"What?!"
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, stared in disbelief.
Not even in his worst nightmares had he imagined that the Leaf Village would send a boy — twelve, maybe thirteen years old — as their official representative.
Underestimation was one thing, but this was insulting.
Boom!
His fist slammed into the wall beside him, the impact echoing through the room.
Maki's face darkened. "Lord Kazekage, what should we do now…?"
Truthfully, Rasa had no real intention of starting a war. In fact, the very intelligence about Sunagakure supposedly planning to invade the Leaf had been planted and spread by his own agents.
The point was never to attack — it was to get the Leaf's attention, to gain leverage.
Right now, Sunagakure's position was dire.
The Land of Wind's harsh climate had always made survival difficult. Yes, they had rare resources like gold dust, but most of it had to be traded away for essential goods.
From the day Rasa had taken the Kazekage's seat, the village's budget had been shrinking. The strength of its shinobi forces had been steadily declining.
Meanwhile, the Leaf had bounced back quickly from the Third Great Ninja War, its fertile lands allowing for rapid recovery and growth.
That imbalance was why — at Chiyo's urging — Rasa had taken the drastic step of sealing the One-Tail Shukaku into Gaara, hoping to forge Sunagakure's ultimate weapon.
But…
Even that gamble had failed.
After Yashamaru's death, Gaara had gone berserk.
Putting him on the battlefield was out of the question. At this point, Rasa's biggest problem was figuring out what to do with the failed experiment.
War with the Leaf now would hurt Sunagakure far more than it could help.
And so, Rasa had pinned the village's future hopes on this negotiation — hoping to secure resources from the Leaf.
But even now, at such a critical juncture, Konoha had the gall to send a child.
"Lord Kazekage…"
Maki watched Rasa's rare lapse in composure with unease.
Even if the Cloud and the Leaf went to all-out war, Sunagakure's involvement wouldn't guarantee any real gains. If anything, if the conflict spiraled into a Fourth Great Ninja War, it would drag the Sand down completely.
"...For now, we'll meet with them."
Rasa drew in a long breath. The situation had taken him by surprise, but Haruto was still the Leaf's appointed representative.
If he refused to even grant an audience and simply sent them away, it would practically confirm hostilities between the two villages.
And that…
That was the last thing Rasa wanted — at least until he had a tailed beast weapon under control.
"Yes, I'll arrange it."
Maki nodded, heading off to fetch Haruto and his companions.
Rasa said nothing more, turning and making his way toward his Kazekage's office.
Before long, Maki arrived at the guest room where Haruto and the others were resting.
"The Kazekage has finished his meeting. Come with me."
His tone was deep and curt. Without checking if they followed, he turned on his heel and walked off.
Kakashi and Yamato exchanged a glance and shook their heads slightly.
"Looks like this won't be an easy meeting," Kakashi muttered.
"Let's go," Haruto replied briskly, falling in step behind Maki.
Kakashi and Yamato followed, and soon they arrived in Rasa's office.
The Kazekage was standing at the window, gazing out at the desert. His expression was complicated.
"Lord Kazekage, the Leaf's representatives are here," Maki announced formally, making it clear his task was done.
"You can go," Rasa said without turning, then finally faced them.
Normally, such talks would take place in a prepared meeting chamber. But Rasa, unable to stomach the situation, had deliberately chosen his own office — a space where he could maintain the upper hand.
Especially when his eyes fell on Senju Haruto.
A wave of deep, undeniable irritation rolled through him.
This boy was not someone he felt deserved to sit at the same table as the Kazekage.
"I'm Senju Haruto, the Leaf's appointed representative," Haruto said the moment Maki stepped out, a small smile tugging at his lips. "And these are Hatake Kakashi and Tenzo."
Rasa gave a brief nod, but his face remained hard.
He didn't know these men, and from their appearances, they weren't much older than Haruto himself.
This is Konoha's delegation?
Hiruzen Sarutobi must have lost his mind.
Underestimating the Sand was one thing — but did they not fear that such an insult might push him to launch an invasion right now?
As Rasa's thoughts churned, Haruto's next words blindsided him.
"As Konoha's representative, I'll get straight to the point — do you truly want war?"
"…What?" Rasa blinked.
He'd expected subtle probing or at least diplomatic finesse — not this blunt, almost confrontational approach.
"Isn't it obvious?" Haruto rose from his chair, meeting Rasa's gaze head-on. "If I were the Kazekage and truly wanted war with the Leaf, I'd launch a direct invasion — not leak intelligence in a way that gives Konoha time to prepare."
In Haruto's eyes, Rasa clearly didn't intend to start a war — not now.
Sunagakure was, without question, the weakest of the Five Great Villages at the moment. Gaara was still a child who couldn't control the One-Tail's power. Put him on the battlefield, and he'd likely be killed before he could even attempt his "Feigned Sleep Technique."
More importantly…
First comes the rumor of war, then the request for negotiations? That wasn't the move of someone staking their nation's fate in a desperate, all-or-nothing gamble.
Especially since arriving in Sunagakure, Haruto had seen with his own eyes that the people here weren't hungry for war.
In other words, Rasa's true goal was probably to use this as an opportunity to wring resources out of the Leaf — all without dragging the Sand into open conflict.
And even if Sunagakure did want war, Rasa could simply wait and watch from the sidelines, gauging the outcome between the Leaf and the Cloud before deciding whether to commit.
Haruto held Rasa's gaze, his presence filling the room like a stormfront.
And just then, in the midst of that silent clash, a familiar voice rang in Haruto's mind:
Congratulations, Host. You have arrived at the check-in location. Commencing sign-in!
Leaving early will be considered a failed sign-in!