"Chiyo, is this the result of your campaign that you brought back?"
The Third Kazekage looked at Chiyo, who had rushed back day and night. His voice carried a hint of anger, yet he couldn't bring himself to scold her harshly. The intelligence leak couldn't entirely be blamed on her.
"My deepest apologies, Lord Kazekage... It was my incompetence, and I am willing to bear all the blame."
Chiyo said sincerely. Aside from the intelligence leak, this matter was inextricably linked to her command.
"Chiyo, what's most important now isn't who's right or wrong, nor is it a matter of punishment, but rather what Konoha's intentions are. They had an opportunity to pursue you but gave it up."
The Third Kazekage couldn't figure out Konoha's intentions for a moment. When Chiyo and her forces retreated, Konoha had every chance to pursue them, so why did they give up?
Sunagakure already had a scarcity of talent. The appearance of an elite Ninja like Chiyo was a blessing, and even though her mission failed this time, he couldn't bear to punish her.
There was no puppeteer more outstanding than Chiyo in Sunagakure. She was the most excellent puppeteer, having inherited the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets from Monzaemon, the progenitor of puppetry.
Thinking of Sunagakure's current situation, the Third Kazekage felt bitter, as bitter as tasting the gall of a desert viper. If the Second Kazekage, Lord Shamon, hadn't died so mysteriously, he wouldn't have been forced into the position of Kazekage, nor would he have realized how dire Sunagakure's situation was.
The environment was harsh, resources were scarce, and on top of that, the Daimyo of the Wind Country wanted to cut funding.
He had initially thought this operation would yield good results, allowing him to stand tall when asking the Daimyo for funding!
But he never expected that Chiyo's Sunagakure unit would encounter a raid by a force led by Orochimaru and Tsunade of Konohas Sannin just as they were about to act after entering the Land of Fire.
Shukaku from Bunbuku's body had emerged, but it was sealed by Orochimaru, having no effect at all. Setting aside other things, if they could have killed Orochimaru and Tsunade of Konohas Sannin, that would have been something.
The crucial point was that Shukaku didn't even kill one of the Sannin; it was just sealed by Orochimaru!
The Third Kazekage even began to doubt whether their long-standing practice of imprisoning Bunbuku was an overreaction. With Shukaku's strength, was it truly necessary to keep him locked up under strict guard?
The status of the Tailed Beast continued to fall in his mind.
"Lord Kazekage, is it possible that Kumogakure leaked the intelligence about Bunbuku being a Jinchuriki to Konoha?"
Chiyo speculated. Otherwise, there was no way to explain how Konoha knew about Bunbuku. Bunbuku had been imprisoned for so many years, and most people in Sunagakure didn't even know of his existence. The Ninja guarding him had forgotten his name.
"Kumogakure..."
The Third Kazekage frowned slightly, thinking of Kumogakure's actions against Iwagakure, and a possibility occurred to him!
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