As that thought hit her, Chiyo didn't dare waste another second.
She immediately sped up, overtaking the two young jōnin ahead of her.
At full speed, she arrived at the prison.
The moment she stepped inside, her nerves tightened all over again.
Because dozens of jōnin had already gathered within the prison.
Among them was even an elite jōnin.
And most importantly…
The guards who were supposed to be prison wardens had changed into combat gear, standing in neat formation outside the bars.
"Elder Chiyo!"
Before Chiyo could even react, the dozens of ninja turned as one and saluted her.
"What are you doing, gathering here like this?"
Her sharp gaze swept across every face present. Chiyo strode straight to the cell holding Teizawa and said coldly, "All of you—get out."
The instant those words landed, the entire prison fell into dead silence.
Every ninja held their posture, rooted in place without moving an inch.
"Are you trying to rebel?"
Chiyo's aged face darkened further. Her voice dropped like iron.
"I'll give you one more chance. Leave the prison now, or you'll be treated as insurgents."
The moment Chiyo finished speaking, the sealed cell door suddenly slammed open with a clang.
And then Teizawa—who should've been in shackles—stepped out, unrestrained and relaxed.
He walked straight out of the cell.
And stopped right in front of Elder Chiyo.
"Teizawa, you…"
Chiyo hadn't expected him to be without handcuffs or leg irons.
Much less to swagger out of his cell like he owned the place.
Her pupils constricted. Her expression shifted with alarm.
"Are you really going to start an uprising?"
If it were only Teizawa alone, she wasn't worried.
With Kage-level strength, she could handle whatever he tried to stir up.
But this wasn't just Teizawa.
Not only had the prison already been seized by ninja loyal to him—
Outside, in the plaza before the Kazekage Tower, there were thousands more.
A rebellion on this scale…
Even she would struggle to stop it.
And most terrifying of all—
She had no idea how many more would join.
Especially considering the reactions in the Kazekage's office earlier that day…
There was a lot to read between the lines.
"Elder Chiyo, it's not a rebellion yet."
Teizawa lifted his chin slightly, looking at the aged woman with calm eyes.
His voice stayed flat, almost gentle.
"A rebellion is what you call it when you fail."
"When you succeed… it's called a revolution."
Before Chiyo could respond, Teizawa kept going—each word more shocking than the last.
"Tonight, I will replace Gaara and become Sunagakure's new Kazekage, and then make Sunagakure great again across the shinobi world."
"If the coup fails, I'll shoulder all responsibility myself."
"If it succeeds, I won't keep that glory to myself."
"Elder Chiyo…"
"Will you stand with me?"
The moment Teizawa finished—
The ninja around them reached into their clothing and pulled out red scarves, tying them around their left arms.
Then they all stared at Chiyo with feverish intensity.
It was obvious: if she made a single wrong move, they'd swarm her.
But Chiyo didn't take it seriously.
Even if everyone here was chūnin and jōnin—
Even with an elite jōnin among them—
If it came to a fight, her puppetry alone would be enough to wipe them all out.
Of course, she wouldn't do that.
Because she was curious.
Where was Teizawa getting the nerve—
To stand in front of a "proper" Sunagakure elder like her and declare he'd replace the Kazekage?
Teizawa, for his part, understood perfectly well:
A simple declaration wouldn't convince Chiyo to join him.
It might even turn her into an enemy.
Seeing that Chiyo's reaction was muted, Teizawa turned, walked to a chair nearby, and sat down.
Two guards—now dressed in combat gear—hurried over and placed a chair behind Chiyo.
Chiyo didn't hesitate.
She sat facing Teizawa.
Teizawa didn't waste time. He went straight to the point.
"Under normal circumstances, if a ninja embezzles funds and takes bribes, the village investigates internally."
"But this time, Gaara wasn't the one leading the investigation. The daimyo's estate sent people and ordered a full probe directly."
"From the moment the daimyo's envoy appeared in the Kazekage's office, I knew that no matter what the results were, I was going to die."
"At first, I thought it was because the daimyo couldn't swallow it—his concubine being dead-set on eloping with me."
"Then I thought again. That didn't make sense. I didn't even sleep with her… I just pinched her butt. How much hatred does that buy? Enough to come after me this hard?"
"And just now, I finally figured it out."
He paused, watching Chiyo's eyes narrow.
Then he gave a cold laugh.
"Embezzlement. Bribery. All of that is just a smokescreen."
"The daimyo's real goal is to suppress Sunagakure."
"If the daimyo wants to suppress me, fine. But now he's aiming at my beloved village."
"How could I possibly let him get what he wants?"
Teizawa wasn't making things up.
In the shinobi world's structure, the daimyo's estate and the ninja village served as a nation's political and military centers.
On paper, the village obeyed the daimyo.
But look at Konoha, Kumogakure, Iwagakure—how many of them truly obeyed, honestly and consistently?
Only Sunagakure was this pathetic—
Constantly having funding cut, constantly getting squeezed.
In the end, it was because Sunagakure had lost too many wars in a row.
Because the Third Kazekage vanished, and the Fourth Kazekage died.
Because the village's overall strength plummeted.
So any daimyo with ambition was always trying to tighten their grip on the village.
Even the Land of Fire's daimyo forming the Twelve Guardian Ninja was proof enough.
Chiyo's expression grew heavier and heavier.
Teizawa knew she was listening.
"So the real driver behind this is a power struggle," he said with a thin smile.
"And so what?" Chiyo finally spoke. Her aged voice carried a deep fatigue. "What can you do about it?"
"The Kazekage's succession requires the daimyo's approval. Even if your coup topples Gaara, do you think the daimyo will recognize you?"
Her mouth twisted with scorn.
"Recognize a man who put horns on his head as Kazekage?"
"Hey, hey, hey…"
Teizawa looked helpless. "Who put horns on his head? I didn't touch that concubine."
Chiyo waved him off. "Not important. The meaning is what matters."
Teizawa spread his hands.
"Fair. That is a problem."
"So let them disperse." Chiyo sighed. "This isn't as simple as you think…"
"If that's the case," Teizawa's lips curled upward. He smiled. "Then I'll kill him, and replace the daimyo."
Chiyo: "…"
She froze.
Then she sprang up from the chair so fast it scraped.
"What nonsense are you spouting? You—you—you…"
She stammered out several words—
And couldn't form a complete sentence.
Teizawa stayed steady as a rock, and snorted in contempt.
"If that old daimyo doesn't know his place, I don't mind putting someone else on that seat."
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