Upon returning from shopping, Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara were delighted to meet Granny Chiyo.
As children of the Fourth Kazekage, they were familiar with Chiyo's role as an advisor to Sunagakure. Unlike Pakura, their attitude towards Chiyo was warm and welcoming. They were thrilled to have another Kage-level puppet master among them.
The trio had been feeling anxious watching Konoha's increasing numbers and the arrival of Kirigakure. Today, seeing another Sunagakure ninja brought into this world by Lord Charles confirmed that their village was not neglected.
Kankuro, in particular, was overjoyed when Chiyo offered to teach him puppet techniques.
Chiyo was a renowned puppet master and poison expert, known for her mastery over the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu. Training under her meant endless opportunities for growth.
Night Fell.
After meeting the Fourth Kazekage's children at the Sunagakure Puppet Shop, Chiyo quietly left. She had a task to complete—collecting some interest.
Tracking her target, Chiyo arrived in a Brooklyn slum. This area was a haven for vagrants, and at night, it became synonymous with chaos. Except for gang members, pedestrians were a rare sight.
In an underground warehouse, Leonardo was there to fence stolen goods. Earlier that day, he had stolen an LV handbag, which he hoped to sell for a few thousand dollars.
Given its stolen nature, the luxury bag, originally worth tens of thousands, could only fetch a fraction of its value. Still, a few thousand dollars was significant to Leonardo. Unfortunately, the bag contained only women's cosmetics and other trivial items.
Approaching a man with a cigarette, Leonardo said, "Roman, I have a bag to offload."
Roman, cigarette in mouth, took the bag and casually inspected it. "An ordinary LV women's bag. I'll give you $1,200 for it."
Leonardo protested, "This is a limited edition. I checked online; it sells for over $30,000 at retail. $1,200 is too little."
Roman sized up Leonardo, then smirked. "You're right, it's worth more. How about $2,000? That's my final offer."
Leonardo hesitated, then firmly said, "I want $3,000. According to the usual rules, we get one-tenth of the retail price for high-end, easy-to-sell items."
Roman didn't reply immediately but stared at Leonardo with a menacing look. Leonardo, however, stared back resolutely.
For Leonardo, an extra $1,000 meant a lot—enough for 20 visits to his usual $50-a-time call girls, a month's worth of cigarettes, 10 nights out at the bar, or a stash of beer to drink himself to death. This difference was crucial.
Roman flicked away his cigarette and, with a sudden change of expression, smiled.
"Alright, kid, if you insist, we'll go with your price."
Roman opened a drawer, pulled out a wad of hundred-dollar bills, and counted out thirty. "Three thousand dollars, here you go."
Seeing the stack of hundred-dollar bills, Leonardo's face fell. "I need smaller values, Roman. You think I can spend all these hundreds easily? Or how long will it take me to use them up reasonably?"
Roman sneered. "Three thousand is three thousand. How you spend it is your problem."
"If you want tens, I can do that, but you'll get only two thousand."
Leonardo frowned but reluctantly reached for the stack of three thousand dollars. Spending hundreds might be difficult, but it wasn't impossible—he'd just have to be more careful.
Roman, unconcerned, packed the LV handbag into a bag. For them, reselling stolen luxury goods was no problem, and this deal alone would net them at least $25,000.
Just as Leonardo was about to leave, a voice echoed, "You can't sell that."
Everyone in the warehouse turned to see who spoke. Leonardo instantly recognized the old woman he had pushed down earlier in the day. How had she found him?
"Old woman, you actually found me. Got some skills, huh? What, you think you're a superhero now?"
The warehouse erupted in laughter. One of the men shouted, "Granny, this isn't a place for you. Get lost before you get hurt."
"If you don't leave, you might end up dead."
Roman frowned at the old woman. "Leonardo, you brought this trouble here. Deal with it."
"This isn't a secret base, but not just anyone should know about it."
"If we have to handle it, you'll lose those three thousand dollars you just got."
Leonardo's face darkened. He reached behind his back and pulled out a butterfly knife.
He twirled the knife skillfully before gripping it tightly and advancing towards Chiyo. He needed to get rid of this troublesome old woman and keep his hard-earned money.
Chiyo, smiling calmly, wasn't concerned. She subtly moved her fingers, sending chakra threads out, instantly connecting to Leonardo and nine others.
Leonardo suddenly froze, realizing he couldn't control his body. His hand, holding the knife, turned and slashed at the neck of a nearby gang member.
"Slit—"
The knife sliced the man's throat, spraying blood onto Leonardo's face. The man clutched his neck, stumbled, and fell to the ground, twitching and unable to make a sound.
The sudden violence stunned everyone. Roman grabbed a gun from under the table and yelled, "Leonardo, you're dead!"
Leonardo, terrified, shouted, "No, it wasn't me! My body—it's not under my control!"
Roman ignored Leonardo's pleas and fired three shots, each one aimed at Leonardo's chest. At such close range, Roman was confident Leonardo was finished.