Gaara's importance to Sunagakure was obvious. In a rage, the Sand ninja directly confronted Kumogakure, demanding his return and an explanation.
Kumogakure's representatives were at a loss for words.
Hadn't they kindly returned the Sand ninja's bodies? How had that turned into their fault?
What did those dead ninja being killed by someone else have to do with them? Why was the blame suddenly falling on their shoulders?
Near the borders of the Land of Lightning, both sides set up tents for negotiations, sparking a verbal battle between them.
The Sand demanded that Kumogakure hand over Gaara and take responsibility for the deaths of Baki and others.
"As diplomatic emissaries granted a personal audience with the Raikage, their status equates to that of diplomats. Kumogakure killing Sand diplomatic emissaries is an outright provocation!"
The Cloud ninja naturally refused to accept this, insisting they found the bodies already dead upon arrival at the scene.
And as for Gaara? They hadn't seen him at all!
"Don't push too hard! They were murdered outside Kumogakure territory; it has nothing to do with our village! If anyone should be blamed, blame your pathetic Sand ninja skills!"
But the Sand representatives refused to hear reason—like broken records, they kept insisting Kumogakure take responsibility for this incident.
"Gaara is the One-Tail Jinchuriki. You must return him immediately! Otherwise…"
"Otherwise what?" the Cloud ninja interrupted sharply, completely unimpressed by the veiled threat.
What terroristic warmongers these Kumogakure people were—they never feared anyone before! It had always been them scaring others around!
Even Konoha, recognized as the strongest among the Five Great Ninja Villages, they dared confront and fight without hesitation. What more could they possibly fear from Sunagakure, the weakest of the Five Great Ninja Villages?
"One-Tail Jinchuriki? Are you saying that red-haired brat was actually your village's Jinchuriki?" one Cloud ninja suddenly realized something.
"Exactly! The matter of the Jinchuriki is extremely serious. For Kumogakure to act in such ways agitates every village—it's no different from declaring war!"
Kumogakure exploded with anger. "How would we know he was a Jinchuriki if you didn't say anything about it?"
"I suspect it's you Sand ninja who are trying to cause trouble!"
"You brought such a dangerous entity into our Kumogakure without even uttering a word?"
"What exactly were you planning? Could it be you attempted to assassinate Lord Raikage?"
Heated accusations flew back and forth.
From their perspective, wasn't Sunagakure clearly harboring ill intentions?
Without any reason, bringing a Jinchuriki into their Land of Lightning—should things spiral out of control, it would be just as catastrophic as Konoha's Nine-Tails Incident!
Who could possibly stand against a Tailed Beast except someone at the Kage level?
Sunagakure was clearly harboring ill intentions!
Thinking thus, their tempers flared further, and their eyes grew colder toward the Sand ninjas.
Facing this, the Sand side couldn't offer any explanation, only holding firm to their demands. "Gaara disappeared within the Land of Lightning, so Kumogakure should help Sunagakure find and retrieve him."
The Kumogakure representative showed clear irritation. "Let me repeat once more—we have absolutely no idea where the One-Tail Jinchuriki went."
"The people of Kumogakure personally witnessed them leaving the village. Whatever happened afterward has nothing to do with us."
"But—"
"There's no argument to be had—continuing this conversation is pointless. If Sunagakure wants trouble, Kumogakure will gladly oblige."
Having said that, the representative from Kumogakure waved his hand dismissively, ignoring the increasingly dark expressions on the Sand Ninja's faces. He and his companions turned and walked away, disappearing into the distance.
At this moment, some Cloud Ninjas who had experienced The Third Great Ninja World War couldn't help but recall an old story.
Back then, the spark that caused Suna to start the war was precisely due to the disappearance of the Third Kazekage—an event eerily similar to what was happening now.
Some even suspected that Baki and his group's deaths were staged. A fake incident orchestrated by Sunagakure, deliberately pinned on Kumogakure.
As for the Tailed Beast, Sunagakure probably took it away themselves.
So they could ignite another war—just like last time.
Though Suna had always ranked last among the Five Great Ninja Villages in terms of power, that didn't mean they lacked ambition.
In fact, weak villages like theirs were often the most reckless—possessing the courage and determination to gamble everything in one throw.
