The next day.
The atmosphere inside the Kazekage's office was so tense it felt as though water could be wrung from the air.
Sunagakure's entire senior leadership had assembled.
Chiyo and Ebizō sat on a sofa to one side. Their aged faces revealed no emotion, but something was clearly churning within their clouded eyes.
Gaara stood by the window with his arms crossed, gazing out at the sunlit village. No one knew what he was thinking.
Temari sat beside him with a document in her hands, but she was not reading it. Her gaze drifted toward the man in the central seat from time to time.
Kankurō stood in the middle of the office. He had only recently returned from Amegakure, and fatigue still lingered on his face, but he was in relatively good spirits.
The other senior officials and elite jōnin sat on either side of the room. Some frowned, some were lost in thought, and others remained expressionless.
Teizawa sat in the Kazekage's seat, his dark-gold robes gleaming faintly in the morning light.
His gaze swept across everyone present, carrying a natural authority that demanded obedience without any display of anger.
"Everyone's here."
Teizawa's voice was not loud, but it reached every person in the room with perfect clarity.
He glanced at Kankurō.
"Begin."
Kankurō nodded, removed a scroll from inside his clothes, and unfurled it.
He cleared his throat.
"This is the general situation in Amegakure. The Six Paths of Pain were defeated. Nagato, the leader of the Akatsuki, was gravely wounded and rescued by his comrades. Amegakure was completely obliterated in the explosion, wiped from the map without even its foundations remaining."
"Observers from every village are already in position. They can send back information at any time."
The office fell silent for a moment.
Then the room erupted.
Some people inhaled sharply. Others cried out under their breath or whispered among themselves.
A few stared intently at Teizawa, as though trying to find an explanation on his face.
An entire shinobi village had simply vanished.
And it was not just any village. It was Amegakure, the village that had once been ruled by Hanzo the Salamander, the legendary demigod.
Although it was nothing remarkable in the eyes of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, it had still ranked among the foremost powers of the smaller nations.
Yet such a village had disappeared from the map overnight.
Not even a trace remained.
And the man responsible for it all was sitting in front of them, calmly drinking tea as though nothing had happened.
Teizawa set down his cup. Seeing the colorful expressions on everyone's faces, the corner of his mouth twitched.
"Hey, what's with those looks? Do you really have to stare at me like that?"
Chiyo coughed twice and leaned on her cane.
Her aged voice carried a hint of helplessness.
"Can't you settle down for once? The last time you went to Konoha, you turned the entire village upside down and nearly started a war between Iwagakure and Kumogakure."
"This time, you went out and beat three countries into submission."
She paused.
"Sunagakure is already doing well. Can't we simply concentrate on maintaining our stability and development?"
Everyone nodded in unison and looked at Teizawa with wholehearted agreement.
Teizawa rolled his eyes.
"Is that what all of you think?"
Kankurō, Temari, Gaara, and the other younger members remained silent.
They merely watched Teizawa, waiting for him to continue.
Many of the older shinobi, however, especially those who had endured Sunagakure's most difficult years, openly agreed with Chiyo.
They were exhausted.
They had begun fighting when they were young and spent their entire lives at war. Countless comrades had died, and unimaginable amounts of blood and sweat had been shed.
Now that peace and prosperity had finally arrived, they had no desire to plunge into turmoil again.
Teizawa sneered.
"You may be satisfied with Sunagakure as it is now, but I'm not."
"Sunagakure now has clean drinking water, broad roads, sturdy homes, and ample food."
"We earned all of this through our combined efforts. It didn't fall from the sky, and no one gave it to us out of charity. We won it with our own fists."
His voice rose several degrees.
"But do you honestly believe Sunagakure will continue developing peacefully forever just because of that? How naive."
"Amegakure is gone. There's no need to dwell on why, but once the news spreads, do you think that old bastard Orochimaru will sit still? What about Konoha? Do you think those muscleheads in Kumogakure and Iwagakure will do nothing?"
He rose from his seat and planted both hands on the desk.
Leaning forward, he swept a knife-sharp gaze across the room.
"I guarantee Iwagakure's shinobi forces have already begun gathering along the border of the Land of Rain."
"You understand Amegakure's geographical importance better than I do. The Land of Rain lies between the Lands of Fire, Wind, and Earth. Whoever controls it gains a stranglehold over the routes leading into the other countries."
"If the Land of Rain falls under Iwagakure or Konoha's control, how long do you think Sunagakure's current peace and stability will last?"
The more he spoke, the angrier Teizawa became.
He straightened and pointed at the middle-aged shinobi in the room.
"Chiyo is getting on in years, so I can understand her becoming overly cautious. But the rest of you have actually started thinking the same way?"
"What happened? Are you afraid of dying now? Where did all that passion go when you followed me in launching the coup?"
"I'll make this clear right now. I, Teizawa, will remain a hawk for the rest of my life. If you want to stand beside me, abandon your fantasies about 'peace and stability.'"
"Sunagakure's war machine will continue advancing. It will never stop."
"If you can't adapt, step aside and let someone more capable take your place. Go back and manage logistics. Seawater desalination, afforestation, road construction, bridge building... All of those projects still need you to put your remaining experience to use."
"But whenever we deal with outside powers, get that worthless obsession with peace out of your heads."
The office fell deathly silent.
The younger shinobi were fired up, their eyes shining with excitement.
They looked ready to follow Teizawa outside and slaughter enemies in every direction that very instant.
Young soldiers always yearned for military glory.
That was no empty saying.
As for the middle-aged shinobi who had been berated, their faces turned red with shame. They lowered their heads, not daring to argue.
They wanted to say something.
Their mouths opened, only to close again.
Every word Teizawa had said was true.
They had no way to refute him.
Chiyo remained seated on the sofa.
Her aged hands tightened around her cane until her knuckles turned white.
Her expression was sour, but she said nothing.
That brat Teizawa truly showed his seniors no consideration.
He had shot down everything she said in front of so many people without leaving her even the slightest dignity.
Yet she was not angry, merely contemplative.
This young man possessed far more courage and determination than she had imagined.
He also saw much farther ahead than she did.
Perhaps she truly had grown old.
Perhaps it was time for her to step aside.
After finishing his tirade, Teizawa released a long breath.
He returned to his chair, feeling somewhat emotional himself.
Sunagakure was becoming more prosperous with every passing day.
Hardly any blowing sand could be seen within the village anymore. Tall walls and rows of trees kept it outside.
Roads stretched in every direction, while pipelines carried a constant supply of fresh water inland from the coast.
Every household could now obtain clean drinking water simply by turning on a faucet.
The Daimyō's government had become little more than an empty shell, completely controlled by Sunagakure.
The Daimyō's seal might appear on official documents, but Sunagakure's civil servants were the ones who actually signed them.
Sunagakure was growing stronger and more prosperous.
As a result, some people had begun to feel satisfied. They had started enjoying their new lives and fearing the loss of everything they now possessed.
That reaction was only human, but Teizawa could not allow it.
He understood the future course of events far too well.
Before long, the shinobi world would descend into even greater chaos.
The Akatsuki, Obito, Nagato, Madara, Kaguya...
All manner of monsters would soon emerge from the shadows.
Perhaps keeping their heads down would allow them to survive.
After all, Naruto, the protagonist, would eventually save the world.
But that was never what Teizawa wanted.
He had never intended to merely cling to life.
(End of Chapter)
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