Chapter 316: The Fourth Kazekage's Betrayal

"What was Yashamaru doing, that useless fool?"

Failing to assassinate the jinchūriki and causing him to go berserk was one thing, but how did he still have the audacity to remain alive in the ninja world? Didn't he always claim to love Gaara the most? Yet, he couldn't even handle such a simple task.

After silently cursing Yashamaru, the Fourth Kazekage spoke sternly, "Yes, it was my order to assassinate Gaara. His growth has been too slow. I wanted to stimulate his development through this method so that he could quickly become a qualified jinchūriki and serve the village."

In the Fourth Kazekage's view, his actions might have been extreme, but they were far from wrong.

Yashamaru was his direct subordinate, and Gaara was his son. He had absolute authority over both of them. Even if Gaara had been killed accidentally, it wouldn't have been a significant loss to the village.

As for Gaara going berserk, that was even less of a problem. Today was an exception due to some delays; on any other day, if Gaara had gone out of control, he could have suppressed him at any time.

However, after the Fourth Kazekage explained his reasoning, the expressions of Chiyo and the others did not improve. They continued to stare at him with unwavering hostility in their eyes.

The Fourth Kazekage's cold-bloodedness terrified them.

How could the Fourth Kazekage so calmly issue such a cruel order—sending his wife's younger brother to assassinate his own son—simply because he was dissatisfied with his son's growth rate?

To the shinobi of Sunagakure, such actions made the Fourth Kazekage seem more like a monster than Gaara, more like a heartless beast than Shukaku itself.

If the Fourth Kazekage could sacrifice his son and brother-in-law for the sake of the village now, who's to say he wouldn't one day sacrifice them as well, ordering them to kill those they held dear under the pretext of serving the village?

Moreover, his cold-blooded behavior only made him a more plausible suspect for the murder of the Third Kazekage.

Sighing deeply, Elder Chiyo looked at the Fourth Kazekage and spoke wearily, "So, Rasa, you admit that you ordered Yashamaru to assassinate the jinchūriki?"

The Fourth Kazekage nodded, seeing no reason to deny it.

Elder Chiyo continued, "Then, do you also admit to secretly collaborating with Orochimaru and conspiring with him ten years ago to harm the Third Kazekage?"

The Fourth Kazekage nodded initially but then realized something was amiss and quickly retorted, "Elder Chiyo, I merely had trade agreements with Orochimaru. When did I ever conspire against the Third Kazekage? Not to mention that the Third Kazekage is merely missing, not confirmed dead. When he disappeared, I was in the village the whole time. Why would I even have a reason to harm him? Have you been misled by someone?"

Elder Chiyo shook her head. "No one misled me. This is the suspicion of myself and other jōnin. As for whether the Third Kazekage is missing or dead, you are the one who knows best."

"Elder Chiyo! This is slander!" the Fourth Kazekage roared furiously.

Elder Chiyo gestured, and two Sunagakure shinobi approached the Fourth Kazekage. "Rasa, you should return to the village with me. Some matters need investigation before any conclusions can be drawn. However, as of now, you remain the primary suspect in the disappearance of the Third Kazekage."

"I will return to the village, but I have no obligation to prove my innocence, nor will I take responsibility for these baseless accusations," the Fourth Kazekage said coldly.

Golden sand began to form around him as he glanced at Chiyo. "You'd better explain everything clearly, or I will act in the name of the Kazekage."

Elder Chiyo stared deeply at the Fourth Kazekage before signaling for jōnin Baki to step forward and provide clarification.

"Fourth Kazekage-sama, two hours ago, the village was attacked by Shukaku. No one was able to stop it. At the critical moment, it was Sasori who stepped forward and sealed Shukaku."

"Sasori?"

The Fourth Kazekage was momentarily stunned. Sasori had been confirmed missing a long time ago.

Moreover, Sasori was a puppet master. How could he have the power to seal Shukaku? And how did this incident connect him to the Third Kazekage?

Seeing the Kazekage's confusion, Jōnin Baki continued, "Fourth Kazekage-sama, Sasori used the Third Kazekage Puppet to seal Shukaku."

Upon hearing this, the Fourth Kazekage became even more puzzled. If Sasori possessed the Kazekage Puppet, then Sasori should logically be the prime suspect in the murder of the Third Kazekage. Why, then, was suspicion directed at him instead?

Taking a deep breath, the Fourth Kazekage asked, "Where is Sasori now? Have you not tried to capture him? The Kazekage Puppet is in his possession—he must be the murderer."

Jōnin Baki avoided meeting the Fourth Kazekage's eyes as he replied, "Fourth Kazekage-sama, we initially thought the same. However, Sasori did not flee, nor did he show any intent to harm us. Additionally, he just saved the village. Thus, we believe Sasori might not necessarily be the murderer. If he truly were the culprit, why would he risk suspicion by using the Kazekage Puppet so openly?"

Baki paused for a moment before continuing, "The jinchūriki's rampage wasn't caused by Sasori either—it was your doing..."

"So now you suspect me to be the murderer?" The Fourth Kazekage was so enraged that even the gold dust around him began to tremble. He could barely control his chakra.

Jōnin Baki shook his head and said, "We do not directly suspect you. We just think Sasori isn't the killer. However, we overheard you conspiring with Orochimaru earlier, discussing deals that would harm the village's interests. You also admitted to privately collaborating with Orochimaru over the years."

"Thus..." At this point, Baki raised his head, his gaze firm as he concluded, "We suspect that you are the real murderer. After all, if the Third Kazekage hadn't died back then, you wouldn't have become the Fourth Kazekage. While you've provided funds for the village over the years, if not for the agreements you signed with Konoha, the village wouldn't have fallen into its current state."

Faced with Baki's reasoning and the accusatory stares of the surrounding Sunagakure shinobi, the Fourth Kazekage found himself at a loss for words.

How could he explain his innocence or that everything he had done was for the village?

As the Sunagakure shinobi closed in on him step by step, a nameless fury surged in the Fourth Kazekage's heart. Reaching out into the air, he summoned a mass of gold dust into his grasp.

Without hesitation, he attacked, sending countless shards of gold dust shooting at the surrounding shinobi like a storm of shrapnel.

Elder Chiyo quickly summoned her puppets to shield the group, blocking the golden assault.

Realizing that his attack had failed and understanding the consequences of further hostility, the Fourth Kazekage regained his composure. Gritting his teeth, he formed a series of hand signs. Using the golden dust as cover, he disappeared from the mine and fled deeper into the desert.