In one of Sunagakure's apartment buildings.
A middle-aged ninja wearing Sunagakure's ANBU uniform sat upright at a desk, staring blankly at the five hundred ryō on the tabletop.
He came from a commoner background.
He'd endured countless hardships to become a jōnin.
Then, because his record was clean, he'd been selected into ANBU—directly under the Kazekage.
Now he possessed power and respect that most people could never obtain.
But…
He knew exactly who had given it all to him.
If not for Teizawa-sama…
He would've either died on a mission, or spent his entire life stuck at chūnin, never able to advance.
It was that man who had saved him on the battlefield.
Given him jutsu, given him generous pay…
And only then had he gained everything he had today.
He'd never forgotten it. He kept his gratitude toward Teizawa-sama buried deep in his heart.
For years, he'd navigated Sunagakure's internal circles with ease.
He'd met many like-minded comrades.
And under Teizawa's protection, he'd finally found firm footing within ANBU.
But good times never lasted.
Before he could follow Teizawa-sama and make something big happen—
Teizawa-sama was hauled off to prison.
Knock, knock, knock…
Suddenly, an urgent pounding rattled his door.
A second later, the door behind him was slammed open.
"Tokiri!"
"It's time. Teizawa-sama needs you."
The ninja named Tokiri spun around immediately.
And the instant he saw the two ninja who had burst into his room—
The confusion in his eyes turned to blazing fervor.
His spine snapped straight, and he brought one hand to his chest.
"I'm willing to die for Teizawa-sama!"
"You should call him Kazekage-sama!"
The newcomer reminded him, face flushed with excitement.
Tokiri froze for a split second.
Then an even brighter light erupted in his eyes, and he shouted:
"I will die for Kazekage-sama!"
As Tokiri roared the slogan—
More and more cries of "I will die for Kazekage-sama!" rose from every corner of Sunagakure.
Under the night sky, they gathered into a rising tide.
And that tide spread—fast—toward every district of the village.
…
At the same time.
On a rarely traveled path in Sunagakure, dozens of young ninja sprinted through the darkness toward a secluded courtyard.
Two jōnin reached the gate of the outermost residence.
They knocked without hesitation.
Before long, the courtyard door swung open.
Chiyo stepped out—headscarf on, face lined with age.
She was one of Sunagakure's absolute centers of power.
In terms of prestige and authority, Chiyo held more than even Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage.
But the two young jōnin standing outside the gate didn't flinch, even as Chiyo's expression darkened.
They stepped forward together, lifted their chins, and called out in unison:
"Elder Chiyo, Teizawa-sama requests your presence!"
Hm?
Chiyo's old, clouded gaze sharpened.
She stared straight at the two young ninja.
An invisible pressure quietly burst forth, locking onto them in an instant.
Under the crushing aura of a Kage-class powerhouse—
The two young ninja immediately felt suffocated.
Their bodies even trembled against their will.
And yet, neither of them bent.
Both kept their backs ramrod-straight.
"As expected of Teizawa's men."
Watching their reaction, something like memory flickered through Chiyo's eyes.
Then she stepped out decisively.
"Lead the way."
Chiyo followed the two young jōnin out of the courtyard, heading toward the prison.
Along the road, they passed many ninja moving at a hurried pace.
But normally, those people treated her with deep respect.
Tonight, they ignored her completely—
As if some major incident had erupted, every one of them rushing with urgent purpose.
"What is Teizawa trying to do?"
Seeing it, Chiyo's aged face sank into a deeper gloom.
"His trial isn't even finished yet. If he causes a major incident…"
"Forget the Kazekage— even I won't be able to protect him."
The two young jōnin in front didn't answer.
As if they hadn't heard her at all, they only quickened their pace.
Chiyo's eyes flashed with displeasure.
But she swallowed it.
In truth, as an elder, Chiyo had known about Teizawa's actions for a long time.
Unlike the young Kazekage Gaara, whose thinking was still immature—
Chiyo's gaze had always been fixed on Sunagakure as a whole.
From the beginning, she'd known:
Teizawa's embezzlement and bribery were real…
But his existence had, to an extent, eased Sunagakure's internal conflicts.
After the Konoha Crush, it was Teizawa's influence that had helped the village stabilize quickly.
As for where the money came from?
That wasn't important.
What mattered was—
In this barren land that was Sunagakure, he could get money.
And he was willing to spend it on the village…
That alone was valuable.
That was why she'd turned a blind eye.
Why she'd looked the other way.
She'd even… admired the kid a little.
A shame, really.
He wasn't "properly" from the Kazekage-aligned faction.
And his strength still wasn't quite there…
Soon, Chiyo reached the plaza in front of the Kazekage Tower.
"Hm?"
The moment she stepped into the plaza, Chiyo stopped dead.
Then she stared in disbelief at the sea of silhouettes gathered beneath the night.
When she realized that most of the ninja packed into the plaza—
Were jōnin and chūnin who had once served under Teizawa—
A deep sense of foreboding rose in her chest.
From the moment ANBU began investigating Teizawa and arrested him…
She'd already had a bad feeling.
Because in recent years, Teizawa's influence among Sunagakure's ninja had grown larger and larger.
Many commoner ninja even treated Teizawa like a faith.
In many major matters—
If Teizawa didn't agree, then forget her, an elder.
Even the Kazekage's orders would be selectively ignored.
Why did these ninja support Teizawa so fanatically?
Chiyo understood.
And yet she could do nothing about it.
"This is bad."
Staring at the black mass of people in the plaza, even Chiyo felt her nerves tighten.
If Sunagakure fell into turmoil right now—
One mistake, and the village could be reduced to a third-rate power in the shinobi world.
By current rankings…
Konoha was still the classic "a starving camel is still bigger than a horse."
After that came Iwagakure and Kumogakure, refusing to fall behind.
And only then—
The isolationist Kirigakure, and Sunagakure with its dwindling numbers—two brothers in misery.
In truth, some smaller villages—like Amegakure—
Had long since surpassed Sunagakure in actual strength.
Sunagakure simply refused to admit it.
Thinking of the efforts of every Kazekage across generations—efforts that might be destroyed right in front of her—
A chill crawled up Chiyo's spine.
Her suspicion wasn't baseless.
Teizawa's influence in Sunagakure was simply too great.
If she didn't stop this in time…
She was certain that these people gathering under cover of darkness—
Weren't here merely to break Teizawa out of prison.
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