Uchiha Hazuki's situation was not the same as Uchiha Daitei's or Uchiha Lu's.
She still had a daughter.
The other two, on the other hand, were utterly alone.
More importantly, Rasa held high expectations for Uchiha Hazuki's daughter—Uchiha Izumi.
Witnessing her father's death and awakening the three-tomoe Sharingan on the spot… with talent like that, if properly nurtured, she would at the very least become an elite jonin.
And among elite jonin, her strength might even surpass Yashamaru and Baki.
Rasa wanted to win Uchiha Izumi over—to make her loyal to Sunagakure.
Under those circumstances, if Uchiha Hazuki was simply married off into some ninja clan in Sunagakure and treated like a tool, then Uchiha Izumi would certainly never feel any goodwill toward the village.
"Kazekage-sama."
The guard at the door hurriedly bowed when he saw Rasa arrive.
"How is Uchiha Hazuki doing?"
"Reporting to Kazekage-sama, nothing unusual."
Rasa nodded.
Then he stepped inside.
A figure sat by the doorway, blankly staring up at the sky.
When she heard the door open, she snapped back to herself at once, stood up in a panic, and looked as skittish as a timid rabbit.
"Uchiha Hazuki, why haven't you greeted Kazekage-sama?" the ninja beside Rasa quickly said.
Uchiha Hazuki's pupils shrank slightly.
"My respects, Kazekage-sama."
Rasa gave a faint nod.
"Uchiha Hazuki, have you grown used to life in Sunagakure?"
Uchiha Hazuki forced out a smile.
"It's been fine."
Rasa sat down on the stone bench.
"I have a general understanding of the Uchiha's situation. Ever since the rebellion, Konoha no longer has any place for Uchiha like you—especially someone branded as a defector."
"As for the Uchiha who escaped Konoha, their circumstances are no better. Under Konoha's pursuit, they're forced to run everywhere without any chance to settle."
"Have you thought about your future?"
Uchiha Hazuki was silent for a while.
"Kazekage-sama… we've already been taken prisoner by Sunagakure."
Rasa shook his head.
"Uchiha Hazuki, you didn't hear my question clearly. I asked about your future, not yours as a group."
"Uchiha Daitei and Uchiha Lu have already joined Sunagakure. They will settle down here, marry, and have children."
"Uchiha Hai and Uchiha Izumi are still young."
"Quite a few ninja clans in the village have submitted requests to me, asking to marry you into their families. I want to know what you think."
Uchiha Hazuki's face went pale.
"Kazekage-sama… can I choose not to marry? If I have to marry someone I don't love, I'd rather die."
A strange look appeared on Rasa's face.
Such a fierce reaction… it was more like that of an unmarried girl who still dreamed of beautiful love.
But shouldn't Uchiha Hazuki have long since lost faith in love?
On the day of the Uchiha rebellion, Hazuki's husband—a man who was not from the Uchiha clan—had not chosen to stand with her. He had cut ties on the spot.
That was information Uchiha Xuan had personally looked into. He had even seen the man himself. There was no way it was false.
Because he had so decisively severed his connection to Uchiha Hazuki and Uchiha Izumi, he had even received rather favorable treatment in Konoha afterward.
Hazuki seemed to realize she had overreacted and quickly explained herself.
"Kazekage-sama, I already have Izumi. Izumi is everything to me."
She looked at Rasa seriously.
"Izumi is my everything, Kazekage-sama. Other than anything that would harm Izumi, I can do anything. I could even give up these eyes of mine."
As soon as she finished speaking, two tomoe appeared in her eyes and began to rotate slowly.
"That won't be necessary."
Rasa waved a hand.
"Sunagakure is not such an inhuman ninja village. Even if you are not originally from our village, even if you are an outsider, an outsider is still a person."
"If you do not wish to marry, we will not force you."
He paused.
"How about this? I'll give you two choices."
"One: go to the front lines and fight the Kirigakure ninja."
"Two: remain in Sunagakure and take up work within the village."
"But one thing is absolute—you must never do anything to harm Sunagakure. Otherwise, it won't just be you. Uchiha Izumi will also receive the corresponding punishment. You understand?"
Uchiha Hazuki nodded heavily.
"Kazekage-sama, I absolutely would never do such a thing."
"Good. As for the two choices I've given you, think them over. Give me your answer within ten days."
"Yes, Kazekage-sama."
Rasa stood and walked toward the courtyard where Yashamaru lived.
It was a separate residence—Yashamaru's home.
Even though he was not married yet, Yashamaru had already moved out from his parents' home. Partly because he wanted the freedom of living alone, and partly because it made his work far more convenient.
He was still young, but Yashamaru was already a mature shinobi.
And because he was close to Rasa, Rasa entrusted many important matters to him.
Favoring one's own people was simply normal in the world of shinobi.
"Kazekage-sama."
Yashamaru's eyes lit up with joy the moment he saw Rasa.
He quickly stepped forward to greet him.
Rasa nodded and looked toward Uchiha Izumi and Uchiha Hai.
Yashamaru might complain that he did not want to look after the two children, but in truth, he had taken excellent care of them. It was obvious the two children had already developed trust in him, even a certain closeness.
And yet they had not been together for very long.
"As expected, I knew Yashamaru was suited for this."
Yashamaru's talent in terms of personal combat ability was not especially high.
At most, he would probably only ever become a jonin—and among jonin, likely a rather ordinary one.
But thanks to Gaara's impression of Yashamaru in the manga, Rasa instinctively felt that Yashamaru possessed a natural gift when it came to getting along with children.
"This talent is practically on par with Konoha's Nono Yakushi."
"A born nanny-charmer."
"In that case… maybe I could gather some war orphans and have Yashamaru take charge of them?"
Uchiha Hai seemed somewhat timid. He hid behind Yashamaru and cautiously peeked at Rasa.
Uchiha Izumi, however, was bolder. She copied the way Yashamaru addressed Rasa.
"Kazekage-sama."
Rasa's gaze fell on Uchiha Izumi.
She was only three years old, yet already carried herself like a little adult.
"So you're Uchiha Izumi?"
"Yes."
"Have you grown used to this place? Has Yashamaru been taking good care of you? If he hasn't, you can report him to me. After all, this was the task I gave him."
"Yashamaru-sensei is very kind."
"That's good."
Rasa paused for a moment, then said,
"By the way, I've learned some things about your father. Do you want to hear them?"
Uchiha Izumi's expression changed at once, turning deeply complicated.
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