"Still no news?"
"Yes, Kazekage-sama."
Inside Sunagakure, the Kazekage's office was tense enough to choke on.
Rasa leaned back in his chair, gold dust faintly glittering in the lamp light, but his face was locked in a deep frown. Yashamaru stood respectfully in front of him, though the lines of worry etched into his brow reflected his brother-in-law's mood.
The situation was disastrous. The pressure from both Iwagakure and Kirigakure was mounting like a storm ready to crush Sunagakure from both sides. As Kazekage, Rasa had no choice but to decide which enemy to face head-on.
Kirigakure was far away, its supply lines stretched across sea and desert. Iwagakure, on the other hand, was their immediate neighbor and carried tangible interests in the region. Rasa had resolved to strike at Iwagakure if necessary—fight them to the bitter end if it meant Sunagakure's survival.
But Kirigakure was another problem. They had come to the table with peace talks, yes, but their conditions were outrageous. Among their demands was one name that made Rasa's jaw tighten.
Pakura.
One of Sunagakure's Kekkei Genkai users.
And now… she had vanished.
Disappeared right after completing a mission, traces at the scene proving she had fought fiercely before vanishing altogether. To make matters worse, the reinforcement squads dispatched after her had also gone missing.
Each missing squad was not only a blow to morale but also a financial drain. Training shinobi cost time, resources, and ryō. For a village already scraping its coffers, this loss was a blade twisting in Rasa's side.
He sat in silence for a long moment, his gold-ringed fingers drumming on the desk, before finally speaking in a low, dangerous voice.
"Yashamaru… no matter what, she must be found."
The words carried no warmth. To Rasa, Pakura was not only a kunoichi but also an asset, and even her corpse could carry value—whether as proof, a bargaining chip, or a deterrent.
Yashamaru lowered his head. "I understand, Kazekage-sama. Should we… involve Ebizo-sama as well? It might be better with Anbu assistance, right?"
Rasa's brows furrowed at first, but after considering, he gave a curt nod. "Yes. Anbu support would make the search swifter and more discreet. I only have one command—find her. Alive or dead. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Kazekage-sama."
…
Meanwhile, far away from the Kazekage's oppressive office, another scene was unfolding.
Inside an abandoned house on the outskirts of a ruined settlement, three masked figures sat with a fourth, bound and watching them with sharp, distrustful eyes.
Pakura.
Her elegant face, even dirtied with battle dust, carried disdain as she listened to the man in front of her—Shigen Hidezawa.
"What a low-level attempt at sowing discord." Pakura scoffed, the mockery in her tone sharper than any kunai. "I thought you'd at least play some clever trick."
Hidezawa, sprawled against a crooked wooden chair as if the world's politics were his evening entertainment, shrugged lazily. His lips curled into a grin that was one part confidence, two parts troublemaking.
"Think what you want. I'm just making my judgment."
Inside, he was smirking at his own thoughts. 'As if a few words would be enough to break her loyalty. She's the type to drag her enemies down with her teeth if nothing else. But give it time… betrayal from her own village cuts deeper than anything I could say.'
'If not for the coincidence of running into her disciple and jolting her awake earlier during the war…' Hidezawa mused, that entire mess would have spiraled differently.
"What exactly are you getting at?" Shisui finally asked, brows knitted as his Mangekyō's instinct for danger pricked.
"Actually…" Hidezawa tapped his chin in an exaggeratedly thoughtful pose. "We've always thought from a shinobi's perspective, not from the village's perspective."
Yugao, crouched neatly at the corner of the ruined room, tilted her masked face toward him. "Go on."
Hidezawa gestured broadly, as if giving a lecture to inattentive academy students. "How much strength do you think Kirigakure can display here, in the Land of Wind?"
"The impact would be limited." Yugao replied immediately, her voice clipped and precise. She elaborated, "This is desert terrain. Water sources are precious and scarce. Kirigakure shinobi, raised in a land surrounded by endless sea and fog, excel in Water-style. They thrive in conditions we can't replicate here. Even their assassination techniques, honed through the Hidden Mist Jutsu, lose effectiveness under this sky."
Shisui's eyes narrowed. "You're saying the desert itself weakens them. And without sufficient reinforcements from the Land of Water, their influence here is… crippled?"
"Exactly." Hidezawa snapped his fingers, smugness practically radiating from his grin.
Yugao, however, frowned. "Then why would Kirigakure act so aggressively here at all? Are they insane?"
'How would I know if they're crazy?' Hidezawa muttered inwardly, rolling his eyes. 'Though, considering the current Mizukage is probably Obito of the 'Crazy Duo', insane is practically their management style.'
Aloud, he just sighed dramatically. "I'm not sure either. We haven't directly fought them yet. But…" His gaze slid toward Pakura, his grin sharpening. "…I can take a guess."
He leaned forward, voice dropping with mock gravity. "Kirigakure has the disadvantage. So, I'd wager the Fourth Kazekage will focus his true power against Iwagakure. They're the bigger threat. As for Kirigakure, I'd expect him to… find other ways to make them withdraw."
Yugao tilted her head. "Other ways?"
Hidezawa spread his arms wide. "Diplomatic ways. Bargaining chips."
Shisui's frown deepened. "And this is where she comes in?"
Hidezawa smirked but didn't answer immediately. Instead, he reached into his pouch and idly flicked a coin, letting it spin before catching it again. The little dramatic pause made Yugao's brows twitch under her mask.
"Do you remember what happened between Kumogakure and Konoha last year?" Hidezawa asked suddenly, his voice now low and cutting.
The words froze the air. Both Shisui and Yugao stiffened, their masked faces hiding the sharp change in expression.
That incident.
Kumogakure's baseless accusations, their threats of war, and Konoha's eventual forced "compromise"—the sacrifice of a Hyuga clan member. The disgrace still burned hot in every loyal shinobi's heart.
"…You mean," Yugao began slowly, realization dawning, "she…"
Hidezawa's grin turned wolfish. "Mm. Now you're thinking from the perspective of a village."
His gaze slid toward Pakura again. "From the village's perspective, what's the easiest way to get Kirigakure to back down? They need something they can study, something they hate, something they fear. Someone with a Kekkei Genkai drenched in their comrades' blood."
Shisui and Yugao's eyes both darted to Pakura at the same time.
Pakura's mocking smile faded at last. She regarded them coldly, lips pressed into a thin line. "Nonsense. Sunagakure is not Konoha. Such a pathetic attempt at provocation is laughable. Do you really think so little of me?"
"Of you? No, no, you've got it wrong." Hidezawa replied with exaggerated sympathy, shaking his head. Then he leaned back with a grin so irritating it made Yugao want to swat him. "I'm talking about your village. Sunagakure can't even compare to Konoha in strength, but even Konoha knew after the Third Great Ninja War that sometimes you sacrifice the few to save the many."
His grin vanished, replaced by a flat seriousness that startled even Shisui. "The Hyuga clan is one of Konoha's noble pillars, and still, the Third Hokage didn't hesitate when the time came to sacrifice one of them for peace. So tell me, Pakura—if your blood can buy Sunagakure a deal with Kirigakure, do you really think they'd hesitate?"
The silence that followed was heavy enough to crush stone.
*****
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