When Anya arrived at the stronghold, she noticed a box on the ground sealed with a barrier. Her heart leapt—obviously, Mabui hadn't chosen to leave but remained within the Zero Organization. This box had been delivered through the Heavenly Transfer Technique.
After removing the seal and retrieving the scroll, Anya examined it carefully. It contained no intelligence report but instead turned out to be a summoning scroll.
A puppet was summoned from the scroll—it was actually the Third Kazekage, partially imbued with Sasori's soul.
Anya asked first, "Sasori, will there be any problem with the Third Kazekage leaving Sunagakure Village?"
"No problem at all. Rasa returned to Sunagakure and went into hiding. Right now, no one in the village knows his whereabouts. The Elder Council is mostly under my control, so there won't be any trouble."
"When are you planning to act? Kakuzu must be getting impatient." Anya understood Kakuzu well. Ever since he found out about Rasa's abilities, the way Kakuzu looked at Rasa changed with every passing day. Rasa had even secretly felt creeped out by Kakuzu, suspecting whether this person had some unusual preferences, and had always avoided him while in Sunagakure.
"Whenever you say. I've already poisoned him," Sasori said confidently. "I haven't acted yet because I want to research Shukaku through him. Big Brother Kurotsuchi, wasn't your future plan dependent on collecting all nine tailed beasts?"
"Yes," Anya replied. Her original plan had been to begin collecting the tailed beasts after obtaining the Rinnegan, weakening the nations' powers through the Third Battle, thus initiating the ultimate plan. Unfortunately, things went wrong right at the first step.
Danzo acted ahead of schedule, causing the Rinnegan to disappear. However, this mishap also benefited her in a way—Tobirama's warning helped her trace the origin of the Rinnegan. Without the Rinnegan, collecting the tailed beasts had become meaningless, and continuing the Third Battle had lost its purpose. Therefore, Anya instructed Sasori to control the Third Kazekage and put an end to the war.
Sasori sighed, "The only reason I sent this puppet is out of necessity. Konoha uncovered all my undercover agents. Currently, I can only communicate with you through this puppet."
Although Sasori wanted to come in person, it wasn't allowed. The Third Battle had just ended, and the nations' nerves were still tense. Sensor ninjas conducted daily patrols along the borders. If Sasori were discovered, it would inevitably provoke an unnecessary war.
Getting straight to the point, Anya asked, "Did you kidnap the daughter of that Yearly Boss?"
"Yes," Sasori admitted, surprised. "He actually found his way to you. I must say, this person is not to be underestimated."
Anya picked up on the tone in his voice. "What did he do?"
"Hmph, trying to pull a fast one," Sasori said with displeasure. "Big Brother Kurotsuchi, do you know that even after all this time, the Five Nations Kill game you developed hasn't been sold in any other hidden villages?"
Anya's brows slightly furrowed. "Didn't he produce the playing cards?"
"He made quite a few and sent out multiple trade caravans, but he didn't hire a single ninja or any security personnel, and the routes were deliberately chosen to pass through areas controlled by bandits and thieves," Sasori laughed bitterly. "Therefore, Big Brother Kurotsuchi, your game didn't catch on in the Five Great Countries—it became a hit with the bandits instead."
Anya chuckled in disbelief. "This Yearly Boss really is an interesting fellow. So you tied him up out of anger because of that?"
"At first, I was indeed angry. But once all the undercover agents were discovered, I wasn't angry anymore," Sasori replied with a strangely amused tone. "Actually, there's no one more suitable than him."
"Big Brother Kurotsuchi, look at this—first, he's not a ninja at all, so suspicion won't easily fall on him. Second, his identity allows frequent contact with ninjas, meaning he has plenty of ways to obtain intelligence. Lastly, he's a smart man who knows how to make the right choices," Sasori spoke highly of the boss. "Therefore, to fully control him, I acted."
Anya thought for a moment before making a decision. "Take good care of his daughter. Don't harm her. Bring her back after a month."
"Are we really sending her back to Konoha?" Sasori sounded uneasy. Though Yearly Boss seemed like an ordinary man, his mind was sharp—more difficult to deal with than many ninjas. Without some leverage, there would be no guarantee.
"It's fine. I'll tell Yearly Boss that each year, a distant relative from afar will come to take his daughter to play for a few months. He'll understand immediately."
A hint of admiration flickered in Sasori's eyes as he spoke with a wry tone, "The secretary always says both me and Kakuzu are rotten inside, but truthfully, Big Brother Kurotsuchi, you aren't much better yourself."
Anya rolled his eyes. "Alright, hurry back. In the future, I'll inform Yearly Boss about this location. Deliver the intelligence secretly here as usual."
After bidding farewell, Anya returned to his room and informed Yearly Boss of the result.
"What? A month later?" Nian Nian's excitement instantly turned to disappointment.
"You should clearly understand that some of this is your own fault, Yearly Boss," Anya said with a pointed tone. "We aren't intentionally making things hard for you. After all, businessmen must speak of honesty."
Upon hearing this, Nian Nian immediately understood that his small tricks had been seen through. He could only manage a bitter smile.
"Anbu, I truly want to know—what is your real purpose? Aren't you a ninja from Konoha? Why provoke enemies for Konoha?"
"Enemies? You're overthinking. The Five Great Countries have always been hostile toward each other; this little game won't change that. Even if war breaks out in the future, you don't really think it's the game's fault, do you? That would underestimate the political wisdom of each Kage."
Nian Nian remained silent for a moment before asking, "So it's really only one month?"
"Yes. This is the sincerity I'm showing you, and I also hope you will show me yours in return. Besides, this will happen only once a year. You can rest assured."
Nian Nian widened his eyes, pointing angrily at Anya before helplessly letting his hand fall, speechless. It was clear he was already completely under the other's thumb. What he said no longer mattered. He only regretted his own poor judgment for having accepted this man's tabletop game deal in the first place.
In Sunagakure Village, inside the room where Sasori stayed, everything was in chaos, with a cute little child wailing nonstop. Previously, Sasori had managed to amuse her with various puppets, but now, nothing worked anymore. Something was definitely off.
For the first time, Sasori's usually cold face showed rare panic and confusion.
The baby screamed desperately, kicking its tiny legs and turning bright red in the face. With no choice, Sasori picked the baby up to soothe it, but the infant seemed deeply upset. The crying wasn't loud, but it was piercing—painfully piercing.
Eventually, the commotion attracted Mabui. Lacking any childcare experience herself, she immediately reached over and took the baby, asking, "Where did you get this little one? Obviously, it's starving."
"No way, I just fed her some porridge," Sasori said, gesturing toward the bowl of congee.
Mabui glanced over and replied, "Kids need milk, not congee."
Sasori's eyes immediately locked onto Mabui.
"What are you looking at me like that for? I don't have anything to offer!" Mabui snapped, blushing.
"Then what should I do?" Sasori grew anxious. Big Brother Kurotsuchi had specifically warned him not to hurt the child.
At that moment, Grandma Chiyo hurried over excitedly and, seeing the baby, exclaimed joyfully, "Sasori, you finally came to your senses! Whose baby is this—with whom?"
A spark of hope flashed in Sasori's eyes as he replied, "Grandma, don't ask now. Just tell me what's wrong with her first!"
Grandma Chiyo took the child from Mabui with a confident smile. "Relax, leave it to Grandma," she said.
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