[Pakura, this time our village has been utterly defeated. We lost everything. In a situation like this, someone has to stand up and take all the responsibility.]
[And you, having just taken office as Kazekage, absolutely cannot let any handle fall into other people's hands. Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.]
[So I made the decision on my own and signed that humiliating land cession and compensation agreement in your place…]
[And I've already arranged for the related news to be spread.]
[That way, those ignorant villagers will place all the blame on me.]
[My sister has already left me. Living on alone by myself has no real meaning.]
[My death should be the best explanation for the village.]
[As for Rasa, he still has value to the village. You must keep him firmly under your control at all times.]
[You should know that he is meticulous and has a strong desire for power. You can give him a little benefit now and then, but you must also be on guard. Never lower your vigilance.]
[Always pay attention to intelligence from deep within the desert. Once Shukaku revives, you must find every possible way to capture it back!]
[Elder Fuin is extremely loyal to the village. So I have entrusted the intelligence department to him. I believe he will complete the task well.]
[And Tetsuo and Takayuki have accompanied me through decades of storms.]
[Now that I am about to leave, I cannot bear to drag them down any longer. Let them leave as well and pursue their own lives.]
Pakura unfolded the second letter. The contents explained in detail the follow up matters regarding his position.
Every detail and every arrangement had been carefully considered, leaving nothing out.
Clearly, at the moment he decided to shoulder the blame, he had already chosen death.
Thinking back to the previous war, Elder Ebizo had actually borne no responsibility.
Although Rengoku had used the shocking Perfected Warrior Susanoo.
Uchiha Rengoku had never used it before, and it could not be blamed on Elder Ebizo's negligence.
That war had not only cost Sunagakure six to seven thousand lives.
Even Elder Chiyo had been captured and killed.
Now Konoha had come again with overwhelming force, and Sunagakure, unable to repay the huge debt, had no choice but to survive by ceding land in humiliation.
In fact, if someone had to be pushed out to take responsibility for the defeat, making Rasa take the blame would have been the wisest choice.
After all, the role Rasa had played and the decisions he had made at the time did have certain problems.
However, because Rasa still had value for Sunagakure's future development, Ebizo ultimately chose to sacrifice himself in exchange for the peace and stability of the entire village.
Such an elder, who had devoted himself completely to Sunagakure, had now passed away just like that.
An indescribable bitterness rose in Pakura's heart, making it ache.
At that moment, a loud bang suddenly rang out, forcefully pulling Pakura back from her heavy thoughts.
Looking over, she saw that while she had been focused on reading Ebizo's letter, Tetsuo and Takayuki had already swiftly closed the lid of Ebizo's coffin.
"You… what are you doing?"
Pakura widened her eyes, her face filled with shock and anger.
She had not even had the chance to properly say goodbye to the respected Elder Ebizo,
yet now they were sealing the coffin.
Facing her questioning, Tetsuo's expressionless face remained calm. In an almost cold tone, he said, "This was my lord's order."
He paused slightly before continuing, "Lady Pakura, Lord Ebizo said that even if you learned of his death in advance, you should not grieve too deeply."
"After all, everything was his own choice."
"And before he passed, he especially instructed us."
"The dead do not need to be remembered."
"The living should keep striving forward."
After hearing this, Pakura stood there as if turned to stone.
Her gaze fixed on the coffin carrying Ebizo's body. Her eyes gradually reddened, tears swirling within.
She only felt as if a large piece of her heart had suddenly been torn away, leaving it empty and painfully hollow.
———
The news that Sunagakure had been defeated by Konoha and forced to cede land for peace swept across the entire ninja world like a storm.
This shocking event caused an uproar, and its impact went far beyond what people had imagined.
Since the Five Great Ninja Villages had formed a balance of power, never had one been beaten so badly and forced to give up territory as compensation.
This time, Sunagakure became the first to break that balance.
What made the other villages even more uneasy was the unique tactic used by Konoha's Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, combining the Flying Thunder God Technique with flight.
This unprecedented combat style showed unmatched mobility and strike capability, putting enormous pressure on every village facing Konoha.
Each village began to worry, afraid that one day Minato would come knocking on their door as well.
Iwagakure and Kumogakure, who had always kept a close watch on the situation, had already sent spies to monitor Konoha's movements.
After learning what had happened to Sunagakure, they immediately sent Monga and Cee back to Konoha.
Their purpose was clear. To seek peace.
Originally, both Iwagakure and Kumogakure believed that with Konoha's current strength, it would certainly demand extremely harsh terms, maybe even outrageous ones.
However, to everyone's surprise, after discussion, the conditions Konoha offered were relatively mild and reasonable.
Konoha required Iwagakure to send manpower to help transform the newly acquired desert land and assist in building roads throughout the Land of Fire to offset part of the debt.
For Iwagakure, this condition was already quite manageable. After all, chakra could simply be refined again once used.
Paying money, on the other hand, would instantly weaken national strength.
The Land of Rain sat at the intersection of multiple waterways, and its water resources had always been abundant.
However, between the Land of Rain and the vast desert nearby stood a long mountain range, like a natural barrier that blocked moist air.
As a result, the temperature difference between the two sides reached a full twenty degrees.
Now, Konoha ordered Iwagakure to continuously carry out transformation projects in that region.
They were to cut through the mountains and build a canal.
Konoha's intention was obvious. It wanted to completely improve the ecology of the newly controlled desert area.
Although the Land of Rain had not yet announced its merger into the Land of Fire, anyone with clear eyes could see it was only a matter of time.
In contrast, the demands placed on the Land of Lightning were far more numerous and harsh.
In addition to various advanced high tech technologies, there were massive supplies and huge sums of money.
At first, Kumogakure had no intention of agreeing. After all, if Konoha were allowed to develop and expand so rapidly, the Land of Lightning would soon be left far behind.
However, Konoha quickly put forward an offer that Kumogakure simply could not refuse.
Within one year, they would clone the Raikage's arm.
Although such a move carried the potential risk of strengthening a future enemy, with Konoha's current overwhelming strength, even if the Raikage had several more arms, he still could not contend with Konoha.
Rather than that, it was better to use this deal to obtain vast resources to further develop Konoha and the Land of Fire.
Kumogakure naturally understood Konoha's intentions, but after careful consideration, they still chose to agree.
After all, if they refused, what awaited them would be Namikaze Minato leading the Uchiha clan to their doorstep.
Thus, the four great ninja villages on the mainland entered a brief period of peace.
At the same time, Kirigakure, located across the sea, used this rare calm to restore its national strength.
As for Obito's Tsukuma Organization, having lost the Rinnegan and with many tailed beasts killed, they had no choice but to hide and enter a long dormant period.
During this time, Black Zetsu quietly infiltrated the descendants of Hamura on the Moon.
At the same time, he actively searched for suitable new members to expand and strengthen the organization.
Obito himself devoted himself fully to harsh training, doing everything he could to strengthen his new eye.
He hoped to evolve it into a Mangekyo Sharingan as soon as possible.
Not only that, he also searched everywhere for other ways to make himself stronger.
Under this relatively calm and stable situation, time passed like a white horse flashing by.
In the blink of an eye, five full years had slipped through their fingers.
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