Looking at Temari and Kankuro kneeling on the ground, Yuzuru spoke calmly, "Get up. Let's go inside and talk."
Temari and Kankuro immediately stood up and cautiously followed him into the house.
Rustle.
The window curtains were pulled open, and long-absent sunlight streamed into the room.
The room had been tidied very neatly. Only in the middle of the floor were a few scattered puppet parts lying around.
Temari spoke a little nervously, "Lord Yuzuru, did you call us here for something?"
Yuzuru turned around and carefully examined the two of them.
Although they had the same names as in the original story, their appearances were still somewhat different.
The oil paint on Kankuro's face made it hard to tell, but the difference was much more obvious with Temari.
Compared to the firm gaze and strong personality she had in the original story, Temari now carried a gentler temperament, looking somewhat softer and more fragile.
After silently comparing them for a moment, Yuzuru spoke.
"You two are Rasa's children, right?"
"I killed him. Do you hate me?"
As soon as Yuzuru finished speaking, his eyes had already turned into scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan.
Under the pressure of his aura, Temari and Kankuro felt as if even breathing had become difficult.
Facing those eyes that seemed capable of seeing through the human heart, the very concept of "lying" seemed to disappear from their minds.
Temari said in a low voice, "Everything was the result of Father bringing it upon himself. He committed too many crimes. You saved the Hidden Sand Village, so of course we hold no resentment."
Kankuro also nodded in agreement.
Perhaps to make themselves feel more justified in condemning the Kazekage, the shinobi of the Hidden Sand Village had already begun spreading the narrative voluntarily from the very beginning, without even needing Yuzuru to instruct them.
In the eyes of the current villagers of the Hidden Sand Village, Rasa had already become, much like Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo in the past, a notorious sinner.
Although Temari and Kankuro were Rasa's children, they didn't know any of the inner details.
On top of that, Rasa had a rather cold personality and had barely spent any time with the two of them.
So after hearing everyone in the village say such things, they naturally chose to believe it.
Sensing that neither of them was lying, Yuzuru's eyes returned to black once again.
He said softly, "The mistakes Rasa committed have nothing to do with you. So you don't need to worry about receiving any punishment."
"I'll pass down an order. From now on, no one will block your door and shout insults like today again. Just live your lives well."
Hearing Yuzuru's words, Kankuro burst into tears of joy.
He knelt down and knocked his head against the floor, shouting loudly, "Thank you, Lord Yuzuru! Thank you, Lord Yuzuru!"
Temari, however, looked conflicted, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't bring herself to.
Yuzuru said calmly, "Temari, do you have something else you want to say?"
Temari hesitated for a moment, then finally clenched her teeth and said, "Lord Yuzuru, could you take us away from the Hidden Sand Village?"
Yuzuru raised an eyebrow in surprise and asked curiously, "You want to come with me?"
Temari nodded and did not hide her thoughts.
"Father did so many wrong things in the Hidden Sand Village. It will be difficult for us to keep living there."
"As long as you're willing to take us back to Konoha, we are willing to pledge our lives and serve you to the death!"
Those words surprised Yuzuru slightly.
For a young girl to think through so many things in such a short time—Temari really did seem to be the type with strategic intelligence.
If she were brought back and properly trained, her future potential likely wouldn't be any worse than Mabuma's.
And Kankuro's proficiency with puppet techniques was also quite high. He could serve as Sasori's assistant.
Talents of the research type—no matter how many there were, it would never be too many.
Thinking this, Yuzuru said softly, "Then go pack your things. When I leave, I'll take you with me."
Hearing this, excitement immediately appeared on Temari's face.
She hadn't expected that a proposal she held almost no hope for would actually be accepted.
"Lord Yuzuru, you saved us from the depths of suffering. From now on, we will obey your every command and devote everything we have to serving you!"
Yuzuru waved his hand.
"Alright. I still have something to do, so I'll be leaving first."
After speaking, he tossed down a money pouch and activated Kamui, disappearing from the room.
After he left, Temari could no longer hold herself together and collapsed onto the floor.
Her eyes reddened slightly as she looked at Kankuro.
"Kankuro, from now on we can start a new life."
"You must remember this kindness forever. Do you understand?"
Kankuro nodded vigorously.
"I understand, big sister."
"Go pack your things."
"Yes!"
Watching Kankuro return to his room, Temari suddenly felt that the sunlight had never been so bright.
Everything that had happened today felt almost like a dream.
Lord Yuzuru...
He really did seem to be just as extraordinary as the rumors said.
————
————
In the blink of an eye, a month passed.
With Yuzuru's help, the entire Land of Wind finally completed its transfer of power.
Those unwilling to cooperate obediently had already disappeared completely.
Meanwhile, the plan known as the "Great Shinobi World Infrastructure Project" had already begun unfolding smoothly within the Land of Wind.
After the Lightning-Fire Allied Army withdrew, Pakura temporarily remained in the Hidden Sand Village.
Yuzuru, on the other hand, brought Temari and Kankuro back to Konoha.
Walking through the streets of Konoha, both Temari and Kankuro had expressions filled with curiosity.
Having grown up in the Hidden Sand Village, they had never imagined that the outside world could be so prosperous.
Everything before their eyes was so wonderful that they had never even dreamed of such a scene.
Seeing that it was already close to noon, Yuzuru brought Temari and Kankuro to Ichiraku Ramen.
The shop was packed, every seat occupied, and diners chatted loudly while eating.
"Did you all hear? This time Lord Yuzuru returned in triumph. Now even the Land of Wind has become Lord Yuzuru's territory."
"Lord Yuzuru's martial fortune is unstoppable. He's already taken control of more than half of the Shinobi World."
"That's incredible. I feel like I might actually live long enough to see the day the Shinobi World becomes unified."
"This achievement has already surpassed even Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, who once ended the Warring States era."
Amid the discussions, someone suddenly lowered their voice and said,
"I heard that in order to revive the Uchiha clan, Lord Yuzuru is leading by example and has already married ten wives. If my daughter could catch Lord Yuzuru's eye, that would be perfect."
"Stop dreaming in broad daylight. Even if something like that happened, why would it be your daughter? My twin daughters are far more attractive than yours."
Hearing their conversation, Ayame beside them couldn't take it anymore.
She placed her hands on her hips and scolded, "What kind of person do you think Lord Yuzuru is? He's not the kind of frivolous man you're describing."
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter.
"That's exactly the same expression my daughter makes whenever she talks about Lord Yuzuru."
"Hahaha… Ayame, actually you want to marry Lord Yuzuru too, don't you?"
"This is our fault. We forgot to include Ayame just now."
This time, however, Ayame didn't argue with the customers like usual. Instead, her expression suddenly became a little flustered.
She recognized the man who had just walked in through the door.
It was Lord Yuzuru—the same one who had used a Transformation Technique when he came to eat with Yūhi Kurenai last time.