A few days later, in the hidden sand village, Dosu approached with Kin and Guren. Guren was wearing her normal clothes at this point, not acting like an Anbu.
The group had followed the usual routes, then encountered Sand ninjas a long time ago. They had been escorted by a three-person Sand team ever since, so the Kazekage already knew they were coming.
Speaking of which, the Kazekage is Gaara. He became Kazekage recently, the village couldn't be without a Kage and Gaara was literally the only option, strong enough and the son of the previous Kage.
But unfortunately, Gaara still didn't have complete control, because he was young and, until recently, an unbalanced person. If it weren't for the support of Chiyo and Ebizo, Gaara wouldn't have been able to sit in the Kazekage's chair so soon.
When Dosu found Gaara, he wasn't alone, an old man was with him, Ebizo, one of the elders of the Sand Village and Chiyo's brother.
Gaara's face remained expressionless as the group approached.
On paper, they were only allies during the attack on Konoha, but now the alliance had died with Raza and the failure of the attack.
-Sent by the Sound, what can I do for you?- Gaara asked, narrowing his eyes with his hands crossed on the table, clearly made of earth like the surrounding walls. His youthful face didn't exactly lend him the imposing presence of a great village leader, but the fact that he was a Jinchuuriki was enough to make him anything but be taken lightly.
Dosu took a step forward as he pulled a scroll from his pocket. He felt the Anbu around the room shift slightly as soon as he put his hand in his pocket, not relaxing even after he took out the scroll. -A message from our leader.
Gaara narrowed his eyes and Ebizo behind him didn't move. An Anbu appeared in front of Dosu, took the scroll, checked it for traps, before handing it to Gaara and disappearing again.
Throughout the entire event, none of the three Sound Ninja moved, acting as if this were the norm.
Gaara opened the scroll and began to read. The more he read, the more surprised his face became, his expression constantly changed, a mixture of emotions that his young age couldn't hide. He passed the scroll to Ebizo after reading it two more times.
The old man, on the other hand, didn't change his expression until he had read the entire scroll. Dosu realized they had finished reading and took out another scroll. -Jugo-sama said these are the samples.
Gaara glanced slightly at Ebizo, who didn't move, so he simply waved his hand and the same Anbu returned, checking the scroll and choosing an empty spot in the room to open it. Inside, a series of jars were present, the ninja opened each one, confirming that there were no traps and took them to Gaara's desk.
The young and old duo looked at all of this, Gaara seemed both apprehensive and excited, but Ebizo remained unmoved. He looked at the trio and said. -You can stay in the village for a few more days, we'll discuss our response.
Dosu nodded as an Anbu appeared to escort them to their temporary accommodations.
As soon as they left, Gaara spoke. - Can it be trusted?
Ebizo remained silent for a long moment, staring at the jars filled with delicacies. None of them had attempted to consume any without undergoing toxicological tests, but the aroma still enticed them.
-Let's convene the council of elders, we need to discuss this. Also, regarding my sister's request for the Jutsu, she needs to decide for herself.- Ebizo finally sighed and spoke, though inside he was not calm.
They heard about Jugo, news of him swept through the ninja world. A ninja with Wood Release, not from Konoha, his power is a mystery, but if what the scroll says is true, it could greatly alleviate the burden on Suna and improve both the quality of life and the number of ninjas.
The council convened extremely quickly when they heard about the agreement with Otogakure. Most were skeptical, but considering the miracle reported by their spies, even if it was only a vague part, the possibility wasn't low.
Chiyo, in particular, frowned when she saw the request for the agreement. Kisho Tensei, reincarnation of one's own life, was a very secret Jutsu, few knew about it, but the leader of Otogakure did.
Why would he want that Jutsu?
Even if it was a forbidden Jutsu, its value lay in paying one life for another. She didn't understand why the man would want this, but seeing the value of the deal, the number and types of supplies available, this could buy 10 times more from Otogakure than buying from another source.
The food supply problem would be easily solved through this, but the problems were also evident, making the Sand Village dependent on the Sound Village.
-Is this some kind of strategy to take us hostage? Or is there something wrong with the food?- one of the elders asked skeptically.
-They promised to deliver the goods first, so the chance of there being any problem with them is very low.- another argued, excited by the prospect of solving the village's food problems.
-He has access to wood, could he change the environment of Suna to make us self-sufficient?- another asked thoughtfully.
-Why don't we simply attack the Sound Village? It's just a small village, we can capture their leader and force him to create a favorable environment for us here in Suna.- A hardline elder sounded filled with greed as he spoke.
-Ha! The boy is confident enough to sell us food, do you think he's stupid enough to show us his cards without guarantees? Have you forgotten that Orochimaru is still in that village?- Chiyo mocked the man mercilessly.
The man seemed annoyed, but he didn't contradict her, Chiyo had a great deal of prestige among the elders, so most agreed.
-Chiyo-sama, your jutsu...- one of them asked, a little apprehensive.
-If that's true... that old woman doesn't care about getting rid of that Jutsu for the sake of the village's future.- Chiyo shook her head with a heavy but resolute look.
The group continued to discuss, but what about the Kazekage? No one paid him any attention. Gaara didn't care, he was just listening and learning. Deep down, he wanted to agree quickly.
He just wanted the village in the sand to get better.
Two days later, Dosu, Kin and Guren were summoned back to the Kazekage's tower.
This time, in addition to Ebizo, Chiyo was present, looking at the trio with narrowed eyes, but she said nothing. In front of the outside ninjas, Gaara should still have prestige.
-We are willing to discuss the matter. Chiyo-sama will be sent to discuss the agreement. Is there any problem with that?- Gaara asked, his hands clasped together, his face serious.
The group looked at Chiyo, Dosu narrowed his one free eye and nodded. -It's an honor for us to invite Chiyo-sama to Otogakure.
Sure, it was purely superficial, but that kind of occasion still demanded decorum. Chiyo wanted to scoff, but held back, only giving a slight sneer of derision.
Chiyo, of course, didn't go alone, she was accompanied by a group of ninjas as a delegation, including Temari and Kankuro, who were already chunin by that time.
The group left shortly after, with the Sound Trio in the lead. Chiyo looked at their backs with narrowed eyes, she didn't know if this would be a good thing for Suna, but for now, she was willing to try.