Chapter 172: The Situation, the Kazekage
Konoha — Hokage's Office
Ever since Homura and Koharu brought back Chiyo's proposal, the arguments in the office had not ceased.
Danzō Shimura was firmly against such a compromising alliance. Not only would Konoha gain no tangible benefits, they would also have to release over a hundred prisoners for nothing.
Homura and Koharu, on the other hand, believed that extraordinary times called for flexible measures. With every nation eyeing Konoha like predators, exchanging those prisoners for stability on the southern front—and freeing up resources to deal with threats elsewhere—was more than worthwhile.
Moreover, Sunagakure had promised a defensive alliance, one that would help Konoha deal with Iwagakure.
"An offensive and defensive alliance? And you actually believe that?" Danzō sneered. "If I remember correctly, we already signed an agreement with Sunagakure after the Second Shinobi War. And yet here we are, fighting them again."
He curled his lip in disdain, glaring at the two as if they were fools.
"Oh, right—I just remembered. That agreement is technically still within its validity period. The last alliance hasn't even expired, and now you want to sign another one? Who knows whether Sunagakure even acknowledges either of them!"
Homura and Koharu flushed red, left speechless. The facts were undeniable—they had no way to argue back.
"Hiruzen, you decide," Homura said, passing the burden. "We've stated our positions. The rest is up to the Hokage."
---
Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe, his mind racing.
Chiyo's conditions were undeniably tempting.
But Danzō's concerns weren't without merit.
A written treaty was never as reliable as tangible benefits—especially when Sunagakure had a history of breaking agreements.
And there was another issue—
What would the frontline shinobi think?
They had risked their lives to capture those prisoners. If the village released them without gaining anything in return… how would they feel?
Just as the room fell into silence, a knock echoed at the door.
"Come in," Hiruzen said, suppressing his irritation.
An ANBU operative wearing a cat mask entered, handed over an intelligence scroll without a word, and left just as quietly.
After he was gone, Hiruzen opened the scroll.
The deeper he read, the tighter his brow furrowed—until it twisted into a deep crease.
He tapped the desk repeatedly, betraying his inner turmoil.
Without a word, he gestured to Danzō to read it.
Years of working together had built an unspoken understanding.
Danzō stepped forward and picked up the scroll.
The bold title at the top caught his eye:
"Intelligence Update: Reinforcements from Iwagakure in the Land of Grass"
His pupils shrank.
Just yesterday, Iwagakure had deployed another 500 shinobi to the Grass Country front.
Now, their total forces there were nearing 3,000, while Konoha had fewer than 2,000.
As the village with the largest military among the Five Great Nations, Iwagakure might lack in individual strength—but they excelled in large-scale combat.
The more troops they had, the more dangerous they became.
They had already sent 500 reinforcements earlier, after Sunagakure's defeat. At the time, Konoha had chosen not to respond, fearing escalation.
And now—another 500.
At this point, doing nothing was no longer an option.
Reinforcements had to be sent.
---
Danzō glanced at Hiruzen.
He already understood.
This was the final straw.
If Hiruzen had still hoped to extract benefits from Sunagakure before, that hope was now gone.
There was only one priority left—
Stabilize the southern front as quickly as possible.
"I stand by my opinion," Danzō said flatly. He knew further objections were meaningless.
He placed the scroll back on the table.
"Very well," Hiruzen said after a pause, turning to Homura and Koharu.
"Negotiations will resume tomorrow morning. Accept Sunagakure's terms. Sign the alliance as soon as possible… and release the prisoners."
The two elders exchanged a glance, both seeing the same unease in each other's eyes.
Konoha had run into trouble again.
But they asked no further questions.
For now, dealing with Sunagakure took priority.
"Understood."
The next day, negotiations between Konoha and Sunagakure proceeded smoothly.
Chiyo raised no additional demands.
The two sides formally signed an offensive and defensive alliance based on the agreed terms.
Shortly after, Chiyo received a Hokage-issued order for the release of prisoners and departed immediately for the frontline camp under ANBU escort.
Those captured Sunagakure shinobi were still being held there.
The sooner she arrived, the sooner they could be freed.
After all, in this era… prisoners were not treated kindly.
Back to the Land of Wind — The Oasis Market
By the time Chiyo was heading toward the frontlines, Taichi had already infiltrated the oasis for the second time.
With prior experience, everything went far more smoothly.
Once the caravan's work was finished, the laborers finally earned their long-awaited rest.
Groups of them headed out to relax.
Naturally, the tavern became the most popular destination.
"Ryota! Come on, let's grab a drink!" a burly, bearded man in his thirties called out.
Taichi paused for a moment before realizing—
Ryota was the identity he had assumed.
"Coming! Just a second!" Taichi replied, more than happy to go along. Moving with a group was far safer than wandering alone.
After unloading the last crate and dusting himself off, he joined the man—Kara—and the others waiting.
"Since when did you become so hardworking, Ryota?" one of them teased. "You usually dodge work whenever you can!"
"Ah, don't mention it," Taichi laughed it off. "The supervisor caught me today."
Inside, though, he was tense—afraid they might ask something too personal and expose him.
Fortunately, the journey to the tavern passed without incident.
---
The place was packed.
Merchants, laborers, and Sunagakure shinobi filled the room.
After some waiting, Taichi's group finally secured a table.
A few simple dishes and a pot of sake later, the conversation turned lively.
While outwardly joining in, Taichi quietly extended his perception—just enough to cover the tavern.
He didn't dare expand it further.
