Sunagakure was now covered in a layer of gloom.
The forced land cession agreement had just been signed, and it was like a bolt of thunder splitting the sky, spreading quickly through the village.
In just one night, the shocking news spread like wildfire into every corner.
After the villagers learned about it, anger, disappointment, and confusion mixed together, and their emotions were instantly ignited.
The ordinary villagers did not care to dig into the complicated political factors or strategic considerations behind it. They only saw the simple and cruel truth.
Sunagakure had lost the war, and it ended in the humiliating way of ceding land and paying compensation.
For Sunagakure, this was a disgrace that was impossible to accept.
For a time, curses rose one after another, filling the streets and alleys.
Someone cried out in grief, "What a disgrace! Our Sunagakure has actually fallen to the point of giving up land to beg for peace!"
"What kind of Kazekage is that? So useless! Why didn't he fight to the death on the battlefield instead of sneaking back to sign such a humiliating treaty!"
Rasa's behavior when Konoha arrived also became the target of criticism from the villagers.
"That coward! I heard when the Konoha army pressed in, he didn't even have the courage to fight!"
"And that Elder Ebizo, I heard he was the one who took the lead in surrendering!"
"Bah! What elder!"
"He deserves to die!"
In sharp contrast, people began praising the newly appointed Kazekage, Lady Pakura, who had been running around rescuing the wounded.
"Only Lady Pakura truly cares about the villagers, unlike those cowardly fools."
"If Lady Pakura had led us against Konoha, maybe the result would have been different!"
Some even shouted excitedly, "We should follow Lady Pakura and fight Konoha to the death, rather die than surrender!"
However, these voices could not change the established reality.
At this moment, Pakura, carefully disguised, was silently walking along the bustling street.
The noisy curses around her were endless, all aimed at Elder Ebizo.
Listening to those harsh words, Pakura's expression grew darker, her heart filled with mixed feelings.
She knew very well the pain this war had brought to Sunagakure, but faced with the overwhelming anger of the people, how could she calm it?
That morning, Pakura had focused on handling official matters in the Kazekage's office.
But unlike usual, Elder Ebizo, who was always by her side assisting her, had not appeared today.
Instead, he had sent a young ninja in a hurry to pass on his message.
Elder Ebizo was feeling slightly unwell and needed to rest for two days.
However, even though he was not present, he was still concerned about the village's affairs.
Through the messenger, he carefully explained various recent matters in the village.
He also pointed out several elders who were trustworthy and could assist her in the future.
At the same time, he specifically reminded Pakura not to show her true face before she officially took office as Kazekage, so as to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Only after formally assuming the position should she restore her original appearance.
Even though her work was not yet finished, after hearing that Elder Ebizo was ill, Pakura could not stop worrying.
So now, near noon, she put down what she was doing, left the Kazekage's office, and decided to personally go visit him.
When she walked onto the street and heard the curses around her, she finally understood why Elder Ebizo had signed the land cession agreement on her behalf.
Clearly, he wanted to shoulder all the blame himself, protecting Pakura from the pressure of public opinion.
In this way, both Rasa and Elder Ebizo himself would bear all the infamy.
And when Pakura officially became Kazekage, she would not have to face instability caused by these negative events.
Thinking of this, Pakura quickened her pace, passing through the busy streets and heading toward Elder Ebizo's residence.
Before long, she arrived at the sand wall located at the back of the village.
A house had been carved cleverly into the sand wall. That was where Elder Ebizo lived.
Although it looked somewhat ugly from the outside, the inside was well ventilated and pleasantly cool.
Most of the other elders also lived nearby.
When Pakura finally reached the area around Ebizo's home, an indescribable strange feeling suddenly rose in her heart.
At the entrance of what had once been an ordinary house, white flowers had been hung.
Everyone knew that such decorations only appeared when someone in the household had died.
And as everyone knew, after Chiyo died, Ebizo had been living alone.
Bang!
With a loud noise, Pakura pushed the door open with all her strength without hesitation.
In that instant, she was shocked to see a large coffin placed right in the center of the room.
Elder Ebizo, who had been fine just yesterday, was now lying quietly inside that coffin.
"Elder Ebizo!"
Pakura cried out involuntarily and rushed forward anxiously to see for herself.
But at that moment, two strong arms suddenly stretched out from the side and firmly blocked her path.
Looking closely, she saw it was Ebizo's two personal guards.
They said in unison, "Lady Pakura, please calm down."
The anger in Pakura's heart was instantly ignited, and she was about to explode.
But when her eyes met the two guards, she froze.
Although their faces remained cold, their bloodshot eyes revealed deep sorrow and grief.
Seeing this, the anger in Pakura's chest deflated like a pierced balloon.
Her face darkened as she demanded in a trembling voice, "What exactly happened?"
The guard on the left was named Tetsuo, and the one on the right was named Takayuki.
Tetsuo slowly reached out and stiffly pulled two letters from his clothes.
In a low voice, he said, "Elder Ebizo committed su!cide. These are the letters he specifically left for you, Lady Pakura."
As soon as the words fell, Pakura rushed forward and snatched the two letters.
Her once beautiful eyes were now filled with urgency and unease. Her fingers trembled slightly as she quickly tore open the envelopes and unfolded the paper to read.
The words in the letter were like bolts of thunder, exploding again and again in Pakura's heart.
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