Konoha: Sage Body

While Konoha was dealing with the protest letters from the other ninja villages and the resulting internal problems, Sunagakure was also worried about the death of Ebizo and the loss of the One-Tailed.

Sunagakure didn't have many Kage-Level powerhouses to begin with, only four in total: Sandaime Kazekage, Chiyo, Ebizo, and the One-Tailed Jinchuuriki Bunpuku. Now that two of them had been lost, along with the One-Tailed, the blow dealt to Sunagakure was catastrophic.

In particular, the loss of one tail has deprived Sunagakure of a powerful force of the same level in its confrontation with other major ninja villages.

For Sunagakure, this is no different than losing the deterrent power of a nuclear bomb in their hands.

A sense of fear, despair, and powerlessness enveloped the hearts of countless people in Sunagakure like a mega sandstorm in the desert, gradually making them lose confidence in continuing to fight against Konoha.

Meanwhile, the name Kirito Tosaka was also etched in the hearts of everyone in the village of Sunagakure, making them hate and fear him.

From this day forward, as long as he lives, the name of this Konoha ninja will remain in their hearts like a nightmare.

Round Table Room, Kazekage Building, Sunagakure.

A meeting that had lasted most of the day had just ended, and Chiyo, with a face full of dark clouds, slowly left under the sympathetic gazes of many people.

Since receiving the news of her brother's death, Chiyo had not spoken a word. She was like a lost soul, dazed throughout the meeting. When she came to her senses, the meeting was already over, and she had no idea what had been said.

Fortunately, her disciple, Pakura, had been carefully recording everything that had been discussed during the meeting.

Generally speaking, there was only one thing that had been discussed throughout the meeting, and that was whether or not to surrender to Konoha.

After losing Ebizo and One Tail, the battle between Sunagakure and Konoha was already very clear. Ebizo even specifically issued an order to retreat to the battlefield headquarters before he died.

Therefore, Sunagakure's ninja troops have retreated to the Land of Wind and completely abandoned the territories they previously controlled in the Land of Rivers and the Land of Fire.

Konoha has also taken advantage of the situation to occupy Sunagakure's former battlefield headquarters and is eyeing the Land of Wind.

Had it not been for Konoha's lack of interest in the desert and the fact that Sunagakure is located deep in the desert, Konoha's ninja forces would have already attacked.

However, according to the information from the scouts, more and more Konoha ninja are gathering at Konoha's new base of operations.

The despicable Konoha ninja who captured the Shukaku has been spending the entire day in the desert of the Land of Wind, constantly demonstrating the power of Shukaku to control the sand, as if he were adapting to the power of using Shukaku.

The power of Shukaku the Sand Spirit is something that the Sunagakure knows only too well.

In the desert, Shukaku's power will be greatly enhanced, and it will become a mobile natural disaster capable of controlling sandstorms.

Once Kirito Tosaka adapts to using Shukaku's power and gains the ability to control sandstorms, then the advantage that the Sunagakure has in the desert will naturally disappear, and it may even face the prospect of annihilation.

This annihilation is not just a matter of the Sunagakure, but could also be the entire Land of Wind.

This is because the sandstorm created by Shukaku can easily destroy all the oases in the desert.

Therefore, the situation has now come down to a matter of life and death. They must come to a conclusion as soon as possible: whether to continue fighting or surrender.

The hawk faction of the Sunagakure, led by Chiyo, naturally does not intend to surrender. They have always been tough, saying that they want to avenge Ebizo and make Konoha pay with their blood. However, Chiyo has not been in the right state of mind and has been a little short of confidence in the meeting.

The conservative faction of the Sunagakure, led by Sayun, insisted on surrendering to Konoha, hoping to prevent further unnecessary sacrifices by the Sunagakure, and stated that they would fight for a surrender that did not require compensation to Konoha.

Sandaime Kazekage was unable to personally preside over the meeting due to his poor health, and Rasa, as the representative of Sandaime Kazekage, did not make a statement in the meeting room.

As a result, the hawk faction and the conservative faction argued for most of the day without coming to an answer.

