"I say, old sister, you should stop pacing. They are just a bunch of mudskippers from Kirigakure. Do they even understand land warfare? In my opinion, we don't need to request any reinforcements at all." Ebizō snorted coldly.
He then received a glare from Chiyo. "I would have supported you before Rasa depleted the village's reserves, but have you considered that the number of shinobi Sunagakure can currently field is just over three thousand? Kirigakure suffered no substantial losses during the Third Great Shinobi War."
"Even though the enemy is not adept at land warfare, their numbers are at least two or three times ours. Sunagakure cannot afford any more setbacks now. And even if we could win, do you think that person from the Land of Rain wouldn't take advantage of the situation?" Chiyo was somewhat exasperated.
Ebizō fell silent. He lowered his head and sighed, then looked up at a 45-degree angle towards the sun in the sky. Heaven is truly unfair. Konoha works hard and governs well, while our Sunagakure suffers defeat after defeat.
Chiron stood by silently, listening to his mother's analysis. He agreed wholeheartedly. As expected of Mother, her considerations are so thorough, truly admirable.
Shortly after.
Grandma Chiyo stopped pacing and looked towards the direction of Konoha. She noticed two people approaching the village entrance, accompanied by envoys from Sunagakure.
"Two people? Isn't that a bit too careless?" Ebizō suddenly said, looking at his sister Chiyo.
Chiyo shook her head. "Have you forgotten Ryun Uchiha, Hashirama Senju, and Madara Uchiha? If it were one of those three, what would we have to fear even if all the previous Mizukages were resurrected?"
Ebizō scratched his head. That seemed right. Those three have surpassed human limits. Any one of them could destroy a country single-handedly. After all, Konoha's combat power cannot be measured by common sense.
Chiron stood there wearing the Kazekage's sacred robe, looking ahead. He squinted as he watched the approaching figures from afar. It seemed like he saw Pakura. He rubbed his eyes; the distance was still too great.
No matter, he would see clearly soon. Anyway, the fact that Konoha was willing to send people meant that those dispatched were sufficient to quell this conflict.
When Uchiha Izuna and Pakura were brought before them by the envoys, the crowd became excited.
Especially Chiyo. Her eyes shone. They sent Pakura and Uchiha Izuna? It's settled, it's settled! Just as Chiyo was about to speak, Uchiha Izuna stepped forward first. "Lady Chiyo, we are sent by Hokage Ryun Uchiha to aid Sunagakure. May I ask if Sunagakure's forces are prepared?"
He stepped in front of his wife, extending his hand to shake Chiyo's. Chiyo then remembered that Pakura was now a shinobi of Konoha. Her eyes dimmed slightly. She opened her mouth, not knowing what to say.
Chiron stepped forward. He extended his hand, wanting to shake Uchiha Izuna's. Seeing him dressed in the Kazekage's sacred robe, Uchiha Izuna did not refuse the gesture and shook his hand.
"You have come a long way from your village. Would you like to enter the village and rest?" Chiron said with a smile.
"No, quelling the conflict is more urgent." This was said by Pakura. Her expression was complex, but her tone was firm. Ever since her mother-in-law handed her over to Konoha as a bargaining chip, she was a Konoha shinobi for life.
Although her husband, Uchiha Izuna, could handle all the negative gossip and discussion for her, she was married to him now and naturally wouldn't cause him trouble.
Hearing Pakura say this, Uchiha Izuna smiled slightly and took her hand. Pakura blushed, looked down at her toes, and did not struggle.
Seeing this, Chiyo sighed. She had made her choice, and now she had to see it through. "In that case, I will lead a thousand Suna-nin to the front lines with you two to face the enemy."
"Mother, no. You are advanced in years now and cannot risk any mishaps." Chiron hurriedly tried to dissuade her. "Let me personally take to the battlefield for this battle."
"Nonsense. Chiron, you are now the Fourth Kazekage, the future leader of Sunagakure, its head. How can you act so recklessly?" Chiyo scolded angrily. "This matter is settled."
Seeing Chiyo so determined, Chiron, even if he wanted to say more, couldn't get the words out. Ebizō pulled Chiron back, telling him to say no more.
And so, Sunagakure assembled one thousand shinobi at the village entrance, commanded by Chiyo. Uchiha Izuna and Pakura followed alongside Chiyo, heading towards the direction of Kirigakure.
This time, they needed to pass through Konoha to reach the Land of Bears. Therefore, Uchiha Izuna carried a token given by Ryun Uchiha. At every Konoha checkpoint, they had to present the token to be allowed passage.
The Suna-nin and Chiyo looked enviously at Konoha's plains climate and residential buildings. Even the people in small villages lived in two-story houses.
Meanwhile, Sunagakure was plagued by endless yellow sand, scarce food and water sources. The climate restricted their development, leaving the entire village at a backward level among the Five Great Nations.
"Konoha is truly wonderful." Chiyo sighed with emotion. "With land and climate like this, food and water must be plentiful."
Pakura nodded. "Indeed. Compared to Sunagakure, Konoha's geographical conditions are uniquely advantageous."
