"Your father said he deeply regrets marrying your mother and having a daughter like you. He curses you both every day, saying you dragged him down."
"He calls all Uchiha freaks. He said if you and your mother hadn't run fast that day, he would have personally chopped off your heads to rid Konoha of a scourge."
"And now, it seems he's already preparing to marry a new wife..."
As Rasa spoke, Izumi Uchiha's expression shifted again.
Before, it was complicated.
She held resentment toward her father. She believed that as a father and husband, he should have protected her and her mother no matter what.
But he hadn't.
Even so, deep down, Izumi still held onto a shred of familial affection for him.
But Rasa's words were eroding that affection.
Of course, Izumi didn't believe Rasa completely.
This was the first time she had ever met him.
But she believed him because she knew her father was capable of doing exactly what Rasa described.
Just like that night.
Plip!
Izumi's eyes reddened and quickly welled up with tears, which dripped down her cheeks.
"Father is too cruel."
"If not for him, Mother wouldn't have died."
As soon as she said this, Izumi's heart skipped a beat. Her expression froze. She looked up at Rasa, wiped her tears, and put on a pitiful face.
"Lord Kazekage, you're a bully."
This was exactly why Rasa had come.
Hazuki Uchiha's behavior earlier had struck him as odd.
But Hazuki was an adult, and probing her wouldn't be easy. Izumi, however, was much easier. No matter how mature she acted, she was still just a three-year-old child.
"Tell me, what is Hazuki Uchiha's real name? And what exactly is your relationship with her?"
Izumi was frightened, but she shook her head repeatedly.
"Auntie won't let me say."
Rasa nodded in realization.
"So she's your aunt. Then what is her name?"
Izumi Uchiha: "..."
Rasa pressed her.
"You've already said this much; keeping the name secret is pointless. Izumi Uchiha, you don't want your aunt to be punished because you refused to answer, do you?"
Izumi looked at Rasa pitifully.
"Lord Kazekage, if I tell you, will you promise not to punish Auntie?"
"Depends on your behavior."
"Auntie's name is Hazuki Uchiha... no, wait. It's Kasumi Uchiha. We didn't mean to deceive you, Lord Kazekage. We just thought this would make us safer."
Rasa understood their logic.
By disguising herself as "Hazuki," Kasumi Uchiha added the identity of a married woman/mother, making her less likely to be targeted by suitors looking for a maiden.
And by faking a closer mother-daughter relationship with Izumi, others who accepted this would use one to constrain the other.
It made the other party feel more secure in controlling them, and thus made Kasumi and Izumi safer.
But Kasumi Uchiha had underestimated the desire others had for the Uchiha bloodline, as well as the depths to which people would stoop.
"I understand."
Rasa stood up and ruffled Izumi's hair.
"By the way, what I told you earlier wasn't a lie. Your father really did do those things. You can never go back to the Konoha of today."
"But my Hidden Sand is willing to accept you."
"As long as you don't betray the Sand, the Sand will not betray you."
"If you're willing, live on as a member of the Hidden Sand Village."
Yashamaru walked Rasa to the gate.
"Brother-in-law."
"Yashamaru, is there something else?"
"It's about what I mentioned last time."
Yashamaru hesitated, then said, "Brother-in-law, can you give me a different mission? Looking after two kids really isn't challenging at all, and I'm too free."
"Too free?"
"Yes."
Rasa nodded.
"Understood. I will solve this problem for you."
"Thank you, Brother-in-law."
Yashamaru looked delighted.
But after Rasa left, he felt a vague sense of unease.
"When Brother-in-law said 'solve,' he meant it in the way I understood it, right?"
Back in the courtyard.
Kai Uchiha was playing with toys on one side.
Izumi Uchiha walked up to Yashamaru.
"Teacher Yashamaru."
"Yes, Izumi?"
"Is what Lord Kazekage said true? As long as we don't betray the Sand, the Sand will absolutely not betray us?"
Yashamaru was silent for a moment.
"If it were anyone else, I wouldn't dare say for sure. But Lord Kazekage is someone who will never give up on his comrades, no matter what. I can guarantee that 100%."
Back home.
Just as he pushed open the courtyard gate, Rasa saw Temari hitting Kankuro again.
"Father."
Temari sheepishly hid her hands behind her back.
Rasa shook his head.
These two were rowdier than the last. Even though they were young, their destructive power was immense.
If not for that, Karura wouldn't be so tired at home.
Suddenly, an idea popped into Rasa's mind.
Yashamaru complained about being too free, and Rasa had just discovered Yashamaru's talent for childcare.
So he planned to have the village compile a list of orphans, select some talented ones who had no one to care for them, and send them to Yashamaru.
Not only would it keep Yashamaru busy.
It would also better cultivate these orphans.
"Why not send Temari and Kankuro over too?"
"With Yashamaru looking after them, I certainly don't have to worry."
"This way, Karura can relax a bit."
"It will also reduce any feelings of inferiority in those orphans. After all, even the Kazekage's son and daughter are staying with them."
"And when these children grow up, having grown up with Temari and Kankuro, it will be easier to secure their loyalty."
"They'll become die-hard loyalists to my Kazekage lineage."
"Basically, royal study companions?"
The more Rasa thought about it, the more feasible the plan seemed.
"Husband."
Karura's pleasantly surprised voice rang out.
"You're back so early today?"
Rasa nodded.
"Not much going on today, so I came back early."
Seeing that Rasa wasn't scolding her, Temari sighed in relief, shot a glance at Kankuro, and then trotted over to Rasa and Karura, acting cute in hopes of getting some snacks.
Rasa fished a packet of candy pills from his pocket.
"Go share these with your brother."
"Okay!"
Temari left happily, taking Kankuro to their room to split the loot.
"One for you, one for me."
"One for me, one for you."
Little Kankuro watched and watched, feeling something was wrong.
Why was the pile of candy in front of him getting smaller and smaller as they split it? He immediately burst into tears.
Temari panicked.
The next day.
Early morning.
An intelligence ninja walked into the Kazekage Building, carrying the information on the six Mist ninja Rasa had requested.