"Let's prepare for this first. The preliminary round will be held in the forest outside the village," Zixu announced, setting things in motion. For now, he just wanted to take a break.
"But... didn't the forest get burned down?" At that moment, Karin seemed to recall something and kindly reminded Zixu.
"Ah... then we'll have to find another place. I haven't asked about this yet—what happened? Someone attacked the village?" Zixu frowned, irritation creeping into his voice.
I finally paid off my debts, and now someone's trying to rob me of my points? If I catch them, they're done for.
Hyuga Chinano then explained the details of Deidara and Sasori's attack on the village. While the overall destruction wasn't too severe, there was still some noticeable damage.
"What? Gekkō Hayate was captured by them?" Zixu narrowed his eyes, struggling to understand the enemy's logic. Was he their target from the start? Or was there another reason behind it?
"It's said that the Akatsuki have been hunting down the Tailed Beasts recently," Neji added, recalling some intelligence. "Jinchūriki from various villages have been attacked, and they've already succeeded in capturing quite a few."
"I see… That means Orochimaru is hiding more than he lets on. There's no way he just let Gekkō Hayate get taken without a reason." Zixu wasn't particularly concerned about Orochimaru's secrecy. Dealing with him is always a gamble. It's just a game between the two of us.
"Alright, I'll have to speak with the Daimyō of each nation later. But as long as I can negotiate with the Five Kage, that should be enough. Maybe I should go see the Kage first… but before that, I need some serious rest."
Zixu stretched, feeling a rare sense of relaxation. Now that he was finally debt-free, he could afford to take things easy for a while. Once the country was officially founded, any profits made by the village would earn him additional reward points—it wouldn't be a one-sided grind anymore.
"Now tell me we're not qualified to establish a nation. With all the groundwork we've laid out, there's no way we're not ready." Zixu scoffed, recalling how the system had previously denied him permission to start a village because they "had nothing." That wouldn't be a problem anymore.
"Alright, that's the plan. I'm taking a few days off. Neji, you handle the next steps. Good luck," Zixu said before pausing as another thought crossed his mind.
"What about the spies? They're the ones stirring up trouble during the conference. If they refuse to cooperate, leave them to Aburame Hatsuizumi."
Neji nodded. Over the years, their village had been infiltrated by spies, but Zixu had plenty of experience dealing with them. He immediately instructed Neji and his team to round up all the suspected spies, giving them the most exhausting and thankless jobs.
Zixu planned to dangle the illusion of promotion in front of them, assign them minor roles, and leak controlled information to make them feel important. That way, they'd unknowingly become his pawns.
"As for the tournament, let's call it the World's Strongest Martial Arts Competition. Sounds impressive, doesn't it?" Zixu grinned like a scheming businessman. "We should make sure our own people take the top spots—that way, all the rewards stay within the village."
After issuing his orders, Zixu finally left the office. He was exhausted and just wanted to sleep. Meanwhile, Aburame Hatsuizumi and the others hadn't seen each other in a while, so this would be a good time for them to reconnect.
"By the way, we need to consider the prizes too," Zixu murmured as he lay in bed, eyes half-closed. "A big enough incentive will get everyone motivated… Prizes, huh…" His thoughts trailed off as he drifted into deep sleep.
---
On the other side of the village, Gaara had no idea he was being targeted. He sat crouched, playing with sand. The gourd on his back had grown larger, with fewer cracks, and he no longer carried the hostility he had as a child.
Though he still felt somewhat isolated, it was more like the awkwardness of someone with social anxiety rather than true loneliness. He controlled the sand in the air, shaping it into kittens and puppies—not that he liked them or anything. This was just precision training. Definitely not because he thought they were cute.
Gaara glanced around nervously before forming several sand-made eyes to monitor his surroundings. Seeing no one, he pretended to whistle nonchalantly and reached out to pet the small sand animals.
"Fix the dog… fix the dog… heh," he murmured, lifting a tiny sand dog by its armpits and holding it close. His expression was one of pure satisfaction.
From a distance, Hyuga Chinano observed him with her Byakugan. She hesitated. Would it be rude to interrupt his… training?
She thought about it. If someone caught me cuddling a panda plushie at home, I'd be socially dead. Absolutely done for.
In the end, she decided to feign a cough from a distance. The sudden noise startled Gaara, making him immediately drop the sand dog. His face turned serious, and with a swift motion, he manipulated the sand into various weapons. Totally normal behavior.
"I have something to discuss with you," Hyuga Chinano said, relieved she hadn't walked in on anything embarrassing.
"I don't want to mix concrete anymore," Gaara replied flatly. "Either change my job or give me a break."
Ever since he arrived, they had been making full use of his sand manipulation by putting him to work in civil engineering projects. At this point, they were treating him like a construction worker.
"Uh… that's not what this is about," Hyuga Chinano said, resisting the urge to ask him to help build the tournament arena.
"You're aware of the recent attack on the village, right?"
"Yeah."
"The attackers were from the Akatsuki. Their target is you… or, more specifically, the Ichibi (One-Tail) inside you." Hyuga Chinano placed one hand on her hip while letting the other hang naturally, trying not to seem too imposing.
Gaara lowered his gaze. "I'm sorry for bringing trouble to the village," he said quietly.
At first, he had only seen this place as another temporary home. But over time, he had come to appreciate the people here. Now that he had a sense of belonging, he felt a responsibility to protect it.
Hyuga Chinano caught the sincerity in his expression. This could work. After spending so much time under Zixu, she had learned how to read people.
"This isn't your fault. The Akatsuki are the problem," she reassured him. "Our village has yet to demonstrate its full strength. If we do, they'll think twice before acting recklessly. That's why Zixu is organizing the World's Strongest Martial Arts Competition—to prove our power to the world."
Hyuga Chinano sighed, pausing deliberately. "The only problem is, we don't have enough participants… and the arena still needs to be built. The Earth Release users we have aren't skilled enough to—"
Gaara suddenly felt an ominous sense of déjà vu.
"…You want me to build it, don't you?"
"That's up to you," Hyuga Chinano said, smiling innocently.
Gaara sighed, already regretting asking for a new job.
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