Each war they fought was treated as a matter of life and death for the village itself.
"The people from Kumogakure are being too arrogant," muttered the Sand Ninja after their departure. Despite their anger, they could only return to the village in embarrassment and report the situation to the Fourth Kazekage.
In Kumogakure...
The ninja responsible for negotiations recounted the entire conversation with Sunagakure, also offering his suspicions and suggestions.
"Raikage-sama, there's a high chance this whole thing was orchestrated by Sunagakure."
"They're trying to repeat history—just like they did against Konoha—using a few ninja deaths to create a justified reason for attacking our village."
"Why not strike first? Let's launch a direct attack on Sunagakure."
Yugito sighed helplessly while rubbing her forehead, her temple throbbing visibly.
Is there anyone rational left in this village? Why does everyone here seem to be war-hungry?
"Our land in the Land of Lightning is barren; there's no logical reason for Sunagakure to target us."
"Likewise, the Land of Wind doesn't hold any rare resources either. Attacking Sunagakure would cost us time and manpower without bringing any benefit at all," she replied calmly.
"However, we must remain vigilant and prepared," continued the Kumogakure ninja, urging caution.
Yugito remained silent in thought.
---
In the Land of Wind, Sunagakure.
"Get out! All of you, get out! Damn Konoha! That sly, manipulative Minato Namikaze!" Rasa exploded with rage inside his office.
Right now, he was powerless beyond mere furious shouting.
Starting a war? Without One-Tail, Sunagakure—who already ranked last among the Five Great Ninja Villages—had become even weaker. How dare they provoke others now?
The office staff ran out trembling with fear.
An old man, his eyebrows white and face gaunt, appeared from somewhere. Pushing open the office door, he entered with a calm expression.
Inside the office, official documents with black ink characters were scattered all over the floor.
Glancing at Rasa seated in the Kazekage's chair, Ebizō bent his hunched body to pick up several documents scattered on the floor and casually placed them on Rasa's desk. His tone sounded light, yet carried an air of quiet authority.
"My Lord Kazekage," he said, "who upset you this time?"
Apparently mindful of Ebizō's status, Rasa—who had looked furious moments ago—immediately reined in much of his anger and regained his usual calm composure.
"Gaara is missing."
He said it coldly, like Gaara was just a total stranger with no connection to him.
"Where did he go missing?" Ebizō asked.
"In the Land of Lightning."
"Do other villages know?"
"At least Konoha and Kumogakure do." As he spoke, a trace of worry flickered across Rasa's face.
Ebizō remained expressionless, though inwardly he disapproved deeply.
This Fourth Kazekage may be good at boosting the village's economy, but beyond that, he doesn't seem to have any other strengths.
"Why did you allow Gaara to leave the village?" Ebizō asked in confusion.
Upon hearing this, Rasa fell silent, clearly reluctant to speak of the reason behind the incident.
After a long pause, he finally replied solemnly, "It was a joint scheme by Konoha and Kumogakure."
"Oh? Did they provide any explanation?"
"Kumogakure gave us a very strong response. As for Konoha, we haven't made contact yet."
After a moment's thought, Ebizō said, "...If Konoha really is in cahoots like you said, there's no point reaching out to them. Their attitude will be no different from Kumogakure's."
"The matter of Jinchuriki is significant. Other ninja villages won't tolerate this kind of act either. We should contact them and put pressure on Kumogakure together."
"But that would be the same as telling them Sunagakure has lost our only Jinchuriki," Rasa hesitated.
In response, Ebizō merely twitched his facial muscles slightly, seemingly offering something resembling a smile.
"If not told, how long can we keep it hidden? Moreover, other ninja villages have never really feared Suna. They only cannot tolerate one specific village becoming stronger after losing our Jinchuriki. They will not allow the balance of power to be upset."
Rasa felt uncomfortable deep down but had to admit what Ebizō said was true.
For years, Suna rarely stood independently—it was usually someone else's subordinate or ally, buying time to catch its breath.
The other major ninja villages had always looked down on them.
Without a Jinchuriki, Suna would likely have no choice but to depend on the great villages from now on.
After Ebizō left, Rasa let out a heavy sigh, sat down to write some letters, and sent them off to both Iwa and Kiri.
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