Although Rasa, Chiyo, and Ebizō were reluctant to hand over that fertile land to Konoha, they no longer had a choice.
If they refused, Konoha would launch an all-out war, which Sunagakure could never withstand.
Leaving aside military strength alone, this invasion plan itself lacked legitimacy. Many within the village were unaware of it, so there was a high possibility some might even disobey Rasa's command as Kazekage.
But if they did give up the land, Sunagakure would certainly decline gradually, though it might prolong its survival for a while longer.
Still… As long as the village still existed, there might be other possibilities in the future. But if the village fell completely, then everything would be lost forever.
Chiyo and Ebizō nodded toward Rasa, signaling him to agree.
Rasa understood too—no matter how unwilling he was, he had to consent.
Moreover, after this incident, his time as Kazekage would likely come to an end.
Someone definitely needed to take responsibility for this affair, and only Rasa himself, as Kazekage, could bear that blame.
With great difficulty, Rasa finally spoke out: "I will represent Sunagakure in agreeing to begin negotiations with Konoha using that territory!"
Shindai looked deeply disappointed; he was practically seething with the urge to kill those three right then and there!
Shisui nodded and said, "Then it's settled. We'll immediately send word to Hokage-sama and wait for the talks to begin. However, we will remain stationed here. And besides Kazekage himself, all others must also stay here and cannot return to Sunagakure. After all, from our perspective, Sunagakure's credibility is practically zero."
Rasa and the others were shaking with fury—this was no different from being treated as hostages!
But circumstances left them powerless. After all, it was Sunagakure who violated the alliance treaty first. Konoha saw them as untrustworthy, and they really had nothing to say in response.
Sighing deeply, Ebizō said to Rasa, "The Fourth should return to the village first. The villagers have the right to know what has happened. Also, let's properly discuss how to handle these negotiations. We will stay here."
Helplessly, Rasa nodded, then turned and left for Sunagakure.
At last, Shindai regained his freedom. Konoha ninja began setting up camp and resting. Shindai approached not far from Chiyo and Ebizō, who stood dejected and downcast.
Shindai sneered mockingly, "You really are like homeless dogs, aren't you? Your village lies just beyond reach, yet you can't return. You two old bones—don't die suddenly now! I've been looking forward to killing both of you myself someday."
Looking at Shindai now, Chiyo and Ebizō seethed with fury, yet they ignored his taunts. Right now, they were the defeated side—responding to Shindai's mockery held no meaning whatsoever.
Shindai laughed coldly, "Hey, pretending to be mute now? Come on, look who this is!"
He abruptly shoved Kakashi forward.
When they saw Kakashi, Chiyo and Ebizō exchanged confused glances—they couldn't shake the feeling that he seemed oddly familiar.
Shindai grinned mischievously, "His father is the son of White Fang—and the one who killed your son and daughter-in-law! Excited? Feeling nostalgic?"
Chiyo glared at Kakashi, fists clenched.
Kakashi shot Shindai an incredulous look, muttered "boring," then pulled away from Shindai's grip to go find Obito.
Shindai exaggerated his expression, "Wow. What an angry face! But what can you two do about it? I think the White Fang killed Sasori's parents even before he was born. If that hadn't happened, the Third Kazekage wouldn't have died, and that bastard Rasa would never have become Kazekage.
Tsk tsk, all of this is entirely your fault, Chiyo! Of all people, why did *you* and Onoki have to give birth to that bastard Rasa?"
Chiyo shouted furiously through clenched teeth, "Don't push your luck too far, Shindai!"
Shindai sneered, "Pushing my luck? I'm being pushy—so what? You wanna fight me? Be my guest! I'd love to see Suna and Konoha go to war. And believe me, don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that as long as I want to, I could build plenty more [Chakra Cluster Cannons] like the one used against Suna before. I could easily reduce the entire Sand Village to wreckage!
You two old bastards betraying me alongside Rasa wasn't such a big deal—I never claimed to be loyal to Suna anyway—but how could you betray Pakura, who gave so much and loved the village deeply? You're planning to hand Pakura over to Mist ninjas for execution. How is that not the act of beasts?"
Chiyo, Ebizō, and the other Sand Village higher-ups present who knew the inside story all felt uneasy inside.
Regarding Pakura's case, they were standing on shaky ground.
Shindai looked at Chiyo and said, "You probably don't know yet—your grandson isn't alone anymore."
Chiyo frowned, "What do you mean?"
Shindai burst into laughter, "That guy Sasori has turned himself into a Human Puppet. He's now something neither man nor beast! Truly worthy of the title Red-Sand Sasori! He's so ruthless to himself—he's obsessed with becoming a puppet, even turning himself into one! Such dedication—I sincerely admire it!"
Shindai laughed uncontrollably, nearly crying from laughing so hard.
Chiyo, however, stood frozen, her expression clearly showing disbelief.
Shindai chuckled darkly, "I really look forward to seeing your reaction when you finally meet Sasori. Who knows? You might actually like what he's become."
As Shindai finished speaking, Shisui's voice came over calling him.
Shisui was beside himself—Shindai just kept provoking Chiyo and the others. If Suna couldn't hold back their anger anymore, things that weren't supposed to get messy could easily spiral out of control.
Since Shisui was carrying a radio, he quickly received a reply from Konoha.
Shisui approached Chiyo and Ebizō. "One of you should go to Sunagakure and inform the Kazekage that Hokage-sama will begin negotiations with them at the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire. You have one hour—you'll follow us when we leave."
Chiyo was still lost in thoughts about Sasori, so Ebizō sent a ninja to notify Rasa in Sunagakure.
An hour later, Rasa arrived right on time.
Shindai muttered, "What's he trying to show off? Making us wait this long—it nearly reduced us to homeless strays."
He muttered it under his breath, yet everyone present clearly heard Shindai's words.
Rasa's temple throbbed visibly; he was already furious inside.
Obito whispered, "Just shut up already! Even Shisui, usually so calm, is starting to lose his cool because of your loose tongue."
Shindai snorted, "Minato-dono is just too kind. He could easily—"
Before Shindai could finish his sentence, he suddenly felt an extremely resentful gaze directed at him—from Shisui.
Shindai twitched his lips. "Okay okay, I'll stop talking. Let's just go."
Everyone set off toward the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, accompanied by Rasa and his group, preparing to engage in negotiations with Minato Namikaze.
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