Today, the sandstorm wasn't strong. In Hidden Sand Village, earthen houses made of sand and earth stood firmly on the ground.
A gentle breeze stirred up a bit of dust, and under the sunlight, these dust particles shimmered like golden gravel.
Most villagers wore white robes, walking leisurely along the roads.
Roadside stalls and shops were neatly arranged, with clear text and patterns on their signboards.
From time to time, villagers stopped to chat with vendors. The air was filled with a faint scent of sand, mixed with the aroma of food, creating a unique sense of tranquility and warmth.
Hidden Sand Village's resources were scarcer compared to other Villages, but basic necessities could still meet the daily needs of its villagers, allowing them to live peacefully and stably.
Chizhao was also captivated by the unique scenery here, her curiosity driving her to explore everything new, constantly looking around.
The two finally returned home after a winding journey. After several days of travel, Chizhao's tender face was already covered in dust and fatigue.
Seeing this, Keiko felt another pang of heartache, gently leading her to the bathroom for a good wash.
Noticing the self-reproach and heartache in Keiko's eyes, Chizhao softly comforted her.
"Grandma, don't worry, I'm fine."
In her previous life, she lost her mother at a young age and couldn't endure the pain of violence, so she went to live with her Grandma, enduring a difficult life. Years later, her Grandma, who was gravely ill, passed away.
Her scoundrel father then used her name to accrue gambling debts, leading to her being beaten, scolded, and hounded by thugs from society every day.
Those dark days left an indelible painful memory in her life.
Now that she could start over, and live with her Grandma again, it was a form of compensation for her in another sense.
Keiko smiled, masking her sadness, and quickly changed the subject, pointing to a nearby table:
"Oh, right, I found some things in your clothes, and this turtle... Is it your friend?"
She had almost forgotten about Little Wang. Since entering the desert, it had been in this state.
"Yes... I think so. But it's currently in hibernation, Grandma doesn't need to worry about it..."
After washing up, Keiko dressed Chizhao in the clean clothes she had prepared earlier. Chizhao finally transformed back into the adorable, clean little girl she once was.
Looking at her dark short hair and a pair of bright, luminous green eyes in the mirror, she nodded in satisfaction.
In the dining room, fragrant food filled the table. Chizhao, who had only been able to gnaw on dumplings for days, her eyes sparkled, and drool almost dripped from her mouth.
"You must be starving after the journey, quickly try Grandma's cooking..."
Before Keiko could finish, Chizhao began to devour the food, her mouth full, her eyes wide with wonder, giving a thumbs-up and praising indistinctly:
"It's so delicious!"
"Eat slowly, there's plenty more..."
Keiko watched Chizhao, who was frantically eating, with a helpless smile. Seeing her granddaughter so energetic, she felt relieved.
After eating her fill, Chizhao patted her round belly and let out a satisfied burp.
It had been so long since she had eaten such delicious food, even better than anything she had in her previous life!
Suddenly, a thought flashed in Chizhao's mind, an important matter, which was...
"Oh, Grandma! Do you know Gaara?"
That's right, she had completely forgotten about Gaara!
Keiko, who was clearing the dishes, paused. She hadn't expected Chizhao to ask about Gaara, and was a little puzzled:
"Chizhao, how do you know about Gaara?"
"Uh... I just overheard other children talking about him on the way..."
"Is that so? Anyway, that child is a bit dangerous, it's better not to get too close... It wouldn't be good if you got hurt..."
Chizhao's heart sank.
Even such a gentle Grandma Huizi had this kind of opinion of Gaara... Let alone the other people in the Village...
Thinking of this, a pang of sadness rose in Chizhao's heart.
With his memories from his previous life, he could deeply understand Gaara's feelings.
Loneliness, helplessness, ostracism.
All of this weighing on a young child, how cruel it must be.
But Gaara, you don't have to pretend to be strong by yourself anymore, because now your strength, she has arrived!
"Hey! Chizhao, where are you going?!"
"Grandma, I'm going out to get familiar with the Village..."
Chizhao's voice gradually faded as she left.
Keiko looked at the open door and smiled helplessly.
She quietly sighed, her tense shoulders relaxing.
Yui, please bless this child to remain happy and carefree forever.
.......
