Naruto: Puppet Master Undercover in Konoha

After several days of travel, Chiyo returned to Sunagakure and made her way straight to the Kazekage Building.

Rasa and Ebizō were both startled upon seeing Chiyo's swollen face and filthy appearance, making her look like a complete refugee.

Ebizō asked with concern, "Sister, are you okay? Were you attacked on your way back?"

Chiyo shook her head. "No, I just tripped."

If it had only been Ebizō present, Chiyo might have been willing to talk about how she'd been humiliated by that brat Shindai. But now that her illegitimate child—the man who was also the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa—was here too, she really couldn't bring herself to admit it aloud.

Rasa and Ebizō exchanged strange looks.

Tripped?

What kind of trip would leave such a huge slap mark across someone's face?

Also, her speech sounded so slurred—as if she'd lost several teeth.

Not convinced, Rasa asked again, "You're sure nobody attacked you? Advisor Chiyo, that handprint on your face… doesn't really look like it came from falling."

Chiyo reached up and gently touched her cheek. There was still a dull throb. That blasted kid Shindai had struck her without holding back in the least, and even after several days, the swelling hadn't fully subsided.

Still stubbornly defensive, Chiyo insisted, "Seriously, I just tripped over something and accidentally punched myself in the face."

Seeing that Chiyo clearly didn't want to elaborate further, Rasa and Ebizō dropped the issue.

Ebizō said to Chiyo, "Sister, the Fourth and I discussed things, and we've decided to withdraw our village's ninja from the Land of Fire's border."

Chiyo expressed surprise. "Oh? With Mist ninja involved as well, our chaotic fighting together against Konoha hasn't gone too badly along the Land of Fire's border. Why suddenly retreat? Do you have other plans?"

Ebizō answered, "My judgment is that Iwagakure will soon take significant action against Konoha. There's no need for us to continue getting bogged down fighting Konoha ninja and Mist ninja there. Actually, the Fourth has already received a response letter from Raikage A, Kumogakure's newly appointed Fourth Raikage. He agrees to cooperate with us and attack Konoha when conditions are favorable.

"So what we must do now is recover our strength, watch for Iwagakure's next move, and once they act, we'll strike together with Kumogakure in a sudden, decisive blow against Konoha!"

Chiyo nodded thoughtfully. "So that's how it is. I understand now."

Rasa asked cautiously, "Advisor Chiyo, I heard those outrageous rumors first surfaced within our stationed camp. Do you happen to know who was behind spreading them?"

Instantly, an image of Shindai's smug, grinning face flashed through Chiyo's mind.

Although she couldn't be entirely sure it was Shindai—since the rumors were already widely known by then—it was unclear whether he'd started them or merely picked them up from someone else.

Still, for some reason Chiyo felt strongly certain that it had been Shindai behind their spread.

His particularly vile and provocative behavior perfectly aligned with the absurd nature of those outrageous rumors.

If these absurdly outrageous rumors were spread by Shindai, it would make perfect sense.

However, Chiyo didn't voice her thoughts to Rasa. She simply shook her head and said, "I don't know. I've dispatched Pakura to investigate within the Stationed Camp. We may get results soon. How about the rumors?"

Rasa replied, "It has been taken care of. I've already clarified everything. Advisor Chiyo must be tired after rushing back to the village. You should retire early for some rest."

Ebizō accompanied Chiyo out of the Kazekage Building, walking beside her.

On their way back, Ebizō asked, "Sister, what's really going on? You don't need to keep anything hidden from me."

Chiyo walked in silence for a while before finally breaking the silence, "Ebizō, come with me to a certain place."

Chiyo led Ebizō to Sasori's house and moved aside the dusty shelf.

Although they hadn't visited in a long time, the decaying stench remained overpoweringly strong. Both Chiyo and Ebizō smelled the odor at the same time.

Ebizō covered his nose and frowned, "This smell… it seems like rotten blood—like it's been sitting here for ages."

Chiyo led Ebizō into this basement.

Looking at the clean basement tainted by a lingering stench of decay, Chiyo's heart felt heavy.

In a low voice, Chiyo spoke, "I discovered this basement a long time ago—on the very day we learned of the Third's disappearance. There was a basement in Sasori's home that even I didn't know about. The entire basement was soaked in blood. The sudden disappearance of the Third, plus Sasori going missing…

Though I'm Sasori's grandmother, ever since his parents died in the war, he became quiet and withdrawn. At that time, I was overburdened—I didn't have time to look after him. As a result, I no longer understood Sasori at all. I had no idea what he was thinking.

At that time, I instinctively suspected Sasori might be connected to the Third's disappearance. Ebizō, I was scared—scared that Sasori had something to do with the Third vanishing. So instinctively, I concealed the existence of this basement."

Ebizō comforted her, saying, "Sister, I understand how you feel. This basement doesn't prove anything yet. Nothing has been confirmed, right?"

Chiyo then told Ebizō about Shindai.

After hearing the story, Ebizō was deeply shocked.

He never expected that the undercover agent dispatched by the Third Kazekage could actually be such a genius—one capable of destroying Chiyo's 'Father' and 'Mother' puppets and damaging five Chikamatsu Collection puppets.

Although Shindai used Magnet Release—a Kekkei Genkai designed to counter puppets—and skillfully exploited psychological tactics to shatter Chiyo's mental defenses, it was still shocking enough.

Seeing Chiyo's despondent expression, it was clear she had suffered a devastating blow.

Still, it was understandable—Chiyo had been forced to relive scenes she found utterly nightmare-inducing.

As for the Human Puppet made by Sasori from living humans, it's very likely true.

This hidden basement looked clean at first glance, yet the stench of rotten blood was overwhelming. That suggested the room's cracks must have absorbed a lot of blood long ago—otherwise the smell wouldn't still be this strong after all this time.

Then the Third Kazekage's disappearance… was also most likely Sasori's doing.

Chiyo spoke wearily, "Ebizō, I want to retire. I couldn't save my son and daughter, nor did I properly raise Sasori. I'm just so tired."

Ebizō hadn't expected Chiyo to be hit this hard—seriously considering retirement now.

He thought about how to comfort her, but nothing really came to mind.

They were already old, having devoted their entire lives to the village after all.

Even Chiyo's own children had died in the war, and because she focused on serving the village, she'd neglected raising Sasori properly—and Sasori had most likely betrayed Sunagakure.

Chiyo feeling exhausted was only natural.

Sighing, Ebizō said, "Actually, I feel pretty tired too. It's about time we both retired. But Sister, the war is reaching a critical point soon. Let's wait just a little longer. After the war ends, we'll retire together."

Chiyo gave a slight nod. "Fine."

<><><><><><><><>

Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!

~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!

<><><><><><><><>

~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!

~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!

patreon.com/Tansnovel

<><><><><><><><>