"Gaara, you do not need to be tense."
After the two spent a few quiet minutes in the office, during which Shiraishi quickly signed and approved several documents, he put down his pen and spoke softly.
Gaara shook his head: "It is just that the Chunin Exams have only recently finished, and I have not fully adapted yet."
Hearing Gaara's explanation, Shiraishi felt a bit surprised: "You and Aoki Shigeru are both Suna's most important future sparks. Although proper competition is a good thing, you must not let it harm the bond between you."
Shiraishi smiled kindly as he spoke. Since the battle between Gaara and Aoki Shigeru ended, Gaara had seemed gloomy and unhappy. Shiraishi assumed he was holding a grudge over his defeat, so he wanted to have a proper talk with him.
Although Rasa had held many conflicts and grudges against him in the past, out of respect for Yashamaru and Karura, Shiraishi's care for Gaara over the years was no less than his care for Tomoko and Shigeru. However, Gaara felt a bit strange today.
Perhaps winning and losing have become very important to him as well?
"I understand. Everything is for the development of the village."
Although Gaara tried his best to restrain himself, Shiraishi still noticed a slight strangeness in his speech.
This little guy seems to have matured quite a lot.
Even though he tried his best to copy his usual self, Gaara—who had become the Kazekage in another timeline—still carried a subtly different aura from the current Gaara.
Initially, Shiraishi had only kept Gaara behind for some casual small talk, but the longer they conversed, the stranger Gaara's state felt.
"The village indeed needs the support of the younger generation like you. Just like the Third Hokage, I too will eventually grow old. Suna needs stronger people to support its future. I do not wish for Suna to walk down Konoha's old path."
Shiraishi was currently only thirty-two years old, in the prime of his strength. Therefore, he hoped to complete the plan to unify the ninja world as quickly as possible while his strength remained at its peak. If things were delayed, too many variables might arise.
As for those even stronger enemies in the future, that would probably be a headache for Aoki Shigeru and the others to handle.
What Shiraishi needed to do was complete the tasks of his own era and remove certain hidden dangers.
Gaara naturally understood the meaning behind Shiraishi's words. However, he did not say much. After bowing, he turned around and left the room.
Watching Gaara's departing back, Shiraishi's eyes filled with thought. His fingers unconsciously tapped on the desk, creating a rhythmic clicking sound.
It feels similar yet different...But it doesn't seem to pose a major threat for now. Let us simply observe.
A few days later, on the eastern continent where the Land of Demons was located.
With the destruction of Yomi and his Ghost Army, the Land of Demons had regained its usual peace. However, along its northern coastline, an elite team from the Cloud Village was moving rapidly across the northern border.
The wind blew fiercely as several figures continuously flickered through the forest. These ninjas, wearing Cloud headbands, were traveling rapidly to the final battlefield of the Ghost Army to investigate intelligence.
Of course, they had another task: to capture the Shrine Maiden of the Land of Demons, Shion, and question her about Kikyo's whereabouts.
Yugito Nii, the Cloud Jonin executing this mission, had long, straight, beige hair that was usually tied into a long braid reaching down to her waist. She had large eyes and a proud expression with a slight queenly aura, making her the most beautiful woman in the Cloud Village.
Therefore, throughout this journey, except for Hagoromo Mato, the other Jonin protected this queenly figure like stars surrounding the moon. However, she seemed a bit impatient and did not like these people crowding around her.
On the other hand, Hagoromo Mato, who remained quiet and silent at the side, caught her strong interest instead.
She had been teamed up with Hagoromo Mato for some time, but this guy rarely spoke a single extra word outside of his daily training. Facing such a training monster, Yugito actually enjoyed initiating conversations with him whenever she could.
"Mato-kun, what do you think about the strength of the Land of Demons' Shrine Maiden?"
According to intelligence, the Shrine Maiden of the Land of Demons was very strong. At the very least, ordinary Cloud Jonin had been instantly killed by her.
She was highly skilled in close combat and barrier techniques, and could even manipulate azure flames. Combined with her unique purification ability, she had directly wiped out the Ghost Army.
"We still need further investigation..."
After Hagoromo Mato spoke, the other Jonin expressed their own opinions. Some felt the Shrine Maiden's strength wasn't worth mentioning.
After all, this was the era of ninjas; if shrine maidens and yin-yang masters were truly that powerful, they wouldn't have been phased out by the history of the ninja continent.
They simply viewed the fallen Jonin as useless trash.
Furthermore, the appearance of the azure flames was highly likely a deceptive setup arranged by the Fifth Kazekage, who might have sent a powerful female Jonin to pose as a shrine maiden to disrupt the Cloud Village's investigation.
While the group was chatting, Yugito's expression changed suddenly. Her hands quickly formed the release hand seal: "Prepare to form a battle formation!"
Along with her words, the surrounding scenery shifted rapidly, causing the faces of the several Jonin to twist in shock.
Were they caught in a genjutsu?
It turned out that right at that moment, the Two-Tails Matatabi inside Yugito's body had issued a warning. Several powerful chakra signatures had appeared in the vicinity and had just cast a genjutsu to keep them running in circles on the spot.
Having a Tailed Beast inside a Jinchuriki is truly convenient; it can easily break genjutsu...
Uzumaki Tomoko felt a bit helpless. She had activated her Byakugan mode and wanted to use genjutsu to guide them successfully into a trap. She hadn't expected the Tailed Beast inside this Jinchuriki to react so quickly, instantly breaking her carefully prepared genjutsu.
As for Aoki Shigeru, he had never expected this genjutsu to accomplish anything in the first place.
Sensing the enemies' appearance, Hagoromo Mato reacted swiftly. He spun the staff in his hand, rapidly forming an electromagnetic defensive barrier that protected everyone in their perimeter.
Seeing Hagoromo Mato take action, Yugito revealed a slight smile. However, Mato ignored her gaze once again, standing ready in the center like a machine with his staff held tightly.
This guy is just a block of wood!
For a moment, for some unknown reason, Yugito felt a bit unhappy. Though she did not know who had appeared, her mouth quickly spat out countless blue fireballs, blasting toward the direction of the chakra signatures.
Fire Rat Robe!(Hinomizuchi)
This was a technique that shot mouse-shaped fireballs from the mouth, which could split into a massive number of tracking fire projectiles.
Water Release: Water Array Wall!
As a ninja highly skilled in Water Release, Aoki Shigeru rapidly formed hand seals to create a massive swirling vortex of water, blocking Yugito's attack. However, this also exposed their coordinates.
Cat Claw!
The Two-Tails Jinchuriki took the lead, her hand transforming into a sharp claw that rapidly slashed toward the position of the water wall. The moment her strike fell, a sky-spanning sea of white bones emerged from every direction, forcefully blocking the claw attack.
"Suna ninjas? And a few brats?"
Yugito let out a cold shout and quickly used a Body Flicker to retreat several steps. She stared warily at the suddenly appearing Suna ninjas, considering a very serious problem in her mind.
Why had their Cloud team's mission to the Land of Demons leaked? One must know that their mission was only reported to the Raikage himself. Even the head of the Raikage's Anbu did not know what their mission objective was this time. Why had Suna ninjas appeared here?
Could it be just a coincidence?
Just as she regained her focus, a red-haired young man slowly drifted down from high above. The powerful spiritual energy light condensed on his palm caused the expression of the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Yugito Nii, to shift drastically.
The Uzumaki clan Jonin? Oh no, their target is me!
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