[Sunagakure]
[Kazekage's Office]
Rasa looked irritably at the intelligence report before him.
According to his expectations: Sarutobi Hiruzen was a power belonging to the Land of Fire, even if he wasn't currently in Konoha Village.
When the Land of Fire was invaded, he would most likely provide support.
Rasa's plan had been to strike first and act as the whistleblower.
First, he'd use Shukaku to devour or heavily wound Sarutobi Hiruzen's team.
Other hidden villages would follow suit, and together they'd wipe out Sarutobi's group.
Since Hiruzen didn't have a Tailed Beast, Rasa had been confident of success.
He'd even encountered Orochimaru attacking Sarutobi's group as well, a welcome coincidence.
But events had developed completely beyond his expectations.
Even though he'd prepared thoroughly, Shukaku had still been stalled.
Even the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had appeared by Hiruzen's side.
Though the attack ultimately succeeded, Rasa couldn't shake the feeling he hadn't profited much from losing the One-Tail, Shukaku, in the process.
He had set an example, thinking other villages wouldn't be able to hold back.
But again, things went contrary to his expectations.
Konoha's people and the Akatsuki leader directly attacked Sarutobi Hiruzen.
They slaughtered them all.
So many of Sarutobi's people, completely wiped out.
There were no survivors, only a few ordinary civilians left.
Now, two key points stood out: one, the terrifying strength of Akatsuki's leader, and his connection with the Uchiha;
Two, that Konoha's people didn't care about weakening the Land of Fire's power. Or rather, they thought the deaths of Hiruzen and his men didn't matter at all.
After doing all that, Konoha even pulled all their border defense forces back home.
The meaning was obvious. Please, come and attack Konoha Village.
No one knew what exactly Konoha was relying on, or whether it was just an empty bluff.
But every other hidden village was uneasy, fearing Konoha might have reached some deal with Akatsuki.
So after their mobilizations, all forces froze along the border. Unwilling to advance, yet unwilling to retreat.
They waited, hoping to obtain clearer intelligence before deciding whether to invade the Land of Fire.
Of course, there was now the wraith army of Moryo marching toward the Land of Fire, they could act as vanguard for the others.
Yet Konoha showed little reaction, as if completely unconcerned.
Rasa and the village elders had already discussed the matter many times. Though all agreed they wanted to attack Konoha, they were endlessly arguing over how.
Now, what they needed to figure out were two things: whether the Akatsuki leader was truly on the same side as Konoha, and whether the recent reports of his death were true or false.
The other question was whether the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had escaped, or been recaptured by Konoha.
"Are the Kumo and Iwa forces both staying at the border?", Rasa asked irritably as he looked at the report on his desk.
Standing before him was his right-hand man, Maki.
"Yes. Both the Kumo and Iwa shinobi are wary of Akatsuki's leader."
"Just like us, they're all holding position at the border."
Maki understood Rasa's frustration. Stationing so many troops on the border generated no profit, a heavy burden for the poorest of all the hidden villages, Sunagakure.
Rasa had long been used to frugality, so such pointless expenditure made him ache inside.
He didn't know how long they'd have to stay put, or how long the war might drag on if it broke out.
"Damn Akatsuki!", Rasa cursed harshly.
If not for their interference, Kumo and Iwa might already have crossed the border.
Now everyone was stuck, neither side willing to make the first move.
Suna's strength was already the weakest, and they had lost their One-Tail for nothing.
From the Uchiha's perspective, their attack on Sarutobi's team had actually helped Konoha.
That strategic blunder left Rasa deeply vexed.
"Kazekage-sama, I think we should pull our men back. We can't afford this kind of attrition," Maki said.
"Let's wait until Kumo and Iwa make their move before sending our troops."
Rasa already felt the urge to retreat. Hearing Maki's suggestion, he went along smoothly, "Fine. After all, Konoha has already spent so much of its strength."
"They won't be able to recover quickly. Let's wait for Kumo and Iwa to move first."
He could only say it that way, at least to save face.
Maki understood perfectly and bowed his head in agreement.
———
[Konoha Village]
[Uchiha Clan Grounds]
"Konan, send Kakuzu on a run. Take Sasori, Senku, and Deidara with him."
"You're sending Deidara on a mission already? He just joined the organization."
"His loyalties don't lie with any village or country."
After making several follow-up arrangements, Rengoku's time had reached the afternoon.
He exited the conference room, and immediately a red-haired girl threw herself into his arms.
"Shishou, why did you take so long! I've been waiting for you forever!"
Just like before, Rengoku reached out and caught Karin.
Others filed out of the conference room as well, everyone knew Karin.
Precisely because of that, their expressions carried faint oddness. After all, Karin had grown so fast, she no longer looked like a child at all.
After greeting Rengoku, the others dispersed one by one.
Rengoku gently patted Karin's head, "Don't rush at me like that anymore."
Karin shook her head rapidly like a rattle drum, "No way! Shishou will always catch me anyway!"
"Shishou, guess what day it is today?"
Rengoku thought for just a moment before realizing it, "Your birthday."
Karin giggled joyfully, "Shishou, I'm eleven now!"
Looking at her innocent, cheerful face, Rengoku fondly ruffled her hair.
"Then come home and have dinner with me."
"Bring your mother too."
Karin shook her head quickly, "Mom was called by Lord Orochimaru to help with an experiment."
"Alright then. You come with me."
"Yay! I get to celebrate my birthday with Shishou!", Karin grabbed Rengoku's hand and excitedly pulled him toward his house.
As they walked, Rengoku glanced back toward Rinjin.
His Sharingan spun slightly, silently conveying instructions through genjutsu.
Rinjin froze for a moment, then nodded to Rengoku and vanished instantly.
Recently, Karin had changed a lot.
She had made great contributions to Konoha's barrier detection network.
Her maturing body brought not only physical changes, but also a tremendous surge in chakra.
Karin had already awakened her Kagura's Mind Eye, and it was only a matter of time before she mastered the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
If Kushina trained her a bit, she might even learn it ahead of schedule.
Karin, unaware of these thoughts running through Rengoku's mind, simply pulled him along excitedly toward home.
It had been a long time since she'd gone to her teacher's house for dinner.
She didn't know why, but this time she felt especially thrilled.
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