In a barrier-protected camp like this, there could easily be sensory ninja or detection techniques in place.
Caution was essential.
---
Then—
A conversation from a table in the corner caught his attention.
It was an elite squad—four chūnin, likely just back from a mission.
"Captain," one of them asked, emboldened by alcohol, "why did we come all the way here with the Kazekage-sama?"
"Yeah," another added. "We've been here for days—just patrolling. Nothing else!"
The captain frowned.
"Watch your mouths. The Kazekage's affairs aren't for you to question."
He glanced around before lowering his voice.
"You've only just been promoted—you don't understand yet. Missions like this are paid separately. You won't be short on compensation."
He smirked slightly.
"Otherwise, why do you think so many people want to follow high-ranking figures on missions? Do you think it's just for prestige?"
The others quickly nodded, showering him with flattery.
But Taichi had already gotten what he needed.
The Kazekage was here.
And had been here for some time.
Why would the leader of a village personally stay at a transit hub like this?
That alone made this intelligence incredibly valuable.
There had to be more to it.
Taichi decided to remain and observe a little longer.
---
Three days passed.
During that time, Taichi's shadow clones explored nearly every corner of the oasis—except the heavily guarded Sunagakure camp.
He saw countless caravans and shinobi coming and going.
But he never once caught sight of anyone resembling the Kazekage.
Just as he was about to give up—
At noon on the third day—
Deep underground, in the cave several kilometers outside the oasis…
Taichi's original body suddenly felt a tremor.
In a desert like this, where layers of sand absorbed most impacts, for a tremor to still be this noticeable—
Either the force was immense…
Or it was dangerously close.
Either way, it meant one thing:
Taichi's current position was no longer safe.
His perception instantly expanded, sweeping across a two-kilometer radius. Everything within that range mapped clearly into his mind.
At the very edge of his sensing range, in the southwest—
Two violent surges of chakra immediately seized all his attention.
But the moment he focused on them, he froze.
Amid the endless yellow desert, a massive black, cone-shaped object was embedded at an angle in the sand dune, strikingly out of place—like a meteor that had slammed into the earth.
It had carved out a huge crater, and the surrounding sand was still cascading inward.
The tremor from earlier—
Had clearly been caused by this impact.
---
And then—
Taichi's expression lit up with sudden excitement.
After searching everywhere to no avail… the answer had fallen right into his lap.
The person he had been unable to locate for days—
Was standing right there.
The Third Kazekage.
And opposite him—
That red-haired, refined-looking young man—
Taichi recognized him instantly.
It was none other than Sasori of the Red Sand.
At this time… in this place…
A thought surfaced in Taichi's mind.
Could this be… the moment the Kazekage is killed?
Excitement flickered in his eyes.
No matter what, this was a piece of critical intelligence.
But the distance was still too great—his perception couldn't yet pick up their conversation.
Taichi didn't dare expose himself.
Forming hand seals, he silently used Earth Release: Subterranean Voyage, tunneling through the sand toward them.
Only when he closed the distance to within a kilometer did their voices finally become clear.
___
"Such killing intent, Kazekage-sama," Sasori drawled lazily, completely unfazed. "Attacking the moment we meet—how unfriendly."
"Hmph. Facing someone who constantly plots my assassination, the fact that I haven't already killed you is only because you're still somewhat useful," the Kazekage replied coldly, clearly restraining himself.
"Useful?" Sasori clicked his tongue. "I just helped you eliminate several high-ranking officials in the Land of Wind who were obstructing funding from the Daimyō. Shouldn't you be thanking me?"
"That was simply the price you paid for attempting to assassinate the Kazekage," he shot back. "Sasori—you're already a rogue ninja. My patience has limits. Speak. Why did you call me here?"
"How impatient," Sasori sneered.
Then, his expression twisted with hatred.
"I just wanted the Kazekage-sama to appraise my latest work… and see whether it's powerful enough to kill the White Fang of Konoha."
At those words, the Kazekage's vigilance surged.
Fine grains of iron sand began to rise from the desert, gathering around him like a living storm.
---
Sasori, however, remained completely calm.
He pulled out a sealing scroll and flicked it open.
Bang!
Five humanoid puppets appeared before him.
They looked almost identical to real humans—if not for the mechanical joints, it would have been nearly impossible to tell the difference.
"You… you've truly begun creating human puppets…" the Third Kazekage's voice trembled with anger. "Do you have any idea what that means? Do you want to become the enemy of the entire shinobi world?!"
"The enemy of the world?" Sasori scoffed, utterly unconcerned. "I'm already a missing-nin of Sunagakure. What's one more title?"
---
"You all forbade my research into human puppets—called it cruel, said it would provoke other villages into attacking us. What a joke."
His voice grew sharper, more unhinged.
"Is war not cruel? Every war kills thousands—countless civilians die as well.
And what about jinchūriki? Are they not cruel? Raised from childhood, treated like monsters their entire lives.
So what gives these people the right to call human puppetry cruel?"
His tone turned almost manic.
"I'm merely making use of enemy corpses—recycling waste. And yet you so-called elites dare to judge me?"
The more he spoke, the more frenzied he became.
With another flick of his wrist, a second sealing scroll burst open.
Another five human puppets appeared.
"Kazekage-sama," Sasori said with a chilling smile, "please… evaluate my work."
"Let's see… whether it satisfies you."
His fingers twitched—
And all ten puppets moved at once.
The Kazekage's expression hardened.
"…You really refuse to give up."
The iron sand around him surged violently.
"This time… I won't hold back."