Uchiha Izuna, however, said, "Sunagakure isn't bad either. It's rich in mineral resources, especially gold, which is quite rare in the Land of Fire too."
Uchiha Izuna knew how to talk, instantly elevating Sunagakure's status quite a bit.
Chiyo looked deeply at Uchiha Izuna. "In the face of food and water, what does money matter?"
"Our Hokage has a saying, 'Money isn't everything, but without money, you can't do anything.' So please, Lady Chiyo, do not be so modest." Uchiha Izuna's words were pleasant to hear.
The Suna-nin couldn't help but feel some goodwill towards Uchiha Izuna. Chiyo, having experienced great storms and waves, said nothing more. Instead, she observed the surroundings with complex eyes.
Uchiha Izuna also tactfully fell silent and continued advancing with the troops. Just as the Suna forces passed the last town.
Uchiha Izuna spoke up. "How about everyone goes into this town to buy some food and drinks? You can eat them on the way, or enjoy them after the war is over. It would be good."
Chiyo frowned. "Izuna, we are at war, not playing house."
She was somewhat displeased. Even though Konoha is providing manpower and allowing us passage, this is going too far. How can you push products on us now?
"Heh, Lady Chiyo, you may not know. I saw that everyone has been eating only soldier pills on this journey and drinking water from canteens that's been sitting for who knows how many days. I feel for everyone." Uchiha Izuna said.
Chiyo suddenly found herself speechless. Under the expectant gazes of the Suna-nin, she sighed. "Go buy whatever food you want."
Then she sat down on the ground for a rest. Just as the Suna-nin were about to move, Uchiha Izuna spoke again. "Konoha welcomes friends who come to consume. But if anyone tries to skip out on paying, or tries to damage the friendship between Sunagakure and Konoha, don't blame my blade for being merciless."
Having said that, Uchiha Izuna drew the ninja sword he carried and plunged it into the ground. The Suna-nin immediately felt a pang of fear and quickly said, "We will definitely follow the rules. Please rest assured, Lord Izuna."
Uchiha Izuna nodded, then led everyone into the village to buy food and drinks.
"What? A bottle of water is only one ryo? Give me one hundred, no, one thousand bottles." A Suna-nin looked at the water in his hand and shouted.
In Sunagakure, a bottle of water cost at least one hundred ryo when cheap, and sometimes even over a thousand ryo when expensive. Here in Konoha, it was only one ryo.
His voice instantly attracted everyone's attention. "That's right, boss, I'll also buy one thousand bottles." Seeing the crystal clear water in their companion's hand, they understood this was high-quality water.
The shopkeeper was stunned. He never expected this commonplace water could cause such a frenzy among these shinobi lords.
"Yes, yes, I have over a hundred thousand bottles. Don't rush, everyone, one at a time." The shopkeeper's face broke into a wide smile. The cost of this water was less than one ryo. Selling it for one ryo was already doubling the price. Usually, only villagers finishing work, dying of thirst, would buy it. These people were like his great benefactors.
"Hey, brothers, look what I found. This bread is 500 grams, and it's only two ryo." Another Suna-nin raised the bread, his eyes shining.
Seeing they were big customers, the shopkeeper said, "Honorable shinobi, you are all valued customers. How about this, I'll give you ten packs of bread to open and try. If it tastes good, I have plenty more."
The shinobi's eyes instantly lit up. What had they been eating these past few days? Soldier pills, like wax pellets, disgusting and lacking nutrition.
The Konoha shopkeeper was so good. Not only did he sell them water at low prices, but also cheap bread.
They tore open the bread, took a bite, and were immediately stunned. This, this quality of bread, this texture, wasn't something shinobi like them could afford to eat.
Probably only the Daimyo's mansion could afford bread with such a fine texture, sweet and delicious.
"Boss, we'll buy all the bread you have." The shinobi spoke up one after another. The shopkeeper was overjoyed. He laughed, "Alright, honored guests, please wait a moment. I'll have someone fetch it right away."
Two hours later, Chiyo opened her eyes. What was going on? Where were all her Sunagakure soldiers? Why hadn't they come out yet?
Just as she was overthinking, over a thousand Sunagakure soldiers walked out cheerfully. Each person's scroll was stuffed full. Inside were all the supplies and food purchased from the shops.
"Mother-in-law, are you sure you don't want to go? There's still plenty of delicious food and drinks there, and the prices are low. A bottle of water is only one ryo." A Suna soldier looked at Chiyo with a smile.
Chiyo was stunned. She looked at Pakura, hoping for confirmation. Pakura nodded, telling her it was true, water in Konoha was very cheap.
Chiyo took a deep breath and looked at Izuna. "Lord Izuna." Her form of address had changed from 'Izuna' to 'Lord Izuna'. Uchiha Izuna understood clearly. She wanted to discuss business.
"Heh, I understand what Lady Chiyo is thinking. After this battle concludes, as long as you propose it, I believe the Hokage will certainly agree." Uchiha Izuna said with a smile.
Chiyo nodded, then gave the order to continue the march.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📖 Like the story? Read 120 chapters ahead!
🔗 patreon.com/atomelectron
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━