Witty Naruto Life

Chapter 154 Naruto's Influence on Sunagakure
In Sunagakure, there are generally two opinions among the top leaders about Gaara.

First of all, there is a huge voice in support of Gaara. Gaara's fans can often produce a lot of evidence to prove Gaara's political achievements after he succeeded the Kazekage, which can be said to be justified.

This voice dominated the mainstream of Sunagakure politics.

But another voice questioned Gaara from a personal perspective.

These people didn't deny Gaara's achievements, but they were critical of his interpersonal relationships. The reason was simple: he was too close to Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha's chief psychiatrist and future Hokage.

If it were just a normal interaction, no one would say anything. But firstly, Uzumaki Naruto's status was special, and his reputation was extremely high among the upper echelons of Sunagakure. Secondly, Naruto often gave Gaara constructive suggestions on some of Sunagakure's developments.

This is just like the president of a certain major country who was suspected of collaborating with the enemy in the early years. Although the political and business circles of the ninja world are all corrupt, there are still some individuals who questioned Gaara and asked Lord Kazekage to avoid suspicion appropriately.

In addition to these questioning voices, two others also learned about this situation by chance and expressed their objections:
Grandma Chiyo and her younger brother Ebizo.

Fortunately, they have not been involved in political affairs for many years. Therefore, although they are dissatisfied, they have not taken any actual action after expressing their opinions. Instead, some of Gaara's opponents have made groundless accusations and tried to make some tricks.

But Naruto, like most Internet surfers, knew a thing or two about how to deal with these insects. With his advice, the opposition quickly died down.

But this does not mean that the two consultants have changed their attitudes.

So when everyone heard that Gaara wanted to talk to Ebi, most people suddenly developed a mentality of watching the show, and some elders even gloated.

But there is no other way, Fengying needs to intervene in this matter.

After the meeting, Gaara went to the two elders' residence, followed by Kankuro and Maki.

On the way, Kankuro looked a little nervous and couldn't help but remind Gaara in front of him:
"Gaara, I've thought about it. When we talk about things, don't mention Uzumaki Naruto. It's also best not to talk about Konoha."

"Don't worry, I know my limits." Gaara didn't even turn his head, his expression remained calm.

Maki expressed his objection on the side: "After all, we still have to cooperate with Konoha on this matter, so we should just talk about it. We should try not to mention Uzumaki Naruto."

Gaara stopped and turned his head slightly, revealing his high nose bridge from the side.

"There's no need to treat Uzumaki Naruto as a monster, and there's no need to be afraid of the two elders. We're all family."

"But..." Kankuro hesitated to speak. He really didn't want to sow discord between his brother and Naruto. He was grateful for Naruto's help in his heart, but this matter was too sensitive.

As if sensing Kankuro's concern, Gaara thought for a moment and promised, "I will only mention Konoha when necessary."

After hearing this, both of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Gaara always keeps his word and never goes back on his word. This is the reputation he has built up over the years. Once he makes a promise, it is more valuable than gold - at least in the hearts of the people of Sand Village, he is worthy of this value.

Enter the place where the two elders live in seclusion.

Outside the wind-eroded rock cave, a shallow pool reflects the unique reddish-brown sky of Sunagakure.

Chiyo sat cross-legged on the bluestone by the pond, her fingertips like dead branches gripping the fishing rod, the float motionless.

Ebizo leaned against the rock wall, the fish basket at his feet was empty, and his sand-colored cloth clothes almost blended into the faded hourglass-patterned curtain behind him.

As soon as he entered the room, Maki saw Chiyo's hands trembling slightly, and the whole person looked shaky. He couldn't help but step forward and said:

"Master Chiyo, please don't force yourself..."

Chiyo didn't move at all. Ebizo on the other side raised his eyes, ignoring the three people who had arrived, and instead looked at his sister.

"Sister... Hey! Sister!"

"Are you dead..."

Gaara and Kankuro's expressions also grew serious. Could it be that...

Who knew that after a few seconds, Chiyo suddenly looked up: "I was kidding you! Hehehe... cough cough!"

She looked pale and was obviously forcing herself to stay together. Seeing this, Maki wanted to go forward and help the old lady, but Chiyo waved his hand to refuse.

This has not been going on for just one or two days. Chiyo has been experiencing various problems such as loss of appetite for some time, and her body has become weak.

After a preliminary diagnosis and finding that there was no major problem with the physical functions, the Sand Ninjas began to turn their attention to the psychological field.

It's either a physical problem or a psychological problem. This is the view that the people of Sand Village have constructed in the past two years.

But Chiyo is more inclined to think that she is old and doesn't want Sunagakure to spend more energy on her.

"I know what you are here for. Please go back. I don't need anyone's help."

Gaara remained silent, while Maki beside him bowed and said in a deep voice, "If you continue like this, your body will eventually collapse. It's better to get treatment as soon as possible..."

