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Sasori was in a high-level Sunagakure meeting when he received the news of his grandmother's death.
He heard the news from the Anbu beside him and was stunned for a moment. A complex emotion seemed to flicker across his somewhat rigid face, and his lips moved as if he wanted to say something. The ongoing meeting around him also fell silent, and the other high-ranking officials all looked at him in silence.
"I see."
Finally, he said this.
Unlike the reclusive and distorted childhood he experienced in the original world line, Sasori in this world line, despite also suffering the tragedy of his parents' death in battle, personally witnessed the terrible suffering the Village endured under the impact of war.
This tragedy, which transcended the individual and belonged to everyone, had long allowed him to go beyond his own limitations and see the tragedy of a larger scale, the tragedy of all Sunagakure Ninja.
Therefore, Sasori and Chiyo had a very good relationship.
She was a responsible yet strict, very "Ninja" grandmother.
He loved her very much.
However, it was likely that the moment Chiyo went to the battlefield, he had already anticipated this, or perhaps he had imagined this scene countless times in his heart.
Sasori merely remained silent for a while, then looked up at the people around him and said, "Please continue the meeting."
Sasori was no longer the Sasori of the past.
In this country, in this Village, he had many, many more bonds.
Whether with Lord Third Kazekage, or with Karura, and many, many more Sunagakure people.
He still had unfinished business.
If Sarutobi Hiruzen were here, he would probably call him a "Ninja with Kazekage-level thinking," wouldn't he?
Seeing this, the others first looked at each other, then, led by Karura, who was wearing the Kazekage's hat at the head of the table, continued, "Good."
Karura looked at Sasori for a moment longer.
The female Kazekage, who always carried a fully bandaged human puppet on her back, remained calm, seemingly undisturbed by the recent loss of a Vice Admiral. She turned her gaze back to the glass orb in front of her and spoke to the person on the other side, "Lord Soumin, please continue."
"Yes."
The long-haired figure on the other side spoke calmly: "...According to our internal intelligence, Konoha's three main armies, after passing through the Land of Rivers, will advance towards Sunagakure. The number of troops and their subsequent paths are unknown, but the logistics troops have already set off, and Sawara Kiri is among them, direction unknown."
"Currently, Konoha's internal Village-wide mobilization has already begun. The areas we are in are heavily monitored, and the Hokage's control over the Village is deepening. If there are future transactions, the cost will likely be substantial. Lord Karura, please be aware of this in advance."
"I understand."
Karura's expression beneath her hat remained indifferent. Facing the temporary price increase from the other side, her tone did not change in the slightest: "The Hyuga Clan has provided timely assistance in this critical moment. If Sunagakure can overcome the current difficulties, there will surely be a generous reward."
"You are too kind."
The figure on the other side spoke calmly, and soon after, the remote communication was cut off.
Once the internal communication went silent, Karura looked up at the Sunagakure high-ranking officials present, her voice indifferent: "I believe everyone has heard the intelligence just now."
"Do you have any further opinions on the upcoming war plan?"
Silence hung in the air for a moment before Pakura raised her hand and said, "Kazekage-sama, I still believe that the previously set plan is too aggressive."
"Konoha is currently fighting three countries simultaneously. Although Iwagakure's situation is poor, Ōnoki will surely not be dragged down by a small organization and Takigakure for too long, and Konoha's frontal manpower is scarce."
"If we can find a way to delay for a period, this war is not without a chance for reversal."
However, as soon as her words fell, Ebizo next to her suddenly raised his voice: "A chance for reversal? What chance for reversal?!"
"The war has just begun, and Konoha has already thrown Sawara Kiri onto the battlefield, clearly showing their intent to annihilate our Sunagakure in the shortest possible time to break the blockade and dispatch troops to the other two countries!"
"This is a war of national annihilation!"
"If we don't fight with our lives, what chance does our Sunagakure have?"
Although Ebizo was somewhat agitated at this time due to his sister's recent death in battle, what this old man, who had witnessed the Sengoku period transition into the Ninja Village era, said was actually not problematic at all.
Those who had experienced the Sengoku era knew very well how cruel the process of these Ninja Villages merging was.
One by one, once famous and immensely powerful Ninja Clans were crushed and annihilated under the collective might of the Ninja Clans. Whether it was their inherited Kekkei Genkais or secret techniques, they all vanished into the long river of history, ultimately forming the current five great nations and a few struggling smaller nations.
Konoha now was merely repeating such a process.
Just like those Kekkei Genkai Ninja who fought for their families with their lives in the past, it was now their time to fight with their lives.
If Sunagakure no longer existed, what meaning would there be for them to survive?
"Lord Fourth."
"Is the Hyuga's intelligence truly reliable?"
On the other side, Sasori, who had been silent for a moment, suddenly spoke: "I heard that the current Konoha Ninja Clans are already defeated by Sawara Kiri and Tsunade, and are under strict control."
"Even the Uchiha have been indirectly controlled by Sawara Kiri through his wife, having undergone several rounds of purges, and dare not have any contact with the outside world."
"Hyuga…"
His meaning was very clear.
The Hyuga Clan had been notoriously opportunistic since the Sengoku period, always siding with whoever was stronger.
At a time like this, when Konoha was clearly strong and the three nations were weak, why would they take such a risk?
Hearing this, Karura casually explained, "Ever since Sawara Kiri began to deeply interfere with Ninja Clan affairs, the situation of the Hyuga Clan—no, to be precise, the situation of the Hyuga Main Family—has been very awkward."
"The branch families, due to the Cancellation of the Caged Bird, have completely sided with the Hokage. Hyuga Hizashi, in particular, has shown the most obvious reaction. The internal situation of the Hyuga has become one where they obey orders but do not follow declarations. Also, due to the past hatred of enslavement, the Main Family has essentially lost control over the lower-level Ninja."
"I'm afraid it won't be long before these Main Families completely lose their clan power and become mere decorations manipulated by Sawara Kiri."
"It is understandable that they want to struggle amidst the chaos."
Sasori nodded upon hearing this: "I understand."
After Karura finished speaking, she turned to Pakura and said, "Advisor Pakura's concerns are not unreasonable, but our Sunagakure is facing a near-death situation, and we no longer have the time or the confidence to observe the situation."
"If we cannot unite and seek survival in death, the incident of Hidden Mist in the past will serve as our cautionary tale."
Pakura paused slightly, her lips trembling.
They couldn't be clearer about what happened to Hidden Mist.
The once powerful maritime overlord was slaughtered by Sawara Kiri alone, leaving only a few survivors, and the number of Ninja was directly cut by more than half.
Only their families could live in batches on Konoha's land, completely losing their former power.
But at least they survived…
Pakura thought of the almost suicidal plan proposed by Karura and the others, still frowning slightly, feeling a faint sense of reluctance.
Just as she was about to say something more, she heard Karura's tone shift:
"However, Advisor Pakura's concerns are also valid."
Everyone present was startled and instinctively looked at her.
Then, Karura continued, "In that case, Advisor Pakura, please lead the 'Spark' squad to the reserve area first."
Upon hearing this command, Pakura's face instantly turned pale.
This meant she was being excluded from the battle plan.
Pakura quickly said, "Kazekage-sama, I am not afraid—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Karura had already turned to look at her and said calmly, "Pakura."
"If our plan fails, then everything else will depend solely on you."
"For this, we originally needed a sufficiently important person to stay behind."
"…"
Pakura fell silent.
Karura, however, seemed to pay no mind to her thoughts, saying as if casually, "Also, my child is also in the Spark squad. I hope you can look after him later."
"If the plan succeeds, the subsequent standoff with Konoha will likely be prolonged, and I truly won't have the energy to manage it, so I can only trouble you."
"Child?"
Upon hearing this, everyone present was startled, instinctively looking up at her and at Sasori, who was sitting at the side of the table.
Sasori was also clearly stunned, evidently unaware of this matter.
However, besides him, there seemed to be no other candidates.
In these seven years, he was the only one who had a relatively special "connection" with Karura, though Karura had never acknowledged it.
Our child, huh?
Thinking this, Sasori's lips unconsciously curved into a slight smile.
But immediately after, Karura's words shattered his subtle emotion.
"As for the name, it will be Gaara."
"…"
The peripheral vision of those around them instinctively swept towards Sasori.
Then, the Sasori who had been subtly encouraged just a second ago suddenly fell silent, his fists clenched tightly, his fingertips looking as if they would dig into his skin and draw blood, his face terribly dark.
In the end, Pakura bit the bullet and accepted: "Yes."
"I understand, Kazekage-sama."
Karura, however, seemed completely oblivious to Sasori's expression, and said calmly: "Thank you for your hard work."
After the meeting ended, Pakura, led by an Anbu, arrived at an underground secret room after leaving the office.
In that room, the baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes, slept soundly, tender and fragile.
Pakura looked down at him.
She saw that the child had inherited the same red hair as his father, his limbs were tender and soft, and his skin was delicate.
However, on the child's forehead, someone had lightly tattooed the character 'love' (love) in red ink.
Pakura reached out and gently stroked the child's fair cheek.
But thinking of the timing of his birth, she couldn't help but sigh softly.
A time of national crisis.
Hopefully, they can truly succeed.
Pakura thought this to herself, but then her mind couldn't help but recall the first time she met that man, and she silently clenched her fists.
Can they truly succeed?
"Sunagakure, huh."
"They really are old friends."
Sakumo stood on a sand dune, gazing at the vast yellow sand in the distance, his mind recalling the scene seven years ago when they invaded this country.
At that time, struggling under the command of Sandaime, they still had to launch a desperate surprise attack in that extremely risky manner.
But now, the situation seemed to have completely reversed.
How many years has it been?
Sakumo thought to himself, a strange smile appearing on his face, which was already showing a few wrinkles.
I wonder how Kakashi and the others are doing?
Just as he was thinking these random thoughts, a voice suddenly asked beside him: "Lord Sakumo?"
Turning his head, he saw Mitarashi Anko looking at his strange expression with a puzzled face, and she muttered somewhat discontentedly, "You didn't space out again, did you? Did you hear what I just told you?"
"Eh?"
"Ah, of course I did… Where were you just now?"
"Medicine! And water! We're short on both of those, and we're about to enter a no-man's-land for battle!"
Mitarashi Anko said grumpily.
"My apologies, my apologies!"
Sakumo scratched his head and chuckled, completely unconcerned by the little one's complaints.
Mitarashi Anko huffily crossed her arms.
Damn it, she originally wanted to get closer to Kakashi by trying a roundabout approach, but why did the renowned Lord Sakumo seem so unreliable?!
Could Kakashi be like this in private too?
Miss Anko suddenly felt a little worried.
Just as she was feeling anxious.
A faint rustling sound suddenly came through Sakumo's earpiece.
The uncle, who had just been acting so unseemly, instantly grew serious, quickly connecting to the radio: "This is Alpha, report your situation."
"Report, Alpha, we've detected large-scale Sunagakure troop movements ten kilometers southwest of our position. They are approaching rapidly, and their target direction is the main camp!"
"Our squad is currently proceeding with reconnaissance."
Upon hearing this, Sakumo's expression involuntarily froze.
Targeting the main camp directly?
Was the intelligence leaked?
This was no small matter. The camp, currently under construction, was in a very vulnerable state, unlike a combat formation. More importantly, if the intelligence had been leaked, then how many people were coming? Had the other two routes encountered the same situation?
Sakumo's thoughts raced like lightning, but his body had already begun to move a step ahead.
"Anko, send out the order."
"Command Squads One and Two to assemble and advance with me, to buy time for the rear construction of fortifications."
"Also, send a dispatch to general headquarters, inform them of the intelligence leak, and warn the other two routes to be careful."
Mitarashi Anko was startled upon hearing this, but her brain immediately became excited, and she shouted loudly: "Yes!"
Orders were carried out swiftly.
In just a short while, Sakumo led a well-trained group of squad members towards the direction of the enemy.
The reconnaissance squad deployed on the outer perimeter had immediately lost contact after sending that last message, which intensified Sakumo's apprehension.
Soon, they saw rolling yellow sand and dust filling the sky ahead.
A Sunagakure force of unknown numbers, enveloped in the yellow dust, surged forward.
Faintly, one could still discern the colossal shadows, obscured by the yellow sand, of massive figures comparable in size to a Tailed Beast.
The moment the person leading the charge appeared, Sakumo's pupils constricted, and a wry smile involuntarily appeared on his face.
"What a grand display."
The person at the very front carried a puppet on his back, wore a long robe, and was faintly enveloped by magnetically levitated sand, his expression indifferent.
It was none other than the Fourth Kazekage, Karura.
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones=1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr | 16 novels being updated, I can't read all comments