Good times never lasted long.
In the aftermath, Chiyo helped the Third Kazekage clean up the mess left by Uchiha Yato's little "festivities."
To the average villager, Yato was nothing short of a saint—unaware of his antics, they only saw him as a generous benefactor.
He had brought them precious water and all sorts of entertainment.
The orphans and commoner children adored him—who wouldn't love a strong, handsome big brother who always played with them?
But the Jonin and higher-ups of the Hidden Sand? They loathed him.
Because whenever Yato caused trouble, they were the ones who had to clean it up.
And the worst part? They couldn't even beat him into behaving.
During his stay, Yato had erected three pillars in the center of the village.
Every now and then, one or two people would be tied to them—usually idiots who had challenged him without realizing just how strong he was.
After hitting them with a genjutsu, Yato would leave them bound for the higher-ups to deal with.
He even thoughtfully recorded the incidents, making copies for the Hidden Sand's Genin and children to watch—and, under his "persuasion," sending backups to the Hidden Leaf for a rotating broadcast.
And among all the Sand ninjas tied to those pillars, none appeared more often than our dear Pakura.At first, there was only one, but since Pakura had a few admirers,
they decided to add two more to tie them up.
It definitely wasn't just to make room for Rasa and Sasori.
The rest of the Hidden Leaf exchange group and the Sand Ninja could still coexist peacefully.
After Uchiha Yato's Sandbar Exchange Meeting concluded, the subsequent exchange missions became relatively relaxed.
The main focus was for the Hidden Leaf to learn some emergency medical techniques for desert regions, as well as basic Puppet Techniques and methods for crafting puppet parts.
After studying for two days, Uchiha Yato found it boring and handed this glorious task over to Tom.
At first, Tom Cat was quite resistant, feeling that Uchiha Yato was outright exploiting his labor.
So, when he first started working, he demanded proper wages and compensation from Yato.
But after studying for a while, Tom Cat seemed to have discovered a whole new world.
These mechanical parts came to him as naturally as breathing.
Even Chiyo and Sasori believed Tom possessed extraordinary talent as a puppeteer.
If Tom had been human and not from the Hidden Leaf but rather a descendant of their Sand Village, Chiyo would have already considered taking him on as her second apprentice.
This alone speaks volumes about Tom's innate talent in learning Puppet Techniques.
And Uchiha Yato was more than happy to see this unfold.
After all, Tom's achievements were his, and what was his remained his.
Before the end of his stay, Yato also struck a deal with Sasori.
One night, Yato called Sasori out and said to him:
"So, you've prepared what I asked for, right?"
Sasori replied, "It's ready, and I guarantee its authenticity."
Yato raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you absolutely sure this thing is genuine?"
In his hand, Yato was now holding a clump of hair.
Sasori said, "I'm certain I plucked it from the Third Kazekage myself."
"I can guarantee it's the real deal!"
The final transaction between Yato and Sasori involved Sasori obtaining some hair from the Third Kazekage.
This was meant as a local souvenir for Orochimaru.
In return, Sasori received blueprints from Yato.
But now, looking at the clump of hair Sasori had handed him, Yato had a bad feeling.
Unable to hold back, Yato finally asked, "Exactly… which part of him did you pluck this from?"
Sasori, being an innocent boy, had no idea what Yato was implying.
He answered earnestly, "From his hair, of course."
"Though after plucking it, I stored it in a temperature-controlled puppet to preserve it."
"Didn't you tell me to maintain its vitality?"
Well, Sasori had followed Yato's instructions to the letter—just not in the way Yato had intended.
All Yato could hope was that Orochimaru wouldn't overthink it during research. After all, this wasn't his fault.
Then Sasori said, "Thank you, Mr. Yato, for teaching me so much and helping me find a new path."
"I hope you'll visit the Sand Village again. Next time, I'll make sure you see a completely different place."
And now, Sasori had every right to say such a thing.If the Third Kazekage retires normally, given Sasori's current strength and contributions to the village, many civilians and ninjas would likely support Sasori becoming the Fourth Kazekage.
Moreover, Uchiha Yato believed that the current Sasori also had the ability to gradually bring about changes in the Hidden Sand Village.
In the end, Uchiha Yato encouraged him, saying, "There will soon be an opportunity for you to showcase yourself before the entire village. You must seize it—this can be considered my final gift to the Hidden Sand Village."
Hearing Uchiha Yato affirm his words, Sasori's face broke into a blissful smile.
Early the next morning.
The high-ranking Sand Ninja officials and the Hidden Leaf exchange delegation gathered at the entrance of the Hidden Sand Village.
The two groups stood at the gate, gazing at each other from a distance.
The Third Kazekage looked at the departing Hidden Leaf delegation with immense joy in his heart.
But now, he had to feign sorrow. If anyone caught a hint of his true feelings, it could spell trouble for his political career.
The others, too, wore masks of sadness today, though inwardly, they were all delighted.
Even the children from the orphanage had come to bid farewell to the Hidden Leaf delegation.
Though it had only been three short months, the members of the Hidden Leaf delegation and the Hidden Sand Village had formed strong bonds of friendship.
The scene of parting was already tinged with melancholy.
And then, the BGM started playing again.
This time, the music Uchiha Yato had chosen was "Moon Reflected on Second Spring."
Under the influence of the atmosphere and the music, the children who had been on the verge of tears began to cry outright.
At first, it was just quiet sobbing, but as one child after another broke into loud wails, it triggered a wave of crying among the crowd.
Now, the Third Kazekage truly couldn't bring himself to smile.
He hadn't expected Uchiha Yato to pull such a stunt at the last moment, making things awkward for him.
At Uchiha Yato's signal, the rest of the Hidden Leaf delegation began to leave first.
Those who understood the implications of this move, like Hyuga Hizashi, knew that Uchiha Yato was about to stir up trouble again.
Hizashi, for one, was already doing his best to leave as quickly as possible.
Uchiha Yato then began his final, impassioned farewell speech.
"Children, don't cry."
First, he had to comfort the children—after all, no matter what, they were innocent.
In the crowd, Pakura, who was itching to vent her anger, was being firmly held back by Rasa and Chiyo.
Chiyo thought to herself, "He's leaving soon. Just endure it a little longer—it'll be over soon!"
Rasa, meanwhile, was thinking, "Sis, please don't cause any more trouble, or we'll be the ones getting beaten again!"
Uchiha Yato continued, "I still have some candies here, exclusively sponsored by the Third Kazekage."
"I hope all the children will enjoy them!"
Without giving anyone time to react, he made the candies appear in the children's hands as if by magic—two for each child.
At this point, the Third Kazekage finally sensed that something was amiss. But just as he tried to intervene, he realized Uchiha Yato had already vanished.
The one who had stayed behind was merely a Shadow Clone.
As the first candy was popped into a child's mouth, the very thing the Third Kazekage had feared happened once again!
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