After learning about the crisis in Sunagakure, Rasa's first thought was of Pakura. However, with tensions in the village at a boiling point, he had no time to dwell on the matter. The urgency in Yashamaru and Baki's messages left no room for hesitation, so Rasa abandoned his negotiations with the Daimyo of the Land of Wind and immediately set out for the village.
Driven by anxiety, Rasa and his entourage returned to Sunagakure in just half a day.
The moment he arrived, the suffocating tension in the village seemed to ease—at least slightly. For the desperate villagers, the return of their Kazekage meant a glimmer of hope.
Surely, Lord Kazekage will find a way to fix this…
That was the prevailing thought, and so, the burden of the village's survival was thrust onto Rasa's shoulders.
The issue with the One-Tails Jinchuriki was no longer the most pressing concern—without supplies, survival itself was at stake. The villagers decided they could demand a solution to the Jinchuriki problem later.
Upon his return, Rasa immediately gathered with Baki, Yashamaru, the ANBU, and Sunagakure's high-ranking officials to fully understand the situation.
After listening to their reports, a surge of anger welled up inside him. His first instinct was to curse Pakura for leaking information, but he quickly forced himself to focus. With a troubled expression, he turned to his subordinates.
"The Daimyo refused my proposal, but Sunagakure cannot afford to sever ties with Keikou Trading Company. Have any of you come up with a viable solution?"
Silence.
The officials exchanged hesitant glances before lowering their heads, each hoping Rasa wouldn't single them out.
The situation was far too complex, and there was no perfect resolution.
Keikou Trading Company had suffered severe losses, making their withdrawal from the Land of Wind inevitable. While Sunagakure's leaders should have been solely focused on their own interests, even Baki couldn't help but sympathize with Keikou.
Over the years, Keikou had greatly aided Sunagakure. Many of its shinobi had taken on missions for the company and had been treated with uncommon generosity—something no other employer would have done.
Keikou's trade convoys, traveling through the vast desert, had always hired Sunagakure shinobi for protection. Afterward, they would even gift the shinobi with supplies as a token of gratitude.
Among Sunagakure's ranks, there were veterans who swore that no other client treated them with such respect.
So when news of Keikou's predicament spread, many shinobi were furious—not at the company, but at the Daimyo.
Even knowing that the Daimyo was the ultimate authority, many still hoped Rasa would find a way to properly compensate Keikou.
"None of you have any ideas?"
Rasa's voice was dangerously low, anger simmering beneath the surface.
His cold gaze swept across the room, scanning the so-called "leaders" of Sunagakure.
Days had passed, and not one of them had managed to come up with a single plan—not even a half-baked one.
Even if a suggestion was flawed, at least it would show they were trying.
But instead, these so-called leaders had done nothing.
Useless!
Rasa let out a slow breath to calm himself before speaking again.
"Send for the two Elder Advisors."
Rasa had no desire to involve the elders, but his options were running out.
Ebizō and Chiyo had once been the true powerhouses of Sunagakure—Ebizō managing the village's puppet corps and medical division, and Chiyo overseeing intelligence operations.
However, in their old age, both had relinquished their authority to live out the rest of their days in peace.
To call upon them now was a humiliating admission—one that signaled Rasa had failed to resolve the crisis on his own.
But at this point, pride meant nothing.
Shortly after, the ANBU returned, escorting the two elder advisors into the chamber.
The Sunagakure officials immediately stood and bowed—a show of respect for the two most senior figures in the village.
Ebizō spoke first, his voice calm.
"Kazekage, what's happened?"
Meanwhile, Chiyo's attention was elsewhere.
Days ago, she had engaged in a puppet battle against her grandson, Sasori, and lost completely.
Sasori had effortlessly dismantled her Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets, and though he hadn't intended to kill her, his words afterward had cut deeper than any blade.
Since then, Chiyo had thought of little else.
Even as she stood in the meeting hall, her mind was consumed with thoughts of how to bring Sasori back home.
"Elders, this concerns the very survival of Sunagakure," Rasa admitted grimly.
He gave them a detailed account of everything that had transpired, then laid out the core issue:
"We cannot afford to lose our trade agreement with Keikou. If we sever ties, Sunagakure will not survive."
Nestled deep within the desert, Sunagakure was home to nearly one hundred thousand people—each one relying entirely on imported goods to survive.
There was no other supplier capable of meeting the village's massive demand for food and water.
Ebizō frowned. "I assume this means your negotiations with the Daimyo failed?"
Rasa's hands clenched into fists as rage boiled beneath his skin.
The memories of his time in the Daimyo's court resurfaced, and his temper snapped.
