In the council hall of Sunagakure.
The Third Kazekage was waiting for news. He was wearing a white Kazekage robe over a blue ninja suit and had a spiky hairstyle similar to Minato Namikaze's.
Opposite him sat two short old men.
Chiyo and Ebizo.
Moments later, an Anbu wearing an oni mask appeared before the three of them. After bowing, he handed over a scroll.
The Third Kazekage waved his hand, and the Anbu left.
He opened the scroll.
"The news is true. Haruki, one of the Twin Gems of Konoha, has come with the group."
"What's he doing here?"
A look of confusion appeared on Chiyo's wrinkled face. During the last war, she had a very deep impression of Tsunade and Haruki, the medical couple. Working together, they had rendered her poison almost useless.
Medical ninjas were a very rare and valuable type of ninja compared to combat ninjas.
If Sunagakure had a medical ninja like Haruki, they would never have let him go to an enemy village.
Even though they had made peace.
Because once lost, it was impossible to replicate.
God knows how much they in Sunagakure wished to have a medical ninja like Tsunade and Haruki.
In the original story, the medical ninjas in Sunagakure couldn't even compare to Sakura Haruno after she became a disciple, let alone Tsunade.
"According to what's written here, he came with two civilian merchants from the Hyuga clan to do business with our Sunagakure."
After the Third Kazekage finished speaking, he tapped the scroll and shook his head.
He didn't believe it.
Neither did Chiyo and Ebizo.
"If it's really about doing business, it's not worth taking the risk himself." Chiyo said gravely, analyzing the situation.
Sunagakure has just taken heavy losses. If Hiruzen Sarutobi has any plans to use Haruki right now, they can't afford any more losses.
"Did they show any signs of strangeness on the way?"
Ebizo opened his eyes. As he spoke, his long white eyebrows moved up and down, looking like a beard.
"There's one thing."
The Third Kazekage, with his gaze on a few lines in the scroll, said somewhat puzzledly, "They used grain to relieve a lot of civilians on the border of the Land of Wind. A preliminary estimate is nearly a thousand people."
Chiyo immediately frowned. She didn't believe Haruki would be so kind - hearted.
They're ninjas, not charity - givers. They're cold - blooded and would never hand out so much grain for free out of kindness.
"Lord Kazekage, send the Anbu to find out what they said when distributing the grain and check if there's anything wrong with the grain."
"That's exactly what I was thinking." The Third Kazekage nodded. He and Chiyo had the same idea.
"Regardless of his purpose, since he's come to our Sunagakure, he won't be able to have his own way." Ebizo snorted coldly. "If he causes trouble, it'll give us a legitimate reason. We'll detain him right away."
"Don't touch him unless necessary." The Third Kazekage sighed. "The situation is unfavorable to us. Sunagakure is too poor to withstand any more turmoil in a short time."
Ebizo moved his lips but didn't say anything more and fell silent.
Among the Five Great Villages, Sunagakure has the worst geographical environment, so its development is naturally the poorest. In terms of economy, it may not even reach half of the prosperity of the wealthy Konoha Village.
Even if the Kazekage-sama is extremely powerful, even the cleverest housewife can't cook a meal without rice.
"I've fought Haruki several times and we're old acquaintances. Let me probe his bottom first," Chiyo said.
"In that case, when they arrive, let them rest for a night before seeing me," The Third Kazekage agreed with Chiyo's suggestion. He pondered for a moment and said, "The reception shouldn't be too shabby. Let Rasa represent me."
...
Although Haruki prepared a large amount of food, the number of suffering civilians was so large that it was just a drop in the bucket.
As a result, everyone was in a rather gloomy mood during the second half of the journey.
However, the passage of time doesn't depend on human will.
The long journey finally reached its end.
Sunagakure.
Even on a sunny and beautiful day, one could clearly feel the yellow sand in the air. It rubbed against the skin, bringing an uncomfortable experience.
A group of people had already put on sand masks early on.
Haruki looked out at Sunagakure. The sand and wind were like a vague silk veil covering the yellow buildings.
Due to the lack of wood and stones, the houses were built of yellow sand. They were uniform and monotonous but had a unique desert charm.
Haruki couldn't help but think of the area in his previous life that used to be called the Western Regions in the Flowering Clan.
It was similar to Sunagakure.
But thanks to the efforts of generations of people, it was no longer poor.
Exotic beauties, singing and dancing, grape wine, desert poplars, and camels.
Haruki retracted his gaze and looked at a group of approaching ninjas.
The one leading the group was his old acquaintance, Chiyo.
Beside her was a young man in his late teens, with short brown hair and a black ninja uniform.
The apprentice of The Third Kazekage, the future Fourth Kazekage, and the father of Gaara, Rasa.
Haruki had seen his figure on the battlefield before, so it wasn't their first meeting.
But things were different now.
They were not enemies but rather allies in a sense.
"Welcome to our village," Rasa greeted very calmly. He bowed slightly and said, "Teacher can't come due to some matters, so I'm here to greet you on his behalf. You, Haruki-senpai, and everyone else must be exhausted from your journey. Please rest for a night first and meet with teacher tomorrow. Please follow me. The rooms are already prepared."
Chiyo didn't say a word.
The group of ninjas behind her also remained silent.
But Haruki could sense the hatred in their eyes.
If he guessed correctly, this should be Sunagakure's combat brigade.
Oh!
Together with another Puppet Brigade, they are the aces among the Sand Ninjas, being the most troublesome and powerful brigades.
Haruki had witnessed their combat power with his own eyes.
That's why their hatred ran the deepest because these two brigades had always been the main targets of Konoha Village. The number of sacrificed ninjas was countless.
Haruki glanced at Minato and the others.
Except for Tsunade, the rest of them were entering Sunagakure for the first time.
The different buildings and customs intrigued them, and they kept looking around.
"Thanks a lot, Rasa," Haruki nodded gently and didn't refuse. As for The Third Kazekage, he could probably guess what he was thinking.
But he came with sincerity.
Although there were only six people in Haruki's group in total, Sunagakure was very generous and rented a hotel specifically for them.
"The food'll be served in a jiffy."
Rasa waved his hand, and immediately a ninja left. "I won't disturb you all."
After he left, Haruki nodded and said, "Everyone, take a seat. It's rare to come here. Let's taste the delicacies of Sunagakure."
The Tomoe in Mikoto Uchiha's eyes slowly rotated. She said, "Teacher, there are quite a few people monitoring outside."
"This is normal. They must not trust us." Haruki didn't care either. It would be really strange if there weren't any.
The food was soon served.
There was a full table, with both wine and meat. All in all, it was very sumptuous.
Haruki picked up the chopsticks and directly clasped Minato Namikaze's wrist.
"?"
"Poison."
Haruki and Tsunade glanced at each other and said softly, "I've never seen this kind of poison, but the method is quite familiar."
<><><><><><><><>
~ 80+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
p-atreon.com/Tansnovel
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
~ Every 50 Powerstones = 4 Bonus Chapters on the weekend!