"I know. I won't act on impulse. For now, we can only endure."
"From now on, Sunagakure will increase its funding for medical development so we are no longer at the mercy of others. At the same time, we will invest more in the Ninja Academy to raise the next generation as quickly as possible and compensate for our lack of jonin."
"Have the Anbu begin secretly stockpiling food, explosive tags, and other war materials. The moment the time is right, we will strike Konoha."
"As for the funding gap... if we're out of money, we'll get it from the daimyo. The Land of Wind has supported him for long enough; it's time he contributed. If he can't, we'll just get a new daimyo."
After the Fourth Kazekage had finished speaking, Chiyo simply stated, "Even if you squeeze the daimyo dry, it won't be enough to cover such a large funding gap. The Land of Wind has always been poor."
The Fourth Kazekage's voice was filled with a brutal resolve. "I will go into the desert and pan for gold myself to make up the difference."
A Kazekage, the leader of a great village, forced to personally pan for gold just to support his people. Was there any other Kage as tragic as him?
But he had no choice. Magnet Release wasn't easy to learn. From the time the First Kazekage captured Shukaku and began studying it, only the Third Kazekage and he had managed to learn the technique. Gaara... Gaara controlled sand, not Magnet Release. If he sent Gaara into the desert to pan for gold, he likely wouldn't find much.
And so, he, the mighty Fourth Kazekage, had to become a common gold panner to feed his village.
"I heard there was a massive explosion in the ruins of Roran, one that looked like a Tailed Beast Ball. Are you going to send someone to investigate?" Chiyo asked.
"Send who? So many of Sunagakure's ninja have died. Where do we have the manpower to worry about other things? As long as they don't approach the village, we leave them alone. Sending ninja out there only to have them die would be even more trouble. We need to preserve our strength right now."
"But what if they launch a long-range Tailed Beast Ball at Sunagakure?"
At this, the Fourth Kazekage fell silent. He was well aware of the Tailed Beast Ball-like explosion that had occurred within the borders of the Land of Wind. This was precisely why Tailed Beasts were rarely deployed. If an enemy could control a Tailed Beast and launch a few long-range attacks, the war would be over the moment one of them hit the village.
The Tailed Beasts were nuclear weapons, not to be used lightly. The Kage was the final trump card, the ultimate guardian of the village, and could not leave easily.
"Alright. I will send Gaara, Kankuro, and Baki to investigate. I will remain here to defend the village."
After some thought, the Fourth Kazekage proposed the most prudent solution. With Gaara as a jinchuriki—who could transform into the One-Tail—he was the most powerful weapon in the ninja world before the Akatsuki's emergence. Sending him was a logical choice. Meanwhile, he needed to stay in the village. To put it bluntly, if someone truly did launch a Tailed Beast Ball at Sunagakure, he was the only one with the ability to stop it. He could probably block one, at least. Probably...
After Sasuke had his eyes transplanted, he had six White Zetsu clones hidden inside his body without even realizing it. It was Orochimaru who had sensed them. It wasn't that Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan was weak, but that White Zetsu's abilities were exceptionally unique. He was plant-like, and as long as he didn't emit any killing intent, even someone with Sasuke's immense spiritual power couldn't detect him. But Orochimaru, who had frequently transferred his soul between bodies, was keenly aware of their presence. It just went to show that different people had different ways of perceiving the world.
Uchiha Nagi had also sensed it. The moment White Zetsu tried to get close, he had felt something. But due to Zetsu's plant-like nature, Nagi's keen intuition only told him that someone was following him; he couldn't pinpoint who or where. And it seemed White Zetsu was aware of the approximate range of Nagi's perception, so he didn't dare get too close. Nagi, having no good way to catch him, could only pretend he didn't know.
Nagi didn't leave right away. Before departing, he used a portion of his chakra to create an irrigation reservoir for the Land of Roran, drawing water from an underground river. It was his way of giving back for taking the Ryumyaku's energy. At the same time, he restored the Ryumyaku's defensive formulas to how they were before Sara had severed them. This way, even if someone came to destroy it again, it wouldn't be so easy. The Ryumyaku itself supplied endless energy to its defensive seals, making it nearly impossible for an ordinary person to break through. In a decade or so, Roran could once again become the lush, green oasis it once was.
"Hey, Nagi-san, why are we going this way? Did that giant of yours do all this?"
"Mmm, just taking a look on our way out."
Uchiha Nagi, Yukihime, and Kimimaro walked through the area scorched by extreme heat. The ground was covered in furrows of crystallized earth. This was the result of his Perfect Susanoo's attack from the day before. The ground was still warm, but the sight was spectacular.
"These rocks are so pretty! I have to take some with me..." Yukihime exclaimed, eagerly picking up the crystallized stones. When her hands were full, she even had Kimimaro help her carry them.
Halfway through the field, Uchiha Nagi suddenly stopped. He quickly threw a handful of kunai, startling Yukihime so much that she dropped all her stones.
"Wh-what's wrong? Are there enemies nearby?" Yukihime looked around but saw no one.
"Of course there are," Uchiha Nagi said with a mysterious smile, his lips curling upwards. "But not an enemy. More like a rat. A rat that likes to scurry around underground."
At that moment, hidden deep beneath the earth, White Zetsu's heart leaped into his throat.
He couldn't have found me, right? It should be impossible. Even a Mangekyo Sharingan isn't supposed to be able to detect my stealth technique...
But his fears were immediately realized. Uchiha Nagi suddenly began to form hand signs. A jolt of panic shot through White Zetsu. He had thought keeping a kilometer's distance was safe, but now he felt it wasn't nearly far enough. He immediately turned to flee.
The next second, swoosh—the Flying Thunder God Technique!
Uchiha Nagi appeared in the air directly above White Zetsu, slamming a three-pronged kunai into the ground below. The all-purpose sealing jutsu activated.
Ah! What's happening? I can't get out!
As the seal took hold, Nagi raised his left fist and brought it down with a Monstrous Strength punch. The incredibly hard, crystallized ground shattered into pieces. Nagi leaped down into the crater and pulled out a white figure. After dragging him out, without a second thought, he slapped a variety of seals all over his body.
"You... how did you find me?!" White Zetsu cried out in terror.
"What a wonderful specimen. I was just worrying about a lack of materials, and Tobi sends one right to my doorstep. Hahahaha!" Nagi laughed heartily.
"Damn it! If it weren't for this crystallized ground, you never would have caught me!" White Zetsu struggled.
"What do you think? Did you think I led you this way for no reason?" Nagi said, a triumphant grin on his face. "It's precisely because the ground here was crystallized by my Susanoo's intense heat. It's much harder for you to move through this than through soil, isn't it?"
"You... you did this on purpose? How did you know about me? How did you know the details of my stealth technique?"