Hidden Sand. VIP Reception Room.
"Lord Fifth Hokage, didn't you say you were canceling the ceremony to prevent another Kage assassination?"
Chiyo, dressed in a robe patterned with wind motifs, spoke with biting sarcasm directed at Jiraiya. "If something happens to you, Hidden Sand won't pull a Konoha' and demand compensation from the victims."
Her resentment toward the Hidden Leaf ran deep. Her son and daughter-in-law had both died in the war. Furthermore, two years ago, Orochimaru—a rogue ninja from Konoha—had crippled Hidden Sand, leaving them struggling to recover even now. She had zero patience for Jiraiya today.
Seeing his sister's immediate confrontational stance, Ebizo, standing behind her looking miserable, quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
"Alright, sister, that's ancient history. Let it go before you cause trouble we don't need." He turned to Jiraiya, offering an apologetic bow. "My apologies, Hokage-sama. My sister is bitter about being forced out of retirement to act as Kazekage. Please, bear with her."
Jiraiya waved his hand dismissively with an easy-going smile. "It's alright. I respect my elders and care for the young. I don't hold grudges against an old woman."
He knew the history here. The Chunin Exams had been a nightmare between the two villages, especially when Hidden Sand's Kazekage was assassinated by Orochimaru and replaced, leading to the invasion of Konoha. It had cost them a Tailed Beast Jinchuriki and countless elite ninja. Naturally, they were resentful.
Fortunately, at the time, the Third Hokage had been the one to focus on the Kazekage incident. The matter of holding Hidden Sand accountable and demanding compensation had been left unresolved. If it had been left to the more pragmatic factions, the two villages might never have allied again. This joint Chunin Exams certainly wouldn't be happening.
"Besides," Jiraiya continued, his expression shifting to seriousness, "this elder is right. I did come here to discuss something important."
Chiyo scoffed, not missing a beat. "Hmph. The Hokage of Konoha actually has something to discuss with this old woman? How strange." She leaned back in her chair, her cloudy eyes narrowing. "But go ahead. Since I'm just a temporary stopgap until the real Kazekage takes over, I've got the time."
Chiyo was only acting as the Fifth Kazekage by the elders' appointment. Once Temari or Kankuro—descendants of Rasa, strongly backed by Maki—matured a bit more, she would hand the hat over to one of them. If Gaara were still alive, his sheer power would have made him the Kazekage instantly.
The Kazekage position had become a hot potato. Taking it meant endless problems, endless troubles, and endless mouths to feed. The previous Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, spent most of his time panning for gold in the desert just to keep the village's resources flowing. If it were the resource-rich Hokage position of Konoha, the elders would fight tooth and nail for it.
"Lord Kazekage, you flatter me," Jiraiya said smoothly. "You're still as vigorous as ever. You could certainly hold the position for a few more years."
After the pleasant remark, his smile vanished. "The main reason I'm here is to discuss a mercenary organization: Akatsuki."
"Akatsuki?" Chiyo's cloudy eyes narrowed, the wrinkles on her deepening. This mysterious organization was known in Hidden Sand. Unknown members, immense power. They took any mission for money, with an absurdly high success rate.
Now that Jiraiya was mentioning them... had he discovered a secret?
Though intensely curious, Chiyo kept her expression indifferent. "They're just a small force active in the ninja world. Did they offend the Fifth Hokage?"
Jiraiya shook his head. "No. Actually, I'll just tell you directly. This organization has gathered quite a few S-rank missing-nin from various villages. Two from Konoha—Orochimaru and Itachi Uchiha—have joined."
He paused, letting the weight of the names sink in.
"Furthermore, they've been very active over the past year. They seem to be plotting against Jinchuriki and Tailed Beasts."
The information startled Chiyo. Her expression became uncontrollable for a split second. "Gathering S-rank missing-nin? And Orochimaru is a member?"
She hadn't expected Akatsuki to be so well-hidden. If they truly were gathering S-rank missing-nin from various villages, the danger level was off the charts.
And then there was Jiraiya's last sentence.
It reminded her of the One-Tailed Beast that had revived in the desert, only to disappear, leaving behind nothing but traces of battle.
If Jiraiya's words are true, then the resurrected One-Tailed Beast might have been captured by Akatsuki.
Seeing that Chiyo finally took it seriously, Jiraiya pressed on.
"Lord Kazekage, your village must have been closely monitoring the situation regarding the dead One-Tailed Beast. Let me ask a sensitive question."
He leaned forward slightly. "Is the resurrected One-Tail no longer in your village's hands?"
"The resurrected One-Tail?" Chiyo's expression tightened, then she let out a cold laugh. "You even know the secrets of my Hidden Sand village. The Hokage-sama is truly skilled—far surpassing your teacher, the Third Hokage."
"Since you already know," she added sharply, "why ask further?"
Since Jiraiya knew such confidential information, Chiyo could only assume a spy had passed it on. Or perhaps his intel network was better than she'd thought.
"It seems they really have been captured by Akatsuki," Jiraiya said, feigning certainty before explaining. "Lord Kazekage, please don't misunderstand. That was just my personal speculation. I've been closely following Akatsuki's activities, and this speculation is based on their recent movements in the Land of Wind."
"Besides the One-Tailed Beast," he continued, "we now know that the Seven-Tailed Jinchuriki of Hidden Waterfall has also disappeared. As for the other villages' Jinchuriki... we don't know. We haven't received any replies."
Jiraiya had sent inquiries to all the villages possessing Tailed Beasts. Unfortunately, none had responded.
Chiyo's expression shifted, revealing a knowing look. "So that's what you meant when you asked about the Tailed Beasts."
She hadn't taken this information seriously before. She even thought the Fifth Hokage was an idiot for asking about such confidential matters. Now, it seemed her perspective had been too narrow.
"That's right," Jiraiya nodded helplessly. "My main purpose in coming here is to understand the situation with the One-Tailed Beast. Second, I'd like to ask you, Kazekage-sama, to join me in inviting the other villages to a meeting."
"An organization full of terrorists secretly collecting Tailed Beasts must have a huge scheme."
It was embarrassing to admit, but without a compelling reason, the other villages simply didn't care about Konoha. Therefore, Jiraiya could only join forces with Hidden Sand to invite the other three villages on behalf of both villages.
"Is that so?" Chiyo pondered, not immediately agreeing.
She needed to verify the information Jiraiya had provided. It sounded too specific to be a guess, but the implications were massive.
"Please allow me some time to consider," she said finally, dismissing him. "Hokage-sama, please return."
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