Under those circumstances—
both the Fourth Raikage, A, of Kumogakure and the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, of Iwagakure felt their hearts sink even as shock spread across their faces.
What else was there to say?
They had already secretly submitted to Uchiha Madara.
But now—
one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, Kirigakure, had also submitted to Konoha's Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Ren.
And if Sunagakure submitted to Konoha as well—
then the balance of the shinobi world would once again fall into an invisible deadlock.
The more they thought about it, the worse it felt.
For a moment, both A and Ōnoki were seized by a vague but very bad premonition.
However—
at such a critical moment, the masked Uchiha Obito secretly paid another visit to both Kumogakure and Iwagakure.
No one knew what he said to the Fourth Raikage or the Third Tsuchikage.
But after Obito left—
both A and Ōnoki's moods improved dramatically, as though Madara had made them some kind of promise.
At the same time, later that same afternoon—
under absolute secrecy—
Iwagakure and Kumogakure each sent people to dig up the graves of the First Tsuchikage, the Second Tsuchikage, the First Raikage, the Second Raikage, and the Third Raikage, then transported their preserved corpses to a hidden location.
—
Sunagakure.
After hearing that Kirigakure had submitted to Konoha, Granny Chiyo—who had only just managed to bring Sunagakure back onto stable footing—was left utterly speechless.
What the hell was this?
She had originally thought the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Ren, would at least restrain his ambition a little.
But reality had slapped her hard across the face.
After the Rain Village, the Moon, and Takigakure—
now even Kirigakure, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, had fallen under Konoha's hand.
That could only mean one thing:
Konoha had officially begun moving against the Five Great Ninja Villages.
And among those villages, aside from Kirigakure, Sunagakure was the weakest.
So naturally—
the entire village was already starting to shake in fear.
"Sigh…"
Inside an office in Sunagakure's central district, Granny Chiyo's aged face was filled with exhaustion.
Her tightly clenched fists slowly loosened, and at last she let out a heavy sigh.
As if drained by helplessness, she even threw the intelligence scroll in her hand onto the floor.
Weakness was the original sin.
The shinobi world had always followed the law of the strong devouring the weak.
Sunagakure was too weak now.
Konoha was too strong.
And the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Ren, was terrifying beyond measure.
Under those conditions, no matter how much intelligence they gathered, it was all meaningless.
"What are we supposed to do now?"
After a long moment, Chiyo drew a deep breath, her face grim.
"Kirigakure has already submitted. Konoha may turn its attention to us next."
"I don't know."
Hearing that, Ebizō—who had remained silent until now—gave a bitter smile and said in a weary voice,
"Uchiha Ren is simply too strong. His power alone has made the entire shinobi world tremble."
After saying that, Ebizō lifted his teacup and took a sip.
The tea tasted bitter.
And so did his heart.
To be honest—
Sunagakure was no more than a fish lying on the chopping board.
Faced with a Konoha at the height of its power, wild and unstoppable, they had no choice but to endure being cut down.
As for fighting Konoha to the death?
As for facing Uchiha Ren head-on?
Forget it.
Sunagakure truly did not qualify.
"No. We can't give up."
Suddenly, a sharp light flashed in Chiyo's eyes.
A firm expression appeared on her aged face as she said,
"We have to think of a way out. I refuse to let Sunagakure suffer another meaningless disaster. I refuse to let war devour it again."
"Exactly…"
Ebizō's expression shifted slightly, and he nodded without hesitation.
"Sunagakure can't withstand another storm. We need a solution."
"How about this—Sunagakure should submit to Konoha too."
The next moment, as if struck by a thought, Ebizō blurted it out.
"Konoha is incredibly strong, and the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Ren, has already surpassed the legendary Hashirama Senju."
"If we submit willingly, that may not be a bad choice."
"This…"
Hearing that, Chiyo hesitated immediately.
She opened her mouth as though she wanted to refute him, but no words came out.
The truth was—
Ebizō's words were too reasonable.
Facing the current Konoha, Sunagakure really did not seem to have any other option.
In other words—
other than submission, there was no path left.
"I'm only doing this for Sunagakure's sake."
At that moment, Ebizō continued without hesitation.
"Kirigakure has already submitted to Konoha. If Sunagakure does the same, it won't be anything shameful."
"Besides, showing submission to the strong is nothing unusual."
Silence.
The office fell completely quiet.
Chiyo said nothing.
She showed no expression either.
She simply sat there, expressionless, making it obvious that she was struggling inwardly.
"Sigh…"
After an unknown length of time, Chiyo's expression changed several times in rapid succession.
Then she let out another heavy sigh.
"Fine. Then that's the decision."
Those who understood the times were truly wise.
Chiyo was not some stubborn fool who refused to recognize reality.
Konoha and Uchiha Ren were clearly aiming to unify the entire shinobi world.
Sunagakure had to make its choice in advance.
Otherwise—
sooner or later, it would follow in Akatsuki's footsteps and be crushed outright by Uchiha Ren.
"Haa…"
Hearing that, Ebizō finally let out a long breath from deep inside.
At last, he had managed to persuade Chiyo.
Now the trembling Sunagakure could at least hope that its safety would be preserved.
[Note: all the chapters in P@treon will be updated shortly]
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