Sunagakure, Land of Wind.
The Third Kazekage, Yasuto Sugiyama, was absolutely livid.
Hailed as the strongest Kazekage in the village's history, Yasuto sat at the helm of a nation built by the First and refined by the Second, who had established Suna's elite Puppet Brigade. Naturally, Yasuto craved a legacy great enough to justify his lofty title.
So, when the ambitious Hanzo of the Salamander decided that being the "Demi-God" of the shinobi world wasn't enough and tried to trigger a war to become the sixth Kage, Yasuto had been like a weasel in a chicken coop—squeezing into every opening he could find.
While Amegakure was busy invading the Land of Iron and declaring war on Konoha, Suna had quietly tried to slip in through the back door. Their goal was simple: seize a piece of the rain-drenched Land of Rain to solve the Land of Wind's perennial water crisis.
But as the saying goes, no plan survives contact with the enemy. The Land of Iron turned out to be a paper tiger, folding almost instantly. Seeing their ally about to collapse, Konoha—the greatest of the hidden villages—ramped up their efforts. They forcibly dragged Hanzo's main force out of the Land of Iron and back to the Land of Rain, turning Suna's "sneak attack" into a brutal, head-on grind.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of pillars like Chiyo and Ebizo, the Land of Wind had weathered Hanzo's furious counter-offensive, but the front lines had stagnated. Yasuto's dreams of a quick land grab evaporated. What was supposed to be an easy heist had devolved into a messy, three-way war of attrition.
Led by Hanzo, the smaller Amegakure used their intimate knowledge of the terrain and the unique environment to trade blows with both Konoha and Suna. The war dragged on for over half a year, with none of the three powers able to gain a decisive advantage.
Seeing an opening after Hanzo heavily damaged Konoha's forces, Suna—addicted to the gamble—decided to launch a surprise attack through the Land of Rivers. This time, Yasuto went all-in, committing his final ace: the Puppet Brigade.
But as the modern saying goes: Hesitation is defeat, but decisiveness can lead to a total wipeout.
The Puppet Brigade met their literal nightmare—a Konoha kenjutsu squad led by Sakumo Hatake. They didn't just lose; they were annihilated. The losses were catastrophic, including the Brigade's commanders: Chiyo's own son and daughter-in-law, both butchered by the "White Fang."
Backpedaling frantically, Yasuto had no choice but to send Chiyo and Ebizo to the Land of Rivers to stabilize the mess and block any potential Konoha counter-invasion. Meanwhile, he ordered his proxy commander in the Land of Rain, Parashia, to hold the line and drag things out until all three parties were too exhausted to continue.
That way, despite their heavy losses, Suna would at least preserve their base. The war wouldn't be a defeat; it would be a stalemate.
But just as Yasuto thought things couldn't get worse, Parashia delivered one final "big surprise."
"Where is Parashia? I'll string him up outside the village gates until the desert sun turns him into a mummy! I'll leave him there until the wind erodes his very bones!"
Yasuto Sugiyama's roar was so intense that the Jonin standing before him—part of the first group to flee back through the Land of Rivers—felt like they were being power-washed with spit.
"Gulp! Lord Kazekage... P-Parashia, he... he..."
Facing a leader who looked ready to skin him alive, the Jonin, a man named Pide, felt a cold bead of sweat (or perhaps spit) roll down his forehead. His throat felt like it was full of sand; he couldn't get the words out.
"What about that bastard?!" Yasuto took a deep breath, his heart rate spiking again.
"He... Parashia knew his failures were unforgivable. So... so he didn't retreat. He went after Tsunade instead. We haven't heard from him since," Pide stammered, finally blurting out the choice Parashia had made.
"Haha! Good! Wonderful! Absolutely brilliant!" Yasuto stared blankly for a moment before bursting into a fit of rage-fueled laughter.
"Third, there is no point in dwelling on Parashia's errors now. What matters is how we resolve the disaster in the Land of Rain."
Chiyo, having returned to the village shortly after the news, was significantly more composed than Yasuto. She had never liked Parashia in the first place. Yasuto had insisted on making his confidant the proxy commander despite her objections. Now that he had blown up in their faces, she was shocked, yes, but she'd been mentally prepared for him to fail. She wasn't about to lose her cool like the Kazekage.
"Hmph! What's left to resolve?" Yasuto sneered, assuming Chiyo was mocking his judgment. "We pull every last man back to the Land of Wind. We monitor Konoha and Ame. If they invade, we dig in and hold the oases layer by layer."
When you lose a gamble, you take your licks. That was the reality of their situation. They were forced into a defensive turtle.
Fortunately, the Land of Wind was buffered by vast stretches of desert. They never really worried about invasions; nobody wanted their land. Aside from a few oases, the Land of Wind was mostly endless yellow sand. If you wanted to "conquer" that, be Suna's guest.
"The latest reports from the Land of Rain suggest that old poison-monger Hanzo is buckling under the pressure," Chiyo said, ignoring Yasuto's attitude. "He's planning to sign an alliance with Konoha."
Yasuto's eyelid twitched. He put on a mask of contempt. "Hmph. That weathercock certainly turns with the wind, doesn't he?"
He let out a long, heavy sigh. As much as he hated it, Yasuto hadn't survived years as Kazekage by being a fool. He understood why Chiyo was bringing this up.
"Send an envoy to Konoha," he muttered. "We'll propose an alliance with them as well."
"Konoha's losses weren't small either," Yasuto continued, his voice low. "Suna is being watched by Iwa and Kiri, but Konoha is in the sights of Iwa and Kumo. That monkey Hiruzen isn't an idiot. He knows how to prioritize."
"I'm afraid it won't be that simple," Ebizo added from Chiyo's side, his face etched with worry. "Hiruzen might see the big picture, but the people around him might chase petty gains at the expense of the grand strategy. After all, Suna suffered a crushing defeat this time. They'll want blood."
"You needn't worry about that, Elders. Someone will help us handle that particular problem."
Yasuto glanced at Ebizo, his voice suddenly full of unearned confidence. Chiyo and Ebizo both frowned, exchanging a quick, puzzled look. They couldn't fathom where this sudden assurance was coming from, and they began silently theorizing about the identity of this mysterious "helper."
"However," Yasuto added, "there will likely be voices of opposition within the village. When that happens, I expect you two to help me suppress them."
"Rest assured, Kazekage. We know what to do."
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