At a time like this, this kind of straightforward person could actually produce an unexpected effect.
Not to mention that Granny Chiyo had lost the despondent look from earlier.
Even the surrounding Sunagakure shinobi were now, remarkably, filled with renewed energy!
Clearly, that brat Naruto's words had struck a nerve with them too.
Ebizō's hearty laughter was cut short by a smack from Granny Chiyo.
Granny Chiyo shot Ebizō a cold glare. She might have been too embarrassed to bicker with a kid, but she certainly wasn't too embarrassed to bicker with her own brother!
Ebizō rubbed the back of his head, stifling his laughter, a somewhat helpless expression appearing on his face.
At his age, and in front of so many people — Granny Chiyo hitting him like this, didn't he have any dignity left?
Ebizō grumbled inwardly, but he absolutely didn't dare voice his thoughts out loud.
"Can you still sense Gaara's Chakra?"
Ebizō coughed softly and waved over a sensory-type shinobi from behind.
"Lord Ebizō, we can still sense it. When we re-sealed Shukaku this time, we made special preparations. So even at a greater distance, we'll still be able to detect it."
The sensory-type shinobi stepped forward and immediately replied with respect.
Hearing the exchange between the two, Kakashi's gaze flickered slightly from behind them.
Just as he thought — Sunagakure had made preparations in advance!
"This pursuit mission will be led by Baki. You must bring Gaara back."
"As for the other enemies, I don't care. But the defectors Yura and Ōtsuka Kazuki — when I see them again, I want to see their corpses!"
Ebizō tapped his cane lightly on the ground, his eyes narrowing as he gazed in the direction the two defectors had disappeared.
At this moment, although Ebizō's voice was calm, the killing intent in his tone was entirely undisguised!
As Ebizō's words fell, the surrounding air temperature seemed to drop several degrees in an instant.
This was a stark contrast to the kindly old man who had been laughing heartily just moments ago.
At this moment, everyone present could feel the powerful will contained within Ebizō's aged body!
Even someone as dense as Naruto suddenly felt that this smiling old man had become incredibly imposing.
"Yes!"
The Sunagakure shinobi straightened with renewed vigor and responded in unison.
Ebizō withdrew his gaze, and the kindly expression returned to his face. He slowly turned to face both the Kirigakure and Konoha contingents.
"Due to Shukaku's destruction, the village needs many shinobi to maintain order. We ask that the shinobi from Kirigakure and Konoha please assist our Sunagakure shinobi with this pursuit."
Ebizō wore his amiable demeanor again, smiling as he spoke.
Kakashi and Yamashiro Aoba exchanged a glance and gave a slight nod.
Their purpose in coming here was to assist Sunagakure, and they hoped to indirectly improve the relationship between Konoha and Sunagakure through this.
Naturally, Kakashi and the others wouldn't refuse.
As for Naruto, he was more than eager to set out immediately and find Sasuke as fast as possible.
On the other side, Nagato and Kisame also nodded in agreement.
Compared to Nagato's composed demeanor.
Kisame had already hoisted his great sword Samehada over his shoulder, looking eager for battle. An intense fighting spirit radiated from him from time to time, giving off a distinctly dangerous aura.
Meanwhile, Hyūga Neji stood quietly off to one side, creating the illusion of a low presence. Yet few could actually ignore him.
After all, anyone with decent intelligence networks knew that Kirigakure's First Mizukage Yuto placed extraordinary importance on this Konoha defector named Hyūga Neji.
Furthermore, if it weren't for their wariness of the First Mizukage Yuto.
There was no way Konoha's Hatake Kakashi and Yamashiro Aoba would have feigned indifference upon seeing Hyūga Neji, the Konoha defector.
Between Konoha and Kirigakure, an all-out decisive battle was inevitable sooner or later!
It was just that both sides were currently holding back. Neither wanted to be the first to shatter this calm — or rather, both sides lacked the preparation to utterly crush the other in a single stroke.