"That imbecile is deliberately trying to strangle Sunagakure!" Rasa spat.
Rasa took a deep breath, his expression darkening as he relayed the Daimyo's stance to the council. He emphasized the two most alarming points—the impending budget cuts and the outsourcing of Sunagakure's missions to Konoha.
"What? The Daimyo is really doing this?"
"That fool never ceases to amaze me! This is a complete betrayal of our alliance!"
"Lord Kazekage, we have to negotiate again! If talking doesn't work, then…"
The moment Rasa finished speaking, the council chamber erupted into chaos. The senior officials of Sunagakure were furious, their rage sparking like oil meeting fire.
A shinobi village's development depended on two things—funding from the Daimyo and income from missions.
Now, the Daimyo had effectively cut off both lifelines and was forcing Keikou Trading Company out of the country.
How could the council possibly accept this?
"Lord Kazekage," Ebizō sighed, his voice heavy with resignation. "It seems Keikou Trading Company and the Daimyo cannot coexist."
His eyes sharpened as he continued, "It's time to make a choice. If we keep delaying, Sunagakure will suffer the most."
His words were clear—Rasa had to act.
The entire room knew what that choice had to be.
On one hand, Keikou Trading Company—a longtime ally that had faithfully supported Sunagakure for years.
On the other, the Daimyo, who mistrusted them, cut their funding, and handed their missions over to Konoha.
It wasn't a difficult decision.
But breaking their alliance with the Land of Wind's Daimyo wasn't something to be taken lightly.
Even Rasa hadn't expected Ebizō to bring up such a drastic solution so casually.
For the first time in a long while, Rasa hesitated.
"Elder… isn't that too risky?" Rasa asked, his voice troubled.
Cutting ties with the Daimyo meant losing their official status and all financial support.
Yes, the Daimyo had slashed their funding repeatedly—but what remained was still a massive sum.
The One Nation, One Village system had existed for decades, recognized by every major power in the ninja world. Each country relied on its shinobi village for military security.
If Sunagakure broke away, it would shake the entire political landscape.
The Daimyo was still the ruler of the Land of Wind—turning against him could provoke hostility from other countries and even trigger a war.
"In the end, you are the Kazekage," Ebizō replied, shaking his head. "I am just a retired old man.
I can only offer advice—the final decision is yours.
You must think carefully… and do what is best for Sunagakure."
Rasa nodded in silence, then turned to Chiyo.
"Elder Chiyo, what do you think?"
He noticed she had been oddly quiet throughout the meeting.
Of course, Chiyo had lived through two great ninja wars—her experience was invaluable, and Rasa wanted to hear her opinion.
Hearing her name, Chiyo snapped out of her thoughts.
She had been lost in her own world, dwelling on her recent battle with Sasori.
She had lost completely.
Not only was Sasori's puppet mastery beyond hers, but his modifications made him nearly unstoppable.
Yet, he hadn't killed her.
No, he had come only to prove a point—after destroying her treasured Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets, he simply said a few words… and left.
Now, Chiyo could think of nothing else.
After a long pause, she finally answered:
"Kazekage… sometimes, you must be willing to let go.
No decision is ever perfect."
With that, she turned and left the room.
Ebizō, though puzzled by his sister's strange behavior, ultimately agreed.
"Well then, Lord Kazekage… we'll take our leave."
He followed Chiyo out of the hall.
As the two elders departed, the room plunged into silence.
The gravity of the situation weighed heavily on everyone.
Severing ties with the Daimyo was not a choice to be made lightly.
But abandoning Keikou Trading Company would doom Sunagakure.
Even if they used force to suppress the unrest, it would only lead to the village's decline.
With no funding and no mission income, they would have no future.
They would have made an enemy of a powerful trading company and still gained nothing from the Daimyo.
Rasa closed his eyes, then opened them with a steely resolve.
"I am the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure," he declared.
"It is my duty to protect this village and ensure its future.
Once I make my decision, you will not oppose me.
The consequences—I alone will bear them."
His tone left no room for debate.
Everyone in the room immediately understood what he had chosen.
"Lord Kazekage…"
"I support your decision."
"…I do as well."
Yashamaru and Baki exchanged tense glances.
They knew what this meant.
The moment Rasa made this choice, the entire weight of it would fall upon him alone.
"Contact Keikou Trading Company," Rasa ordered.
His voice was absolute.
There was no turning back.
Meanwhile, in the shadows…
"Hah. Just as expected," Sasori muttered with a smirk.
Sasori had predicted this outcome perfectly.
Without wasting a moment, Sasori dispatched a subordinate through a secret route, carrying a message straight to the Daimyo's palace.
(End of Chapter)
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