Sunagakure.
The sight of endless yellow sand filled the air like a dense fog.
The Kazekage stood at the highest point, with rocky mountains towering behind him and the entire village spread out before him. Chiyo and Ebizō stood at his back.
The three of them remained silent for a while. The defeat in the Land of Rivers had plunged Sunagakure into a difficult situation.
After a long pause, Ebizō broke the silence.
"White Fang has been severely injured and lost his combat ability."
This was the intelligence Sunagakure had obtained.
"I could have killed him back then," the Kazekage said with deep regret.
He had realized it afterward—White Fang had been completely drained of strength at that moment. If he hadn't hesitated, he could have killed Konoha's White Fang before Tsunade arrived.
But fear had made him retreat.
Regret weighed heavily on his heart.
If they had managed to deprive Konoha of such a powerful fighter, it would have been a significant blow.
"None of us could have done anything at the time," Chiyo said helplessly.
Though she had lost family members, she hadn't completely lost her rationality. While it had seemed like the perfect opportunity to kill White Fang, she asked herself honestly—who would have dared to act?
The shattered mountains nearby were a stark reminder.
Even Chiyo wouldn't have dared.
This wasn't something to blame the Kazekage for.
"The key issue now is our next move. Should we try to reclaim the battlefield in the Land of Rivers?"
They had already suffered heavy losses in the Land of Rivers, but losing it entirely raised the question of whether Konoha would launch an attack.
Even if they tried to retake the Land of Rivers, they lacked the strength to push into Konoha.
The Kazekage closed his eyes in thought, then opened them after a long moment.
"That 'Basic Internal Energy Technique' is the reason White Fang is so strong. Do we have any intelligence on it?"
White Fang's strange mutterings during the battle had made the Kazekage realize its importance.
"We do," Ebizō nodded. "It's a unique sealing technique created by Uchiha Kin of Konoha. It enhances reflexes and physical constitution comprehensively and is divided into three layers."
"The first layer prevents the user from performing ninjutsu, though Konoha's Root division seems to have found a way around this limitation. The second layer removes this restriction and allows for continuous chakra accumulation."
"The third layer's details are unknown, but it's suspected to be recorded in Konoha's Scroll of Seals."
"Uchiha," the Kazekage frowned deeply.
The reputation of this clan had never waned since the Warring States Period.
But still...
"Another prodigy like Senju Tobirama?"
Konoha truly was favored by fate.
"That brat who stopped you two was Uchiha Kin."
Chiyo and the Kazekage widened their eyes in surprise as Ebizō spoke.
"He's that young?"
They had both seen Uchiha Kin clearly—he was just a child.
"Is there a chance to capture him?"
If the boy was still weak, perhaps they could send someone to abduct him.
Ebizō shook his head. From the intelligence he'd gathered on the Iwagakure battlefield regarding Uchiha Kin's combat abilities...
"Currently, Uchiha Kin is under White Fang's command, and his personal strength is no joke. We'd need at least five jōnin to stand a chance."
This made the Kazekage abandon the idea.
Five jōnin could even influence the outcome of a small-scale battle.
If White Fang weren't in the picture, it might have been worth a try.
But now?
If anything went wrong, losing five jōnin would be a severe blow to Sunagakure, which was already on the verge of collapse.
"For now, we'll withdraw from the Land of Rivers and focus our forces on the Land of Rain."
This was the only decision the Kazekage could make.
White Fang in the Land of Rivers was far more dangerous than Orochimaru.
Even if Konoha deployed White Fang, at least Iwagakure would share the burden with them.
As the three discussed troop deployment...
"Kazekage-sama, where are my parents?"
A young red-haired child stepped forward and demanded an answer.
"Sasori!"
Chiyo hurried over, her expression somber as she looked at her grandson.
His parents had remained on the battlefield—permanently.
The Kazekage remained silent, gazing down at the village. In the end, he had robbed this child of his parents.
Sasori saw the sorrow on his grandmother's face and the Kazekage's silence.
The answer was already clear.
Sasori stared at the Kazekage with wide, hopeful eyes.
"Will you avenge my parents?"
Chiyo quickly pulled Sasori back.
"Sasori, don't trouble the Kazekage."
White Fang was simply too dangerous now. If not for the news of his severe injury, Sunagakure might have already withdrawn from the war.
The Kazekage walked up to Sasori and knelt down to meet the boy's eye level, revealing a deep scar on his neck—a wound left by White Fang's final strike. He hadn't emerged unscathed.
"I'm sorry, Sasori."
The Kazekage's voice was heavy with regret.
"White Fang is far stronger than I am. Even if I mobilized the entire village, I don't know if we could kill him. I can't avenge your parents. As Kazekage, I've failed you."
"Kazekage-sama!"
Ebizō couldn't help but object. After all, the current Sunagakure was held together by the Third Kazekage's strength.
"It's the truth."
The Kazekage raised a hand to stop Ebizō.
He had begun to doubt himself.
"I'm not strong enough to protect Sunagakure. So... I'm sorry, Sasori. I can't do it."
Sasori looked at the Kazekage, who had once seemed invincible but now knelt before him in defeat.
He glanced at Ebizō, who wanted to refute the Kazekage's words, and then at Chiyo, her expression bleak.
"Is it because you're all too weak?"
Sasori's question was merciless.
It was because the Kazekage was weak that his parents hadn't returned.
"Sasori!" Chiyo tried to stop him, but the Kazekage raised a hand to silence her reprimand.
"I'm sorry."
This was his third apology.
Sasori fell silent, staring at the Kazekage.
Only now did he realize that even the Kazekage had limits.
Then—
In a flash, Sasori drew a kunai and pressed it against the Kazekage's forehead.
"Sasori!! Stop!!" Chiyo rushed to pull him away.
This was tantamount to an assassination attempt!
But black iron sand suddenly blocked Chiyo and Ebizō, who had stepped forward.
The Kazekage's expression remained unreadable. No one could guess what he was thinking.
"Because you're weak!"
Sasori's voice was thick with suppressed rage and grief.
"Because you're useless!"
"I've lost everything!"
"If you're so incompetent, then give the title of Kazekage to me!"
"I won't be as powerless as you!"
"I will take revenge on White Fang! I will destroy Konoha!"
With a sharp motion, Sasori carved a wound into the Kazekage's forehead.
"I'll become stronger than all of you!"
The Kazekage felt the sting on his forehead. Blood trickled into his eye, dyeing his vision crimson as he looked at Sasori's furious, twisted face.
Perhaps he needed to place his hopes on the next generation.
He didn't know.
History would change because of his admission of weakness.
...
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(End of Chapter)