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The link is also in the synopsis
<<<>>>
Maki, Shin, and Mei were halfway to the Kiri camp when they encountered a group approaching from the opposite direction. It was a delegation from Kumo, headed straight toward Takimura.
Kiri's camp was closer to the shoreline, so the only way for the Kumo shinobi to reach the Waterfall Village's camp was either to pass through Kiri's territory or go around.
"Lady Maki?" one of them greeted politely, though the tension was clear in the air. The rest of the delegation wore expressions that ranged from wary to openly hostile. To them, Maki was the face of their recent humiliation. She hadn't killed many Kumo shinobi directly, but the collateral damage from her battle with the Raikage had left a deep scar.
"That's me," Maki replied with a faint smile. Shin remained silent, his face completely expressionless, but Mei's face was red from anger. Her mind had gone straight to Meruem and Tenma, their final stand against Kumo still fresh in her memory.
Maki stepped forward calmly before Mei could speak. "Were you looking for me?"
"Yes," the lead envoy said. "We've come to discuss peace between our nations."
The words landed like a thunderclap.
Even Mei paused, her anger slipping away for a moment.
'A peace offer? After invading our land? After we caught wind of them preparing ships and troops to reinforce the Raikage? Is this a trick, or was Ao's intel wrong?'
The information confused all three Takimura shinobi, their expressions tightening in suspicion. The Kumo envoys noticed, and their shoulders sagged slightly as if sharing a regret.
'To come all this way and ask for peace… and to whom?' one of them thought bitterly. 'To a group of nobodies. They're not even a great village…'
Their pride burned, but they had no choice. Kumogakure had to maintain its image, but there were moments when pragmatism outweighed pride, and now was one of those moments.
"Have you already met with Kirigakure, or is another delegation handling that?" Maki asked, thinking Kumo would naturally prioritize negotiations with a Great Village over a newborn one.
"No. The Raikage decided that Takimura's standing is higher," the envoy said stiffly. "We've been ordered to reach a deal with you first. Kiri will be approached afterward."
His tone was solemn, hinting that he was not pleased with the order. He tried to hide his thoughts, but was unable to mask the sour taste the words left in his mouth.
'Their poker faces are awful,' Maki thought, barely suppressing a smirk. 'But this is a clear sign of respect. A reward and a price. By putting us first, Kumo is acknowledging that Takimura forced their retreat and earned the right to negotiate from a position of strength. When this becomes public, Kiri's reputation will take a hit. And the shinobis still unsure about joining us won't hesitate anymore.'
'Smart move on Kumo's part,' Maki admitted. 'They're offering a show of goodwill, however insincere it may be, but more importantly, they're weakening Kiri and pushing the inevitable conflict between us and the Hidden Mist. Either way, they win.'
She didn't trust them. But she was definitely enjoying the position they'd just handed her.
"We were on our way to meet with the Mizukage," she said with a smile. "Let's go together."
The Kumo delegation immediately looked uneasy.
"But… we've been ordered to negotiate with you first, and only afterward with Kiri," one of them said hesitantly. "Besides, the Mizukage may not take it well if we arrive together. He might think that…"
"That you've already reached an agreement with us?" Maki finished for him, cutting him off with a grin. "Don't worry. The Mizukage will understand exactly what this means, and my presence will guarantee your safety."
She laughed lightly, but the meaning behind her words was clear.
Maki had every intention of securing this deal. It would end the war with Kumo and elevate Takimura's standing across the continent. But she also understood the risk. If Kiri learned that Takimura had already made a deal, they might act out of fear or pride. There was a chance, however small, that the Mizukage would try to eliminate the Kumo delegation before they could return. That way, he could drag the war on and push Maki to the front lines, forcing her into a role she didn't want.
'I'll use this gift you've given me, A,' she thought with an inward smirk. 'This is the first real good news we've had in a long time.'
She still didn't know what had forced Kumo to change its stance. It clearly wasn't fear - Kumo didn't fear Takimura or Kiri. Something else must have happened.
'Maybe it was Konoha? Did something happen between them and the Hidden Leaf? Did they get invaded?' The idea passed through her mind for a moment, but she quickly let it go.
She didn't care.
Whatever had forced Kumo's hand didn't matter. What mattered was that they had offered peace. And Takimura needed to know.
"Shin," she said, glancing sideways, "send word to Takimura."
Without a word, Shin formed a quick hand seal and created a shadow clone. The clone vanished in an instant, flickering away through the trees.
"Alright," Maki said, turning back to the Kumo delegation. "Let's go."
<<<>>>
A few days ago.
"Shit! This bastard!" Rasa cursed with all his heart as he led the retreat of Sunagakure's battered army.
The agreement with Iwagakure had completely fallen apart. Onoki had betrayed them, cutting a deal with Konoha behind Suna's back. Where they had expected Iwa to attack the Leaf, they instead invaded Suna's territory. And Konoha struck with full force, catching Suna between two enemy giants.
"I apologize, Lord Kazekage," Ebizo said, lowering his head as tears blurred his vision. "I was deceived by the fence-sitter… even my sister…" His voice cracked at the mention of Chiyo.
"You don't need to apologize," Rasa replied. He had no energy for consolation, but he wasn't the kind of Kage to lash out and blame an old man for a mistake anyone could have made. "You and your sister paid a higher price than anyone could have asked for."
His voice softened just slightly.
Chiyo had stayed behind with a small group of puppeteers, holding off Konoha's advancing forces to give the rest of Suna a chance to escape.
