Driven by the tragic deaths of her son and daughter-in-law, Chiyo's hatred for Sakumo Hatake had reached an unparalleled level.
Hattori surmised that this profound resentment was what fueled Chiyo's intense involvement in the war against Konoha. As a senior advisor of the Sand Village, her stance practically represented the village's own.
Thus, if one hoped to avoid war or even to foster an alliance between Sand and Konoha, the first obstacle to overcome would be Chiyo herself.
But that wasn't easy, which is why Hattori had informed her of Sakumo's death, hoping it would ease her anger.
Yet, Hattori wasn't certain if this would even work.
Seeing Chiyo's stunned expression, Hattori and the others remained silent.
After a long time, Chiyo finally came to her senses. Her gaze turned to Hattori, her voice raspy.
"Is it confirmed? Is Konoha's White Fang really dead?"
"It's confirmed!"
Hattori nodded firmly at Chiyo's question.
"During an important mission, Sakumo Hatake chose to abandon the mission to protect his teammates, resulting in significant losses for Konoha. Because of this, the whole village condemned him, even those he saved blamed him. Unable to bear the immense pressure, he committed suicide."
"Suicide?" Ebizō, who was listening nearby, looked shocked. "Are you saying that Sakumo Hatake took his own life?"
"Yes, it was suicide."
Seeing Ebizō and others' shocked expressions, Hattori nodded again, turning his gaze back to Chiyo.
"To be exact, he died in disgrace. It's no secret in Konoha, but most Konoha ninjas see it as a shameful event, so they rarely mention it."
"Konoha's White Fang, defeated by disgrace and suicide…"
Ebizō couldn't help but sigh at Sakumo's end, while Chiyo beside him fell back into a long silence.
Seeing this, Ebizō gestured to Rasa and the others, signaling that they could leave the room.
The others respectfully bowed and exited.
After everyone had left, Ebizō quietly said to Chiyo, "Sister, White Fang is dead. You've avenged them—you should be happy now!"
"Happy?"
Chiyo gave a bitter smile and shook her head, clearly disagreeing with Ebizō's sentiment. Without explanation, she turned toward Hattori and waved him over.
"Hattori, come here."
"Oh!" Hattori immediately approached, bowing respectfully. "Teacher!"
"Good child."
Chiyo's face softened as she gently patted his head.
"The news you've brought is important for the Sand Village. Thank you on behalf of everyone. But I imagine there's more you want to say, isn't there? Go ahead; we're alone here."
"Well…"
Encouraged by Chiyo's words and look, Hattori gathered his thoughts before finally speaking.
"Teacher, based on my recent observations, I think if we go to war with Konoha, even if we win, the price will be catastrophic. That's why I hope Sand Village and Konoha… can negotiate for peace."
Though he wished to suggest an alliance, he held back, opting instead for "peace negotiation."
"Hmm?"
Chiyo's brow furrowed at Hattori's words. She neither agreed nor disagreed but looked to Ebizō.
Smiling, Ebizō nodded at Hattori.
"Go on; tell us your full thoughts!"
"Yes!"
With permission, Hattori continued.
"I believe that what can be achieved at negotiation table can help Sunagakure. Even someone as powerful as Hashirama Senju negotiated with our First Kazekage and achieved benefits for us, didn't he?"
At the mention of the First Kazekage, a faint smile tugged at Chiyo's lips, but then she shook her head.
"No. Although Hashirama made promises, Madara Uchiha later dismissed them, and the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, pretended not to hear, never intending to fulfill Hashirama's promises."
A flicker of memory passed through her eyes.
"On his deathbed, First Kazekage told me never to trust Konoha; their words were unreliable!"
"Uh…"
Hattori hadn't expected to hear this piece of history, and he was momentarily stunned.
After a moment, he couldn't resist asking Chiyo.
"Teacher, how do you know this? Were you close to the First Kazekage?"
"Hahaha…"
Before Chiyo could respond, Ebizō burst into laughter and pointed at Hattori.
"You didn't know? My sister is the wife of the First Kazekage!"
"What?"
Hattori's eyes widened in shock as he looked at Chiyo in disbelief.
"Teacher, you're really married to the First Kazekage, Reto?"
"Yes."
Chiyo smiled and nodded at his shocked expression.
"It's normal that you didn't know; most of the younger generation in the village doesn't. But that doesn't matter—just remember, Konoha can't be trusted."
"Uh…"
With Chiyo's confirmation, Hattori finally understood a mystery that had long puzzled him—
Why Chiyo had such a high status in the Sand Village, and why Sasori had faced no consequences for assassinating the Third Kazekage before his defection.
The answer lay in the First Kazekage.
As his wife, Chiyo's status was comparable to that of Mito Uzumaki in Konoha. And Sasori, being the First Kazekage's grandson, was like Konoha's Tsunade.
Third Kazekage likely considered this. And as the "strongest Kazekage," he was likely confident in his own strength, not taking Sasori's assassination attempt seriously.
Perhaps this overconfidence was what led to his downfall.
After all, it's hard to escape unscathed from an ambush by someone who knows you well—especially when they're a poison master.
Hattori suspected that the poison Sasori used to kill Komushi might have been specially concocted for the Third Kazekage, with Komushi merely an incidental casualty.
The thought made him even more wary of Sasori.
"This guy is too dangerous. I'll need to be extremely cautious if I ever encounter him."
Chiyo, unaware of Hattori's thoughts, saw his wary look and assumed he'd taken her words to heart. She nodded approvingly.
"Konoha can't be trusted; even if we make peace, it'll be meaningless. Rather than constantly defending against them, it's better to defeat them, no matter the cost. That has been the wish of all the Kazekages."
Hattori: ╭(°A°`)╮
So, after all that, we're still going to war with Konoha?
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