"You again, brat."
The next day, at an oasis on the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers, Ebizō darkened the moment he saw Ren.
This kid had left far too deep an impression on him. So deep, in fact, that he almost completely ignored the masked man standing beside Ren.
"Lord Ebizō," Ren greeted with a broad smile.
Not the fake, polite kind—but one that looked genuinely heartfelt.
He glanced around casually, then quickly spotted a familiar figure behind Ebizō and waved.
"Lady Pakura, long time no see. I've missed you ever since we last parted."
"..."
Pakura merely raised an eyebrow and said nothing.
Beside them, the thoroughly ignored Yakushi Kabuto lowered his head slightly.
At that moment, he finally understood what Ren meant when he said his 'tolerance was high'.
"Enough chatter," Ebizō said coldly.
"I have more important matters to deal with."
With a wave of his hand, all Sand ANBU except Pakura retreated to the edge of the oasis to stand guard.
Since the previous incident, Pakura had begun following Ebizō closely. He had already informed her of many internal village matters.
Truthfully, if given a choice, Ebizō wouldn't have said anything at all.
But he knew—if he didn't explain things clearly, Pakura might actually flee the village overnight.
Sunagakure couldn't compare to Konoha, nor even to Iwagakure.
Its barren land and failing economy severely restricted its development.
If sacrificing Pakura could bring tangible benefits, he might grit his teeth and accept it.
But if everything was exposed and nothing gained, then keeping Pakura—and earning her trust—became critical.
Ebizō chose honesty.
And he truly did have urgent matters to handle.
According to messenger hawks, something terrifying had occurred in Rōran last night.
The Dragon Vein chakra had erupted.
Along with it, a gigantic tree had appeared.
Such a phenomenon instinctively made him think of Konoha.
But after brief consideration, he shook his head.
Back then, the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, had encountered the Dragon Vein and shown no greed toward its power.
Still—
Konoha remained the prime suspect.
But suspicion alone meant nothing. A thorough investigation was required.
Especially now, when Sunagakure still needed Konoha.
"Very well. Let's get straight to the point," Ren said with a nod.
"It's clear you've made the correct choice. We will fully support you."
As if anyone would willingly cooperate with Danzō if they had a choice.
Ebizō sneered internally, but said nothing, staring coldly at Ren.
"Of course, cooperation requires payment," Ren continued calmly.
"Lord Danzō Shimura understands this."
Ren and Kabuto had already reviewed both sides' terms. He knew exactly where Danzō's bottom line was.
Now it was simply a matter of execution—and Ren intended to act exactly like Danzō would.
"However, your demands are excessive," Ren said.
"According to Lord Danzō, Konoha can provide Sunagakure with a fixed amount of food aid."
"But regarding support against the Land of Earth—
Konoha must remain silent."
"We are a Great Village. We do not interfere in conflicts between other nations."
The moment those words fell—
Ebizō's eyes widened.
Kabuto lowered his head even further.
Both of them shared the exact same thought:
How does this kid say something this shameless out loud?
No interference?
Then what were all those promises earlier?
What are you doing right now?!
"We are allies!" Ebizō snapped.
"As allies, shouldn't you coordinate with us?!"
"This is Lord Danzō's decision," Ren replied evenly.
"I have no authority to alter it."
"Moreover," he continued, his tone sharpening slightly,
"Lord Danzō anticipated this response."
"So he asks you this:
While Sunagakure is dealing with Kirigakure's harassment and confronting Iwagakure head-on—possibly igniting another war—have you considered that your actions also endanger your ally, Konoha?"
"..."
Ebizō had no answer.
But inside, his fury burned.
If Konoha hadn't interfered, stolen our intelligence, and exposed Pakura's situation—
would Sunagakure be in this state?!
"Still," Ren added lightly,
"even without direct support, compensation will be provided elsewhere."
"Lord Danzō promises to allocate more missions in the Land of Rivers to Sunagakure."
"And once he becomes Hokage, even the surrounding mission territories will be handed over."
Another empty promise.
Ebizō nearly laughed.
The Land of Rivers was already split between Konoha and Sunagakure.
Whichever side was stronger naturally took more commissions.
Under equal pricing, clients always chose Konoha.
Sometimes, even when Sunagakure undercut prices, they still lost—because reputation mattered.
As for 'once Danzō becomes Hokage'—
When would that old bastard ever reach that position?
"Has Konoha gone too far?!" Ebizō finally exploded.
"If this is your attitude, there's nothing left to discuss!"
"And don't think I won't say this plainly—
Sunagakure may be struggling, but if pushed too far, we are still capable of doing many things!"
"Konoha may wish to avoid war, but war doesn't always follow your wishes!"
The threat was direct—and deadly.
If Sunagakure were forced into open conflict with Iwagakure, Konoha would inevitably be dragged in.
Cloud and Mist would not stay idle either.
The entire situation could spiral out of control.
"Please don't rush," Ren said calmly, smiling.
"We have two pieces of intelligence you'll definitely be interested in."
"Speak," Ebizō said coldly.
"According to reliable information," Ren said, crossing his arms,
"one of your jōnin—Yura—has a problem."
The expressions of both Ebizō and Pakura changed instantly.
Even Kabuto froze for a moment.
"Mind-Possession Sand Technique," Ren continued.
"You're familiar with it, aren't you?"
"That's impossible—" Ebizō muttered darkly.
Only top-tier puppet masters could use such a technique.
"Second," Ren said lightly, tapping his finger,
"about Sasori of the Red Sand."
"He is currently part of an organization composed entirely of rogue ninja."
"Their name is Akatsuki."
"They're most likely operating out of the Land of Rain."
"Akatsuki… the Land of Rain… Hanzō the Salamander?" Ebizō muttered, his face darkening further.
They had searched for Sasori for years—yet Danzō already had this information?
"And finally," Ren added calmly,
"Lord Danzō is concerned Sunagakure might take extreme measures."
"So compensation will not be lacking."
"Konoha will also provide a financial subsidy."
"Money…" Ebizō muttered.
At those words, his expression softened—just slightly.
Sunagakure was desperately poor.
Any economic support mattered.
But almost immediately, a deep sense of humiliation surged inside him.
This wasn't cooperation.
It was charity.
Like tossing scraps to a starving dog.
At that moment, Ebizō nearly lost control.
Danzō… you truly deserve to die.
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/lucarioTL