Yuji's home was located on the outskirts of Sunagakure.
Like most buildings in the village, it had the familiar rounded shape, resembling a structure molded from packed sand.
He hadn't been back for several months, and a thin layer of dust covered the front door.
Yuji unlocked it and stepped inside.
The moment he saw the familiar room, he let himself fall onto the bed with a soft thud.
His home was small, just a simple one-bedroom apartment.
This was standard housing for most ordinary ninja in the Hidden Sand Village.
On the living room wall hung two framed memorial portraits.
They were his parents.
The Great Ninja War had turned countless children in the village into orphans.
Although Yuji was a transmigrator, the loss had still weighed heavily on him for a time. But he understood there was nothing he could have done to stop it.
He had only hoped they might survive until the end.
In the end…
They had died young.
For ordinary ninja, the chances of surviving the battlefield were painfully low.
This border mission had made Yuji realize that truth more clearly than ever.
After lying there for a while, he was about to get up and see if there was anything to eat when a knock sounded at the door.
Yuji opened it and found Chiyo standing outside.
"Grandmother Chiyo," he greeted with a smile.
"Yuji, am I disturbing you?" she asked gently.
"Not at all. Please, come in."
Yuji stepped aside and gestured for her to enter.
He then hurriedly began tidying up the cluttered room, looking slightly embarrassed.
Since his parents' deaths, he had been living alone. He hadn't exactly neglected the place, but things were scattered everywhere, and the unmade bed made the room look untidy. His academy instructor would occasionally visit and help him clean, but within days, it would return to its usual state.
Chiyo didn't mind.
In her eyes, Yuji was still just a child.
Losing his parents at such a young age was painful enough. It was only natural that he didn't know how to manage everything on his own.
"Your father, Haruto, and your mother, Rika… they were both wonderful people," Chiyo said softly as she looked at the memorial portraits. "It's truly a pity."
"Grandmother Chiyo, you didn't come just to see me, did you?" Yuji asked with a small chuckle as he walked into the kitchen to boil some water.
"I came to talk about Sasori."
Yuji paused slightly.
"Sasori? Did something happen? He seems to be doing well," Yuji said calmly, though he already had an idea why she was here.
He had assumed she would come to speak about medical ninjutsu or puppetry.
Seeing Yuji's cheerful expression, Chiyo felt a complicated mix of emotions.
How she wished Sasori could be like this.
Despite losing his parents as well, Yuji still carried himself with warmth and optimism.
Of course, losing one's parents always left scars.
But how deeply it changed someone depended on the person.
"Arai told me a little about you two," Chiyo said with a gentle smile. "You and Sasori are very close."
"Yes," Yuji replied, sitting across from her. "We're good friends."
As he spoke, Sasori's cold gaze surfaced in his mind, especially during their time at the Amegakure border. That undisguised hostility had been impossible to miss.
Still, Yuji spoke without hesitation.
"When I saw you at the border, I noticed it too," Chiyo said quietly. "Sasori seems to care about you."
She believed it completely.
"Since his parents died, Sasori has become more and more withdrawn," she continued. "I'm grateful he was able to become friends with you."
Yuji's eyes flickered slightly.
She already knows…
Chiyo had likely sensed it long ago.
If Sasori continued down this path of darkness, he would eventually reach a point of no return.
As his grandmother, she understood him better than anyone.
And she loved him deeply.
But his heart had already closed itself off.
She simply didn't know how to reach him anymore.
"I hope you can help him, Yuji," Chiyo said softly. "Talk to him. Stay by his side. If he has a friend like you, I believe he can become better."
In that moment, the legendary kunoichi of Sunagakure, the feared master puppeteer and elder of the village, no longer looked like a figure of glory.
She was just a grandmother, worried about her grandson.
Yuji met her gaze and nodded.
"I understand."
On the surface, it looked like he had agreed to Chiyo's request. But deep down, he understood something she did not.
Sasori could no longer be changed.
Even now, Chiyo believed the root of Sasori's darkness was simply the loss of his parents.
But Yuji knew better.
What truly pushed Sasori toward the abyss was the village itself.
Its decisions, system, cold logic.
At best, Yuji might be able to alter Sasori's future path. But changing who he had already become?
That was another matter entirely.
'The worst part is, I don't yet have the power to change the will of the village,' Yuji thought quietly.
At least for now, the course of the Second Great Ninja War would unfold just as it had in the original story.
The tragedy of Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang. The forced peace talks between Sunagakure and Konoha.
And the culture of cold utility fostered under the Third Kazekage's rule.
These were the unseen forces that would drive Sasori to his fate.
But there was no easy solution.
Without peace, Sunagakure could never defeat Konoha.
And if the war dragged on, the Hidden Sand's fate would only grow worse.
Silently, Yuji rose and brewed a cup of tea for Chiyo.
The old woman spent the afternoon sharing stories of Sasori's childhood, hoping Yuji would come to understand him better.
By the time she finished, night had already fallen.
Chiyo slowly stood to leave.
Before departing, she paused and looked at Yuji once more.
"Yuji, you are a very mature child," she said gently. "Regarding the Kazekage's proposal today, whatever you decide, you may come to me. Whether it is medical ninjutsu or puppet techniques, if you wish to learn, I will teach you."
Yuji nodded.
"Yes, Grandmother Chiyo."
He bowed politely as her figure disappeared into the darkening street.
A kind elder, and yet…
Yuji's faint smile carried a trace of distance.
She was still one of the village's leaders. At her core, she was no different from the others.
She saw his value, his usefulness.
Her kindness was real, but it existed alongside that same unchanging logic.
Perhaps it wasn't just Sunagakure; perhaps all the great hidden villages were the same.
After all…
This was a world shaped by war.
Yuji thought of Hiruzen Sarutobi and the leadership of Konoha and gave a quiet shrug.
Sometimes, these leaders simply failed to maintain balance.
They pushed too far.
A while later, Yuji left his apartment and headed toward the main street.
He planned to grab dinner before returning home. Tomorrow morning, he needed to officially register his newly created ninjutsu.
He should rest early.
"Yuji!"
Just as he was about to enter a small oden shop, a voice called out from behind him.
Yuji turned.
A young girl with her hair tied into a bun ran toward him.
"Pakura," Yuji said with a warm smile.
This girl…
In the future, she would become one of Sunagakure's greatest kunoichi.
The wielder of Scorch Release. And the village's sacrifice.
She was slightly younger than both him and Sasori and was still attending the Ninja Academy.
Yuji watched her run toward him, her small face bright with energy.
His eyes softened slightly.
'Maybe I can't change Sasori's personality'
'But Sasori and Pakura…'
'I will not let their fates end in tragedy.'