After a long while, Chiyo finally snapped out of her shock.
Her head was still buzzing, but years of political experience made her instinctively latch onto the most critical issue.
"Where are you planning to hold the auction?"
She stared at Teizawa, her tone turning serious.
"If that many dangerous people show up, Sunagakure won't be able to contain the situation."
In her view, Sunagakure was the last place that made sense.
This would become the most dangerous gathering the shinobi world had seen in years.
Iwagakure definitely would not let this go.
That pack of lunatics from Kumogakure would absolutely come running the moment they caught wind of it.
Akatsuki might even show up to stir the pot too.
With that many Kage-level monsters gathering in one place, the moment a conflict broke out, Sunagakure's current foundation would never survive the chaos.
She was just about to continue trying to persuade him...
"Who said it was going to be in Sunagakure?"
Teizawa cut her off with a smile.
Chiyo's words caught in her throat.
"Not in Sunagakure?"
She froze for a moment, then a spark of realization flashed through her mind.
"You're planning to go to..."
She did not finish the sentence, but she had already guessed the answer.
Teizawa nodded, the smile on his lips deepening.
"The place to auction off the Four-Tails..."
He paused.
"Has to be Konoha."
Chiyo parted her lips.
"Only Konoha can keep all the different factions in check."
Teizawa added it in a tone so certain it sounded like he was simply stating a fact.
Chiyo fell silent.
The more she thought about it, the more it made sense.
Konoha was still the number one hidden village in the shinobi world.
It still had the lingering prestige Hashirama had left behind, the names of the Sannin, and great clans with deep reserves like the Hyuga.
More importantly, Konoha and Sunagakure were allied villages.
If the auction was held in Konoha, that meant pulling Konoha onto Sunagakure's chariot.
If Iwagakure dared cause trouble, then it would not just be facing Suna alone.
It would be facing a Suna-Konoha united front.
And no matter how reckless Kumogakure was, it would not dare move carelessly.
As for Akatsuki...
Chiyo's brows knitted together for a moment, then slowly relaxed.
With Konoha backing the event, Akatsuki would probably think twice before acting.
"I'm old. Really old..."
Chiyo suddenly looked a little deflated. She waved a hand.
"You've already planned it all out, so I won't keep talking."
Teizawa smiled, and for once his tone lost some of its usual edge.
"Not at all. Once I leave for Konoha, Sunagakure will still be relying on you to watch over things."
Chiyo raised her head and looked at him.
"You're going yourself?"
"Of course."
Teizawa nodded, his voice carrying a certainty that left no room for argument.
"If I don't go, no one else will be able to keep the situation under control."
Chiyo opened her mouth, as if she wanted to object.
In the end, all that came out was a bitter little laugh.
Because she realized he was right.
Other than him, Sunagakure really did not have anyone else who could represent it properly.
Gaara was Kage-level too, but he was too young and lacked the prestige to hold down a gathering like that.
And besides, Gaara had already gone off to deal with the seawater desalination project.
Chiyo and Ebizo had seniority, yes.
But their strength had long since declined.
If things truly came to blows, they might not be able to handle those ravenous Kage-level monsters.
Only Teizawa...
This young man who had created miracle after miracle.
This madman who had used a Satetsu (Magnet Release Sand Iron) mech to go head-to-head with a Tailed Beast.
This man who had made Sasori and Deidara willingly work under him...
Only he could hold the scene together.
"Fine, fine."
Chiyo waved her hand again, her tone full of helplessness.
"Just be careful. The people in Konoha aren't exactly harmless either."
Teizawa nodded, rose to his feet, and walked to the window.
Far away, the buildings of Konoha glimmered in the setting sun.
"Good timing..."
He suddenly spoke, his tone carrying a hint of reflection.
"The exchange program with Konoha's genin is just about over too."
He turned back toward Chiyo.
"This time, I'll head back to Konoha together with Kakashi and Guy."
Chiyo looked at his young face, at the light flickering in his eyes...
And suddenly felt a strong premonition.
This brat going to Konoha...
