"Yes."
Teizawa nodded.
"But not right now."
He stood and walked to the window, staring out into the heavy night.
"Akatsuki lost four members. That's a serious hit to their strength."
"In the short term, they won't move recklessly. And…"
He turned back to face them.
"They don't know how much intel we have."
"At least until they figure out what we're holding, they won't act blindly."
"But they'll come eventually."
Gaara's voice cut in, calm but certain.
"They'll come."
Teizawa looked at him and nodded.
"Yeah. They'll come."
"So…"
His gaze swept across everyone in the room, sharpening.
"We need time."
"Time to raise our strength, stockpile supplies, tighten our defenses. When they do come…"
He paused, the corner of his mouth lifting slowly.
"We make sure they don't leave."
Silence fell again.
This time, it was heavy.
Pressure. Weight.
But also a faint, smoldering fighting spirit, like someone had struck a spark in dry tinder.
Chiyo looked at Teizawa.
Something complicated flickered in her cloudy eyes.
Since the day he seized power through a coup, every step he'd taken had been unexpected.
Decisive. Ruthless. Calculating.
And yet now, he was playing the long game.
His vision had never stopped at Sunagakure.
He was looking at the entire shinobi world.
Ebizo stroked his beard, then spoke.
"So that's why you kept Sasori and Deidara here."
Teizawa glanced at him and smiled faintly.
"Exactly."
"Two Kage-level combatants. It'd be a waste not to use them."
He paused, the meaning underneath his words sharpening.
"And they understand Akatsuki better than anyone."
Chiyo took a deep breath, then finally nodded.
"I understand."
She stood, tapping her cane against the floor with a dull thud.
"Starting tomorrow, I'll personally reorganize the puppet forces."
Ebizo rose as well.
"Our intelligence network needs to be strengthened. I'll handle that."
Gaara didn't speak. He simply dipped his chin.
Temari stood and walked to Teizawa's side, her gaze steady.
"I'll help too."
Teizawa looked at her. For a brief moment, something soft and approving crossed his eyes.
"Good."
Then he looked back out the window into the deep night.
Under the moonlight, Sunagakure's silhouette was quiet and solid.
And farther away…
A storm was brewing.
He wasn't afraid.
Because…
He had time.
He had cards in hand.
He had all of Sunagakure behind him.
And…
He intended to drag Konoha into it.
Teizawa let out a small laugh.
"I have a letter that needs to reach the Hokage immediately."
"If the shinobi world has a monster like this, an ally standing alone is too dangerous."
"This kind of enemy isn't something you shoulder by yourself."
…
No one knew how much time passed.
The candle flame swayed in the night draft, casting jittering shadows across the walls.
Chiyo, Ebizo, Gaara, and the others had already left.
The spacious Kazekage office now held only Teizawa and Temari.
Teizawa leaned back into the chair and closed his eyes.
Rare quiet.
Everything that had happened today flashed through his mind like a spinning reel.
The shinobi representatives' assembly had only made it halfway.
It had been interrupted by the attack, but tomorrow they could finish it.
Those proposals for desalination, housing repairs, and steel reinforcement for puppets.
The representatives whose enthusiasm had been lit like fire.
All of it made him see Sunagakure's future.
Kurotsuchi had been sent back.
That old Ōnoki was probably already clutching his head, trying to figure out what to do with a granddaughter who had been "rescued."
As for the "surprise" in her belly…
He would address it when the timing was right.
Akatsuki's assault had been dealt with.
Four S-rank missing-nin.
Hidan had been dismembered and packed into a box. Kakuzu's body had been recovered for study.
Deidara and Sasori…
He'd pulled them under his banner.
Two Kage-level combatants.
And Kage-level combatants who knew Akatsuki inside and out.
Teizawa's mouth curved slightly.
This was a huge win.
Next, he needed to do one thing.
Strengthen Sasori's and Deidara's ties to Sunagakure.
Squeeze every ounce of value out of them.
As for how…
He knew exactly what to do.
Beyond that, there were the development policies.
Desalination, housing repairs, steel reinforcement for puppets, roads, economic growth, education.
One by one, step by step.
They all demanded time and effort.
Then there was preparing for Akatsuki.
Teizawa's eyes flickered.
Losing four members, Nagato would not let it go.
It was just a question of when he would come, and how.
Still…
A cold edge surfaced in Teizawa's gaze.
Whether you could win was one matter.
How you fought was another.
He held the intel of the entire shinobi world.
He understood the Rinnegan's abilities inside and out.
Shinra Tensei. Banshō Ten'in. Chibaku Tensei.
The strengths and weaknesses of every technique.
If it really came to that…
If Nagato dared to drop a Shinra Tensei on Sunagakure…
Teizawa's mouth curled into a thin, mocking smile.
Then he would abandon Sunagakure.
He'd take every shinobi he could and change the battlefield.
He'd move straight into Amegakure and occupy it.
There was already a ready-made base there, ready-made defenses.
And all the resources Nagato and Konan had left behind.
And he would haul Konoha along with him.
Tsunade wasn't going to watch an ally get erased and do nothing.
He knew a thing or two about "relocating" tactics.
While his thoughts were spinning…
A pair of soft hands settled gently against his temples.
The pressure was light, exactly right.
Warm fingertips kneaded away the tension that had been building all day.
"Tired?"
A gentle voice came from behind him, the concern in it completely unhidden.
Teizawa paused, then let himself relax.
At some point, Temari had moved behind him.
Her head was lowered, her brows faintly drawn from concentration.
Moonlight poured through the window, laying a hazy glow over her.
Those eyes that usually carried a sharp, spirited edge…
Right now held only warmth.
"I'm fine."
Teizawa kept his eyes closed, a small smile tugging at his lips.
"I'm used to it."
Temari didn't reply. She just continued, careful and patient.
Her slender fingers moved between his forehead, temples, and brow ridge.
Gentle, but firm.
Slowly pushing away the fatigue he'd been carrying.
The office grew quiet.
Only the faint crackle of the candle.
And the rhythm of their breathing.
(End of Chapter)
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