"Oh my, the balloon is about to pop! Hang in there, Kazekage! A real man never says he can't do it! I'm rooting for you!"
Chisuke watched the battlefield from afar, his face full of exaggerated worry while his heart was full of snarky mockery.
If the Kazekage knew what Chisuke was actually thinking right now, he would probably abandon the Ichibi and violently crush this shameless Genin first.
Aside from Chisuke, the other Hidden Sand ninjas were extremely anxious as they watched the bulging iron sand seal. Every time a muffled, violent thud came from inside, it felt like a hammer blow to their own hearts. They feared the Ichibi would break free and finish destroying what was left of their home.
Unfortunately, including Pakura, all the shinobi were willing but entirely unable to help share the Kazekage's massive Chakra burden.
Heavy sweat poured down the Kazekage's forehead. The continuous, massive consumption of Chakra required to maintain the seal against a raging Bijuu left him feeling intense waves of physical weakness.
"Damn it, be quiet in there! Magnet Release: Iron Sand World Method!"
Seeing deep, glowing cracks begin to appear on the mountain-like sphere, the Kazekage went all out. Ignoring the danger to his own coils, he forcibly extracted a massive amount of Chakra from his already exhausted body to perform his super Ninjutsu.
Nearly a hundred massive, long spikes of iron sand erupted violently from the ground, each two to three hundred meters long. They pierced directly into the iron sand sphere one after another, deeply impaling the Ichibi's body inside and causing it massive damage.
Transformed into a giant, golden hedgehog, the Ichibi struggled violently for a few more moments before gradually quieting down.
The seal finally became completely stable.
Near the battlefield, the Sealing Squad, which had been waiting in terror, immediately rushed over to begin the complex follow-up work of transferring the beast into a temporary vessel.
Seeing the crisis finally resolved, everyone had just breathed a collective sigh of relief when they heard a loud, highly encouraging shout.
"Lord Kazekage is invincible under heaven! He handled the Ichibi with total ease! In the future, our Hidden Sand Village will surely crush Konoha, water our horses in the Land of Water, and plant the flag of the Sand across every mountain and sea!"
The one flattering him so shamelessly was, of course, Chisuke.
Seeing that it was totally safe, he boldly jumped out from his hiding spot. While making a big show of helping the injured ninjas, he also loudly sucked up to the Kazekage.
"Lord Kazekage, hold on! The future of the Hidden Sand depends entirely on you! We still have to fight side-by-side in the future!"
After placing an injured person gently on flat ground, Chisuke approached the Kazekage, only to see Pakura looking incredibly grim.
Chisuke's heart skipped a beat. He turned to look at the Kazekage and saw that the man's face was deathly pale. His body was swaying violently. Without a word, the Strongest Kazekage actually collapsed, falling completely unconscious.
Pakura immediately lunged forward and supported his weight. Chisuke's mind raced at lightspeed. He also stepped forward to hold the Kazekage's arm, then intentionally shouted loudly.
"Lord Kazekage simply overused his Chakra to protect us and is a bit tired now! Teacher, you should help the Kazekage back to rest first! We've got the relief efforts covered here!"
In fact, the nearby shinobi could all easily tell that Chisuke was lying. The Kazekage hadn't just overused a bit of Chakra; he had used a massive forbidden technique while already exhausted, and his body had completely given out.
However, the ninjas here were all the Kazekage's loyal confidants. They immediately understood Chisuke's political intention. Absolutely no one exposed the lie; instead, they actively and loudly cooperated.
"That's right, Lady Pakura! You take the Kazekage to rest; leave this cleanup to us!"
"There are still many people in the village who need our help! Let's not waste time standing around!"
Thus, Pakura smoothly left the area, carrying the Kazekage, escorted by several uninjured Anbu. Some of the injured Jonin intentionally stayed with Chisuke, helping the wounded while loudly spreading the news that the Kazekage was perfectly fine and just taking a nap.
The Hidden Sand had suffered incredibly heavy losses, and the Kazekage had just had a major, near-treasonous conflict with Chiyo's faction. If the general public knew the Kazekage was currently unconscious and vulnerable, there was no telling what serious consequences might follow.
Would other restless ninja villages take advantage of the weakness to invade the Land of Wind? Would Chiyo use the opportunity to topple the Kazekage in a coup? Amidst internal strife and external threats, the Kazekage had to maintain an infallible, powerful image in the people's hearts.
Pakura had also thought of this. As she left, she gave Chisuke a deeply appreciative look. Chisuke's big-picture thinking for the sake of the village, as well as his quick ability to adapt and control the narrative in the middle of chaos, made her very proud.
