Chapter 33: Rebirth Through Self-Sacrifice

After Itachi and Kisame left, a few remaining Root and ANBU ninjas emerged from hiding. They wanted to search for the corpses of Rasa and the Jinchūriki, but before they could act, a distant cloud of sand and dust began to rise. Someone was coming.

"Who's approaching?" a Root member asked his companion.

"A Sunagakure reinforcement unit," a Byakugan-wielding Hyūga from a branch family replied, observing the approaching forces. "There are quite a lot of them—at least a thousand."

"Then we have no choice but to retreat!"

The group swiftly withdrew. About half an hour later, the Sunagakure reinforcements arrived. Leading them was an elderly woman and an equally aged man.

"It's hard to imagine… What kind of jutsu could have caused this?"

"The sandstorm stirred up by it reached even where we were stationed, far from here. And the heat—it's still unbearable even now. Worse than the midday desert sun," another Sunagakure captain remarked, shuddering as he recalled the distant scene.

Chiyo sighed. "You young ones simply lack experience."

"Back in the day, the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, and his rival, Uchiha Madara, were far more terrifying than this."

Ebizō chimed in with concern, "True as that may be, Sister, those two have been dead for decades. Now, to see such a powerful ninja emerge again, and seemingly aligned with Konoha... This is troubling."

Hearing the siblings' banter, a masked Sunagakure ninja named Baki couldn't help but interrupt.

"Chiyo-sama, Ebizō-sama, shouldn't rescuing the Kazekage be our top priority right now?"

Ebizō nodded. "You're right."

Chiyo hesitated for a moment before flashing a sly grin.

"Of course I know that! I was just testing you all!"

"You forgot, didn't you?" Ebizō retorted with a sigh.

"Quiet!" Chiyo snapped.

The group began searching the desert. Initially, it seemed impossible to locate Rasa's body amidst the endless sands—it was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Worse, they feared that Rasa might have been reduced to ash in the explosion.

"I found him!"

"I've located the Kazekage!" a Sunagakure ninja shouted excitedly. Digging shallowly into the sand, he uncovered Rasa's body. It was sheer luck.

"Is the Kazekage still alive?" The group rushed over, torn between hope and dread. If Rasa had perished and Shukaku was lost, how could Sunagakure survive? How could they fend off the inevitable Konoha retaliation?

"He's alive, but barely…" the medic-nin said gravely. The fact that he had survived such an explosion was already miraculous.

Chiyo knelt beside Rasa, placing her hands on his chest to sense his condition. After a moment, she spoke: "There's an unusual life force still lingering in his body. It's this energy that has kept him alive. However, it's fading fast. Once it's gone, he'll die."

"What… What can we do?" Baki asked, panic seeping into his voice.

Chiyo sighed deeply. "Don't worry. I came here prepared for this."

"Wait… Sister, you don't mean—" Ebizō's voice trembled, his expression a mix of disbelief and sorrow.

Unlike her brother, Chiyo remained calm. She glanced up at the sky, her eyes reflecting a lifetime of memories.

"Sunagakure cannot go on without its Kazekage. Besides, it's not like I'll get to see my rebellious grandson again anyway."

Blue chakra began to flow from Chiyo's hands as she pressed them against Rasa's chest. Slowly but surely, his pallor improved, and the faint signs of life grew stronger.

"What is Chiyo-sama doing?" Baki asked in astonishment as he witnessed the impossible.

"This is my sister's forbidden technique—Reanimation Jutsu," Ebizō explained somberly. "It allows her to transfer her own life force to another, even bringing the dead back to life. Saving a dying Rasa is well within its capabilities."

"But, Sister… Once you've done this, what will become of me, your aging brother?" Ebizō whispered to himself, his voice filled with grief.

The surrounding Sunagakure ninja stood in silent awe and sorrow, marveling at the cruel world of shinobi.

"Pull yourselves together!" Baki barked, breaking the silence. "This is the life of a ninja! Sacrifices must be made to protect our village and our loved ones!"

"Will there ever truly be peace in the ninja world?" one young Sunagakure ninja asked, tears brimming in their eyes.

"Peace…" Ebizō sighed. "That might only exist in dreams. After all, even those two couldn't achieve it."

"Wait! The Kazekage's finger moved!" another ninja exclaimed.

All eyes turned back to Rasa and Chiyo. His index finger twitched, followed by his eyelids. Though heavy, they began to flutter open.

"Come on, Kazekage-sama!"

"Chiyo-sama, keep going!"

Finally, Rasa opened his eyes. "This is…?"

Exhausted, Chiyo collapsed onto the ground.

"You're alive. Now get up. Sunagakure still needs its Kazekage."

Rasa's hazy mind began to clear. Memories of the battle and the explosion flooded back. He quickly pieced together what had happened.

"Chiyo-sama… I owe you my life. Words cannot express my gratitude."

"At least you've got some sense left. Can you sense where Gaara is?" Chiyo asked, her voice weak but determined. "If we hurry, I might have just enough chakra left to save him too."

"Yes, I can sense him," Rasa replied, his focus sharpening. A seal placed on Gaara allowed him to locate his son instantly—a cruel measure that ironically saved Gaara's life.

With a wave of his hand, the sand parted, revealing Gaara's unconscious form.

"You two are lucky," Chiyo muttered. "If we hadn't found you in time, your bodies would've rotted beneath the sand, beyond even One's Own Life Reincarnation's help. And without that life energy keeping you both tethered to this world, I could've only saved one of you."

"But now… You're together. In the end, I've done something meaningful with my life."

She smiled faintly, her voice softening.

"It seems the heavens haven't abandoned Sunagakure just yet."

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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