A disheveled person lay on a disheveled bed, their disheveled little mouth muttering disheveled words, smacking their lips a few times, then turning over and finally falling onto the disheveled floor.
“Ow, that hurts.”
Chizhao sat up from the floor in pain, squinting her eyes at the window.
The sunlight already filled the land. Usually, Keiko would come to wake her up at this time, but today was an exception.
She let out a big yawn, struggled to her feet, quickly changed her clothes, and headed downstairs.
“Did Kazekage-sama really say that?”
“Keiko-sama, I know leaving Hidden Sand Village is a difficult decision for you, but Kazekage-sama’s order has been given... For the future of the Village, we have no other choice.”
Keiko's voice and a stranger's voice came from the living room. Chizhao poked her head out curiously.
She saw a Sunagakure Ninja talking to Grandma Huizi, and combining it with what she had just heard, she immediately felt a sense of unease.
“Grandma, what are you two talking about?”
Chizhao walked into the living room, her tone full of innocence.
The Sunagakure Ninja and Keiko exchanged glances and nodded slightly.
Keiko squatted down, gently took Chizhao's small hand, and showed a troubled expression on her face: “We are leaving Hidden Sand Village.”
Chizhao immediately became alert and quickly asked, “Why?”
“Because... this is Kazekage-sama’s order.”
Hearing that it was Rasa’s intention, Chizhao probably knew what he wanted to do. Gaara’s face flashed through her mind, and a strange emotion welled up in her heart.
“Grandma, I’m going out for a bit.”
Chizhao eagerly rushed to the door, but just as her hand was about to touch the doorknob, it was mercilessly slapped away.
She looked up to see the Sunagakure Ninja standing in front of her, looking down at her.
“Kazekage-sama’s order: you are not allowed to see anyone else before you leave, especially Gaara-sama.”
Chizhao now understood. Not letting her see Gaara, deliberately driving her out of the Village—this was all Rasa’s plan.
But how could she just leave Gaara? She had clearly succeeded; Gaara was no longer alone, and everyone in the Village no longer particularly rejected him. Things were clearly developing in a good direction...
However, she was wrong.
She thought this was enough, but the one who caused Gaara’s tragic childhood was his father, Kazekage-sama.
If his mind hadn’t changed, what was the point of doing so much?
Chizhao silently walked upstairs, her eyes vacant, her thoughts in a jumble.
“Chizhao...” Keiko’s worried voice came from behind her.
“Grandma, I’m going up to pack my clothes.”
Chizhao smiled faintly, and by the time she reached the last step, her expression was once again swallowed by the shadows.
Back in her room, Chizhao, leaning against the door, had already planned her next move in her mind.
She put all the Membrane Cards into her pocket, then thought for a moment and pulled out a blank Membrane Card, placing it under the bed.
Then she climbed onto the table, laboriously opened the window, and looking at the height below, she couldn't help but gasp.
Although it wouldn't be fatal, there was a high possibility of spraining her ankle.
But she also had healing Ninjutsu on her, which greatly reduced the risk of injury.
Chizhao gritted her teeth, feeling a pang of anxiety about what might happen next.
She had finally become friends with Gaara, and she couldn't just stand by and watch him fall back into the abyss.
She carefully climbed out of the window, looked at the height before her, took a deep breath, and jumped without hesitation.
Amidst the terrified gazes of passersby, she landed hard on the ground, a piercing pain shooting from her ankle.
“Ow, I twisted it after all,” she groaned.
“Whose child is that? So dangerous...”
“Are you alright...?”
Chizhao ignored the concern of those around her. She struggled to her feet and limped into the alley.
The door of the Aihara family was violently knocked. Keiko went to open the door and, seeing the terrified expression of her neighbor, couldn't help but ask in confusion:
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
“Your granddaughter jumped from upstairs!”
“What!?”
Keiko's pupils suddenly constricted. She anxiously ran out of the house, followed by the Sunagakure Ninja behind her.
“Chizhao!?”
“I think I saw her go that way...”
Keiko ran in the direction the neighbor pointed, but she was stopped by the Sunagakure Ninja:
“Keiko-sama, please stay at home. We will send people to look for her.”
As soon as he finished speaking, several Ninja appeared behind him:
“You stay here and take care of Keiko-sama. Report any situation to me.”
“Yes!”
After giving the orders, the other figures scattered in different directions.
Keiko looked with worry in the direction Chizhao had left, an unsettling feeling spreading from the bottom of her heart.
A faint green glow emanated from a street corner. Chizhao was holding a Membrane Card for healing Ninjutsu, treating her ankle.
Soon, the pain disappeared. She tried to stand up and walk around a bit, and indeed, it didn't hurt at all.
It truly lived up to Granny Chiyo’s healing Ninjutsu.
After stuffing the Membrane Card back into her pocket, she cautiously looked around, making sure there were no suspicious Ninja, then quickly moved forward.
She had passed Gaara's house several times before, so she still remembered the direction. She hoped the person she was looking for was still at home.
After a series of twists and turns, Chizhao finally arrived at Gaara's doorstep.
She impatiently pounded on the door, once, twice. Seeing no response, Chizhao gradually grew agitated and pounded harder.
Just as her little fist was about to touch the door, it suddenly opened.
Chizhao stumbled forward, falling into the person's arms.
A gentle voice came from above her head.
“If you are looking for Gaara-sama, I regret to say he is not here right now.”
Chizhao stood up from Yashamaru’s embrace, lifted her small face, and said in a serious tone: “I’m not looking for Gaara; I’m looking for you.”
“Looking for me?”
Yashamaru was a little confused. He glanced at the surroundings outside, his tone still as gentle as ever: “Please come inside first.”
“Please don’t hurt Gaara.”
As soon as the door closed, Chizhao looked at Yashamaru with a sincere expression, her voice even filled with a plea.
Yashamaru’s heart trembled, and he looked utterly confused: “Why would I hurt Gaara?”
Upon hearing this, Chizhao could hardly believe her little ears.
Could her memory be wrong?
No, that’s impossible. In the anime, Yashamaru took on Kazekage’s mission to assassinate Gaara, which led to his dark transformation.
Why was it different this time?
Yashamaru looked at the pensive girl in front of him, then squatted down to meet her gaze:
“Although I don’t understand what you’re saying, Gaara is my nephew, my sister’s legacy in this world. I just want to be with him now.”
Chizhao looked intently at Yashamaru, trying to find any trace of a lie in his eyes. However, all she saw was sincerity and determination.
This made her begin to doubt whether her own memory was accurate.
Perhaps, in this parallel world, things were not developing exactly as she knew them.
“That’s wonderful then.”
Relieved, Chizhao finally smiled. When she said goodbye to Yashamaru, she felt that something about the whole situation wasn't quite right, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
She looked in the direction of the training ground, intending to find Gaara and tell him the news of her departure in person, to avoid any unnecessary trouble.
Just as she was about to rush to the training ground, she suddenly received a fierce hand chop to the back of her neck, causing her to instantly lose consciousness and collapse to the ground.
A Sunagakure Ninja carried the unconscious Chizhao on his shoulder and disappeared from the spot.