Chapter 142 Information Exchange

Maki didn't step foot into Kakashi's territory.

He saw the edge of the barrier and stopped on the line, still some distance away from the spacious mansion sitting on the verdant grass.

The purpose of his trip was not to trespass or provoke, so he stopped on a huge rock twenty meters outside the barrier line and waited quietly.

He meditated for about ten minutes when he heard a rustling sound in the nearby bushes.

He deliberately relaxed his body and maintained a relaxed posture, with his forearms resting on his knees and his legs crossed on the mossy stone.

A ninja dog leisurely walked out from the bushes.

It was a dark brown pug with droopy eyes and a flat face. It wore a blue vest and a Konoha forehead protector on its head.

It stopped in front of the stone, shook off the dead leaves on its body, then jumped up, jumped onto the stone, sat down opposite him, and scratched its ears nonchalantly with its hind legs.

"Sorry," the pug said in a husky voice, "my boss can't make it, would you mind waiting for him? My little dog is still awake."

Maki shook his head, relaxing slightly.

"It's okay, I can wait all night."

"That's good." The pug said in a calm tone. "Is your puppy asleep?"

Maki blinked, a little surprised, before realizing the ninja dog was attempting small talk.

"One of them is asleep," Maki said slowly. He felt there was no need to hide it. He was idle anyway. "The other one is keeping watch."

He figured it would be okay to reveal this information, after all, there were few things in this hostile territory that could truly threaten Gaara.

The pug nodded.

"This damn weather must be unpleasant. The air is too humid."

"My son said the same thing," Markie answered without hesitation. He had gotten so used to these three children that he sometimes even forgot they were not actually his own children.

The pug nodded again, perhaps not noticing Markie's slip of the tongue, or perhaps not caring at all.

It hummed softly, as if to express its agreement.

"Ours doesn't like humidity either. It gets irritable and has a bad temper when the rainy season comes."

"I can really understand that." Maki agreed, and then took the opportunity to ask, "I have to admit, I didn't expect your 'boss' to be the type to be a teacher."

"To be honest, he doesn't think he is either," Pug complained.

Maki nodded again, smiling a little.

The pug snorted again and came over to Markie and sat down at his knees. He raised a paw.

"My name is Parker."

Maki took Parker's paw in his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"My name is Maki."

Markie and Parker chatted for another half hour about insignificant topics until the pug suddenly stopped and twitched his ears a few times.

"Okay, I should go now. No fighting, okay? You'll wake the puppy."

Markey nodded.

"I didn't plan on doing that."

Parker snorted, seemed satisfied, and then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The air was silent for a moment, and then Kakashi stepped out from the shadows of the trees.

He wasn't wearing the costume that Maki had seen during the Chunin Exams, but instead he was wearing a basic black ninja uniform with a high collar and no sleeves, and his hands were in his pockets.

Although his posture looked relaxed, Maki knew that this man could turn into a deadly killer in a split second.

"Well..." Kakashi said slowly, "This is really unexpected."

At that moment, adrenaline surged in Maki's blood - the last time they met was not a pleasant experience. He witnessed with his own eyes how this man turned the entire battlefield into a death trap with lightning and thunder.

What's worse is that he is Kakashi, and the last time they met, he was alone, unattached, reckless and impulsive, like a typical berserker.

If Maki wasn't worried about his students, he wouldn't be here at all.

"I'm sorry to trespass on your property," he said calmly.

"It's not trespassing," Kakashi countered, his voice low and calm, "If you had snuck into my village in the middle of the night, we wouldn't be here talking right now."

The words sounded more like a statement of fact than a threat, and Maki nodded.

"So..." Kakashi said slowly, "I don't suppose you came all the way here just to chat with my ninja dog, although it is certainly very cute."

"I came here to exchange information with you." Maki said directly, without beating around the bush. "Our Kazekage has been acting... a little strange recently, and the reports I received are also very vague."

There was a long silence, and Maki was ready for Kakashi to turn around and leave. He would tell the Hokage this important information directly.

But he seemed to have guessed right. After a while, Kakashi snorted, as if weighing something, and then spoke:

"Since the second round of the Chunin Exams, Rasa has been shutting himself in his room and not seeing anyone. His guards have also been refusing to cooperate with our investigation."

Maki swallowed and worded his next words carefully.

He knew that the next few words would determine his future.

If he made the right choice, if he could gain the understanding and cooperation of his former enemy, then he would have fulfilled his duty as a teacher.

But if he made the wrong choice, he would become a failed ninja. This went against the teachings he had always received, that ninjas should put the village first, the mission first, and their companions first.

But his students are his village, and their safety is his mission. If he lets the Sand Village down, at least he won't let his students down.

"I have reason to believe that the person wearing the Kazekage costume may not be Luo Sha himself."

There was a gleam in Kakashi's eyes, not suspicion, but interest.

He walked over to the rock across from Maki and sat down, barefoot, with his legs crossed on the rock.

"I guess you want to know why our village has stepped up its alert."

"I don't think I told you what orders I received?" Maki said cautiously.

Kakashi snorted.

"Yes, you didn't say that."

There was another long silence, and Kakashi seemed to be thinking about something.

Maki waited patiently, resisting the urge to bite his lip.

"Your eldest daughter," Kakashi suddenly asked, "the one who doesn't like the climate of the Fire Nation. What's her name?"

Maki was stunned for a moment, not understanding why the other party suddenly asked this.