Two small, tender hands slowly extended, one pressing against his own chest, the other against Takara's.
The two small puppets, which had been meticulously crafted by Sasori as a welcome gift for his returning parents, had long since been discarded on the ground.
"Why has Father's heart stopped beating?"
Sasori, with reddened eyes, looked up at his mother, who was desperately holding back tears, and asked.
Chiyo sobbed, tightly pressing her lips together, and pulled Sasori into a fierce embrace.
"I'm sorry..."
"Sasori, you know how much your father loved you..."
Witnessing a loved one's death for the first time, Sasori's young heart was filled not only with a vague sorrow but also with profound questions about life.
"So, Father is dead, right?"
"Why does a heart stop beating when someone dies?"
Sasori broke free from his mother's embrace and bent down to pick up the discarded puppet.
He gently blew off the dust clinging to it and, without hesitation, twisted off the head of the puppet that looked exactly like his father.
"Mother, look..."
Sasori said, bringing his hands together with the puppets and gently twisting them, causing the puppet's head to reattach itself.
"No matter how I damage this puppet, it can always be restored to its original state."
"Why can't Father?"
Chiyo's body stiffened, and Chiyo, standing beside her, instantly clenched her sleeves.
"Sasori!"
Chiyo's voice was a stern reprimand. She didn't even use her usual affectionate term for her grandson, directly calling him by his name.
"Forget what you just said!"
"Mebuki, take Sasori back!"
Sasori stubbornly broke free from his mother's hand, which was trying to pull him away, and turned to face Chiyo.
"Grandma, why should I forget?"
"If Father could be reassembled like the puppet, wouldn't he not have to die?"
Chiyo's heart was filled with dread. She hadn't anticipated that the death of a loved one would give rise to such a forbidden thought in her most beloved grandson.
"Sasori, puppets are just tools in the hands of ninja. They have no life."
"But people are different..."
The Third Kazekage walked up to Sasori and gently patted his head.
"Living things have life."
"All living things will eventually reach the end of their lives."
"Puppets, being inanimate objects, are only given the ability to move and repair themselves by a ninja's power, which is why you mistakenly believe people can also be restored like puppets."
"You are still young now. When you grow up and learn puppet jutsu, you will gradually understand!"
Sasori clutched the puppet in his hand and stared silently at the Third Kazekage.
"Sasori is a sensible child. You should go back with your mother for now!"
"Uncle Kazekage and Grandma Chiyo have some things to discuss."
The Third Kazekage gave Mebuki a meaningful look. Mebuki nodded gratefully, then bent down, picked up Sasori, and left the Kazekage's office.
Chiyo, the Third Kazekage, Takara's corpse...
The Kazekage's office, with only these three present, was silent.
Chiyo closed her eyes, no longer looking at her son's body, which appeared to be in a deep sleep, and asked in a low voice:
"Third Kazekage..."
"How do you intend to handle the loss the village suffered due to Takara's actions?"
The Third Kazekage looked at Takara's corpse and sighed heavily.
"According to the descriptions of the ninjas who returned alive, even if Takara hadn't unleashed that attack, the number of ninjas who would have survived in the Hidden Sand would not have been much higher."
"Therefore..."
"I will do my best to appease the families of the fallen ninjas. This matter..."
"Let it pass!"
Chiyo softly hummed, acknowledging the Third Kazekage's decision to protect Takara's reputation.
"If there are difficulties, you can use the incident of this old woman being defeated by a Leaf ninja to your advantage. I believe it will be easier for the villagers to accept."
The Third Kazekage lowered his head in shame.
"The fundamental reason is that I, as the Kazekage, am not competent enough."
"If I hadn't tried to seize some benefits from the Land of Fire, how could I have caused Lord Chiyo to bear such humiliation?"
"When Sasori is a little older, I will hand over the position of Kazekage to him. It will also be a way to atone for my fault in causing this child to lose his father!"
Chiyo's eyelids twitched. She opened her eyes and looked at the Third Kazekage for a moment, then slowly shook her head.
"We'll talk about the future when the future comes!"
"How do you plan to handle the war with the Land of Fire this time?"
A flicker of regret crossed the Third Kazekage's eyes as he sighed softly.
"The Land of Wind is barren. I thought that by taking advantage of the war incited by the demigod of the Land of Rain, we could plunder some resources from the Land of Fire."
"But I never expected the overall quality of the Leaf ninjas to be so high..."
"First there was the White Fang of the Leaf, then the powerful medical ninjutsu and summoned beasts of the First Hokage's granddaughter, and that ninja who summoned the giant snake..."
"For the Hidden Sand to become stronger now, we must find another way!"
"The war with the Land of Fire... let's call it off!"
Chiyo nodded gently and stood up to pick up Takara's body.
"Since the Third Kazekage has made his decision, this old woman will take her son home now."
"If you need anything, Third Kazekage, feel free to send someone to inform me. This old woman will provide a satisfactory explanation to the villagers."
