Chapter 95: The Successor
To answer to the daimyō of the Land of Wind, Sunagakure first needed to assign responsibility for their disastrous defeat.
One of the elders, face dark with displeasure, turned toward Rasa:
"Lord Kazekage, why is it that despite investing so much manpower and resources—even deploying Shukaku onto the battlefield—we failed to achieve victory and instead lost to Konoha?"
Rasa's expression soured. He knew much of the blame rested on his shoulders, but under the weight of the council's scrutiny, he struggled to form a reply.
The elder pressed on:
"Had we known that even you, Kazekage-sama, could not secure victory, we would never have poured so much into this war.
If peace talks with Konoha had been advanced earlier, the fronts against the Land of Water and the Land of Earth would not now be under such crushing pressure.
The responsibility lies with you, Kazekage. It was your flawed judgment that brought this calamity."
Rasa clenched his fists. He had gambled everything, pulling elite forces from other fronts, laying an ambush at Kikyo Mountain, even deploying Shukaku—all to guarantee total victory.
What he hadn't anticipated was that the crafty Third Hokage would arrive in person, flanked by his two disciples, to reinforce Konoha's troops. Still, even they had not foreseen Sunagakure fielding Shukaku.
With the One-Tail unleashed, they had briefly gained the upper hand.
But who could have predicted that Konoha would suddenly reveal a warrior capable of suppressing a tailed beast head-on?
As the accusations grew louder, Rasa finally barked in defense:
"I knew pulling shinobi from other fronts was risky. But if not for that mysterious ninja and his strange technique, we would have won!"
The elders muttered skeptically.
"One man capable of matching a tailed beast in open combat? Is that even humanly possible? Are you fabricating this story to deflect responsibility, Kazekage-sama?"
Fortunately, Chiyo stepped forward to support him.
"What Lord Kazekage says is true. I witnessed the man myself. If I am not mistaken, the technique he used was Susanoo—a power once wielded by Uchiha Madara of Konoha."
At the mention of the name, silence rippled through the chamber.
"Madara… the man who stood equal to the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju himself. If an Uchiha has inherited that same power, then suppressing a tailed beast becomes… plausible."
With Chiyo's confirmation, the elders quieted somewhat, though discontent still lingered. Rasa shot her a grateful look before continuing:
"I hear Pakura has regained consciousness. She was the first to face this Uchiha. Does she know anything about him?"
Chiyo nodded.
"Yes. I questioned her. The man was none other than Uchiha Han—the elder brother of Konoha's famed 'Lightning Flash,' Uchiha Nan. She has a blood feud with him, for he blames her for his mother's death.
From fragments she overheard, it seems Han defected from Konoha long ago. His sudden reappearance here was tied, perhaps, to Shukaku."
A derisive laugh cut through the chamber.
"Shukaku? Nonsense. He came for Pakura, plain and simple. This was about revenge. Which means, logically, the blame for our defeat rests squarely on her shoulders."
Rasa immediately countered:
"Enough. Pakura carried out the village's orders when she killed Uchiha Han's mother. Whether Han returned for vengeance or not, she is not to be blamed."
But the elder who had spoken sneered again:
"Then will you shoulder the responsibility, Kazekage-sama?"
Rasa froze, momentarily at a loss. Of course, he had no wish to bear the daimyō's wrath alone.
The elder pressed on, voice dripping with venom:
"Our war against Konoha has failed. Because you stripped other fronts of their forces, both the Water and Earth fronts are faltering.
And now I've received word—the Land of Water is open to peace negotiations… but with one condition. They demand Pakura's head."
The chamber fell silent.
Rasa's expression darkened as he weighed the cost. The request gnawed at him. Would sacrificing one kunoichi buy Sunagakure relief from mounting pressure? Or would yielding only expose weakness?
He did not yet know the answer.
Though it weighed heavily on him, Rasa finally saw the truth in the elder's words. If handing over Pakura meant securing peace with Kirigakure, then Sunagakure could shift all its remaining forces against Iwagakure. The crushing manpower shortage would be resolved in one stroke.
But was it truly just to trade the life of a loyal subordinate for peace?
As Rasa hesitated, the elder pressed harder:
"Do not waver, Kazekage-sama. We cannot afford another fiasco like the battle with Konoha.
Sacrificing one life to save the village is not betrayal—it is duty. And we can even place the blame for our failure at Pakura's feet, which will appease the daimyō. This way, both the village and you will be absolved."
Those final words were the straw that broke the camel's back. To Rasa, it seemed a perfect solution: secure peace, relieve himself of crushing responsibility, and silence his critics.
He made his decision. Once Pakura recovered, she would be sent on a mission to represent Sunagakure in "peace talks" with Kirigakure—a mission from which she would never return.
---
Meanwhile, in the shadows, news of Uchiha Han reached Black Zetsu, who hastened to report to Madara.
Madara let out a hoarse cough, his voice thin with age and weakness:
"Heh… so the boy deceived me after all. It seems he had awakened the Mangekyō even back when we first found him."
Black Zetsu asked sharply:
"What should we do? Do we attempt to bring him under control?"
Madara shook his head.
"No. The curse mark I left on him has long since faded, and we don't know the full scope of his Mangekyō abilities. In my current state, even with you, we lack the strength to bind him.
Besides, he knows nothing of our identity or our true plan. He poses no direct threat. In fact, letting him stir chaos in the shinobi world may even serve our ends."
He paused, then shifted the subject.
"Tell me—have you decided on my successor?"
Black Zetsu nodded.
"There were two main candidates: Uchiha Shisui, once hailed as Konoha's greatest prodigy… and Uchiha Nan, who has recently risen to fame. We had concerns about Nan's youth, but his talent may make him the most suitable candidate."
Madara narrowed his eyes.
"And yet… Nan is troublesome. His only true kin is Uchiha Han, and we cannot touch him. He lacks close friends or bonds—no death would break him deeply enough to trigger the Mangekyō. Without such pain, he is useless to my plan."
He coughed again, lips curling in disdain.
"And Han himself proves the problem with clever shinobi—they are too difficult to control. Better a fool than a genius."
Black Zetsu thought for a moment, then offered:
"There is one more possibility. A boy named Uchiha Obito. He's clumsy, naïve… but he harbors deep affection for a teammate. If that girl were to die, his grief might be strong enough to awaken the Mangekyō.
The problem is, he hasn't even awakened the Sharingan yet. Whether he ever could reach the Mangekyō is uncertain."
Madara closed his eyes in thought.
"Very well. Watch him. If he manifests the Sharingan soon, then perhaps he can be molded into my successor. If not… we turn our eyes back to Shisui or Nan."
And so the seeds of tragedy were sown.