Chapter 175 – The Choice of the Sand Village
In such a situation…
The Fourth Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village—A (Night Moon Ai)—and the Third Tsuchikage of the Hidden Stone Village—Ōnoki—both wore shocked expressions. Deep down, their hearts screamed in disbelief.
What more was there to say?
They had already secretly pledged allegiance to Uchiha Madara.
Now, even the Hidden Mist Village—one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations—had surrendered to the Fifth Hokage of Konoha, Uchiha Yuta.
If the Hidden Sand Village also yielded to Konoha…
Then the balance of the entire shinobi world would be shattered.
Just thinking about it was terrifying.
Both the Fourth Raikage and Ōnoki felt a sense of foreboding rising within them.
And at this crucial juncture—
The masked man—Uchiha Obito—personally visited both Kumogakure and Iwagakure.
No one knew exactly what was said between him and the Fourth Raikage or the Third Tsuchikage.
But… after Obito departed, both A and Ōnoki seemed strangely relieved, as if they had received some kind of assurance from Madara Uchiha.
---
That very afternoon—
Unbeknownst to anyone, the Hidden Cloud and Hidden Stone Villages dispatched elite teams to secretly exhume the remains of their former Kage:
The First and Second Tsuchikage,
The First, Second, and Third Raikage.
All of them had been sealed and preserved. The bodies were covertly transported to an undisclosed location.
---
Sunagakure – The Hidden Sand Village
After the Hidden Mist Village declared allegiance to Konoha, the recently reinstated advisor of Sunagakure—Chiyo—was left completely speechless.
Was this a joke?
She had thought that the Fifth Hokage—Uchiha Yuta—would at least restrain his ambitions after uniting smaller powers like Amegakure, the Land of the Moon, and Takigakure.
But reality delivered a harsh slap in the face.
Now even Kirigakure had fallen into Konoha's hands.
Which meant only one thing:
Konoha was moving to unify all of the Five Great Shinobi Nations.
And with Sunagakure's military strength being the weakest of the five—even weaker than Kirigakure—they were beginning to tremble in fear.
"...Sigh."
In her office at the heart of the village, Chiyo's aged face showed nothing but despair. Her clenched fists slowly loosened. Eventually, she couldn't help but drop the intelligence report in her hands.
Weakness is the original sin.
In this world, the law of survival belongs to the strong.
Sunagakure was now far too weak. And Konoha, under the leadership of Uchiha Yuta, had become unimaginably powerful.
No amount of intelligence would make a difference now.
"What should we do next?"
After a long silence, Chiyo finally spoke in a hoarse voice. "The Hidden Mist has surrendered… Will Konoha come for us next?"
"I don't know," replied Ebizō with a bitter smile. "The Fifth Hokage—Uchiha Yuta—is simply too strong. His power alone has shaken the entire shinobi world."
As he spoke, he took a sip of tea, only to grimace—bitter. Just like his heart.
To be frank—
The current Sunagakure was like a salted fish lying on a cutting board.
They had no options.
The idea of resisting Konoha and its monstrous Hokage was nothing but a cruel joke.
"I can't just give up…" Chiyo's eyes sharpened suddenly, a glint of determination flashing in her wrinkled face. "As long as I still draw breath, I must do everything in my power to protect the next generation—Gaara and the rest. I will not let Sunagakure fall into ruin again."
"You're right."
Ebizō nodded solemnly. "Our village can no longer withstand the chaos of another war. We must act decisively."
"…Then what if we also surrendered to Konoha?"
He paused, then voiced what had been nagging at his heart.
"Konoha is incredibly powerful, and Uchiha Yuta has already surpassed even legends like the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. If we voluntarily surrender, it might actually be our best chance."
"…."
Chiyo fell silent.
She opened her mouth to object, but no words came out.
Because deep down—she knew Ebizō was right.
Before such overwhelming power, what other choice did they have?
"I'm only saying this because I want what's best for the village," Ebizō added. "Besides, the Mist has already surrendered. We wouldn't be the first. There's no shame in submitting to strength if it means survival."
Silence.
A still, heavy silence filled the room.
Chiyo sat frozen, her expression unreadable.
Time passed.
Finally, her expression flickered, and she let out a long sigh.
"...Very well. Let it be so."
Those who understand the flow of history are the true tacticians.
Chiyo was not a foolish leader.
Now that Konoha and the Fifth Hokage—Uchiha Yuta—had made their intentions clear to unite the world…
Sunagakure had to make its move early—while it still had the chance to choose.
If they waited, they would only follow in the footsteps of the Akatsuki—destroyed and crushed by Uchiha Yuta's hands.
"Whew…"
Ebizō exhaled deeply, relieved.
Finally, his sister had made the right choice.
And for the first time in a long while…
The safety of the vulnerable Sand Village was within reach.
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