"I would not dare to trouble you, Lady Chiyo. Please go slowly!"
The Third Kazekage bowed respectfully. After seeing Chiyo leave, he clenched his fist in dissatisfaction and walked directly out of the Kazekage's office, heading towards one of the most secluded prisons in the Hidden Sand.
...
"Lord Kazekage!"
Deep underground, two guards responsible for overseeing the prison hastily bowed respectfully upon seeing the Third Kazekage's arrival.
"Mm!"
The Third Kazekage peered inside through the bars of the cell. Upon seeing the figure sitting cross-legged, he waved his hand at the two guards.
"You two go outside and guard the door. Do not let anyone disturb me."
"Yes!"
A flicker of joy crossed the eyes of the two Sand ninjas as they quickly left the eerie prison.
"Shukaku!"
The Third Kazekage stood outside the cell door and called out to the bald monk inside.
"Hee hee hee..."
A shrill laugh echoed in Bunpuku's mind. Shukaku squatted on the ground in the sealing space, letting out a gloating cackle at Bunpuku.
"Little monk, you have given up everything, willingly using your body to restrain this beast."
"Yet in the end, these people who reaped the benefits have even forgotten your name!"
"How pathetic!"
"Hahaha!"
Bunpuku paid no mind to Shukaku's taunts. He clasped his hands together, nodded at the Third Kazekage outside the cell door.
"Lord Kazekage, what is it you wish to discuss with this old monk?"
The Third Kazekage looked at Bunpuku's calm expression and couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.
"Shukaku, as a vessel, you should contribute more to the village."
"I am giving you one more chance. Take Shukaku with you and help the village to recover its disadvantage on the battlefield. Otherwise..."
"You will remain in this dark prison for the rest of your life!"
Bunpuku displayed a carefree smile, parted his hands, and looked down at the characters '心' and '受' carved on his body. He slowly shook his head.
"Lord Kazekage, since the day I accepted Shukaku, this life has only had one wish."
"'心' and '受' represent love. Although Shukaku is a beast, he, like humans, possesses his own thoughts and emotions."
"He has love, hate, anger, and sadness..."
"In my opinion, there is no need to draw such a clear line between beasts and humans."
"I also promised Shukaku that in this life, I would do my best to fill his heart with love."
"I firmly believe that one day, humans and beasts will be able to coexist peacefully..."
The Third Kazekage's face instantly darkened. He was utterly impatient with this foolish old monk.
"Don't forget, you are a ninja of the Hidden Sand!"
"Fighting for the village is your responsibility!"
Bunpuku clasped his hands together again, looking at the Third Kazekage with a serene expression.
"As Lord Kazekage sees, this old monk is currently restraining the beast you consider most dangerous for the village. What difference does it make whether I go to the battlefield or not?"
"Excessive killing will only accumulate more hostility in Shukaku's heart. If that happens, all my efforts will be in vain."
"And Shukaku will have little chance to coexist peacefully with humans!"
The Third Kazekage gritted his teeth and, with an angry flick of his sleeve, said:
"Even if you are imprisoned here forever? Never to be free?"
Bunpuku chuckled softly and nodded earnestly, saying:
"Yes!"
"Then you can just die here!"
The Third Kazekage roared in anger and turned to leave with large strides.
"Hey..."
Shukaku, forgoing his usual shrill voice, called out in a deep tone in Bunpuku's mind.
"Old monk, do you really think a beast like me can coexist peacefully with you humans?"
"And you said there's no need to distinguish so clearly between humans and beasts, are you serious?"
Bunpuku smiled and replied mentally.
"Of course. We share the same body, and our lives are intertwined. How could this old monk lie to himself?"
Shukaku fell silent for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahaha..."
"Old monk, I must say, your actions have touched me!"
"You are the human I have met in my thousand years of existence who most resembles the Sage of Six Paths in character!"
Bunpuku's body stiffened. He parted his hands, looked at the characters '心' and '受' on them, and his shoulders began to tremble. Tears suddenly streamed down his face.
"Shukaku..."
"Thank you!"
"To receive your acknowledgment, even if I were to die now, I would have no regrets!"
Shukaku snorted dismissively.
"Die?"
"Don't die so soon!"
"I finally met a human I find tolerable. If you die, I will be transferred to a stranger's body."
"What if that human doesn't suit my taste? Then your Hidden Sand Village will be finished!"
"So, for the safety of your Hidden Sand Village, you should try to live as long as possible!"
"Hahaha!"
The corners of Bunpuku's mouth turned up slightly. He clasped his hands together and nodded gently.
"Shukaku, thank you for your blessing."
"Let me recite a passage of scripture for you. It is said to be from the time the Sage of Six Paths founded the ninjutsu sect."
"Perhaps you will find it interesting!"
Shukaku immediately screamed and began to frantically pound the ground beneath him.
"I don't want to hear it! I don't want to hear it!"
"If you dare to recite it, I will immediately break the seal and smash your Hidden Sand Village to smithereens!"