Chiyo's Desperate Gamble

Land of Wind, Medical Department~

Ebizo lay weakly on the bed, enduring the pain as he spoke to Chiyo, "Konoha's foundation is far stronger than ours."

"Sakumo Hatake poses too great a threat to our puppet masters; we can no longer fight him head-on. We must ensure the survival of the puppet lineage for the sake of the village."

Chiyo, her eyes red with emotion, tightly grasped her brother's hand, remaining silent as she gazed at him.

With a sigh, Ebizo attempted to comfort her, "You need to keep your emotions in check. Sunagakure still needs your support. The Third Kazekage isn't experienced enough; he struggles to lead the village in the right direction."

"My injuries aren't too serious. Getting hurt on the battlefield is just a part of a ninja's duty."

"Enough. Bring me a current map of the battlefield. We need to be prepared for Konoha's counterattack."

Chiyo choked back her tears and said, "Don't worry. I've already made arrangements."

But Ebizo, determined, continued to insist on returning to his duties.

Chiyo sighed, got up, and swiftly left the camp.

Watching his sister leave, a bitter smile appeared on Ebizo's face.

He pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and tried to take a puff, but no smoke came out.

Kato Dan's Spirit Transformation Technique had severely damaged his soul; he had been in a coma for two full days.

His current wakefulness was merely the final burst of energy before death.

Perhaps the Sage of Six Paths had shown him some mercy, granting him this last chance to say goodbye to his loved ones.

Ebizo's mind grew increasingly clear, as memories from his life flashed before his eyes, freezing on the day he officially allied with Hanzo.

Back then, he had been enjoying a cigarette, naively fantasizing that after this war, Sunagakure would be blessed with blue skies and green fields.

Looking at the cigarette in his hand, Ebizo felt his life slipping away and murmured bitterly, "I wish I could finish this cigarette..."

He had sent Chiyo away because he didn't want her to witness his death.

In his mind, a ninja's departure should be strong and free-spirited, without bringing additional pain to their loved ones.

When Chiyo returned to the quarters and saw Ebizo had already closed his eyes, she was overwhelmed by immense sorrow.

Silently, Chiyo apologized to her brother in her heart.

"I'm sorry, this is the only time I won't listen to you. Konoha must pay the price."

Chiyo then approached the Third Kazekage, proposing to relinquish all her power, taking only a minor advisory role in return.

In exchange, she had just one request: to deploy Sunagakure's tailed beast, Shukaku, to strike back at Konoha.

The Third Kazekage readily agreed; how could he refuse such an offer? Since the Second Kazekage Shamon had initiated research on weaponizing tailed beasts, they had never truly tested its effectiveness in battle.

This way, he could test the tailed beast's value in war and also clear away some of the troublesome elders from Sunagakure's leadership.

For the Third Kazekage, it was a win-win situation.

In fact, this marked the first time in the Ninja World Wars that a tailed beast would be deployed. Previous wars had only seen ninjas battling each other.

Sunagakure was about to become the first village to open Pandora's box.

..............

Land of Wind, Wind Temple:

An old monk sat with his hands clasped together, murmuring prayers. Beside him, a young monk listened quietly.

"One day, tailed beasts and humans will understand each other. If they truly accept one another, there will be no difference between them."

"Someday, someone will come to protect you, to save you. Someone to guide you, Shukaku."

The young monk, however, was skeptical, secretly curling his lip. He did not agree with the old monk's views; in his eyes, tailed beasts were nothing more than tools to gain power.

This old monk was none other than Bunpuku, the jinchūriki of Sunagakure's One-Tail, Shukaku.

The young monk was his successor, Hoichi—a powerful figure in the anime who would later single-handedly confront both Gaara and the Seven-Tails jinchūriki, Fu.

Hearing the old monk's words, Shukaku's sharp voice echoed from within Bunpuku.

"Bunpuku, did you see that? Did you see the look on your disciple's face? He doesn't believe a word of what you're saying!"

Bunpuku simply smiled and shook his head, looking calmly at Shukaku in his mindscape.

Seeing his serene demeanor, Shukaku snorted heavily, mocking him, "Old man, isn't your village at war? Isn't there someone out there who wants to use my power?"

"They will beg you, won't they? They'll try to force you. I'm waiting for you to beg me!"

Just as Shukaku finished speaking, Chiyo burst into the temple, falling heavily to her knees before Bunpuku.

The news of Ebizo and Chiyo's son's deaths had already spread throughout Sunagakure.

Yet Bunpuku remained as calm as ever, saying quietly, "I do not have control over Shukaku. If it doesn't wish to help Sunagakure, there's nothing I can do."

Still on her knees, Chiyo silently pleaded with Bunpuku.

She knew that this old monk, whom few in Sunagakure were aware of, possessed incredible power.

She had witnessed with her own eyes how this frail old man had once easily subdued Shukaku with purple chains.

The higher-ups in Sunagakure had repeatedly tried to probe him, to find out whether he had fully mastered Shukaku's power.

But Bunpuku, despite being a member of Sunagakure, held an idealistic belief that was out of place in the ninja world.

He possessed the power of a tailed beast and had exceptional skills of his own, yet he refused to go to the battlefield, content to stay in the temple and watch over Shukaku.

Seeing Chiyo in such a humble position, Shukaku burst into hysterical laughter.

"See that? This is the true nature of humans!"

"Tailed beasts and humans can never coexist in harmony. It's just your delusion! Humans only see tailed beasts as weapons!"

Sensing Shukaku's resistance, Bunpuku sighed, stood up, bowed slightly to Chiyo, and silently left.

Hoichi, the young monk, shook his head, secretly thinking to himself, "My master is great in every way, but he just doesn't understand the rules of the ninja world. I'll take care of him in his old age, and then I'll seize the power of these tailed beasts."

Shukaku, watching Bunpuku refuse Chiyo, fell silent for a moment before a sinister smile appeared on its face.

"Bunpuku, I'll lend you my power. Go fight, and you'll see just how fragile human peace and love truly are."

Bunpuku smiled slightly. As a senior member of Sunagakure, how could he not want to help the village?

For a long time, a conflict had raged within his heart.

He wished to convince Shukaku that humans and tailed beasts could live in harmony, while also wanting to use Shukaku's power to protect Sunagakure.

What set Bunpuku apart from other jinchūriki was that he had a peculiar sense of ethics; he did not want to force Shukaku.

But now, although Shukaku did not agree with his views, it had agreed to lend him its power, and that was a good start.

Bunpuku returned and gently lifted the still-kneeling Chiyo, giving her a slight nod.

Chiyo, overjoyed, couldn't help but cry.

She hadn't slept in a long time.

Her son's head had been cut off by Sakumo Hatake's blade, her brother had died on the sickbed with black blood oozing from his wounds, and her grandson had been crying nonstop, searching for his father.

These memories constantly tore at her heart. The Chiyo of today was a woman consumed by the flames of vengeance.

Sunagakure's forces gathered once more, and this time, Shukaku's power would accompany them into battle.

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