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Sunagakure.
Kazekage Assembly.
The atmosphere inside the council hall was heavy and oppressive, as though the air itself carried the weight of an approaching storm. Those qualified to attend a meeting of this level were naturally the true pillars of Sunagakure,elders who had shaped the village for decades, high-ranking officials who controlled its direction, and elite ninja who represented its military backbone.
Seated at the head of the hall was the Yondaime Kazekage, Rasa. His posture was rigid, his expression cold and severe, radiating authority and suppressed anger. On either side of him sat the legendary siblings Chiyo and Ebizō, figures whose names alone commanded respect. They were living symbols of Sunagakure's past glory, veterans whose reputations spanned generations.
Below them sat the elder council,Sajo, Jōseki, and several other senior figures,each carrying their own influence and calculations. At the far end were Sunagakure's jōnin elites: Maki, Yura, Mukade, Satetsu, Otoha, Sajin, and others, all seasoned ninja who had survived countless battlefields.
Originally, Pakura would have been more than qualified to stand among them.
But now, everything had already changed.
Rasa broke the silence, his voice low and grim.
"This war with Iwagakure ended in defeat," he said slowly, each word measured, "but Sunagakure did not suffer catastrophic losses. On the contrary, the conflict forced the Daimyō of the Land of Wind to allocate additional funds."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the hall.
"From a certain perspective, this war was an opportunity."
The elders and jōnin exchanged glances before nodding in agreement. No one spoke, but the implication was clear,Sunagakure had survived, and survival itself carried value.
Rasa continued, his tone sharpening. "Which is precisely why it is time to settle the matter of Pakura."
Maki, Rasa's most trusted subordinate and right-hand man, frowned slightly. "Kazekage-sama… are you suggesting we move against Kirigakure?" He hesitated before adding, "Given Sunagakure's current state…"
Rasa snorted, his eyes flashing with contempt. "Sunagakure may not be in perfect condition, but do not forget that Kirigakure has just crawled out of decades of the Bloody Mist. Internal slaughter, rebellions, mass defections,countless ninja were lost."
His voice grew colder with every sentence.
"Their entire ninja system collapsed. Even their academy ceased to function properly."
Rasa slammed his palm against the armrest, the sound echoing sharply through the hall.
"Even if Chiba appeared out of nowhere and ended the Bloody Mist, how could such devastation be undone overnight? If we seek revenge, now is the best possible time!"
Elder Sajo spoke next, his tone cautious and deliberate. "If war breaks out now, it is indeed when Kirigakure is at its weakest. But…" He paused. "Must we truly go to war?"
Rasa's gaze turned icy.
"Kirigakure betrayed us," he said flatly. "We agreed to form an alliance against Iwagakure, with Pakura as the price. Instead, they broke the agreement, stabbed us in the back, and even took Pakura in themselves."
His voice rose, fury finally breaking through his restraint.
"Such humiliation,how could Sunagakure ever accept it?!"
Suddenly, Chiyo burst into laughter, her voice sharp and unmistakable.
"Kazekage-sama," she said with a grin, "to be honest, your idea of trading Pakura for Kirigakure's alliance was naïve from the very beginning."
Rasa's expression darkened instantly, yet he did not dare lash out. Chiyo was a living legend,one of Sunagakure's greatest veterans, a pillar who had served through three generations. Even now, she might very well be the strongest individual in the village.
"What Chiyo-sama says is not without reason," Rasa replied stiffly. "But what's done is done. There is no turning back. We should focus on the present."
Chiyo nodded slowly. "That's true. Sunagakure does need to sustain itself through war. Otherwise, that Daimyō would never release funds."
She paused, then added casually, as though discussing the weather, "By the way, Kazekage-sama… how is the Ichibi Jinchūriki? Your son?"
Rasa's face grew even darker.
"Hmph. A failure," he said coldly. "He can't be used as a strategic weapon for the time being."
"I see," Chiyo replied calmly. "Then our overall strength may indeed be affected." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "After all, I heard that the Godaime Mizukage not only retrieved the Rokubi Jinchūriki who was about to defect, but also successfully sealed the Sanbi, preserving its host."
Rasa sneered. "The Sanbi was only just sealed,hardly a threat. As for the Rokubi, that Jinchūriki has no real loyalty to Kirigakure. There's no guarantee he would truly fight for them."
He scoffed again, disdain evident in his tone.
"And that so-called new Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist? A joke. I've heard Chiba even recruited children barely seven or eight years old!"
Yura nodded. "That matches our intelligence."
Rasa laughed coldly. "Exactly. Kirigakure is nothing more than an empty shell right now,its weakest state. Sunagakure desperately needs a decisive victory to prove itself."
The others nodded in agreement. Sunagakure had been oppressed for far too long. Even so, among the Five Great Nations, its overall strength had always hovered near the bottom. The only village truly comparable to it was Kirigakure.
Chiyo spoke decisively, her voice firm. "Very well. If the Kazekage has this confidence, then this war can be fought." Her eyes gleamed sharply. "And if we fight, we must strike with everything we have and display Sunagakure's true strength."
Only then did Rasa allow himself a satisfied smile.
"Well said, Chiyo-sama," he declared. "This battle will be Sunagakure's war of vindication." His gaze hardened, filled with murderous intent. "Pakura… Chiba… Kirigakure…"
"This time," he said coldly, "you will all pay in blood!"
…
And so, that year,just after ending its war with Iwagakure,Sunagakure moved once more.
Under the command of the Yondaime Kazekage, Rasa, the village launched its campaign against Kirigakure.
Rasa divided his forces into two routes. One army, led by Chiyo, traveled through the Land of Rivers and the Land of Fire to reach the coastline, then set sail across the sea. Accompanying her were her brother Ebizō, along with young elite jōnin such as Satetsu, Otoha, and Sajin. At the time, Sunagakure was still formally allied with Konoha, making passage through those lands convenient.
The second army departed directly from the ports of the Land of Wind, sailing straight toward the Land of Water. Though the Land of Wind was largely desert and often perceived as landlocked, it did possess its own coastline and harbors,a fact frequently overlooked due to maps centering on the Land of Fire.
Leading this second force was Kazekage Rasa himself, alongside Maki, Yura, Mukade, and other elite jōnin and ninja troops. Meanwhile, Sunagakure's internal affairs were temporarily entrusted to the elder council, including Sajo and Jōseki.
The two great Sunagakure armies crossed the sea in overwhelming force.
Their target,
The newly reborn Kirigakure!!!