Pakura, who had just emerged from the hall, happened to hear Setsuna's words and instinctively slowed her pace, thinking to herself.
'Will of Wind? Does Sunagakure even have something like that?'
But regardless, hearing that Setsuna hadn't come for war, most people subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
They would rather face a rampaging One-Tail than fight Setsuna again.
"Of course, before that, I would like to see Sunagakure's sincerity."
"What kind of sincerity do you want?"
Setsuna stated decisively, "I have two demands. First, an apology. A public apology."
Hearing Setsuna's words, Rasa couldn't contain his agitation: "You've already physically destroyed Sunagakure once! Do you want to destroy Sunagakure spiritually a second time?"
However, before Setsuna could reply, Pakura said, "Fine. I agree."
Rasa's eyes widened. He lowered his voice and said, "This will destroy our spirit! Sunagakure will never be able to hold its head high in the Ninja World again!"
"Right is right, wrong is wrong. If admitting a mistake can destroy a village's spirit and will, then that village's spirit and will never existed in the first place!" Pakura's tone was firm as she looked at Setsuna. "In my capacity as the Fourth Kazekage, I apologize to Konoha for Sunagakure's act of falsely accusing them!"
Setsuna raised an eyebrow slightly. He hadn't expected Pakura to be so straightforward, actually admitting fault in front of everyone.
'This breadth of mind was unusual in Sunagakure. No wonder in the original timeline, no one spoke up for her when the village betrayed her.'
Sure enough, her words were like a stone thrown into calm water. The surrounding Sunagakure's Ninja immediately erupted.
"Pakura-sama has become the Fourth Kazekage?"
"This woman's first order as Kazekage is to apologize to Konoha? Is this magnanimity or weakness?"
"Calling it an alliance... I'm afraid Sunagakure will be reduced to a vassal of Konoha from now on."
"To be honest, being Konoha's vassal might not be so bad. At least Konoha won't have its home destroyed."
Pakura's gaze remained resolute. "What is your second demand?"
Setsuna said, "Konoha has already declared war on Iwagakure. I hope Sunagakure will stand clearly on the side of its ally and declare war on Iwagakure!"
Perhaps worried that Pakura might say something shocking again, Rasa hurriedly interjected, "Sunagakure can agree to participate in the war, but not now. As you can see, Sunagakure needs to rebuild right now. We need at least-"
Rasa was still thinking about how much time to ask for when he heard Pakura say again, "Fine. I agree to that as well."
Rasa stared at Pakura in shock, 'And you said you only know how to follow orders? Your initiative is practically overflowing.'
He lowered his voice and said, "Kazekage-sama, you should strive to secure benefits for Sunagakure!"
"That's what you all thought before. And then? Did it bring benefits to Sunagakure?" Pakura shook her head slightly. "In major undertakings, you either achieve great success or suffer great failure. There is no middle road. Hesitating and wavering will only make us lose our inherent value. It's better to be straightforward."
Rasa couldn't help but say angrily, "Pakura, you will regret this."
Pakura was very firm, "Rasa, I am the Kazekage."
Even Setsuna couldn't help but admire this woman's decisiveness at this moment.
"A wise choice." Setsuna couldn't help but applaud, "You should feel fortunate. If Kazekage-sama hadn't agreed to my demands, I'm not sure what would have happened today."
Hearing Setsuna's slightly regretful tone, everyone around broke out in a cold sweat.
'If Kazekage-sama hadn't agreed to his conditions, was he going to carry out another purge?'
Thinking of this, everyone felt a sense of relief.
'Thank goodness we had chosen Pakura. Otherwise, Sunagakure might have been destroyed again.'
"A dedicated envoy will come later to sign the alliance treaty. I won't disturb you all any further." After saying this, Setsuna flew on air and left.
After Setsuna departed, Rasa still asked somewhat unwillingly, "Kazekage-sama, do you really trust that Konoha will definitely win?"
Pakura shook her head slightly. "It's less about trusting Konoha, and more about trusting Chiaki Setsuna."
Rasa's mouth twitched slightly. "You haven't been... subdued by him, have you?"
"I don't deny it. I do feel fear towards that man in my heart." Pakura whispered, "When his power surpasses our understanding, when his magnanimity can accommodate the survival of the defeated... this can no longer be measured by simple victory or defeat."
Rasa frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I have a premonition that the Ninja World is about to undergo a great change." Pakura looked into the distance. "Just like when the First Hokage ended the Warring States Period, an existence like Senju Hashirama has appeared again. But this time, he possesses both Senju Hashirama's power and Uchiha Madara's resolve. He may not necessarily give the losers a choice like the First Hokage did."
Rasa fell silent. This alliance was never a multiple-choice question from the beginning.
While the higher-ups of the great Ninja Villages might have already sensed the shadow of war, for the average Ninja, who were immersed in the illusion of peace one moment and told war had broken out the next, it was somewhat hard to accept.
Therefore, when Setsuna brought back the news of the renewed alliance with Sunagakure, most villagers cheered with joy.
In the Hokage's office.
The Third Hokage's pipe cast a swaying shadow on the operational map, "Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure have formed an alliance and formally declared war on us. Fortunately, Setsuna brought back the news of the alliance with Sunagakure. At least we don't have to worry about being attacked on all fronts."
"Hereby, I announce the formation of three front-line armies. The Southern Front Army will be led by Shimura Danzo, with Akimichi Torifu as deputy commander, primarily responsible for the offensive against Kirigakure."
"The Eastern Front Army will be led by Orochimaru, with Jiraiya as deputy commander, primarily responsible for the offensive against Kumogakure."
"As for the Western Front Army… it will be led by Chiaki Setsuna, with Minato Namikaze as deputy commander. The village cannot allocate many troops to you. I hope you can cooperate with Sunagakure's forces to block the advance from Iwagakure."
Regarding the Third Hokage's appointment of Setsuna as the commander of the Western Front Army, everyone was somewhat surprised, but not overly so.
Setsuna had, so to speak, subdued the entire Sunagakure single-handedly. If someone else were sent to liaise with Sunagakure, Sunagakure might not cooperate sincerely.
On the other hand, Minato, although skilled, hadn't made any outstanding contributions yet. Appointing him as deputy commander might not command universal respect.
"Ah, I almost forgot the most important matter." The Third Hokage slapped the table, "This Chunin Exam was disrupted by Sunagakure, so no results were given. I have decided to confer the rank of Chunin upon Might Guy for his good performance in this exam, and the rank of Jonin upon Chiaki Setsuna for his outstanding performance in this exam."
Everyone listening felt a sense of unreality, 'So, until now, Setsuna was still a Genin? And we hadn't even noticed anything odd about a Genin being appointed as an army commander?'