Now, Sunagakure was in dire straits. Their only S-rank shinobi was Rasa himself, and their jinchuriki was still a child, nowhere near ready for the battlefield. Meanwhile, Iwagakure had two perfect jinchuriki, and Onoki who was a monster on his own. Konoha's jinchuriki might also be a child, but they had more S-rank shinobi than Suna could count. Even before the alliance, both villages had been stronger than Suna. But now it was hopelessly lopsided.
"I don't understand why Onoki would do this," Ebizo muttered, still trying to make sense of the betrayal. "Even if Iwa avoids major losses, and Konoha takes a hit… without Kumo's support, Iwa won't be able to stop them in the long run. Why would Onoki side with them instead of us?"
"It doesn't matter," Rasa snapped, barely restraining himself. "What's done is done. We need to focus on survival now."
Ebizo flinched but said nothing.
"We'll shift to guerrilla tactics. Hit hard. Vanish. Kill as many of them as we can while keeping our losses low."
The vast open desert was still Suna's greatest weapon. Hidden beneath those endless dunes were hundreds of underground hideouts, perfect for ambushes. The plan was brutal, but simple: wait for enemy forces to pass overhead, then trigger sand collapse techniques from below. Even if it meant sacrificing shinobi in the process, each attack could take dozens or maybe even hundreds of enemies with it.
"Yes… that's our only option," Ebizo murmured, nodding absentmindedly. Even as he agreed, his mind was elsewhere, still chasing the shape of Onoki's plan.
'There has to be a reason,' he thought. 'If I can understand why… maybe we still have a way out.'
<<<>>>
"Quickly, tell your sister to deliver this letter to the Raikage. He needs to know that Konoha and Iwa have launched a joint attack on Sunagakure. We have to halt the invasion of the Land of Water," Dodai said sharply, practically shoving the scroll into Darui's hands.
It was rare to see the head of Kumogakure's council so visibly shaken, but the situation was dire.
"I don't get it. Isn't that a good thing?" one of the council members asked as Darui rushed out of the room. "If Konoha's busy with Suna, that means they won't be attacking us. We can focus entirely on Kiri and Takimura."
Dodai closed his eyes and pressed his fingers to his temples, irritation simmering just beneath the surface. The council's lack of foresight was pushing him to his limit. He was already considering suggesting to A that some members be replaced.
"Konoha and Iwa will crush Suna. That much is certain," Dodai began, his voice calm but tight with frustration. "Konoha will probably take heavier losses, but not enough to weaken them in any meaningful way. Meanwhile, Iwa will be cautious. They'll try to minimize casualties and let Konoha do the heavy lifting."
He paused, then looked up, sweeping the room with his gaze.
"Unlike Konoha and Iwa, we aren't fighting a weak opponent. The Land of Water isn't one large landmass, it's a chain of islands. Moving between them means exposing ourselves to naval combat, and you've all read the reports. They destroyed our ships with terrifying ease. What makes you think they won't do it again?"
Dodai's expression hardened.
'I still want both Takime siblings dead. Letting them live would mean leaving behind two incredibly dangerous shinobi right on our border. But now isn't the time…'
'I'll ask A to increase the bounty on the boy's head. No bounty hunter would dare go after Takime Maki, but the kid's still not strong enough. Not yet.'
His thoughts broke as he noticed the silence in the room. The other council members were staring at him, waiting for him to continue.
He sighed, disappointed. "Where was I? Right… if we win this war, or even if we don't, there will be only two major powers left: Konoha, full of rising talents with S-rank potential, and Iwa, just as strong as they are now, possibly stronger. We, on the other hand, will be weakened. And we'll have no choice but to join Iwa in a second war, this time against Konoha. And even if we win that one… Iwa will be the one to reap the benefits."
The room nodded in grim agreement, but Dodai wasn't reassured by it.
'I hope A will listen to reason,' he thought. 'We need to change our focus before it's too late.'
One of the council members finally broke the silence.
"If we retreat and stop attacking Kiri, won't that just give them time to recover?"
Dodai shook his head.
"No. We're not fighting Kiri, not really. We're fighting that small village, Takimura," he said, still unhappy to let the Takime siblings live. "Yagura is injured - either from fighting the Takime clan head or that girl. He's out of the picture."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Our real problem is Takime Maki. She fought Lord Raikage to a standstill and that's no small feat. If we retreat, the civil war in the Land of Water will reignite. It will be Maki against Kiri's forces and in the end, the Hidden Mist and Takimura will weaken each other. There won't be a winner in that war… and that's exactly what we want."
Dodai's lips curled into a faint, calculating smile.
"And I don't think we should just sit around and wait for Suna's destruction either," Dodai added. "That won't benefit us in the slightest. We should strike Konoha while their forces are still deep in Wind Country. That way, we'll face the Hidden Leaf one-on-one, and Iwa will be forced to deal with Suna alone."
For a moment, Dodai genuinely considered the possibility that this plan might be even better than conquering the Land of Water.
But in the end, it didn't matter what he thought. Everything depended on what A chose to do.
**
A/N -
I've been building toward this plot twist for a long time, and it's finally here! It might not seem like much, but as a newbie writer, planning this far ahead hasn't been easy. I'm still learning and experimenting with the techniques successful authors use, so this moment means a lot to me xD
I hope you enjoyed the chapter and if you did, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Reminder - Break Tomorrow
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The link is also in the synopsis