"That image..."
His voice was somewhat raspy. "How could you know?"
Nobunaga did not answer. He just stood there as moonlight poured in through the cave entrance, falling across half of his face.
Sasori looked at him, watching for a long time.
"Your eyes... can they see the memories of others?"
Nobunaga still did not answer.
Sasori didn't ask again. He leaned against the rock wall, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
When he opened his eyes again, the trance-like state from before was gone, replaced by an emotion Sasori had never seen in himself.
It wasn't that he didn't recognize what it was; he just hadn't felt it for a very long time.
It was something distant, something foreign.
"Speak."
Leaning against the rock wall, Sasori's voice calmed down.
"What do you want me to hear?"
Nobunaga looked at him.
"Your parents died at the hands of Konoha's White Fang," Nobunaga said. "They died on the battlefield during the Second Ninja World War."
Sasori's expression changed slightly, but he didn't speak.
"Do you know why they went to the battlefield?"
Sasori's hands tightened again, his knuckles turning white.
"Because the Village needed them. Because they wanted you to live," Nobunaga took a step forward. "Did you think I came to kill you?"
He stopped three paces in front of Sasori.
"No. I came to tell you what your parents traded their lives for—"
"It was so that after they died, you could live."
"So you could grow into an adult, become strong, and protect those who remain."
Sasori lowered his head and looked at his hands.
Those hands that had crafted countless puppets were trembling.
"You hate war, you hate the Village, and you hate everyone."
"But who is it you should really hate? Is it Temari? Is it Kankuro?"
"Is it Gaara? Or is it those who hide in safety while sending others to their deaths?"
His voice deepened.
"The man who killed your parents, Konoha's White Fang, is at the border right now. At the junction of the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire. Alone. Waiting for us."
Sasori's pupils contracted slightly.
"Konoha has declared war on Kumogakure, and the Sannin have gone to the Iwagakure front."
Nobunaga said, "Kumogakure and Iwagakure have been at war for three years; they are blood rivals. But now? They've joined forces."
"Because Konoha is too strong, everyone has to fight desperately just to survive. We, who have been backed into a corner, must make a choice."
He looked at Sasori.
"You can kill to your heart's content on the battlefield."
"Use the corpses of enemies as puppets, the bodies of traitors as materials. Use those who deserve to die to do what you want. No one will stop you."
He took another step forward.
"But if you kill the Sandaime and defect,"
"You will have personally destroyed what your parents gave their lives for. You will have turned yourself into the very person you hate."
Sasori fell silent for a long time.
"That image," he suddenly spoke, his voice very soft, "I haven't thought about it for a long time."
Nobunaga did not speak.
"I thought I had forgotten."
Sasori looked up at the moonlight shining into the cave.
"Their faces, their voices... I've made so many puppets, trying to turn everything into something eternal."
"But I can barely even remember their faces anymore."
He turned his head and looked at Nobunaga.
"You made me remember again."
Nobunaga met his gaze.
"If I stay..."
Sasori said, "Can you guarantee those three children will live?"
Nobunaga stood in the moonlight.
"I can't."
He said, "No one can guarantee that. On the battlefield, anyone can die."
Sasori looked at him.
Nobunaga added, "But I can guarantee one thing: I will stand in front of them and die before they do."
Sasori was silent for a moment, and then he laughed.
This laugh was different from before.
It wasn't cold, it wasn't mocking; it was a very strange laugh.
In that smile, there was relief, bitterness, and something else Sasori couldn't quite explain himself.
He tucked the scroll away, putting it back into his robes.
"I'll stay."
Nobunaga nodded.
Sasori said, "But you owe me an explanation—about your eyes, and about the things you know."
"Later," Nobunaga said.
"Fine."
Sasori turned and walked toward the cave entrance, stepping into the night.
The cave fell silent.
Nobunaga stood there, watching the entrance.
The moonlight shone in, falling upon his face.
...
That night, when Nobunaga returned to his quarters from the Mining Area, the moon had already risen halfway into the sky.
He sat at his desk, lit an oil lamp, and spread out a map.
His fingers traced the markings:
Kumogakure, the Iwagakure defense lines, and the position of Konoha's White Fang.
He studied it for a long time, then put the map away and began writing a report. He needed to report the matter regarding Sasori to Rasa.
Footsteps came from outside the window. They were light but hurried.
He looked up.
The door was pushed open, and Temari stood at the entrance, panting.
"Teacher!"
Nobunaga put down his pen. "What is it?"
Temari walked in and sat opposite him. Her face still held the flush from running, and her hair was slightly disheveled from the night wind.
"I... I just heard that over at the border..."
"Konoha's White Fang?" Nobunaga asked.
Temari nodded. "You know already?"
"I just found out."
Temari lowered her head and asked:
"Teacher, is he... is he really that strong?"
Nobunaga was silent for a moment.
"Strong."
He said, "Konoha's White Fang is a powerhouse on the same level as the Third Hokage. The number of Jonin who have died at his hands is more than most Ninja have ever seen."
Temari's hands tightened. "Then... will he invade?"
Nobunaga looked at her.
"I don't know, but we will be prepared."
Temari looked up into his eyes. They were deep and calm, just like every other time. She suddenly felt a bit more at ease.
"Teacher."
"Yes."
"Where did you just go?"
Nobunaga did not answer.
Temari waited for a moment, and seeing that he wouldn't speak, she didn't ask further.
She stood up. "Then I'm going back. There's training tomorrow."
Nobunaga nodded.
Temari walked to the door and pulled it open. The night wind blew in, carrying the scent of sand.
She glanced back. Nobunaga sat at the desk, the light from the oil lamp falling on his face.
She suddenly remembered returning from a mission six months ago when he had draped his coat over her shoulders and said, "Go back and get some sleep."
She clutched her collar and stepped into the night. The door closed.
Nobunaga sat there, looking at the door for a long time.
...
The next day, the news spread throughout Sunagakure.
Konoha had declared war on Kumogakure and had captured five cities in succession at the Kumogakure border.
Kumogakure and Iwagakure had declared a truce and formed an alliance; the Sannin had headed to the Iwagakure front. Konoha's White Fang was guarding the border of the Land of Wind.
Every piece of news was like a stone thrown into a calm pool of water.
There were even fewer people on the streets.
More shops were closed, and the presence of Anbu Ninja became more frequent.
At the Training Ground, people were practicing from dawn until dusk every day.
Preparing for war. The entire Village was preparing for war.
Nobunaga became even busier.
The Anbu workload piled up like a mountain: intelligence analysis, personnel allocation, border patrols, and resource statistics.
From morning till night, he was in his office, facing those scrolls and maps.
Temari came to see him a few times.
The first time, she brought a pot of water. She placed it on the desk, said "You're working hard, Teacher," and then left.
The second time, she brought some dry rations. She placed them on the desk, stood for a moment, and then left.
The third time, she brought nothing.
She just stood at the door for a while, watching him look at the map under the lamp, then quietly closed the door and left.
Nobunaga knew she was there.
But he didn't look up, because he didn't know what to say.
Every dream simulation world was different from the real world; the first time it was the Third Mizukage and Fourth Mizukage.
This time, it was an undamaged, peak-version Konoha that had been biding its time and developing without the outbreak of the Third Great War.
The pressure this behemoth exerted on the Ninja World was simply too immense.