In the Kazekage's office, Rasa sat in his chair, his gaze piercing through the window, observing everything in the Village.
Just then, a knock came from the office door behind him, followed by a young man's voice: "Kazekage-sama, Jiraiya-sama from Konoha Village has arrived."
"Let him in."
Rasa turned his chair, looking at the newcomer expressionlessly.
"Yo, long time no see, Rasa."
Jiraiya still maintained his relaxed and casual demeanor, greeting Rasa as if they were old friends.
"Hmph! No need for pleasantries, get straight to the point. Why are you in Sunagakure?"
Rasa completely ignored Jiraiya's friendly gesture, crossing his arms, his expression cold.
"Why am I here? You should know that the Shiratori Clan was annihilated, right? I merely accepted Yui's request to escort someone to Sunagakure, nothing more."
"Then do you know who killed their clan?"
Jiraiya's eyes flickered slightly: "I don't know. But since you ask that, it seems there's more to it?"
Rasa, caught in a loophole, frowned, realizing that Jiraiya's sensitivity to information was surprisingly high; he had been careless.
Then Rasa simply stood up, looking directly at the other party, his tone frank.
"Currently, there's no definite information, but Yui was one of our dispatched personnel. I suspect someone wants to disrupt the balance between us and the surrounding countries."
Jiraiya, of course, understood Rasa's implied meaning. His coincidental appearance there indeed made him a bit suspicious.
"Don't worry, if it really was us, I wouldn't need to safely return the Shiratori family's bloodline. What's more, this little brat is my disciple now, hahahaha."
Rasa snorted, indicating his complete indifference to whether he took on a disciple or not.
"However..." Jiraiya's tone shifted, and he looked at Rasa with a serious expression, the atmosphere in the room suddenly becoming heavy: "I still suggest you strengthen the patrols around the Village."
"No need for you to worry."
"Then if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave. I'll be departing Sunagakure tomorrow."
After saying this, Jiraiya, clacking his wooden clogs, leisurely walked out of the office.
In the vast office, only Rasa remained. He looked at the sun outside the window, a subtle hint of coldness in his eyes.
"It's time to speed things up."
......
On the streets of Hidden Sand Village, a girl was anxiously searching for something.
Inadvertently, she bumped into a passing pedestrian, and the food in her basket scattered across the ground.
Chizhao immediately reacted, instinctively apologizing to the person, and quickly picked up the scattered food, placing each item back into the basket.
At this moment, Little Wang's voice sounded in her mind:
【Good deed progress +1】
【Little Wang?】
【I'm here~】
【How did you end up living in my head like a system?】
【I don't belong to this world, so the turtle form can't last long, but I can remind you of your progress in your consciousness.】
Chizhao placed the last item of food back into the basket, her heart a mix of emotions.
Just helping to pick up things could increase progress; she couldn't imagine what would happen if she helped an old lady cross the road.
It seemed she had to be more careful when doing good deeds in the future. She didn't want Jiraiya to disappear because of her.
"I'm so sorry, these are your things. I'm leaving now, bye-bye!"
Chizhao didn't even lift her head, quickly returning the items to the person, and then ran off in a flash.
Hidden Sand Village, though not too large, was still big enough to get lost in.
After several turns, she still hadn't seen that familiar red figure.
The afternoon sun was scorching, and Chizhao, drenched in sweat, leaned against a large tree to rest.
Gaara, where are you...?
"Monster!"
"Get out! Don't come near!"
Suddenly, a sensitive word from not far away pierced Chizhao's ears, and instantly the detector in her mind locked onto the direction.
Without even thinking, who else in this Village could be maliciously called a monster, besides that red-haired boy who yearned for love?
Chizhao scrambled up from the ground and jogged in the direction of the voices.
From afar, she saw a red-haired boy, clutching a ball, standing in place with a wronged expression, like a child who had done something wrong.
Opposite him were three boys who were shouting 'monster' and picking up stones from the ground to throw at him.
Fortunately, the stones thrown were blocked by the sand surrounding him, so he did not suffer any actual harm.
Seeing this, Chizhao was filled with anger and was about to go forward to argue, but then she reconsidered, feeling it would be too easy on them. It would be better to be a 'bad guy' and beat them up.
Just the right way to increase her 'bad deed' progress and save up some hardened film.
I'm truly a genius!