However, since Ebizo and many of the hawk faction ninjas had died in the battle, the power of the Sunagakure hawk faction had been greatly weakened. Coupled with the fact that Chiyo had not been in the best of shape, the hawk faction was clearly at a disadvantage in this argument.

"Chiyo-sama, Chiyo-sama, you're home."

With the support of Pakura, Chiyo stumbled home, and it was only when she heard Pakura's somewhat anxious call that she finally came back to her senses.

"You've worked hard today, Pakura. You can go home now."

Chiyo said to Pakura with a stoic expression, trying hard to hold back her grief.

Pakura hesitated for a moment, and said with concern, "Chiyo-sama, please accept my condolences, but please pull yourself together quickly. You are the pillar of Sunagakure. If you fall, we will truly be finished."

When Pakura heard the news of Ebizo's death and the loss of the tail, her first reaction was disbelief, but the facts speak louder than words, and she could only accept the bad news and silently keep the score in her heart, waiting for the future to go to war and make Konoha pay for its blood debt.

However, her current biggest worry is still Chiyo. She knows that Chiyo and Ebizo's feelings for each other are very deep, and that feeling is not weaker than her son Akashige.

She never expected that after Lord Akashige miraculously returned from Iwagakure alive, Lord Ebizo would die in battle.

It can be said that today's joy has brought Chiyo great sorrow, and that grief is indescribable.

However, Sunagakure really needs Chiyo right now. The Sandaime Kazekage is currently unable to handle affairs of the Hidden Leaf because he was previously poisoned and is unwell. Now that Ebizo has died in battle, Chiyo is currently the only one who can take charge.

When even Chiyo falls, it will be impossible to stabilize the current situation in Sunagakure, where everyone is in a panic. The collapse and disintegration of Sunagakure is imminent.

"Don't worry, I know what to do. Although Sunagakure will not end even without me, because there are still young people like you. Grow up quickly, Sunagakure needs you to grow up as soon as possible."

Chiyo was slightly stunned after receiving Pakura's comfort, then a smile appeared on her face as she replied.

After saying that, she pushed open the door and walked in.

Pakura watched Chiyo go in, and when the door closed again, she turned to leave, but as soon as she did, she saw Rasa.

"What is it?"

Pakura said with a raised eyebrow.

She didn't really like this person personally, because the other party's personality was very indecisive, and they always looked before they leaped.

However, she had to admit that this guy was pretty awesome, especially after awakening the Magnet Release that could manipulate gold dust. His strength grew stronger every day, and if she hadn't recently awakened the Bloodline Limit of Scorch Release, she would have been left far behind.

But now, she didn't think she was much worse off than the other guy.

She had recently developed a very powerful Scorch Release jutsu, and was very confident that she could break the other guy's Magnet Release.

"How about you come with me and spar?"

Rasa asked.

He was in a bad mood and really wanted to let off some steam, and a good, hearty fight would definitely be a great way to do that.

Among his peers, he now saw only Yagura as an opponent.

He was well aware of how terrifying the current 13-year-old girl in front of him was. She had awakened a Bloodline Limit called Scorch Release, and although her strength was only that of a jōnin, any hit from her Scorch Release jutsu would be fatal.

"Good, I'm itching to fight, and I hope you can let me have my fill."

Pakura agreed without hesitation.

Soon after, on an unoccupied patch of sand in the village of Sunagakure, two elite young ninjas from the village engaged in a contest of Magnet Release and Scorch Release.

The two's contest seemed to be a signal, as many young Suna-Nin came out of their homes one after the other, and then honed themselves in the night in their own ways.

"This village still seems to have some good combat potential. Magnet Release and Scorch Release, both are very good Bloodline Limits."

From a tall building, the Fourth Raikage watched the battle between Rasa and Pakura below, then ignored the many hostile gazes of the Suna-Nin ninja watching him from the shadows around him, and spoke recklessly.

When he looked at Pakura, his eyes revealed an unconcealed burning gaze.

"Hey, hey, hey, can you keep your voice down? This isn't our village, Kumogakure, and the Suna-Nin aren't in a good mood right now, so let's just hurry back to the guesthouse."

