Ochre-colored houses were scattered in an orderly fashion, the streets were clean and tidy, and soft yellow sand drifted gently.
On this peaceful afternoon, Shiratori Chichao, a seemingly mischievous little girl with a curious mind, secretly slipped out of her house, despite Aihara Keiko's dissuasion, and wandered aimlessly down the street.
Her small mouth was slightly pouted, and her gaze roamed among the surrounding small shops, looking somewhat bored.
Gaara had gone to train today, leaving her alone with nothing to do. She had planned to do something bad today to advance her progress, but found that everyone was staying indoors, which she found a bit unexpected.
Looking up at the scorching sun, she couldn't help but recall the terrible sandstorm from last night. If the Membrane Card hadn't reminded her, she would have almost thought it was just a nightmare.
Her thoughts drifted back to reality. She looked around; this village was nothing but yellow sand. She wanted to damage some public property, but there wasn't even a basic trash can here!
Chizhao, like a deflated ball, wandered aimlessly through the streets. After prolonged exposure to the scorching sun, she gradually began to feel dizzy.
Suddenly, her foot missed a step, and she stumbled, falling down the stairs.
The back she had injured yesterday collecting the sandstorm now throbbed with intense pain from the violent impact.
She rolled onto the hot sand, and through her blurred vision, she saw a figure quickly approaching her.
Finally, amidst severe dizziness, she lost consciousness.
Comfortable temperature, a soft small bed. If it weren't for the pungent smell of disinfectant, Chizhao would have thought she was comfortably lying at home right now.
Slowly opening her eyes, she saw an unfamiliar ceiling through her hazy vision.
"Are you awake already?"
A slightly hoarse female voice sounded from beside her. Chizhao slowly turned her head, her gaze gradually focusing on the face of the person in front of her.
It was a familiar old woman with light purple hair, looking somewhat kind.
"Why is a child on the street on such a hot day? You've gotten sunstroke," the old woman said with a mix of concern and reproach.
In her still-unclear mind, Chizhao tried hard to recall the name of the person in front of her.
"Granny Chiyo, the child's medicine is here."
"Okay, thank you for your trouble."
The Nurse who handed over the medicine called out her name, which was also the name Chizhao was trying to remember.
That's right, Granny Chiyo! The one who saved Gaara and eventually sacrificed herself!
Instantly, Chizhao's muddled head cleared up considerably.
"Drink this medicine first."
After the Nurse left, Chiyo handed over the medicine. Chizhao moved slightly, and a sharp pain shot through her back. Accidentally, she knocked over the herbal medicine in Chiyo's hand.
"My back, it hurts so much!"
Chiyo disregarded the spilled medicine and carefully turned Chizhao over. Lifting her clothes, she frowned deeply.
A large bruise appeared before her eyes, apparently formed from a violent impact.
"Good child, don't move. I'll treat you first."
With that, she gathered Chakra in her hands and covered the bruise.
Chizhao clearly felt the pain lessen and gradually relaxed.
"Thank you, Granny Chiyo, and I'm sorry I spilled the medicine."
Chizhao lay on the pillow, speaking with a little difficulty as her chest was pressed down.
"It's alright, don't speak for now. You'll be fine in a moment."
Chiyo concentrated on gathering Chakra. At this moment, Chizhao realized this was a good opportunity to acquire Medical Ninjutsu!
This was Granny Chiyo, one of Sunagakure's few excellent Medical Ninja! If she could obtain this healing Ninjutsu, wouldn't she have a self-healing ability?
Thinking of this, Chizhao's heart became even more excited.
She quietly let her hand, out of Chiyo's sight, hang over the side of the bed. A transparent Membrane Card slipped from her sleeve, held between her two fingers. With a flick of her wrist, she gently threw the Membrane Card from under the bed.
Thus, the Membrane Card silently appeared behind Chiyo, emitting a faint glow.
