Kazekage's Office.
The room was extremely quiet.
At such a sensitive time, it was impossible for Sunagakure's shinobi to welcome Konoha's sudden visitors with open arms. The Ino-Shika-Chō trio understood this well. So, they stood quietly, waiting for the Kazekage's response.
Waiting for Rasa to speak were also Pakura, Michikawa, Seramu, and several others nearby.
Before long, Rasa understood the Konoha trio's purpose. Aside from a bit of surprise, he had no particular reaction.
"Alright, I understand your reason for coming."
As Rasa spoke, he handed the scroll to Michikawa and the others beside him.
Seeing that Rasa didn't intend to say more, Shikaku Nara took the initiative to ask.
"May I ask if the Kazekage-dono is willing to attend the Five Kage Summit hosted by our Hokage as the organizer?"
Rasa looked at Shikaku as if he were a fool.
"Are you joking? Do you have any idea how much damage Sunagakure suffered during this Tailed Beast riot? How many lives were lost? You think your young Hokage can just say a few casual words and expect us to let it go? Do you really think that's possible?"
The Sunagakure shinobi nearby very cooperatively displayed their outrage.
Shikaku, of course, had expected this reaction. He replied calmly.
"I'm well aware. But that's exactly why this war shouldn't continue. That's because the longer it drags on, the more people will die. Konoha has also paid dearly in this conflict. And, Kazekage-dono, if you have any conditions, you're free to raise them. The purpose of this Five Kage Summit is to allow all five major villages to speak openly and bring a true end to the war."
Rasa sighed.
"I have neither the time nor the interest to speak openly with anyone. If your Hokage wants Sunagakure to participate, then he'd better show us a level of sincerity that's truly worth our attention."
Shikaku looked at Rasa, seeming to understand his meaning.
"I understand. I'll report this to the Hokage. However, there's one matter I'd like to clarify, if Kazekage-dono would be willing to answer."
"What is it?"
"I would like to know the current status of the Four-Tails, Five-Tails, and Six-Tails. I don't mean anything by it, but ever since the First Hokage distributed the Tailed Beasts to balance the military power among the five villages, they've represented the balance of shinobi power. If that balance is heavily disrupted, it could lead to serious consequences."
Rasa glanced at the man known as Konoha's top strategist.
"Do you think I'm afraid?"
Shikaku remained calm as he responded.
"Of course not. I'm well aware Kazekage-dono fears nothing. But if unnecessary trouble can be avoided, wouldn't that be better for everyone? And with your current strength, you likely don't even need the Tailed Beasts for deterrence anymore."
Rasa smiled; no, it was more of a smirk.
"You're not wrong. At this point, Sunagakure doesn't need the power of the Tailed Beasts. But even so, only the Four-Tails remains. If Iwagakure wants it back, it won't be so easy."
"Only the Four-Tails remains?"
Rasa gave Shikaku a cold, dismissive look and explained slowly.
"That's right. Your Konoha should have received intel from the spies you placed in our village, yes?"
"..."
Shikaku's expression turned slightly awkward.
"For the sake of unleashing the final Tailed Beast Bomb, the Five-Tails exhausted all of its life force and died on the spot. Even if I wanted to capture it, I couldn't. As for the Six-Tails' Jinchūriki, although I maintained his vital signs at the time, the Six-Tails was sent to us for the purpose of going berserk. In that situation, do you think any Jinchūriki could survive? So now, only the Four-Tails remains alive and well."
The trio from Konoha exchanged glances. None of them doubted Rasa's answer, based on their intelligence, it did seem like the most reasonable conclusion.
"I see. Thank you for the clarification, Kazekage-dono. We won't take up any more of your time. We'll report your response to the Hokage and await his decision."
Rasa nodded and waved his hand.
"Mhm. Baki, see them out."
Once Baki had led the trio away, Michikawa finally broke the silence.
"Kazekage-sama what are your thoughts? Do you plan to attend the Five Kage Summit?"
"What are your thoughts?"
Rasa asked in return.
Michikawa thought for a moment and answered.
"If it hadn't been for you, Kazekage-sama, during the Tailed Beast riot, even if Sunagakure hadn't been wiped out, the casualties would've been catastrophic. So, speaking from the village's standpoint, of course I can't just let it go. But right now, the village really needs time."
Rasa nodded.
"And you?"
Pakura replied with visible displeasure.
"I agree. But what really annoys me is that this Hokage from Konoha thinks he has the qualifications to convene a Five Kage Summit in his name. If anyone should initiate it, it should be us, Sunagakure."
"And you, Seramu?"
"Kazekage-sama, Michikawa-san is right. Sunagakure does need time. As long as we're given that time to develop, from what I know of the other villages, we won't even need a war. Eventually, they simply won't be able to match us."
"Yes, I think so too."
From both Sunagakure's perspective and Rasa's own, a period of peace and stability was crucial, not just to strengthen the village, but to focus on his own training.
"Still, agreeing to join this summit won't come easy. It depends on how sincere they are."
"Right."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Alright, let's put this matter aside for now. Since you're all here, come with me, I want to show you something."
---
Sunagakure, a large secluded compound.
Rasa led Pakura, Michikawa, and Seramu to the site.
The moment they entered, they saw a massive ship and a huge machine resembling a train.
That's right. This was the place where Rasa had ordered Shinnō from Kūni Village (Sky Ninja Village) and Hōki from Takumi no Sato (the Craftsmens' Village) to develop new transportation to solve the village's logistical challenges.
These individuals had been in Sunagakure for quite a while, and the village had been extensively funding their research. However, despite all that time, there had been no tangible results.
It wasn't until the Flowing Sand River Project began that they started to worry their value might run out. In just a few days, they finally produced these massive machines.
Seeing Rasa enter with Pakura and the others, Shinnō and Hōki quickly stepped forward, their expressions nervous. They had all witnessed Rasa's battles with the three Tailed Beasts and fully understood how terrifying this man truly was.
"Greetings, Kazekage-sama!"
Rasa looked at the enormous wooden ship and the train-sized machine beside it.
"You've been working fast. To build something this big in just five days?"
Hōki and the Four Celestial Symbols Men behind him froze slightly, but Shinnō remained calm and explained.
"Kazekage-sama, it's not that we were unwilling to build them before. We ran into a problem, and we didn't know how to bring it up with you. But fortunately, we've resolved it now."
Rasa raised his brow.
"Oh? What kind of problem?"
"The power source. Both the ship and the train we've constructed are designed to be powered by Tailed Beast chakra."