Very quickly, everyone in the Kazekage's office was evacuated.
The senior officials of Sunagakure exchanged confused glances, all of their eyes landing on Shinju.
"You brat, you actually placed a Flying Thunder God seal in the Kazekage's office — what the hell are you planning?!"
This was not something to joke about!!
The office of a village's Kage was one of the most classified, highly secured places in existence.
And yet, this guy had marked it with Flying Thunder God, allowing him to come and go freely.
That meant he could assassinate any of the Sunagakure higher-ups — even the Kazekage — whenever he wanted!
How was Sunagakure supposed to hold its dignity like this?!!
Shinju spread his hands helplessly.
"When I came to the Kazekage's office for a meeting, I just casually placed one down. I figured it'd make future visits to your village more convenient. ┐(´-｀)┌"
The Sunagakure elders were left speechless.
"Convenient?! Do you think this is your backyard?!"
"Should we take this as Konoha deliberately provoking Sunagakure?!"
Shinju: "…"
"I just did it on a whim to make traveling easier… It wasn't anything serious. →_→"
"If you guys feel like it threatens your personal safety, you can just… move the desk and throw it away…"
"And besides, do you really think I'd need to resort to assassination if I wanted to attack Sunagakure… վ--0027ᴗ--0027 ի"
Upon hearing that, one of the Sunagakure elders pointed at Shinju, trembling with rage.
"You… you… you!!! This is outrageous! Absolutely unacceptable!"
"You're trampling all over us, as if you're pissing on Sunagakure's head!"
"You clearly don't take the alliance between Konoha and Sunagakure seriously at all!!"
"In any case, Konoha must give us an explanation for this, or Sunagakure will not let this go!"
At that moment, Chiyo stepped forward.
"Enough!"
Instantly, the entire room fell silent.
Though Chiyo had long since withdrawn from politics, she had made extraordinary contributions to Sunagakure over the years and remained a figure everyone deeply respected.
Her gaze swept across the gathered high-ranking officials, her expression filled with disappointment.
"Gaara was kidnapped, and all of you were too scared to take action, refusing to save him."
"It was the Konoha shinobi who risked their lives to rescue Gaara from the Akatsuki!"
"Do you even understand? That red-haired boy nearly lost his life — the Shinigami itself almost claimed him — just so Gaara could live again!!"
"I used to have my biases against Konoha shinobi as well, but after this… all I can say is, you've grown too narrow-minded, too petty… you…!!"
After Chiyo's sharp rebuke, the Sunagakure elders sank into silence.
None of them had expected that red-haired boy to go to such lengths… for Sunagakure.
Could it be… he really placed the Flying Thunder God seal there casually, without malicious intent?
Perhaps… they were simply too old, and Sunagakure really needed fresh leadership.
At that moment, Gaara stepped forward and placed his hand gently on the desk where Shinju's Flying Thunder God seal had been marked, signaling everyone to quiet down.
He spoke clearly:
"Konoha is Sunagakure's eternal friend."
"This desk, marked with the Flying Thunder God seal, will serve as proof of our friendship."
"Sunagakure welcomes Shinju-san as an honored guest at any time."
"When that day comes, I will personally serve him the finest tea and offer him the highest respect!"
With even the Kazekage — Sunagakure's supreme leader — having declared his stance, the elders had nothing more to say.
With the matter resolved, Shinju's group prepared to head back.
Gaara personally sent people to escort them all the way to the village gates.
Even though he knew Shinju would simply teleport back to Konoha with his Flying Thunder God in an instant, proper formalities still had to be observed.
...
At the gates of Sunagakure.
Gaara handed Shinju a scroll.
"Thank you… for coming to Sunagakure to help us."
Shinju tilted his head in confusion.
"What's this?"
"I heard Temari… nee…"
Gaara hesitated slightly on the last syllable, clearly not used to calling her "neechan." His tone sounded awkward and forced.
But to Temari, hearing him say it was more than enough.
Gaara continued:
"I heard her mention that you like Sunagakure's medicinal herbs, so I had my subordinates gather some for you to take back to Konoha. These are all rare herbs unique to Sunagakure — ones you won't find in Konoha."
"And… among them, there are extra portions of prized herbs like Crystal Orchids and Dragon Insect Grass…"
Shinju: ( ˝ᗢ̈˝ )
Dragon Insect Grass, in particular, had immense medicinal value and took effect instantly — just 40 grams of it could sell for 150,000 ryo on the black market!
He didn't know exactly how much Gaara had given him, but it was definitely a lot!
Shinju grinned brightly and said warmly:
"Kazekage-sama, you are my eternal friend!! (σ≧︎▽︎≦︎)σ"
After a few more pleasantries, Shinju used the Flying Thunder God to teleport back, taking all the Konoha shinobi with him.
Once Shinju's group disappeared, the desert wind picked up, lifting Gaara's sandy hair and scattering dust across the dunes.
Gaara's gaze glimmered faintly as the corners of his lips curved upward. Then, without another word, he turned and walked back into Sunagakure.
...
Konoha.
The group's first stop upon returning was the Hokage's office to report their completed mission.
Tsunade looked pleased, but then turned to Shinju with a slightly scolding tone:
"That technique you developed is way too dangerous. You weren't noticed by the Shinigami this time, but there's no guarantee you won't be next time… Better seal it away!"
Shinju: "…"
"Alright…"
After that, Neji stepped forward and handed over a ring.
"This," Neji said, "I found near the battlefield. It seems like every Akatsuki member wears one."
Tsunade carefully examined the ring, turning it over several times, but couldn't discern anything unusual.
In the end, she handed it to Shinju.
"Since you're basically part of Konoha's research division, take it and study it properly."
Shinju accepted the ring and gave a thumbs-up.
"OK. (●´∇｀●)"
Tsunade suddenly frowned.
"Oh, and another thing."
"I haven't settled accounts with you yet for placing a Flying Thunder God seal in the Kazekage's office! (ꐦ ಠ皿ಠ)"
"On the small scale, maybe you acted without thinking. But on the large scale, it could be seen as intentionally sabotaging peace between the two villages… blah blah blah…"
Shinju: (||๐_๐)
He wanted to say, "But they've already forgiven me, Tsunade-sensei, why are you still chewing me out?"
But seeing how fired up she was, he figured it wasn't worth arguing and just endured the lecture.
...
Land of Rivers, inside a cave.
A black-robed Zetsu appeared with Deidara, Sasori, and a masked man.
Zetsu spoke first:
"I can't believe you two actually lost."
"That kid was just too damn tricky… He even managed to counter my Garuda technique!" Deidara said through clenched teeth.
Nearby, Sasori, possessing an unknown puppet body, was busy searching for something among the rocks.
After controlling a whole swarm of puppets and combing the entire area, Sasori finally slumped in frustration.
"It's gone… I'm sure my primary puppet body was here… Could the flood have washed the ring away?"
The masked man spoke in a playful tone:
"Sasori-senpai, you lost your ring, huh? You think the Leader's gonna be mad?"
"Shut up, Tobi! I'll saw you in half, believe it or not!"
Sasori's voice was laced with irritation.
Deidara sighed beside him and offered a warning:
"Tobi, don't provoke Sasori-senpai unless you wanna end up as one of his puppets."
Tobi tilted his head, nodding slowly like he half-understood, then turned to Deidara.
"Deidara-senpai, you know… your art kinda sucks."
Deidara: (╬￣皿￣)＝○＃(￣＃)３￣)
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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