Chiyo, now over seventy years old, could be said to have truly devoted her entire life to Sunagakure. She never expected that, in the final countdown of her life, she would have to end it in this way.
Yet there was no sorrow in her heart — only calm acceptance. She believed that sacrificing herself in exchange for Gaara's rebirth was worth it.
Chiyo let out a soft breath and said to Carl,
"I've made my decision. Rather than rot away, I would rather become nourishment for new leaves."
"No!"
Unexpectedly, before Carl could respond, the injured Rasa lying on the ground shouted hoarsely.
It wasn't that Rasa held any special affection for Chiyo — he simply couldn't bear the loss of a Kage-level powerhouse. Sunagakure had already grown so weak it was nearly pushed out of the Five Great Ninja Villages. At such a time, the death of a Kage-level fighter would be an enormous loss.
And given the current situation, Gaara's tailed beast extraction was basically unstoppable. Even if a Jinchūriki survived after losing a tailed beast, how much value would they still have?
No matter how great Gaara's talent was, how long would it take for him to reach Kage level?
It could only be said that Sunagakure's long-standing hardship had driven the Fourth Kazekage Rasa to near madness. In his heart, the village's interests outweighed even his own son.
Carl cast Rasa a faint glance. With a slight downward motion of his hand, the cube pressing down on Rasa sank further. Already gravely wounded, Rasa coughed up another mouthful of blood, now too weak to speak.
Seeing his father's miserable state, Kankurō could no longer hold back. In fury, he attacked, releasing his puppet toward Carl.
Before the puppet could reach him, Chiyo's own puppet intercepted it. Sweating coldly, she turned and slapped Kankurō across the face.
"Idiot! Do you want Sunagakure destroyed?!"
The slap restored Kankurō's senses. His face filled with grievance as his body trembled uncontrollably.
Temari, her voice trembling with tears, said,
"Chiyo-sama… are we really going to let Sunagakure be slaughtered like this?"
Her words plunged Chiyo into silence. She sighed heavily and shook her head.
"Their power is far too great. The fact that they agreed to take only the tailed beasts and not destroy the village is already the greatest mercy."
Carl smiled.
"As expected. You're far more sensible than that stubborn old Ōnoki."
Chiyo's heart stirred. She hurriedly asked,
"My lord… you've already been to Iwagakure, haven't you? Then their Six-Tails…"
"Recovered. Along with Kirigakure's Three-Tails, and Kumogakure's Two-Tails and Eight-Tails. Feeling more balanced now?"
Chiyo gave an awkward smile, but deep shock surged in her heart. Even Rasa, lying on the ground, stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
Those three villages were all stronger than Sunagakure — even Kirigakure, weakened by the Bloody Mist era — let alone the flourishing Iwagakure and Kumogakure.
If Carl spoke the truth, Sunagakure was actually fortunate. After all, the strongest among them, Kumogakure, had lost two tailed beasts at once.
And from what Chiyo and Rasa knew of Ōnoki and A, neither would have submitted so obediently. Fierce conflict must have erupted, and the villages surely suffered heavy destruction.
At this thought, a strange trace of relief appeared on both their faces.
After all, when someone is unlucky, only someone even more unlucky can provide the greatest psychological comfort.
...
Sunagakure completely abandoned resistance.
Inside Gaara, the One-Tail Shukaku was screaming,
"Hey! Hey! Don't just hand me over like this, you fools!!"
But no one except Gaara could hear him. Gaara himself remained immersed in his recent maternal chakra manifestation, ignoring Shukaku completely.
Carl flicked his hand, tossing Gaara in front of Kaguya.
Without hesitation, she extracted Shukaku from Gaara. This time, without Carl needing to say a word, she deliberately left Gaara alive — and even left behind a small fragment of Shukaku.
When she told Carl what she had done, he looked slightly surprised.
"Hm? You left that tanuki with him?"
Startled, Kaguya thought she had made a mistake.
"My deepest apologies, Carl-sama! I will go and—"
"Ah, no need. Leaving it is fine. That tanuki is rather interesting. You did nothing wrong."
As he spoke, Carl gently stroked Kaguya's long hair.
Unlike ordinary people, Kaguya could feel the sensation through her hair. Carl's touch made her blush, and she subtly leaned closer to him.
...
The people of Sunagakure stared in stunned disbelief at Gaara, who sat there as if nothing had happened.
Kankurō and Temari rushed over, touching and examining him repeatedly. Normally, Gaara would never tolerate such closeness — yet now he showed no reaction, allowing them to squeeze his cheeks.
Carl walked up to them and looked down at the three children with a smile.
"Out of respect for your mother, I spared your life. Cherish it."
Temari and Kankurō instinctively shielded Gaara. Their action filled Gaara's heart with a long-forgotten warmth.
Carl glanced at Temari and smiled.
"Strong-willed girl. You're far stronger than most of your village's ninja."
Temari froze — she had been praised?
Even if he was the enemy, praise from such a powerful figure stirred a trace of pride in her heart.
Beside her, Kankurō blinked, thinking that he had also been quite brave — shouldn't he get some praise too?
But Carl didn't even look at him. He turned and walked away, leaving Kankurō standing there in silent disarray.
Carl lifted his hand, dispelling the cube pressing down on Rasa.
Despite having three children, none came to help him up. In the end, two slightly more perceptive Sunagakure ninja assisted the helpless Kazekage to his feet.
Meanwhile, Carl had already opened a portal with Yomotsu Hirasaka, preparing to head toward the next Jinchūriki.
Seeing him about to leave, Chiyo hurriedly bowed deeply in farewell.
Anyone unaware of the situation might have thought Carl had merely come as a guest.
-----------
+80 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg