"Our strength alone naturally isn't enough, but what if we bring Kumogakure into this?"
Rising and walking to the window, the Third Kazekage pulled back a sliver of the black curtain, allowing outside sunlight to stream into the room and bring a touch of brightness to the dark environment.
"Those people never stop plundering power, even in peacetime—kekkei genkai, the Six Paths Ninja Tools, even the Tailed Beasts. They'd never pass up a chance to oppose Konoha."
The Third Kazekage was supremely confident in his analysis, believing he'd seen right through those muscle-brained brutes of Kumogakure.
"I'll personally negotiate with Kumogakure. As for the Daimyō, I'll leave that to you, Elder Chiyo."
Fixing his gaze on Chiyo, the Third Kazekage awaited his response.
"If we don't wage war, will Sunagakure fall into irreversible ruin due to the decline in commissions..." Chiyo pondered for a moment before reaching his conclusion.
It seemed war with Konoha was inevitable. And conveniently, his sister was determined to seek revenge against that "White Fang of Konoha"...
"I understand. I'll inform my sister when I return and have her prepare."
Chiyo nodded, rose, and left the room.
After closing the door and glancing back once, Chiyo paused briefly before finally departing under his guards' urging.
...
"Sister, is Sasori not home?"
Arriving at Chiyo's residence, Chiyo pushed open the door but didn't see Sasori, looking curiously at his sister.
"That child is in the secret chamber researching new puppet techniques. He probably won't emerge for some time. What's the matter? Do you need something?" Seeing her brother immediately asking for Sasori, Chiyo was somewhat puzzled.
"Is that so? Perfect. I have something to tell you."
Learning Sasori was in the chamber, Chiyo recalled how completely absorbed the boy became when researching puppets, almost entirely immersed in his own world, and finally relaxed: "The Kazekage is preparing to move against Konoha."
"Against Konoha? Really?"
Hearing this news, Chiyo shot up from her chair, excitement unmistakable in her eyes.
How many years had it been? Ever since her son died at that man's hands, countless nights Chiyo would dream of Sakumo Hatake, watching him kill her son and daughter-in-law over and over again in those nightmares.
For Sunagakure's future, she had always concealed the hatred in her heart. Even approaching retirement age, she continued training relentlessly, all for the day she could personally sever Sakumo Hatake's head.
"Indeed, but what concerns me isn't that—it's the ally the Kazekage has chosen." Seeing Chiyo's excitement, Chiyo sighed and voiced his worry: "The Kazekage has chosen to attack Konoha together with Kumogakure."
"I've dealt extensively with Kumogakure's people. Though they appear to be a bunch of careless, strategy-lacking fools, that's merely a façade. They're experts at exploiting their appearance to deceive enemies and profit themselves."
"In that case, as a village elder, why not raise this concern with the Kazekage?" After hearing Chiyo's worries, Chiyo also frowned. Though she'd fought Cloud ninja, she hadn't dealt with them in other contexts, so naturally didn't understand them as well as Chiyo, who handled intelligence work.
"That so-called strongest Kazekage, due to his title and the villagers' adoration, has repeatedly bypassed the elders to make unilateral decisions—you know this, sister."
Mentioning this strongest Kazekage, Chiyo felt both love and frustration.
His strength was undeniably formidable, but in leadership matters, he was somewhat obstinate and self-willed.
"Just like in the last ninja war—if not for his orders, the troops wouldn't have advanced through such perilous routes, ultimately leading to Sasori's parents..." Chiyo's words were cut short by Chiyo.
"Enough, Chiyo. Let's not dwell on the past. The Kazekage acted for the village's sake. After all, the frontal battlefield remained deadlocked, so taking desperate measures was unavoidable. It's just that Sakumo's strength was too overwhelming—he could defend a stronghold with so few men and even counterattack our forces."
Though she knew the Kazekage's command had serious flaws, he was the Kazekage. Even someone of Chiyo's high standing could only try to make excuses for him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi: What? Do such officials really exist? I don't believe it—this must be fraud.
Behind the secret chamber door, Sasori, who should have been focused on puppet research, stood quietly listening to Chiyo and Chiyo's entire conversation. Only after the outside returned to calm did he go back to his workbench.
"The village? The Kazekage? How ridiculous..."
Glancing at the forehead protector he'd placed on the side table, Sasori shook his head with a cold smile.
...
"This is an excellent opportunity!"
Several days later, upon receiving the Kazekage's letter, the Third Raikage excitedly slammed his palm on the desk, shattering it completely under the senior officials' gaze.
"This desk's quality is somewhat questionable."
Looking at the pile of debris, the Third Raikage's mouth twitched as he sat back down.
Well-trained Cloud ninja immediately appeared, efficiently cleaning the area and bringing out a new desk to place before the Raikage. Their movements were fluid and practiced—clearly a frequent occurrence.
"The Kazekage's letter is very clear: joint deployment against Konoha. After the war ends, they'll only claim the Land of Rivers region as spoils and will support any conditions we impose on Konoha."
Seeing the desk properly replaced, the Third Raikage nodded acknowledgment to his subordinates, then shared the letter's contents with the assembled leadership.
"The fertile lands have always been Sunagakure's dream. Every clash with Konoha has been to gain ownership of the Land of Rivers. Such conditions are indeed unsurprising."
A veteran official who had served under the First Raikage understood Sunagakure well: "At the first Five Kage Summit convened by Lord Hashirama, when Konoha proposed the Tailed Beast distribution policy, that First Kazekage directly refused Hashirama's proposal, citing their village's possession of the One-Tail and demanding Konoha provide fertile land instead."
"I know about that. After the First Great Ninja War, Konoha used military force to reclaim that territory, causing Sunagakure's economic situation to plummet."
Another elderly official chimed in agreement.
"So the intelligence appears highly credible." After the senior officials had voiced their opinions, young Dodai finally offered his assessment: "But Sunagakure's weakness is also an undeniable fact. If we ally with them to attack Konoha, we'll undoubtedly bear far more of the burden than they will. All Sunagakure can accomplish is tying down Konoha's southern forces."
"But we still face pressure from Iwagakure. In my view, if we want to attack Konoha, we must first find a way to end the endless friction with Iwagakure."
Looking at Dodai with appreciation, the Third Raikage was quite optimistic about this young man he'd personally promoted: "Well said. Those Sunagakure people are fickle by nature, natural opportunists. Though they currently have a Kazekage dubbed the strongest in history supporting their reputation, aside from him, they lack truly exceptional ninja."
"That so-called strongest puppeteer Chiyo couldn't even defeat a junior like Tsunade—truly laughable."
Though the Third Raikage acknowledged the Third Kazekage's power, he didn't think highly of the Sunagakure he led.
But...
"Tying down part of Konoha's forces is sufficient. For us, their purpose is preventing Konoha from deploying full strength against us! This time, we must send Hiruzen Sarutobi and that bastard Danzo straight to hell!" The Third Raikage, reaching his climax of excitement, slammed his palm on the desk again.
Well, the desk shattered once more.
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