"Let's start over."
Jiraiya quickly regained his composure and became serious again.
"This is the Land of Wind. This is Sunagakure."
"People of the ninja world, open your eyes and watch carefully."
"The unification of the ninja world cannot be stopped."
"And the first step begins here, with the Land of Wind and Sunagakure."
The camera shifted toward the group standing behind him.
Aside from the cameraman, there were only Jiraiya, Tsunade, six Konoha shinobi, and one mysterious man in a black robe.
That was all.
Yet they walked toward Sunagakure with the confidence of an army.
Above them, drones rose into the sky and widened the shot.
From the camera's perspective, that tiny group somehow carried the overwhelming presence of thousands.
Sunagakure's alarms began ringing.
But Rasa and the elite Sand shinobi were already waiting outside the village.
They had been watching the live broadcast the entire time.
High above, the drones circled, capturing both sides.
One Sand shinobi suddenly threw a kunai at a drone, trying to shoot it down.
The spark of metal flashed.
The drone wobbled slightly, then stabilized.
The cameraman laughed.
"Idiot. You think you can destroy a specially-made drone that easily?"
Still, he quietly moved it a little farther back, just to be safe.
"Enough," Rasa said coldly, stopping the shinobi from attacking again.
Then he looked at Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya. Tsunade."
"You came to Sunagakure. What exactly do you want?"
Jiraiya's expression turned serious.
"There has been too much war in the ninja world."
"Too much blood."
"Too many dead."
"So our Hokage decided that the ninja world must be unified."
He looked directly at Rasa.
"So tell me."
"Will Sunagakure be our friend… or our enemy?"
Rasa stayed silent for a moment.
Then he asked in a low voice:
"And what if we choose friendship?"
"And what if we choose war?"
"If you choose friendship," Jiraiya said, "then as the Fourth Kazekage, you will publicly announce that Sunagakure is joining the Unification Committee."
"You will help us bring the Land of Wind into the new world."
"But if you choose to be our enemy…"
"Then today, we will defeat you."
"And Sunagakure will be forced to join us anyway."
Jiraiya's voice was calm, but full of absolute confidence.
Rasa laughed in disbelief.
"Just the few of you?"
Behind him stood all of Sunagakure.
Even after years of decline, they still had thousands of shinobi.
If Naruto himself had come, Rasa might have hesitated.
But Jiraiya and Tsunade?
With only a handful of shinobi?
He found it ridiculous.
"Yes," Jiraiya said calmly.
"Just us."
The entire ninja world watching the broadcast began arguing immediately.
"Konoha's outnumbered!"
"They should run while they still can!"
"Are they insane? That's the entire Sand Village!"
"No, something feels wrong."
"Look at Tsunade and Jiraiya. They aren't scared at all."
"They really think they can win."
"It doesn't make any sense."
"Then again… if Naruto arranged it this way, there must be a reason."
Rasa's anger only grew.
"So Konoha really looks down on us."
He raised his hand and shouted.
"Sand shinobi!"
"Move!"
"Surround them!"
"Show Konoha the strength of Sunagakure!"
He pointed toward Jiraiya and Tsunade.
"Capture them!"
"Today I'll make Naruto regret underestimating us!"
The more he spoke, the more confident he became.
The entire strength of Sunagakure stood behind him.
What could a few people possibly do against that?
But neither Jiraiya nor Tsunade moved.
They simply looked at him.
Not with fear.
Not with anger.
With pity.
That look irritated Rasa more than anything else.
Then the people watching the live broadcast noticed something strange.
The massive army of Sunagakure wasn't moving.
Only a handful of shinobi had stepped forward.
The rest stood silently on the rooftops and walls behind them.
Thousands of shinobi.
Standing still.
Watching.
Rasa slowly turned around.
He saw them all.
Gaara.
Temari.
Kankuro.
And behind them—
The entire village.
Their eyes were cold.
Distant.
Some even looked at him with pity.
Rasa's body went cold.
"I am Kazekage!"
"Have you all forgotten who you are?"
"Gaara! Temari! Kankuro!"
"What are you doing?!"
His voice shook.
Then someone stepped out from the crowd.
It was Pakura.
"Lord Kazekage," she said quietly, "you've already lost."
"The unification of the ninja world is the future."
"We've already sacrificed too many people."
"We don't want more meaningless deaths."
One by one, Sand shinobi stepped forward.
"Lord Kazekage, every major decision you made pushed the village deeper into ruin."
"You were never able to lead Sunagakure toward a better future."
"The desert is harsh."
"Our people have suffered enough."
"Only unification can change that."
Rasa's entire body trembled.
He recognized many of the people speaking.
They were shinobi who had once fought beside him.
Some of them had even taken part in the Konoha Crush years ago.
He had thought they were dead.
Instead, they had returned.
And now they stood against him.
Then Gaara finally stepped forward.
"Father," he said quietly, "surrender."
"If you can't find a future for the village…"
"Then let someone else try."
"Shut up!" Rasa roared.
"What do you know?!"
He looked around at all the Sand shinobi staring at him.
Distrust.
Doubt.
Disappointment.
There was no loyalty left in their eyes.
Only pity.
Rasa laughed bitterly.
Then he turned back toward Jiraiya.
"Fine."
"I am the Fourth Kazekage."
"If I live, Sunagakure lives."
"If I die, Sunagakure dies."
"Come."
"Let me see what Konoha's finest can do."
He stood tall.
Like a hero at the end of the world.
Then another figure appeared beside him.
Chiyo.
"That's enough," Chiyo said with a sigh.
"I've lived long enough already."
"Lord Kazekage…"
"You won't stand alone today."
The old woman stepped beside him.
The two of them looked at each other.
And for the first time in years—
All their grievances disappeared.
-------------------------
For advanced chapters, visit patreon.com/Varnok