"I'm old, and it's normal for me to be physically and mentally weak. There's no need to worry about an old woman like me."

Ebizo was silent for a moment, then asked, "Have you called in the Konoha medical team?"

Kankuro and Maki were a little surprised that Ebizo had guessed this, and they unconsciously looked at Gaara, who took a step forward and nodded slowly.

"Grandma Chiyo's illness is urgent, and we also hope that the two elders can live a peaceful life, so..." "Is this also the suggestion of Uzumaki Naruto?" Chiyo suddenly said.

The atmosphere suddenly became a little dull. Gaara looked at Chiyo calmly and explained, "This matter was jointly decided by me and the Sunagakure senior officials."

Chiyo was silent for a moment, then, as if opening up, she said, "I've learned about trauma therapy before. For an old woman who's already outdated, this is indeed quite novel."

"But when I heard that the treatment method was related to memory, I thought about it and realized that it was either to seal the memory or to tamper with the memory."

"Even if it's conservative treatment, how can a product of an old era like me easily change my mind?"

As a powerful man who was famous in the town when she was young, and an all-round female ninja who possesses powerful physical skills, medical ninjutsu and sealing skills, Chiyo's vision can be described as vicious.

There is indeed a treatment plan for psychological trauma called [Traumatic Memory Sealing], which can indeed solve the psychological problems of ninjas in a simple and rough way.

However, due to the limitations of the times and her limited vision, Chiyo was not particularly familiar with more scientific treatment options such as systematic desensitization.

She subconsciously believed that the therapist wanted to tamper with her memory, to make her forget the death of her son and her grandson. These were the obsessions she had formed during her survival, or in other words, the only remaining thoughts.

If this was the only way to make her feel better, she would rather let it get worse.

It was during this period that Chiyo learned the name of Uzumaki Naruto and the friendship between Naruto and Gaara, but her intuition as a ninja made her subconsciously have bad thoughts.

A person who pioneered psychological trauma treatment and proposed the concept of "traumatic memory sealing" became close friends with the current Kazekage. This combination sounds too bad.

What if that guy named Naruto has bad intentions and brainwashes Gaara or tampered with his memory?
If she hadn't retired for many years, who knows what she would have done.

Of course, these conspiracy theories were officially debunked a long time ago, but the conspiracy theory market will not disappear.

So now the attitude of Chiyo and Ebizo is: young people, have fun by yourself, don’t take us with you, just let us grow old alone.

Gaara sighed silently and said, "Psychotherapy is not as extreme as you think."

Naruto had cured his own psychological trauma, and through correspondence, his mental condition was constantly improving, and it was not as terrible as Chiyo said.

But you can't expect the strong people of the older generation to change their ideas easily.

Unless something major happens.

"Anyway, the medical team will be arriving in Sunagakure soon, and it would be great if you could receive treatment."

After that, Gaara added, "At least let the doctor help see what the problem is."

The two elders remained silent, maintaining the same state, and already had the intention of seeing the guest off.

That’s about all I have to say. The purpose of today’s visit is to inform the two elders and to give them some advice if I can.

The three of them left. Two minutes later, Ebizo couldn't help but ask, "Sister, are you really not going to ask someone from Konoha to help take a look?"

Chiyo lowered her eyes and looked at the clear pond in front of her: "...Why don't they find my grandson to take a look."

The surroundings fell into silence again.

……

Konoha at night.

Naruto enjoyed dinner at Ichiraku Ramen after a long absence. After digesting the food, he returned home and found Sakura waiting at the door for a long time.

"Have you eaten yet?"

"Ah."

Naruto nodded and opened the door, allowing Sakura to follow him inside.

The two need to plan their trip to Sunagakure tonight. The key point is whether to follow the original plot and, if so, where the changes need to be made.

Currently known information: The development of Sand Village is slightly better than the original, but the overall changes are not significant; some people within Sand Village have psychological problems; a medical team from Konoha has gone to the Sand Village.

These changes may seem small, but the butterfly effect may have unpredictable impacts on Sunagakure.

"The attack on Gaara should have happened in these two days. If I remember correctly, you should have given Gaara the Flying Thunder God Kunai, right?" Sakura asked.

Naruto didn't respond immediately, but paused and said, "The part about Gaara being kidnapped needs to be preserved."

"My relationship with Sunagakure is rather delicate. Many people are concerned that I'm too close to Gaara. If I were to rashly interrupt Akatsuki's actions, it would only seem awkward. They'd suspect I was acting in a self-directed drama."

"It's better to stick to the original story first. Once we enter Sunagakure with legitimate reasons and understand the situation, we can decide whether to change the original plot."

"Yeah," Sakura nodded. This choice was understandable. "But will Gaara carry your kunai with him? I mean, just in case. If the plot needs to be changed later, this is crucial."

Naruto chuckled, "I suggested in my letter that he should carry it with him. I think he listened to it."

"But it's okay if I don't have it with me."

(End of this chapter)