In truth, Chisuke did this entirely for himself.
When the Kazekage woke up and learned of Pakura's loyal protection and discretion, he would definitely trust her even more, and Pakura's political status would skyrocket.
Since Kyosuke's teacher, Minato Namikaze, can become the Hokage, why couldn't my teacher, Pakura, become the next Kazekage? Chisuke thought gleefully.
If Pakura became the Fourth Kazekage, Chisuke felt he would basically be a shoe-in for the Fifth. When that time came, wouldn't the Hidden Sand's vast resources be his to use as he pleased?
The Long March has only just begun; I can't get arrogant yet. But with the massive bonus of thousands of years of historical knowledge regarding imperial succession struggles from my past life, am I really afraid I can't outplay a few battle-hardened meatheads?
By evening, the devastated Hidden Sand Village was brightly lit by torches. Disaster relief work was happening everywhere, and it would clearly take a long time to rebuild the destroyed infrastructure.
Chisuke was acting as a helpful assistant to the Medical Ninjas when he saw Chiyo, Rasa, and the others finally return from the desert. He carefully observed their expressions from afar.
While it's normal to look grim seeing the village in such a state, their spirits seem a bit too low. They're acting distracted... Sasori didn't actually escape, did he?
If that's really the case, I'll definitely lodge a formal, very loud complaint against them! Sasori had more than half his life beaten out of him by the Kazekage, yet he still managed to escape from a dozen elites?! Are you Elder Advisors just entirely useless?! You definitely let him go on purpose!
That night, Chisuke quietly found out that Sasori had indeed escaped. When Chiyo demanded to see the Kazekage to report, she was directly refused entry by the Kazekage's personal guard.
Chiyo and the others simply thought they had completely infuriated the Kazekage by failing, and that he was intentionally giving them the cold shoulder. They didn't think much of his absence.
Late at night, Chisuke was suddenly summoned to a highly secure secret room in the hospital. Inside were only Pakura and a few trusted Anbu guards, standing watch over the weakened Third Kazekage.
The Kazekage sat up in bed. Some color had finally returned to his face, but he was still very weak, and his speech was slow and faint.
"I heard about what you did at the crater. You did very well, Chisuke. Only when everyone is united does the Hidden Sand have a future." The Kazekage coughed slightly. "From today on, you are officially promoted to Chunin. Like your teacher, you will report directly to me."
As he spoke, the Kazekage waved his hand, and an Anbu guard handed Chisuke a heavy, sealed scroll.
"Inside this are recorded the vast majority of the Hidden Sand's classified Ninjutsu. It is your mission reward for your outstanding service during this period."
It was only natural for a ninja to receive rewards for completing S-rank missions.
During this time, whether it was discovering Sasori's rebellion, participating in the pursuit, or swiftly concealing the Kazekage's injuries to stabilize village morale at a critical moment, Chisuke had performed massive services. Of course the Kazekage would reward him heavily to encourage his continued loyalty.
Chisuke did not decline. He took the scroll, puffed out his chest, and said firmly, "Everything for the Hidden Sand Village!"
The Kazekage needed to rest and heal, so after receiving the reward, Pakura led Chisuke out of the secret room.
Pakura praised him warmly. "Chisuke, you performed perfectly. You're looking more and more like a highly responsible shinobi. Keep it up."
Chisuke, however, looked somewhat worried. "Teacher, how is the Kazekage really doing? Chiyo and the others are very shrewd and paranoid; I'm afraid they'll discover the truth about his condition soon."
Pakura gave Chisuke a strange look and shook her head wordlessly. "How can you have so little faith in our leader? Chisuke, the Third is the Strongest Kazekage. Even if he isn't in absolute top condition, he can still effortlessly suppress everyone in the village. You must maintain proper respect."
It's because in the anime, the Third Kazekage hardly showed his face and was just a dead background character used as a puppet; that's why my subconscious looks down on him, Chisuke realized internally.
Chisuke reflected on his bias and rolled his eyes at Pakura. "Teacher, you're truly amazing. You said so much just now but didn't reveal a single actual piece of intel about his medical condition. Your sense of secrecy is so strong; I must learn from you."
Pakura smiled faintly but said no more.
The Kazekage had ordered as soon as he woke up that all real information regarding his health must be kept absolutely secret. Even though Chisuke was Pakura's disciple, she wouldn't leak a single drop of data.
However, completely stonewalling was a form of information in itself.
Chisuke guessed that the Kazekage's internal condition was likely very, very bad. If everything were fine and he just needed a few days of rest, Pakura wouldn't be so terrified to reveal even a tiny bit of reassurance.