Dodai, who was standing nearby, heard this and covered his head with his hands, quickly persuading him.

"Hmph, what's the point of going back? I've long since wanted to leave this broken place full of sand, and there's no one here who can stop me anymore. What are they afraid of, a bunch of gutless cowards?"

The Fourth Raikage snorted, still speaking without restraint.

In his opinion, after losing one tail, Sunagakure no longer had the weight to engage in a fair dialogue with Kumogakure, and he no longer needed to be polite to Sunagakure as he had been before.

Now if any Suna-Nin were to be impertinent enough to provoke him, he would no longer hold back. He would show these Suna-Nin that Kumogakure was no worse than Konoha, and was even stronger.

The strong shall prevail. This has always been the way Kumogakure does things.

As a pure Kumogakure ninja, the Fourth Raikage now completely does not feel that there is anything wrong with his current slighting of the Sunagakure. If it were not for his father insisting that he complete his mission, he would no longer intend to waste time with the Sunagakure and would have chosen to leave directly.

Because the weak have no need to cooperate.

The Sunagakure is precisely this weak.

"You can run away, but I can't."

Dodai was seething inside, but he did not stop the Fourth Raikage.

In fact, the two of them were putting on an act, the aim being to attract the attention of the Sunagakure hierarchy as quickly as possible.

With all the big events that had happened in Sunagakure today, the two of them had of course learned about it early on. Therefore, they felt that their chance had come, and immediately tried to get in touch with Chiyo, but the result was the same as before: they were shut out.

The hawk faction leader of the Sunagakure was obviously extremely wary of their Kumogakure, and for some reason, even though the Sunagakure was in a huge crisis, he still had no intention of cooperating with them.

In response, the Fourth Raikage was very angry and did not intend to wait any longer. He decided to take a risk and try to force the Sunagakure to cooperate with their Kumogakure.

To be honest, he did not think that the Sunagakure had a better way to deal with Konoha than cooperating with their Kumogakure.

They, Kumogakure, were still willing to cooperate with Sunagakure, and Sunagakure should be grateful.

Not long after the Fourth Raikage spoke those reckless words, Chiyo received the relevant information at home.

As Pakura had said, Chiyo was the pillar of Sunagakure and was still the only person in charge in Sunagakure. All the pressure was almost on her, and she could not afford to fall now.

Chiyo is undoubtedly a strong woman with a great capacity for psychological endurance. After receiving comfort from Pakura and seeing her son, who had lost all four limbs, and her grandson, who was taking care of him, at home, she quickly picked herself up.

The dead are dead, and the living must continue to survive.

For the continuation of Sunagakure, and for the future of her son and grandson, she must be strong.

"Hmph, this Kumogakure person is still so rude. Does he really think that Sunagakure is powerless after losing Shukaku? Over the years, Sunagakure has not relied on a mere tailed beast to survive in the ninja world. We can survive just fine without them."

Chiyo sneered upon hearing her subordinate's report.

Cooperating with Kumogakure against Konoha does sound very attractive, and it is indeed a good choice for the current Sunagakure.

However, Kumogakure's purpose in this cooperation is obviously to come and pick the low-hanging fruit. They also want to use them to contain most of Konoha's firepower on the surface, and then secretly launch a sneak attack themselves to seize the fruit of victory.

How could Sunagakure agree to such an outrageous way of cooperating?

In her opinion, if Kumogakure truly wants to cooperate, then they must first take the initiative to deal with Konoha, share some of Konoha's firepower for Sunagakure, and then deal with Konoha together from the east and west.

This is in the interest of Sunagakure.

So, although she did not meet with the Fourth Raikage, she gave the appropriate hint.

However, Kumogakure was stubborn and would not compromise, merely adding a new condition, which was that Kumogakure could help her by paying her to bring her the head of her enemy, Hattori Masanari.

When Chiyo heard this new condition, her first reaction was to find it laughable. She deeply hated Hattori Masanari, the enemy who had almost made her lose her son, but she had no intention of granting anyone else the task of personal revenge.

