Chapter 245: Quickly Call for Granny Chiyo
That day, just before dusk...
Fine yellow sand drifted gently in the wind, floating through the air like delicate feathers.
Outside Sunagakure, towering stone walls over a hundred meters high shielded the village's homes from the encroaching desert sands, offering residents a peaceful refuge.
There was only one secure entrance and exit to Sunagakure: a narrow passage called Thread of Heaven—so named because from within, one could only see a thin "line" of sky above.
Sunagakure shinobi were stationed at various levels of the towering walls, scanning the surroundings with binoculars.
In this vast, open desert, there were no obstructions. Any large group of enemies approaching would be easily spotted before reaching the village.
"Eh? That's… Lord Kazekaze!"
"He's—quick, prepare to support Lord Kazekaze! He's being pursued!"
On the fourth wall tier, a Sunagakure guard with binoculars suddenly shouted, snapping the otherwise idle watchmen into action.
Some grabbed kunai and explosive tags, while others atop the wall peered in the same direction, searching for any signs of enemy pursuit.
In the distant yellow haze, they saw their village's prodigy Kazekaze running toward them, arms extended behind him, glancing nervously over his shoulder as if someone were chasing him.
But no one could see any enemy behind him.
Still, they stayed on alert, scrutinizing the surroundings even more closely.
"Gara, Ye Yi—you two, come with me. We're going to assist Lord Kazekaze."
"Yes, Captain Titch!"
"We're coming too, Captain Titch!"
The moment they believed Kazekaze was in danger, a male Sunagakure shinobi named Titch quickly mobilized, and the alert guards responded in kind.
"You three will do. The rest of you stay alert in case of ambush."
Titch, along with the two called out—a man and a woman—ran swiftly toward Kazekaze.
These three were diehard supporters of Li Yao's Wind Release clone. The rest of the shinobi also viewed Kazekaze as the rightful Fourth Kazekage.
This spoke volumes about his influence in Sunagakure.
It was no wonder the village elders had shamelessly attempted to assassinate him.
Because his influence had genuinely threatened the ruling clans' control over the village.
Even the elite Puppet Corps—Sunagakure's strongest military force—contained many civilian-born shinobi who supported Kazekaze.
In the end, this world still belonged to ordinary shinobi.
And Kazekaze's civilian background gave hope to many—that through hard work, they too could aspire to become Kazekage, the village's highest authority.
There was no support without reason. Everything stemmed from power and status.
Unfortunately, they were still too naive.
If Kazekaze hadn't become Li Yao's clone, he would not have survived to become the Fourth Kazekage. In the original timeline, he was quietly erased and never mentioned again.
Clearly, he had fallen to the elders' assassination attempts.
"Not good!"
Elsewhere, among guards secretly assigned by Sunagakure's high-ranking clans, several shinobi noticed Kazekaze's sudden appearance—alone—and quickly left to report to the elder advisors.
"Lord Kazekaze! We're here to support you!"
From a hundred meters away, Titch and the other two called out, hoping to deter any hidden enemies and also to signal Kazekaze to identify himself.
Li Yao's clone quickly formed a special hand seal.
This was the day's unique seal code—like a password.
Unlike Konoha or Kirigakure, Sunagakure lacked sensory barriers.
So each month, the village issued daily hand signs for shinobi entering and exiting the village, used as identity confirmation.
This minimized the risk of enemies using Transformation Jutsu to infiltrate as comrades.
"It's Lord Kazekaze."
The trio instantly relaxed after seeing the correct seal.
"Lord Kazekaze!"
Ye Yi, the female ninja, had a sweet, innocent face but wore a sexy open-back shinobi outfit.
Her eyes sparkled with admiration—and affection—as she looked at Li Yao's clone.
As she reached him, she blushed and repeated her greeting, clearly afraid he wouldn't remember her.
"Let's go. The enemy might be in the sky."
Li Yao's clone glanced at them briefly, nodded, and continued running toward Thread of Heaven while reminding them to stay alert.
"Yes!"
The three quickly formed a protective formation beside him, keeping their eyes on the sky as they ran.
But the floating sand obscured their vision.
Soon, they reached the entrance.
"Stay alert. I'll report to the Kazekage."
Without stopping, Li Yao's clone leapt across the rooftops, heading straight for the Kazekage's office.
Meanwhile, inside the Kazekage Building—
A shinobi from one of the top ten clans had already reported to the elder advisors.
Like Konoha, Sunagakure's leadership consisted of the Kazekage and two senior advisors who oversaw daily governance.
"Advisor Watanabe—Kazekaze has returned."
"He's back?!"
The newly appointed advisor—Watanabe, from one of the three major clans—was a man in his prime, about 45 years old.
Hearing the news, he stood up in shock.
"Did he return alone?"
"He was alone."
"Alone… That's not possible…"
Watanabe furrowed his brow and sat back down.
If Kazekaze returned alone, it meant the assassination attempt had failed.
He was sure Kazekaze would figure out who was behind it.
That meant Kazekaze had two options: become a rogue ninja—or die upon return.
Given his intelligence, Watanabe didn't believe Kazekaze would be foolish enough to return.
Yet here he was.
"Quick, summon Chiyo and Ebizō. Kazekaze may already be a rogue."
In their plan, killing Kazekaze was the first priority.
Failing that, the assassins would leave clues pointing to the elders, hoping Kazekaze would flee.
After all, anyone who learned that the Kazekage and the elders had tried to kill them would flee if they had any sense.
If Kazekaze returned anyway, the final option was to accuse him of killing his two mission partners and imprison him under suspicion.
From there, they could twist the narrative however they wanted.
If Kazekaze were truly smart, he wouldn't have come back.
But now that Li Yao's clone had returned, Watanabe was caught off guard.
Everyone in the leadership had seen Kazekaze's abilities over the past year.
His unmatched speed and devastating Wind Release: Slash reminded them of the horror once wrought by Konoha's Sakumo during the Second Great Ninja War.
Watanabe knew he wasn't a match for Kazekaze.
Whether this return was an act of vengeance or had some other goal, Watanabe didn't know.
He only knew that if Kazekaze did decide to attack—
Only the former advisors, Chiyo and Ebizō, had a chance of stopping him.
(END CHAPTER)
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