In the border town between the Land of the Rain and the Sand Federation, many ninja arrived that day.
After days of negotiations and nearly ten exchanges of proposal documents, the Rain Ninja Village and the Sand Federation, under the efforts of Sanki Kaekō, finally reached an agreement.
The main point of contention between the two sides was the deployment of guard ninja along the border. Neither side trusted the other. Pakura had a hunch that the assassin of the Fourth Kazekage was among the Rain Ninja, while the Rain Ninja were uneasy about the enormous power of the Sand Federation.
The Federation now not only commanded its original Sand Ninja forces but also had authority over the Star Ninja stationed in the Land of Rivers. In other words, once the barrier was lifted, the Rain Ninja Village would face enemy forces from two directions.
Although Konan claimed not to fear the Sand Ninja, she also didn't want to recklessly spark a war that would harm the civilians of the Land of the Rain. That's why, during the treaty drafting, she insisted on eliminating every possible risk. If the other side violated the agreement, the Rain Ninja would be the ones standing on the side of justice.
Eventually, with Sanki Kaekō's persuasion and both sides willing to cooperate, the two parties reached a consensus.
The agreement stated that the border mountains would be redeveloped jointly, with no more than fifty troops stationed on either side. Trade would be opened, and special roads constructed to facilitate personnel exchange, among other provisions.
The trade negotiations were entirely handled by Sanki Kaekō and Konan.
The Land of the Rain's largest steel industry was effectively seized by the Kaekō Trade Association during this restructuring. Through trade, they could gradually control the civilian economy and, eventually, the narrative within the Land of the Rain.
Unless Konan and Nagato were extremely cold-blooded, tyrannical leaders, they couldn't ignore the lives of all the civilians under their rule.
On the way back, Pakura sat in silence under her Kazekage hat, still struggling to accept everything.
During the talks, she had wanted to question the Rain Ninja directly about the Fourth Kazekage's death multiple times, but Sanki Kaekō had always seen it coming and stopped her in time.
"Kazekage-sama, are you still upset?"
Since Sanki Kaekō was an ordinary person and couldn't travel as fast as ninja, and the road to and from the Land of the Rain was difficult, he and Pakura were traveling by carriage.
Pakura didn't respond immediately. After a moment of silence, she said, "Just call me Pakura. I don't mind others calling me Kazekage, but when it's you, it feels a bit off."
"Alright, Pakura. But in front of others, I'll still address you as Kazekage-sama."
Sanki Kaekō chuckled softly, then asked, "Pakura, are you upset about the death of the Fourth Kazekage?"
"Of course. The former Kazekage was murdered, and the killer might be in the Rain Ninja Village. Isn't it reasonable to use this treaty to make them hand over the culprit?"
Pakura spoke in a low voice. The carriage, driven by people from the Kaekō Trade Association, was well soundproofed. The guards outside couldn't hear their conversation, nor would they dare eavesdrop on a conversation between the Fifth Kazekage and her advisor.
"They'd rather reject the treaty than hand over the assassin. Pakura, the reason I kept advising you was to avoid a war."
Sanki Kaekō said frankly, "The assassin is indeed in the Rain Ninja Village, but let me ask you this: are you truly prepared to halt the Federation's current progress, rally the ninja forces, and launch a war against the Rain Ninja Village just to force them to surrender the assassin?
"If you're sure, I'll persuade the clan head to support your decision at the next Federation meeting."
Pakura, puzzled, asked, "Is the Rain Ninja Village really that determined? Even Hanzō had to yield when facing Konoha and Sunagakure."
Sanki Kaekō shook his head. "That was then. The Rain Ninja Village didn't join the Third Shinobi World War and has developed considerable strength. Their current leader is stronger than Hanzō—who was killed by the current Rain leader, Pain."
"What? Hanzō is dead?" Pakura asked, surprised.
Due to the Rain Village's closed-off nature and the big villages' general neglect toward the small nation, few were aware of the internal leadership change.
"He's dead. According to what I learned in the Rain Village, Hanzō was quickly killed by Pain during their confrontation. Pain is very powerful—that's why I tried to stop you."
Since Sand Ninja intelligence was poor, Sanki Kaekō wasn't too concerned about revealing this. Pakura wouldn't be able to verify it anyway.
"Pakura, compared to those rogue ninja in the Rain, I believe they were merely tools. Even without them, with a bounty of 800 million ryo, rogue ninja from Kumo, Iwa, or Konoha would've gone after the Fourth Kazekage.
"Our revenge shouldn't be directed at the weapon but at the hand that wields it. We've been focusing too much on internal development and have neglected external intelligence gathering."
With that, Sanki Kaekō handed Pakura a document.
"This intel came from an old friend of the Kaekō Clan in the Land of Fire. The Land of the Wind secretly sent an envoy trying to use the Daimyo's office to commission Konoha to cause trouble for the Sand Federation."
Pakura's expression darkened as she took the report and read it. Her anger flared.
Sanki Kaekō smiled and said, "No need to get upset, Pakura. Last time, when the Wind Daimyo tried to seize a Kaekō mining operation, our clan head already wanted to deal with that fool—but held back out of concern for Sunagakure's stance.
"But now the Wind Daimyo has lost his strongest backing, and we've just signed a treaty with the Rain Ninja Village. It's the perfect time for revenge.
"It's also time to show the Wind Daimyo what happens when you casually put a bounty on the Kazekage's head. Don't you agree, Pakura?"
By steering Pakura's hatred away from Akatsuki and toward the Wind Daimyo, and framing the Kaekō Trade Association as a fellow victim, Sanki Kaekō successfully earned her empathy and strengthened his argument.
"Pakura, once we're back, you should make up for what the Fourth left behind. You could take in a few of the Sand kids as disciples under your Kazekage title. That would honor Rasa's memory and also comfort his loyal subordinates. As for revenge against the Wind Daimyo, leave that to me."
Pakura nodded in agreement. She was slowly being swayed by Sanki Kaekō. Since she had already relied heavily on him for political affairs, his words were becoming more persuasive.
"You're right, Sanki. Then I'll leave revenge against the Wind Daimyo to you. Once I return, I'll take in Rasa's three children as my disciples."
She hesitated for a moment, then added, "Sanki, if there's anything else I can help with, just say the word. No need to be polite."
Sanki Kaekō smiled and replied, "Alright, I will. Thank you, Pakura!"
(End of Chapter)
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