News of the Konoha Crush's conclusion spread like wildfire across the border defenses of various countries, landing directly on the desks of the other Kage.
Kumogakure was the first to receive a complete battle report.
"Sunagakure..." The Fourth Raikage, A, gripped the intelligence report in disbelief. "That bastard Rasa. Has he gone mad?"
'Allying with Konoha's rogue ninja Orochimaru to attack the Leaf? With Sunagakure's current strength... how dare he?'
He stared at the words on the page, his brow furrowing into a tight knot. "And since he was planning an attack on Konoha," he said, looking up at his assistant, Mabui, "why didn't he take action himself? Instead, he let Orochimaru impersonate him?"
A's logic was simple: if they were launching a surprise attack, they should have gone in together. If two top-tier combatants joined forces, they could have inflicted heavy losses, even if they couldn't truly crush Konoha. But letting Orochimaru take the lead alone while Rasa hid? It was a terrible plan.
Mabui pondered for a moment. "Perhaps there are internal changes in Sunagakure that we don't know about. Or maybe the cooperation between Rasa and Orochimaru was problematic to begin with."
A snorted, dismissing the issue for now. He looked back at the latter half of the report, his gaze stopping on a single name.
Tejima Shinichi had captured Orochimaru alive.
The simple statement caused his expression to darken.
"Why Sunagakure went crazy, what Rasa is up to... we can set those aside," A said. "There is a much more troublesome matter. Konoha has produced a genius... and he has already fully matured."
At almost the same time in Iwagakure, Ōnoki floated in mid-air inside the Tsuchikage's office. His eyes narrowed as he reviewed the intelligence. "Kitsuchi, what do you think?"
Kitsuchi answered without hesitation. "Sunagakure must endure Konoha's wrath."
Ōnoki nodded slowly in agreement. Unless something unexpected had occurred, Sunagakure's blatant attack on Konoha was a direct declaration of war. The only alternative was some shocking inside story. For example, their leader—the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa—could have been killed by someone who then impersonated him to order the attack.
'But is that even possible?' Ōnoki mused. 'He's a Kage. Sunagakure has already had instances of their leaders going missing. How could they not take extra precautions?'
He shook his head. "The scent of war... I can already smell it. Get ready," Ōnoki ordered. "Once Konoha and Sunagakure go to war, Iwagakure will have a hand in it."
Since the Third Great Ninja War, Iwagakure had pushed its strength to new heights through years of peace. With the potential reignition of war, it was time to redistribute power. They couldn't simply sit by and watch their interests be snatched away. This tension rippled across the continent, reaching even Kirigakure, despite its isolation.
.....
Deep within Sunagakure in the Land of Wind, an underground secret room housed a small, crystal-clear pond fed by an underground river. Chiyo and her younger brother, Ebizo, sat side by side. They held fishing rods, staring blankly at the floats bobbing on the water.
Tap, tap, tap.
Rapid footsteps echoed in the passage, drawing the attention of the two elders. A high-level advisor, whose status in the village was second only to the Kazekage and Baki, rushed in. He was pale and breathing heavily, entirely abandoning standard formalities.
"Lady Chiyo! Master Ebizo!" the advisor's voice was hoarse and trembling. "Something... something big has happened!"
Ebizo remained staring at his float, motionless. Chiyo, however, turned her head to look at the newcomer.
"Something big? Even if the sky falls, it has nothing to do with us two retired old fogies. We stopped managing the village's affairs long ago."
The advisor did not retreat. He knew that given Sunagakure's current predicament, only these two veterans could stabilize the village.
"Lady Chiyo!" he pleaded. "I didn't want to disturb your seclusion either, but..." The advisor swallowed hard and raised his voice. "...Lord Rasa is dead!"
The declaration echoed loudly in the small stone room.
Splash!
The fishing rod slipped from Ebizo's hands and fell into the pond. Chiyo stood up abruptly. Both elders stared at the advisor in sheer disbelief.
After a hurried yet clear report, the fragmented nightmare was pieced together. The Kazekage had been killed at the border, Orochimaru had impersonated him, the Sand infiltration unit was nearly wiped out, and their Jinchuriki had been captured.
Ebizo swayed on his feet, dazed. "So... that's how it is."
The truth shook them to their cores. Ebizo and Chiyo exchanged a heavy, gloomy look. They had lived long lives and weathered countless storms, but this was unprecedented. Their leader was dead, their elites were decimated, their ultimate weapon was captured, and they were staring down the erupting wrath of Konoha. Every worst-case scenario had triggered at once, pushing the entire village to the edge of a cliff. This was undeniably the greatest crisis since Sunagakure's founding.
"It is precisely because the village has reached a life-or-death juncture," the advisor urged, "that we must ask you two elders to take charge. Otherwise... Sunagakure is truly finished."
Chiyo's chest heaved as she slowly closed her eyes. Ebizo clenched his fists, genuine anger contorting his aged features.
"That bastard Rasa!" Ebizo spat, exasperated. "What on earth was in his head? Losing his own life wasn't enough; he had to drag the entire village into the fire! Even if we were desperately short on funds, couldn't he just use his Magnet Release to mine more gold dust? Why go as far as—"
"Enough, Ebizo," Chiyo interrupted, cutting off her brother's rant. "The man is dead. There is no point in complaining about it now."
She let out a long, weary sigh, her sharp gaze falling on the pale advisor. "Let's go. Right now. To the Kazekage building."
As she stepped into the corridor, her stooped, aged posture seemed to straighten, radiating the imposing aura of a battle-hardened veteran.
"The situation is not entirely hopeless," she said, setting a brisk pace. "We just have to find a way to survive this ordeal."
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