The moment Teizawa stepped out through the prison gates—the hundred-plus shinobi standing in two neat lines snapped their legs together almost simultaneously, raised their hands in unison, and shouted:
"Kazegake!"
The sound was crisp and thunderous, punching straight into the night sky.
It echoed over Sunagakure for a long, long time.
Hearing the slogan suddenly ring out, the shinobi who had taken control of the Kazekage Tower, the ninja hospital, the academy, and other key departments all straightened as well, facing the prison's direction…
It was obvious.
This unprecedented rebellion, ended the instant Teizawa walked out of those gates.
Teizawa looked at the formation of shinobi on either side and gave a slight nod.
Then he lifted his chin, squared his shoulders, and strode forward with long, decisive steps.
…
At the same time— Gaara, who had rushed here the moment he received the news, stood frozen in the plaza.
He watched as body after body was carried out of the Kazekage Tower.
His face was full of confusion.
Incomprehension.
And an endless, boiling fury.
Temari's face was deathly pale. Her teeth clenched hard as she shouted:
"Teizawa! Come out! Why are you doing this—why?!"
No one answered her.
The only one who seemed even slightly clear-headed was Kankurō. Staring at the hundred-plus shinobi hemming them in from every side, he swallowed with difficulty.
"H-Hey… should we maybe fall back first? They don't look very friendly."
Swish—swish—swish…
Just then, several figures flashed in and appeared beside Gaara.
It was Gaara's teacher, Baki.
Baki's expression was complicated. He looked at Gaara and said:
"I went to see Elder Chiyo-sama. She refused to meet me—shut her doors and wouldn't come out."
"How can that be?" Temari stumbled, her voice trembling. "Don't tell me even that old woman chose Teizawa… but why?"
"I… I'm going to ask him myself."
Gaara's face darkened as he stepped forward.
"Gaara—please, stop."
At that moment, Tokiri—the one leading the shinobi surrounding them—spoke calmly:
"Sunagakure is basically under our control now. If you don't want the village destroyed, then please stand quietly where you are and wait for the Kazekage-sama to arrive."
"Hm?"
Gaara's expression shifted. His eyes swept the area in a quick scan.
"Wait for the Kazekage-sama?" Temari barked. "The Kazekage-sama is standing right in front of you!"
Tokiri's face didn't change. His voice stayed slow and level.
"I mean the new Kazekage—Teizawa-sama."
"He…"
Something inside Temari felt like it shattered.
She swayed, barely able to stay upright.
"Why would he do this…?"
No one answered.
Why?
Gaara asked the same question in his heart.
He couldn't understand it.
He had been trying—trying to be better, trying to earn everyone's recognition, trying to give everything he had for Sunagakure…
So why would Teizawa do this?
Why kill so many comrades?
Because he couldn't understand, a suffocating, murderous pressure began to churn in his chest…
Even his chakra started to destabilize.
It was the unmistakable sign that he could lose control at any moment.
"Gaara…"
Temari and Kankurō both tensed instantly.
Something was wrong with Gaara—this was the precursor to a breakdown.
And if a jinchūriki lost control, the consequences were unthinkable.
But Gaara wasn't speaking anymore, and the daimyo's envoy trailing behind him suddenly jumped forward.
He pointed at the surrounding shinobi and screamed, furious and shrill:
"T-Treason! Treason! You traitors will pay for everything you've done!"
Tokiri's eyes flashed with cold light as he looked at the man.
"Annoying."
Before the last syllable even landed, several shinobi behind him rushed forward— and flicked out a handful of kunai.
Swish—swish—swish…
In the blink of an eye, the envoy didn't even get the chance to scream.
He was turned into a pincushion by the flying blades.
No one had expected them to kill so suddenly.
And the only person who could have stopped it—Gaara—was teetering on the edge of losing control.
So the daimyo's envoy died without warning.
"Damn it—you bastards, how dare you…"
Seeing them butcher the envoy without hesitation, Baki—who had been silent—nearly spat blood on the spot.
Because that envoy had been sent by the Wind Daimyo.
Killing the daimyo's envoy in public?
The nature of this had completely changed.
Baki knew it immediately, there was no coming back from this.
Once the daimyo learned what happened here, he would likely cut off Sunagakure's funding outright…
Sunagakure… was finished.
"Baki-sama. The times have changed."
Tokiri lifted a hand, signaling his men to withdraw, then continued flatly:
"The Kazekage-sama said it himself: in chaotic times, harsh law is needed—let the bleeding and sacrifice begin with our generation."
"Sunagakure must be reformed. The corrupt and the parasites in the village must be purged."
"Tokiri—you're out of control!"
Baki glanced at the envoy's corpse, ignored the shinobi glaring at him, and strode straight up to Shiri, teeth clenched.
"You killed the daimyo's envoy. After this rebellion, you have no road back."
"But I can guarantee this—if you stop now, I'll negotiate with the daimyo and—"
Before Baki could finish, Tokiri cut him off immediately.
"Baki-sama, this is war—not an exercise."
"The Kazekage-sama said: it's only a rebellion if you fail."
"We haven't failed. We've practically stabilized the situation—taken control with minimal sacrifice."
"Oh, and Elder Chiyo and Elder Ebizō have already given tacit approval."
"If you're trying to stall for time and wait for the elders to step in… I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."
"What?"
Hearing that Chiyo and Ebizō had truly allowed Teizawa's coup, even though he'd suspected it....
Baki still found it hard to accept.
Gaara had been the Kazekage Chiyo herself put forward.
And now she was letting Teizawa seize power by force.
What was Chiyo thinking?
"Where is Teizawa? Tell him to come out and see me!"
Right then, a surge of brutally violent chakra exploded out of Gaara.
The pressure alone knocked the closest few people off their feet.
"Damn it—Gaara's going to lose control."
Temari fought to steady herself, her face drained white.
Kankurō scrambled, half-rolling toward the edge, pure terror written all over him.
A rampaging Gaara was his childhood nightmare— fear carved into his bones.
Baki watched the scene and let out a low, weary sigh.
"You have no idea what Gaara is… or what the tailed beast's power really means."
"Even if you occupy all of Sunagakure, in the face of Gaara's absolute power… none of it matters."
He looked at the shinobi around him—faces grim, yet not a trace of fear among them—and suddenly felt a wave of emptiness.
Without the Fourth Kazekage's Magnet Release, almost no one in Sunagakure could deal with a rampaging One-Tail.
Not even Chiyo or Ebizō.
"Sunagakure is finished."
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