Sunagakure — Elder Chiyo's Residence
"What's with the long face? Did the Kazekage order you to the front lines?" Yugito's eyes were full of concern as she looked at Sasori.
Sasori clutched a telegram, brow furrowed tight. "If it were just fighting, that'd be easy. My foster father wants me to convince Master Bunpuku to head to the front lines and lend a hand."
"Master Bunpuku? The One-Tail's jinchūriki?" Yugito blinked, surprised.
"Yeah. Now that Takigakure's joined the war, the Seven-Tails is in play. There isn't a single tailed beast on the front lines. If things get serious, we'll be at a real disadvantage."
Yugito didn't seem the least bit worried. "What's there to be afraid of? You take one, I take one—doesn't that just match their two beasts?"
Sasori gave a helpless smile. "You'd be fine. Me? Not so much."
"Don't you have those anti-tailed beast puppets?" Yugito asked.
"You think those things grow on trees? Just building Howling Sky took years—design, assembly, operation. It's not like I can whip up another one overnight."
"No backups?"
"I've got one, technically. Azure Bull's still in the workshop—probably just a bare frame right now," Sasori sighed.
Yugito shrugged. "Well, then, there's nothing for it. I can handle one at most. Guess you'll have to try convincing the old monk."
"If only it were that simple. Master Bunpuku is stubborn as an ox. Once he sets his mind, not even nine oxen could drag him back."
"Yeah, that's a tough one," Yugito admitted.
At that moment, Chiyo swept in carrying a plate of fruit. "Oh, my dear girl! Come, come, try this—Sunagakure's own sea buckthorn berries! Sweet and tart, good for coughs, full of vitamins, makes your skin glow. One little berry is worth four apples!"
Yugito's expression instantly turned sweet and obedient. "Thank you, Grandma." She picked up a berry and popped it into Chiyo's mouth first. Chiyo froze, then broke into a smile as radiant as a lotus blossom.
"Grandma, is it sweet?"
"Sweet, sweet—sweet right to my heart."
Sasori could only shake his head in resignation.
Yugito was sharp she'd barely set foot in his house before figuring out who really ran things. She spent every day keeping the old lady happy, and before long, Chiyo had started treating her like a granddaughter-in-law. Her "family status" had shot straight past Sasori's.
With Sand and Cloud getting closer, and Jinghang already setting the precedent for cross-village marriages, bringing home a girl from another village was no big deal. Yugito was pretty, lively, and built like a dream broad frame, big chest, big hips, everything a grandma could want for strong grandsons. Chiyo already seemed to be picturing four generations under one roof.
Seeing Sasori shake his head, Chiyo's smile vanished. "What are you moping about, brat? You're young, yet you spend all day shut in your workshop. Take Yugito out—go shopping, have some fun! Back in your grandfather's day, he "
Sasori quickly interrupted before things got out of hand. "Grandma, it's not that. Look, read this."
He handed her the telegram.
Chiyo scanned it in seconds. "I see. That's tricky. Bunpuku's gotten more stubborn with age. Even I couldn't move him, and even if Jinghang himself came, he might not budge. Definitely a tough nut to crack."
Sasori's face was bitter. "What now? My foster father worked so hard to get us here. If we screw up this battle, all that effort goes up in smoke."
Chiyo frowned, deep in thought. As one of Sunagakure's elders, she knew how much Jinghang had put on the line for this war and how much was riding on it. If they won, Sunagakure could rise as the new power of the ninja world, achieving what even her late husband Rettō never dared dream.
They couldn't afford to drop the ball now.
But as she'd said, Bunpuku had grown more and more detached with age. He spent his days in Sand Temple with his two disciples, studying sealing techniques and chanting sutras, barely ever leaving. Getting him to join the fight was harder than pulling teeth.
For the record, Master Bunpuku currently had two disciples. The elder, Hōichi (secular name Han), was the Five-Tails' jinchūriki mentioned earlier. The younger, Hōni, was a sealing arts prodigy—the one who played the Japanese biwa in the original. Both were still novice monks—shaved heads, but not yet fully ordained.
Back during the Rock-Sand War, Bunpuku had watched over twenty workers die at the hands of Iwagakure ninja. Only then did he unleash his wrath and join the battle. Even then, all he did was duel Han, the then-Five-Tails jinchūriki. Once he'd subdued him, he stopped—his hands never stained with blood. What most didn't know was that every year, during the anniversary of that war, Bunpuku would fast and seclude himself for a month, repenting to Buddha for having harbored murderous intent.
Getting him to fight again? Nearly impossible.
Chiyo picked up the telegram again, reading it over. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Didn't your foster father spell it out? If you can't get the old monk, get the young monk."
Sasori shook his head. "Of course I know that. But if the old monk doesn't approve, Brother Hōichi can't just leave."
Chiyo snorted, "The nerve! Enjoying Sunagakure's hospitality but refusing to help the village? I'll tear down his temple and toss him back into the Abyss myself!"
Chiyo wasn't just anyone—she'd been Sunagakure's ruthless, decisive ANBU commander in her day. Push her too far, and she'd really do it.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Master Bunpuku is highly respected—if you tear down his temple, you'll just stir up internal strife!"
Sasori hurried to stop her.
Suddenly, an idea struck him. "Wait… If Master Bunpuku went into seclusion, wouldn't Brother Hōichi be in charge of Sand Temple?"
Chiyo considered. "Naturally, but he already went into retreat this year. We can't just make him do it again."
"What if he had to perform a memorial ritual—to send off the souls of the dead?"
"That could work, but those ceremonies usually only last a few hours. Not enough time for you to win the young monk over."
"What if the spirits were really strong?"
"How strong? You planning to summon demons from hell for him to exorcise?" Chiyo scoffed.
Sasori grinned. "Stronger than demons."
"Who?" Chiyo eyed him warily.
"Heh First Hokage Senju Hashirama and Second Hokage Senju Tobirama!"
Sasori's lips curled into a sly smile. He turned to Yugito. "Your two senior brothers should be arriving soon, right?"
"Tomorrow, I think. Why?"
Sasori's grin widened. "We'll need to find Master Bunpuku a stage. Grandma, I'll need your help to pull off this little show."
Chiyo's eyes sparkled with mischief as the plan began to take shape.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📚 BOOK COMPLETED ON PATREON!📚
This story has reached its conclusion on my Patreon!
🔥 Full story available now
💎 Exclusive bonus content & early access to new books
👉 Join my Patreon community today!
[✨patreon.com/DarkGolds]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━