Chiyo felt the Chakra in her hand slowly disappearing, and a puzzled expression appeared on her face.
"My name is Shiratori Chichao. I only recently arrived in Sunagakure."
Chizhao quickly diverted Chiyo's attention to prevent her from noticing anything.
Hearing this, Chiyo's gaze lingered on her profile again: "I think I've heard of you. Are you... Aihara Keiko's granddaughter?"
"Yes, I hope you won't tell Grandma Huizi about my back. I only injured it when I was playing with Gaara..."
Upon hearing the name 'Gaara,' Chiyo's eyes became serious: "Did Gaara hurt you?"
Hearing this, Chizhao's tone became a little agitated: "Of course not! I accidentally bumped into something myself. Gaara... probably doesn't know about this yet. Please don't tell him, Granny Chiyo. I'm afraid he'll worry."
After speaking, Chizhao glanced at the Membrane Card that had already formed above, and hooked her dangling fingers.
The Membrane Card then silently avoided Chiyo's line of sight and returned to her hand from under the bed.
It was only then that Chiyo recalled the strange anomaly with her Chakra earlier. When she tried to sense it carefully again, that strange feeling had long since disappeared.
Chiyo quietly sighed in her heart: Is it because I haven't been resting well lately?
Immediately after, Chiyo resumed her conversation with the girl: "You truly are a gentle child, but don't worry, you'll be healed in a moment."
"Thank you, Granny Chiyo!"
Under Chiyo's treatment, Chizhao soon felt no pain at all. She happily sat up and stretched.
Of course, she was also happy to have obtained the healing Ninjutsu!
The Nurse brought new medicine, and Chizhao endured the bitterness, gulping down the liquid.
It almost made her vomit; it was even more bitter than traditional Chinese medicine!
"Next time, you must be careful and don't stay in the sun for too long. The desert sun isn't so gentle."
"I understand, Granny Chiyo."
Granny Chiyo smiled and walked out of the room. The moment her back was turned, her expression became solemn again.
She stood outside the hospital, looking at the scorching sun above, and slowly walked towards the training ground.
After a night of storm, the outdoor temperature had reached its peak. Chiyo hadn't expected Rasa to still have the children training intensely in such high heat.
As a Medical Ninja, she couldn't help but feel worried.
Arriving at the training ground, she saw Temari and Gaara, drenched in sweat. In a trance, she saw her own runaway grandson, and her heart immediately felt heavy.
"Granny Chiyo, is there something you need?"
Rasa still held some respect for an old cadre like Chiyo. His previously leaning posture straightened up.
"Can't an old woman come if there's nothing wrong?"
Chiyo stood beside Rasa, hands behind her back, watching Gaara manipulate the sand with some difficulty. She slowly began, "Is he still unable to control Shukaku within him very well?"
"Currently, it's unclear, but I've already sped up the process. If he can't control it, the Anbu will handle it."
Chiyo glanced at Rasa beside her, finding no emotional fluctuations on his face, as if the subject of life and death he was deciding was merely an ant.
But no one would believe that this 'ant' was his own flesh and blood.
"However, an uncontrollable factor has appeared around Gaara."
Rasa frowned, recalling the outspoken girl from yesterday: "If it's her, the emotional impact on Shukaku might be even greater. I will make corresponding adjustments to the plan, and it will proceed on schedule."
The two silently watched the children's fight. Suddenly, Gaara lost control of his strength and knocked the exhausted Temari unconscious with sand.
Seeing this, Rasa instantly leaped up and picked Temari up from the ground.
Gaara, filled with self-reproach, wanted to go check on his sister's injuries but was stopped by a look from Rasa.
Rasa, holding Temari, issued an order to those around him: "Training ends here."
He then turned and left with Temari without looking back. After everyone else had dispersed, only Gaara remained, sitting alone in the center of the training ground.
After an unknown amount of time, Yashamaru arrived upon hearing the news and led the tearful Gaara away from the scene.