Knock, knock, knock…
The sudden rapping at the door cut through Konoha's grief.
The suffocating mood in the living room loosened, just a little.
Kakashi stood and went to open it.
The two people outside made him pause.
"And you two are…?"
Gaara and Kankuro stood shoulder to shoulder, both wearing an uncharacteristically serious expression.
"Kakashi," Gaara said. His voice was as calm as ever.
But in those green eyes, there seemed to be something more complicated than usual.
"The Kazekage told me to come."
Kakashi's gaze lingered on his face for a moment.
Then he stepped aside.
"Come in."
Gaara walked into the living room.
His eyes swept over the red, swollen eyes and the silent faces in the room, and he hesitated slightly.
Kankuro followed behind him, equally silent.
"What is it?" Kakashi asked, shutting the door and getting straight to the point.
Gaara drew a deep breath and met his eyes head-on.
"Suna hopes… that Asuma's body can remain in Sand Village."
"What?"
Shikamaru shot to his feet.
For the first time, shock flashed across that usually composed face without the slightest attempt to hide it.
Choji froze in place, his mouth opening and closing without sound.
Ino lifted her head.
Those swollen eyes were full of disbelief.
Sakura turned around, staring at Gaara just as blankly.
"Y-you… you people…"
Shikamaru's mouth moved.
He wanted to say something, but his throat felt like it had been stuffed shut.
Kankuro stepped forward and explained.
"The Kazekage said… Asuma died for Sand Village. He was a hero who saved Suna."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across everyone present.
"A hero should be remembered."
"Suna should remember him. Keep him here, raise a monument, carve his name into our history."
"Let every Sand Village resident know… that someone gave his life to protect their village."
His voice wasn't loud, but every word landed with unmistakable clarity.
"This is also the will of the people of Suna."
The living room fell into dead silence.
Shikamaru's fist clenched, loosened, clenched again.
He wanted to argue. He wanted to say, Asuma-sensei is Konoha's. He wanted to say, we're taking him home…
But the words jammed in his throat.
He couldn't force them out.
Because what Kankuro said… was all righteousness.
A hero who died for Sand Village.
The will of Sand Village's people.
A monument, remembrance, passed down for generations.
How were they supposed to refuse that?
Were they supposed to say, "No, he isn't your hero, he just happened to die here"?
Were they supposed to say, "We don't care about your will, we're taking him anyway"?
If they said that…
What would Konoha become?
Ino bit her lip.
Tears slid down again, soundless.
She remembered the back that had stepped in front of her yesterday. Remembered the words, "It's okay now"…
If that person hadn't arrived in time…
She might have already…
But Asuma-sensei…
Choji lowered his head, shoulders trembling faintly.
Sakura turned away, unable to bear looking any longer.
Shikamaru sucked in a breath and forced himself to calm down.
He looked at Kakashi, silently asking for a decision.
Kakashi was quiet for several seconds, then spoke slowly.
"I… need to ask the Hokage."
His voice was rough, heavy with fatigue.
"This isn't something I can decide."
Gaara looked at him and nodded.
"As you should."
He paused, his tone so sincere it was almost impossible to reject.
"But I hope… the Hokage will agree."
"Asuma died protecting Sand Village. Suna will remember him forever."
"This is the only thing we can do for him."
Kakashi didn't answer.
He only dipped his head slightly, indicating he understood.
Gaara and Kankuro didn't say anything else.
They turned and left.
The door shut softly.
The living room fell silent again.
But this time, the emotions inside that silence were even more tangled.
Anger? Yes.
Confusion? Yes.
Unwillingness? That too.
But more than anything, it was something they couldn't put into words…
Powerlessness.
…
Kazekage's Office.
Teizawa leaned back in his chair. After hearing Gaara's report, he nodded with satisfaction.
"Good work," he said.
Gaara dipped his head and turned to leave.
Kankuro hesitated, but he couldn't stop himself from asking.
"Kazekage-sama, you really… are you only doing this to build a monument for Asuma?"
Teizawa glanced at him. The corner of his mouth curled into a smile with layers to it.
"What do you think?"
Kankuro froze.
His mouth opened, like he wanted to ask something else.
In the end, he asked nothing.
He only turned and left in silence.
Once the door closed, Teizawa sank back into the chair again.
He stared out at the sunlight, the smile at his lips slowly deepening.
A monument and remembrance?
What a waste of effort.
That was what he thought.
Leaving Asuma's body in Sand Village was never about some empty talk of "hero" and "honor" and "remembrance."
It was to eliminate future trouble at the root.
The ninja world wasn't a place that ran on science.
The dead didn't necessarily stay dead.
Edo Tensei.
That forbidden technique invented by the Second Hokage, refined by Orochimaru, and later abused into common use by Kabuto.
It could drag a dead soul back into the living world.
Turn them into a puppet under someone else's control.
And there was the Rinnegan's Gedō: Rinne Tensei no Jutsu (Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique).
A technique that could resurrect large numbers of the dead in one sweep.
And then there were all kinds of other forbidden techniques, secret techniques, and vile rituals…
In this world, the boundary between life and death was blurry enough to give anyone a headache.
If, someday, someone brought Asuma back with Edo Tensei…
If Asuma repeated the last conversation from that day…
If the line "Kurenai's taste is seriously not bad" got out…
Teizawa's gaze flickered.
Sure, when the time came he could deny it to the end.
But it would still be a hassle.
So…
The best solution…
Was for Asuma's body to stay in Sand Village forever.
Burned to ash, buried deep underground, whatever it took.
As long as it never fell into someone else's hands.
As for all that talk about "righteousness," "hero," and "remembrance"…
That was just a reason Konoha couldn't refuse.
Teizawa gathered his thoughts.
He looked out at the bright sunlight beyond the window.
Sand Village's reconstruction had only just begun.
Seawater desalination, housing repairs, steel-reinforced puppets, roadwork, economic development, education reforms…
One project after another, one task after another, all of it would take time and energy.
The Akatsuki wouldn't act rashly for the moment.
As for Iwagakure, with Kurotsuchi as a hidden piece on the board, there was little to fear.
And Konoha…
Teizawa's lips curved into an amused smile.
Asuma's death…
What kind of reaction would it trigger inside Konoha?
How would Tsunade handle it?
Would the Sarutobi clan move because the clan heir had died?
And Kurenai…
He suddenly thought of that woman.
Thought of everything that had happened in that cabin over that month.
When she learned the news of Asuma's death, what expression would she make?
Too bad. He couldn't see it for now.
But that was fine.
Time was on his side.
Teizawa stood and walked to the window.
Sunlight poured over him, gilding him in gold.
In the distance, Sand Village's streets were still celebrating the assembly's resounding success.
Farther away, in the inn where Konoha's group was staying, grief continued to spread.
Everything was still within his control.
He spoke softly.
"No rush. Sand Village will get better, little by little."
With official matters temporarily settled, Teizawa's mind grew lively again.
Ino and Sakura had come all the way to Sand Village.
Maybe he ought to do something.
After all, they'd basically delivered themselves to his doorstep…
(End of Chapter)
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