This much could be inferred from the fact that both sides had dispatched personnel to Sunagakure to win them over.
The higher-ups of Sunagakure naturally understood this. It was simply that no one would bring it up themselves.
Some things were understood by everyone — there was no need to spell them out.
Of course.
This peaceful state of affairs was not unwelcome to many. But how long could such peace really last...
Seeing both Kirigakure and Konoha agree, Ebizō gave a slight nod. Just as he was about to give the order to depart, Granny Chiyo suddenly stepped forward.
Seeing Granny Chiyo's movement, Ebizō was clearly surprised. A puzzled look appeared on his face, but he still stepped back slightly.
"I will be joining this pursuit as well."
Granny Chiyo looked at the confused faces around her. Her voice was calm, but it carried an undeniable authority.
What!
"Sister, you..."
Ebizō's face showed shock, and he quickly spoke up. But before he could finish, Granny Chiyo cut him off.
"I'm not so old that I can't fight!"
"I will deal with Yura's matter myself!"
Granny Chiyo's tone was firm, her stubborn nature on full display.
Yura's defection had become a thorn in Granny Chiyo's heart. She had to pull it out with her own hands!
When Uchiha Obito had first broken into the conference room, both Granny Chiyo and Ebizō had already realized there seemed to be a spy in the village.
Moreover, this spy's status didn't seem low. There was even a strong possibility it was someone in the upper ranks.
After all, while the conference room where the meeting with Kirigakure and Konoha was being held wasn't exactly a secret, it wasn't something ordinary shinobi could access either.
Yet Uchiha Obito had gone straight for it the moment he appeared.
How could sharp old foxes like Granny Chiyo and Ebizō fail to recognize the problem?
But until the very end, Granny Chiyo had never imagined that the spy would be Yura!
Hearing Granny Chiyo's words, Ebizō wore a look of helplessness. He sighed softly and swallowed the words he had been about to say.
He knew that once his sister made up her mind, no one could change it.
Granny Chiyo's sudden addition, while surprising to everyone present, not a single person considered her a burden.
As the top puppet master in Sunagakure, Granny Chiyo might have been old, but the combat power she displayed wouldn't diminish in the slightest.
This was the woman who, back in the day, had used nothing but her puppets to single-handedly destroy an entire small country.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Right at that moment, two sounds of cutting through the air rang out from within Sunagakure. Two young figures dashed at incredible speed toward the group's location.
After several consecutive leaps, these two young figures had already appeared before everyone.
"Temari? Kankurō?"
Seeing these two sudden arrivals, their teacher Baki was the first to recognize them.
"Lady Chiyo, please let us join the pursuit to rescue Gaara too!"
Temari and Kankurō were both panting heavily. They bowed their heads respectfully toward Granny Chiyo and Ebizō, but their voices were unwavering.
Granny Chiyo's eyebrows furrowed slightly when she saw the two. She had deliberately not informed Temari and Kankurō about this.
She was afraid that the two of them might do something impulsive because of Gaara.
Even though she knew she couldn't keep it from them forever, she hadn't expected them to find out this quickly.
Kankurō and Temari were both among the most outstanding of the younger generation in Sunagakure. Granny Chiyo didn't want these two involved in something this dangerous.
Just as Granny Chiyo was about to refuse them, her gaze suddenly swept toward Hyūga Neji on the Kirigakure side and Uzumaki Naruto on the Konoha side.
"Alright!"
After a brief silence, Granny Chiyo unexpectedly gave a nod.
Temari and Kankurō exchanged a glance, delight simultaneously appearing on both their faces.
The two had already prepared themselves for Granny Chiyo's refusal. They had even planned to secretly tail Granny Chiyo, their teacher Baki, and the others.
Gaara was their younger brother. No matter what, they couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
They never expected Granny Chiyo to actually agree. This was completely beyond their expectations — an unexpected joy!
[
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