Shota walked quietly behind Rasa as the group moved through the desert. Five other ANBU guarded the Kazekage closely, their masks hiding their faces.
Diplomats and one elder walked with them too. Mina Sabaku, a distant relative of the Kazekage clan, was the elder in charge of diplomacy with other villages.
She was about fifty years old, a retired jōnin who had lost an arm during the Second Great Shinobi War.
Shota kept his eyes on her back.
'Since she is on this mission, this means that the Kazekage had informed her about Suna's deal with Iwa about getting another tailed beast. If she were a traitor, she would not let this deal pass through easily. Getting a new tailed beast would strengthen the Kazekage's position inside the village as well as the council. Something the traitor would not want.'
'He or she wants power for themselves. If Mina is the traitor, she would try to sabotage the talks or the travel. She would whisper doubts to the diplomats or find ways to delay us. But if she stays quiet and helpful, she might not be the one. Watching her closely will give me clues.'
He glanced at her again. She spoke softly to one of the diplomats, explaining something about trade routes. Her face looked kind, but Shota knew looks could lie. Danzo had looked kind too, until he opened his mouth.
'Danzo and Konoha would surely not let Suna get another tailed beast. They would provide hindrance during this meeting or during our travel. If Mina is a traitor, she would have informed them about our travel plans.'
'She would have told them the route, the timing, everything. Konoha could send someone to interfere. Or they could leak the information to Kumo so the Raikage's son comes for revenge. If this trip ends with not many incidents, then she might not be a traitor. And I would be able to remove one of my suspects. There are many elders already in the council. One less suspect would be a step in the right direction.'
Shota knew the council had thirteen elders plus the Kazekage, making fourteen in total. Elder Ebizō was the head of the council and one of the thirteen. There were also other important people who attended meetings and had voting rights, even if they were not elders. The head of the ninjutsu department, the leader of the puppeteer corps, and the jōnin commander all had influence.
No one spoke much during the journey. The group moved quickly through the desert. Shota used the silence to think about the traitor.
Another elder had caught his attention lately. He was his strongest suspect. Tōjūrō Eito. He was the head of the village finances and had become an elder only recently. Yet he was already gaining power and popularity fast. Shota remembered him from the Gaara Hiden story in his previous life.
'This guy was part of Gaara Hiden. I am glad I have read that. He was a traitor even then. Tōjūrō is highly ambitious, desiring to become the head of the Suna Council after Ebizō's eventual retirement. He openly undermined the Kazekage behind the scenes and instructed rebellion in secret in order to assure his continued need to Suna, to the point that he heavily desired for the Kazekage Clan to be cast out of Suna.'
Shota narrowed his eyes behind his mask.
'He was like Danzo to Suna in the future. His loyalty was only to his idea of Suna, not to the actual village or its leader. Who knows if he was doing it even before Gaara became Kazekage? He might be the traitor. Let's just hope that I find proof against him. If he is not the traitor, then I would have to look around so many other individuals and it might take a long time to find the real one.'
Shota then thought about Konoha. 'Minato has become the Hokage. The war is going to end soon. That means Naruto is going to be born soon. Do I warn him about the nine tails attack and Obito? The timeline would change by a lot, if I do so. Not that I have not changed it already. Suna and Kumo are now enemies and Suna was getting another tailed beast.'
Shota shook his head,'No, Nine tails attack lowered Konoha's power by a lot. Suna needs other villages to become weaker espressially Konoha. Minato might be a nice guy. Heck, he even left me alive. But I have no doubt that he would kill me if it benefits Konoha. Besides, if I prevent the nine tails attack somehow then I would change the timeline too much. What if Obito after failing the nine tails attack tries to do the same on Gaara who would be the one tailed jinchuriki? Suna can't handle such losses and I can't let that happen to my home.'
Shota sighed underneath his mask, 'I am sorry Minato. But I would not be able to repay you for sparing your life. I might try to repay it if I ever meet Naruto.'
Shota noticed that they had entered the Land of Earth.
Shota went on alert instantly.
'Let's hope that there are no troubles during our travel. And let's see how Iwa helps us get the Seven-Tails.'
---------Author Notes--------
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