If she wanted revenge, she would do it herself, let alone let someone from another village do it.

"My Lady, I don't think we can refuse Kumogakure's request."

After Chiyo dismissed her subordinates, a voice came from the darkness.

The next moment, she saw her grandson, Sasori, pushing a wheelchair out of the darkness. On top of the wheelchair was Akashige, who had lost all four limbs.

Akashige's body was skinny as a stick at this time, his hair dry and dull, giving the impression of a mummy in human skin, exuding a decadent and lowly aura.

Some time ago, Akashige was personally retrieved from Iwagakure by Chiyo, for which Sunagakure signed a secret agreement with Iwagakure and gave many benefits.

However, although Akashige was brought back, he was a wreck. His mental state was very poor, he was decadent and had completely lost the once spirited look. He had not spoken since his return, completely shutting himself away. That is, his expression would still react in front of his grandson, Sasori.

Chiyo saw it in her eyes and it hurt her heart, but she didn't know what to do to get her son, whose mind had obviously suffered a huge trauma, to pull himself together again.

But now she felt that the once spirited son seemed to have returned. Although he still looked very decadent, his eyes had regained their light.

It was the hatred in those eyes and the darkness that she was so familiar with.

"Tell me what you're thinking, Akashige."

In any case, Chiyo was very happy to see signs that her son was picking himself up again, and she hurriedly told Akashige to continue.

For a skilled puppet master, the loss of limbs is actually not a big deal and will not have a significant impact on one's combat effectiveness. As long as Akashige can pull himself together, he can continue to be a ninja by controlling prosthetic limbs with puppet techniques.

Her younger brother Ebizo is dead, and she really hopes that her son can pull himself together and take his place in protecting Sunagakure.

"Mother, Kumogakure has said that they will use Hattori Masanari's head as a bargaining chip for this cooperation, right?"

Akashige asked after a moment of silence.

A trace of unforgettable hatred flashed in his eyes when he mentioned Hattori Masanari.

"That's right."

Chiyo noticed the hatred in her son's eyes and answered with pain in her heart.

Hattori Masanari was the real culprit who had caused her son to fall into his current state. This person had become her son's demon obstacle. Only by killing this person could her son come out of the abyss of hatred, otherwise something would happen sooner or later.

"In that case, let Kumogakure pay this bargaining chip first. As long as Kumogakure can do it, we, Sunagakure, promise to cooperate with Kumogakure."

Akashige said with hatred in his heart.

"Akashige, our cooperation with Kumogakure is like asking the tiger for its skin, and if we want to kill Hattori Masanari, we should do it ourselves."

Chiyo saw that her son seemed to have been carried away by his hatred and hurriedly reminded him.

It was good that her son had been able to pull himself together again, but she could not allow him to make mistakes that would harm the interests of Sunagakure.

Kumogakure was not an easy place to deal with; those abominable barbarians were nothing but a bunch of unadulterated bandits, and domineering and shameless were exactly their bywords.

If both Sunagakure and Konoha are defeated, these barbarians definitely won't mind destroying both Sunagakure and Konoha after destroying Konoha.

"My lady mother, you're overthinking it. Of course I want to take revenge on my enemies myself, but I just want to use this to provoke a conflict between Kumogakure and Amegakure. Hattori Masanari is now an important figure in Amegakure, so if he is attacked by Kumogakure, how can Amegakure tolerate this?

And Kumogakure dares to use this as a bargaining chip with us, Sunagakure, obviously not taking current Amegakure seriously.

When they fight, we in Sunagakure will join in, and together with Kumogakure we will destroy Amegakure, and then use this to make up for the losses Sunagakure has suffered in this war with Konoha.

Mother, we in Sunagakure really need a victory to rebuild our strength, don't we? Amegakure would be a very good target.

Akashige heard Chiyo's reminder and shook his head, slowly speaking his true thoughts.

Kill Hattori Masanari?

No.

His goal is to destroy Amegakure and the Land of Rain.

Doesn't Hattori Masanari value Amegakure and the Land of Rain very much?

Then he wants the bastard's beloved things to be completely destroyed.

That is his revenge.