Before long, Ryou had the gifts ready. After packing them up, he headed back.
When Ryou arrived, Pakura had also returned, carrying a bag of sand dates.
This was a drought-resistant fruit from the desert, similar to dates—small and sweet.
Pakura didn't have much time to prepare a gift. Besides, desert people are bold, open-minded, and informal.
Her, Pakura the Scorch Release User, visiting in person was the greatest gift of all.
But when Pakura saw Ryou's exquisite gifts—toys, flowers, and all—she felt completely outdone.
Even the most ordinary Lily of the Valley was blooming brilliantly, and the plant itself was top-quality.
Even in the resource-rich Land of Fire, it would sell for a high price, let alone in the windy desert where any green plant is treated as a luxury.
Pakura felt a bit jealous.
"Sasori, did you have these prepared all along?"
Ryou looked at Pakura's cheap sand dates and mocked, "Commoners are indeed commoners; you don't understand etiquette at all."
"You—"
"Me what? Today is the second day of the Lunar New Year. Shouldn't one be prepared when visiting?"
Pakura was speechless but still a bit unwilling.
She was giving sand dates, while Ryou was giving such exquisite gifts.
Normally it wouldn't matter, but compared to Ryou, Karura and Yashamaru would instinctively feel that Pakura was just a commoner with no sense of etiquette.
Pakura threw her sand dates aside and went to snatch Ryou's flowers.
"Pakura, you shameless woman!"
"What do you mean shameless? You're giving such good gifts, where am I supposed to find something like yours?"
Pakura didn't deny being a commoner. So how does a commoner achieve upward social mobility the fastest?
By snatching, of course!
Pakura's current status was all earned by frantically snatching kills on the battlefield.
If you don't snatch, you can only hope your children will be successful!
In a moment, Pakura snatched the Shukaku toy from Ryou.
Pakura looked at the Shukaku toy; it was carved entirely from wood, showing the craftsmanship of a Puppeteer.
It was shaped like a stout raccoon dog, with a round head and ears carved to a sharp point.
The face used dark pigments to simply outline the raccoon dog's eyes and thick eyebrows. It didn't look fierce; instead, it looked dull and cute.
Like a miniature puppet.
"Is this what Shukaku looks like? It's actually quite cute."
Pakura had never seen Shukaku. Shukaku had previously been sealed inside the monk Bunpuku, but Bunpuku was a man of the cloth and could not participate in Sunagakure's wars.
Furthermore, Bunpuku treated Shukaku as a friend and never thought of using Shukaku's power.
So during the Third Great Ninja War, Sunagakure did not deploy Shukaku.
Shukaku had gone on a few rampages in Sunagakure, but Rasa was the one who suppressed them. Pakura's Scorch Release was an offensive Ninjutsu and couldn't restrain a Tailed Beast.
Pakura hadn't seen Shukaku, and likely not many people in Sunagakure knew Shukaku's true appearance.
Looking at this exquisite Shukaku doll, Pakura suddenly didn't want to give it to Kankuro anymore.
"I haven't even received such an exquisite gift. Can a little brat like Kankuro even appreciate this?"
Pakura decided to keep it for herself without a second thought.
Pakura took out a scroll and sealed the Shukaku toy inside.
"How can you be so selfish?"
How could this person be so shrewd? She'd piss in someone's face and call it a grass basin.
Ryou cursed when he saw it, but by then they were close to Rasa's house, and the people inside seemed to have heard the noise.
Temari and Kankuro ran out of the courtyard and saw Ryou and Pakura as soon as they stepped out.
Both children were very pleasantly surprised.
"Lord Sasori, Lord Pakura!"
Ryou gave the fan he had prepared for Temari to her: "Here, Temari, this is a gift for you."
Temari took the fan, which looked like it was made of bamboo and wood. The main body of the fan surface was a deep ink-brown with a restrained matte finish, and two pairs of Six Tomoe patterns were symmetrically carved on both sides.
"What kind of fan is this?"
Ryou said, "Temari, this is a divine tool of the Uchiha Clan—Uchiha Milkshake. It can absorb Ninjutsu and then reflect it back."
"Uchiha Milkshake? Is that the name of this fan?"
Temari held the toy-like Gunbai, looking somewhat puzzled.
Ryou shook his head: "No, its name is the Uchiha Flame Fan. You just have to shout 'Uchiha Milkshake' when activating the skill."
"I see!"
Temari realized and then accepted the Gunbai, smiling happily at Ryou: "Thank you for the gift, Lord Sasori."
Ryou patted Temari's head: "When Temari grows up, I'll go to the Hidden Cloud Village and steal the Bashosen for you."
"Thank you very much!"
Temari was instantly even more delighted.
Candy, down below, let out a sigh: "Poor Fried Rice. The Bashosen was something Ryou had promised it beforehand."