Was definitely not just about selling a Tailed Beast.
She opened her mouth, wanting to ask something.
But in the end, she asked nothing at all.
She only waved a hand and turned toward the door.
When she reached the doorway, she suddenly stopped.
"Teizawa."
She did not look back. Her voice was old and calm.
"There's a woman in Konoha named Tsunade. She's formidable."
"Don't try any tricks in front of her."
Teizawa smiled.
"Don't worry."
He said,
"I'll get along with her just fine."
...
That night, the candlelight in the private room flickered dimly, casting mottled shadows along the walls.
Sakura sat there breathing hard, her chest rising and falling sharply.
Sweat ran down her cheeks and dripped onto the towel beneath her, darkening it in small patches.
Her hair clung messily to her forehead.
Her cheeks were flushed an unhealthy red, and her lips were slightly swollen.
Only after a long while did she finally steady herself.
She raised a hand to wipe the corner of her mouth, then muttered under her breath, glaring fiercely at the man in front of her. He was still fully dressed, calm and composed, as if nothing at all had happened.
"You... I did everything you asked."
Her voice was hoarse, but even more obvious was the anger she was struggling to suppress.
"You promised me. You said you'd keep it secret."
Teizawa leaned against the wall, his clothes as neat as if the last while had been nothing more than an ordinary conversation.
At that, he gave her a faint smile.
"Of course."
That easy smile only irritated Sakura more.
"This is our secret."
"We're going back to Konoha soon."
Sakura took a deep breath.
Forcing herself to sound as cold as possible, she said,
"I'm not going to see you again. And I'm not coming back to Sunagakure."
As she spoke, it was hard to tell whether she was trying to convince Teizawa...
Or convince herself.
Teizawa looked at her, the smile at his lips not changing in the slightest.
"That's fine."
Sakura froze.
She had thought he would say something like, "I'll miss you," or "You'll come back."
Or that he would give her that smug, infuriating smile of absolute confidence...
But he did not.
He only said, "That's fine."
As if whether she stayed or left, whether she returned or not, made no difference to him at all.
As if all the tangled days between them, all those nights of treatment and manipulation, were no more than a passing game to him.
Suddenly, a complicated feeling rose inside Sakura.
That should not have happened.
She should have been happy.
She could finally get away from this bastard.
She could finally go back to Konoha...
So why...
Why did her chest feel a little empty instead?
She did not dare think any further.
"Then... then I'm leaving?"
She asked it tentatively.
There was a hesitation in her voice she did not even notice herself.
Teizawa nodded and turned toward the door.
When he reached it, he suddenly stopped.
"Take a shower before you go."
He spoke without turning around.
"You're all sticky."
Sakura's face instantly burned red.
"You bastard!"
She grabbed the pillow at hand and hurled it at him.
But Teizawa had already pushed the door open and stepped out.
The pillow struck the door and slid uselessly to the floor.
"You're one to talk! If you hadn't insisted on..."
Before she could finish, the door had already closed.
Sakura's voice caught in her throat.
She stared at the tightly shut door, at the faint handprint left on it.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something.
But in the end, no words came out.
The room fell quiet.
Only the candle flame continued its soft swaying.
Sakura sat there blankly.
A long, long time passed before she finally lowered her head.
She looked at her body, covered in traces left from the encounter.
Those marks were fresh.
The warmth still lingered on her skin.
His scent seemed to remain at the tip of her nose.
And suddenly, she felt something strange...
Loss.
Not the relief of finally being free.
But a hollow, aching sense of loss she could not explain.
As though something important had slipped away.
But...
She shook her head.
Forcing herself not to think about it.
He was a bastard. A devil. Someone who had forced his way into her life and thrown everything into chaos.
She was not going to develop feelings for someone like that.
Absolutely not.
She took a deep breath and stood up.
Then she walked into the shower room.
The hot water cascaded down, washing over the marks on her body.
But it could not wash away the turmoil in her heart.
She closed her eyes and let the water run down her face.
She could not tell whether it was water...
Or tears.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]