Chapter 46 – Shadows in the Sand
The hot wind of the desert swept across the Hidden Sand, carrying grains of dust that clung to the cracked walls of the old council hall. Inside, silence hung heavy, broken only by the slow, rasping breath of Chiyo.
She had just received the news: the White Fang of Konoha was dead.
Her old hands trembled as she crushed the parchment. Memories rushed in — the bodies of her son and daughter-in-law, lifeless on the battlefield, taken down by Sakumo Hatake's blade. For years she had held her grief in silence, hiding it behind duty and leadership. But now… hearing of his death at his own hands, her chest boiled with a twisted rage.
> "Coward… he chose to die on his own blade, before I could avenge them…"
Beside her, young Sasori sat quietly. His sharp amber eyes, usually so empty, flickered with something darker. He had listened carefully, every word soaking into his mind.
"Grandmother," he finally said, voice quiet, "does this mean… their deaths will never be avenged?"
Chiyo froze. For the first time, she saw the fire burning in her grandson's eyes. "The White Fang escaped us," she admitted bitterly. "But Konoha still stands. His village protected him, raised him. His death does not erase what he did."
Sasori lowered his head, but in his chest the storm only grew fiercer. That night, when Chiyo finally left him alone, Sasori sat among his half-finished puppets, staring at their wooden faces.
> "White Fang is gone… but Father and Mother are still in the ground. Why should my hatred end here?"
His gaze turned toward the towering figure of the Third Kazekage, the man who had sent his parents to that fatal mission. The man who had used them as tools of war.
> "If White Fang was their blade, then Kazekage was the hand that guided it."
That thought rooted itself in Sasori's heart like poison. And as the desert moon rose, Sasori disappeared into the night, his footsteps erased by the shifting sands.
---
Days Later — Sunagakure Council
The council chamber was suffocating. Around the long table, elders and advisors whispered in uneasy tones.
"The Kazekage has not returned," one finally said. His voice cracked. "Three days, and no word."
"That is not like him," another muttered. "He would never vanish without message."
Chiyo sat silent, her face shadowed by her hood. Only she noticed that Sasori had not been seen either. A chill crept up her spine, but she said nothing.
"We must send search squads," the council head declared. "Every corner of the desert, every border. If the Kazekage has been taken…" He swallowed the word, "…or killed, then the balance of the Five Great Nations will be shaken."
---
Search Squads
For weeks, shinobi combed the endless sands. They searched the mountains, the canyon passes, even the trade routes. No blood. No signs of battle. No body.
The Kazekage had simply vanished.
And in the shadows of a hidden cave, Sasori was already at work. The lifeless form of the Kazekage sat propped against stone, eyes glassy, body limp. Sasori's hands moved with terrifying precision, stripping away flesh and weaving chakra threads.
> "You were the pride of this village… the strongest Kazekage. But strength is just another tool. And now… you're mine."
The grinding of gears filled the cavern as the Third Kazekage puppet was born.
---
Council Once More
"The squads found nothing," a scout reported, kneeling. His face was pale. "It is as though Kazekage-sama vanished into the air."
The chamber erupted in voices.
"This is impossible—"
"He would never abandon the village—"
"Could another village be behind this?"
The last words silenced the room. Slowly, suspicion began to grow.
"Konoha," one elder whispered. "They are the only ones with the power to remove him without trace. Their White Fang cut down dozens of our shinobi… Perhaps this is their revenge."
Murmurs of agreement spread like wildfire. No proof, no evidence — yet the seeds of doubt were planted.
Chiyo kept her head bowed, hands folded tightly in her lap. Deep down, she feared the truth… but she would never speak it.
And outside, in the endless desert, a shadow of crimson threads and iron sand moved freely, unseen by all.
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