Ebizō spoke to Bunpuku in such a seemingly weak tone for the first time. Bunpuku was surprised, but also deeply understood that Sunagakure was in a very dangerous situation. He didn't act arrogant or overbearing, but calmly looked at Ebizō and said, "Please tell me the details."
Ebizō then told Bunpuku about the current war situation, Sunagakure's current strength, and Konohagakure's demands. He said with great pain, "I know that even if you go, you won't be able to turn the tide, after all, the two jinchūriki of Kirigakure together couldn't defeat Konohagakure's western forces—but I at least hope you can help us get a better truce treaty for Sunagakure, so that we still have a chance to rise again in the future."
Bunpuku heard this and couldn't help but show a thoughtful expression. Seeing this, Ebizō quickly said to persuade him, "I know that we have treated you very badly all these years, but I promise that after this truce agreement ends, your treatment will improve. You can become a high-ranking official in the village, and it's even fine if you want to run for Kazekage!"
Ebizō secretly didn't want Bunpuku to become Kazekage, but to persuade him, he first wrote a blank check. Anyway, once the truce treaty was concluded, he could secretly manipulate the internal situation.
"I have no interest in the position of Kazekage," Bunpuku said calmly, "I'm just wondering what the Kazekage-sama meant by 'rising again'?
"What?" Ebizō looked at Bunpuku with some surprise.
"I imagine, Kazekage-sama, you're not thinking that after the Land of Wind recovers, the future Kazekage will once again challenge the Land of Fire for their own benefit, are you?" Bunpuku stared into Ebizō's eyes and said.
"This..." Ebizō didn't know what to say for a moment. Just as he had thought before, if he said he didn't have such an idea, it couldn't be guaranteed.
Seeing this, Bunpuku simply uttered a Buddhist chant and said, "Kazekage-sama, I will strive to obtain a respectable agreement for Sunagakure and the Land of Wind, but I still adhere to my past stance. I hope Kazekage-sama understands."
Ebizō breathed a slight sigh of relief. Although Bunpuku expressed his adherence to his past peaceful stance, in this situation where they could only rely on him, Ebizō couldn't say anything. Should he replace him just because of this? Who else could they find to negotiate with Konohagakure? Since Konohagakure said that Bunpuku's presence could lead to more lenient conditions, he would first see what the outcome would be.
After this meeting, Bunpuku was arranged to stay in a room, awaiting his departure to the Konoha camp to discuss the truce agreement.
However, Ebizō and the others did not entrust all the responsibility to Bunpuku. Bunpuku had lived in the high tower for many years, with little contact with people, and knew almost nothing about such matters. He was only nominally the chief envoy, while the previous person in charge became his deputy but was actually responsible for the main negotiations.
Of course, as the chief envoy, Bunpuku naturally had a certain degree of decision-making power, but whether to truly accept the agreement still had to be decided after returning and discussing with the high-ranking officials.
Soon, the Sand Hidden envoys would once again head to the Leaf Village camp. The Sand Hidden ninjas had long been curious about Bunpuku. On the day of their departure, everyone saw this legendary jinchūriki for the first time, but he was a kind-looking, thin old man, seemingly around the same age as Ebizō and the others. His eyes, however, had a clear light that brought inner peace and made people feel good about him.
"Is this the legendary Bunpuku? I've never seen him in the village before!"
"He looks very kind, much better than the Kazekage and Chiyo."
"I wonder what his strength is like?"
"Isn't he rumored to be very powerful? The Kazekage and the others also called him out, so his strength must be very great."
"I hope he can make Konohagakure cease fire."
Everyone was discussing, saying all sorts of things. Some only discussed Bunpuku personally, some compared Bunpuku with the Kazekage and others, or cared about the war situation. At this moment, a female Sand ninja suddenly shouted loudly at Bunpuku, "Mr. Bunpuku, you can win peace for us, right?"
The female ninja's shout caused a slight stir among the surrounding people. Immediately, many eyes turned to Bunpuku, awaiting his answer. This temporary halt to the envoy's departure did not provoke any obstruction from others, including all the departing envoys.
Bunpuku turned around and looked at the female Sand ninja. She was very young, appearing to be around fourteen years old, with an expression of anticipation and nervousness. Seeing her expression, Bunpuku could imagine how much she hoped for a truce. This war had brought too much suffering to the Sand ninjas; it was time for it to end.
"I will definitely bring peace to Sunagakure and the Land of Wind," Bunpuku solemnly told everyone.
Bunpuku's voice gave people a very reassuring feeling. The calmness of his words had a power that made people believe him. This thin old man actually gave people a very tall feeling, and the Sand ninjas who came out to watch couldn't help but look at Bunpuku with a hint of approval.
Not far away, Chiyo, who had only come out to observe the situation, felt a slight pang in her heart when she saw this scene. She hadn't expected that Bunpuku, who had been isolated from the world, would gain such popularity as soon as he appeared. It seemed that most people had placed their hopes in him, losing all confidence in their high-ranking officials.
After returning, Chiyo spoke to Ebizō about this matter. Ebizō shook his head and said, "There's nothing we can do, sister. We are the ones who brought Sunagakure to its current state. It's perfectly normal for many people to dislike us. The people below are all longing for peace, and since Bunpuku is determined to promote peace, he will naturally gain everyone's support."
"But this is a conspiracy, isn't it? Originally, only a few of us knew about Bunpuku, but recently there have been rumors about him in the camp. It clearly looks like the people from Konohagakure are deliberately spreading them!" Chiyo said indignantly. She could also imagine who revealed this to Konohagakure, because Bunpuku had a student who participated in the war and later died. However, since Konohagakure secretly protected prisoners, it was highly likely that Bunpuku's student was still alive, and it could only be that person who revealed it.
"This isn't a conspiracy, it's an open plot," Ebizō said quietly, "Currently, the village is eager for peace, and we find it difficult to accept Konohagakure's truce agreement. They are letting someone who can be supported come forward. As long as one person can be revealed, the people below will pressure us to find him, so I had no choice but to let Bunpuku come forward—alas, if it weren't for Bunpuku's stance, I would only want him to exert some power to make Konohagakure wary."
As a strategist skilled in tactics, Ebizō understood a crucial principle: open plots are always more powerful than conspiracies. Open plots represent the general trend, while conspiracies are merely minor tricks. An open plot is laid out openly, making it difficult to find a way to break it, whereas a conspiracy, once exposed, becomes relatively easier to resolve.
In the current situation, do the higher-ups of Sunagakure not know that Konohagakure deliberately brought Bunpuku out? They know, but what can they do? Because now, seeking peace is the will of the people. Anyone who upholds this stance will gain the support of the Sand ninjas. If they didn't know about Bunpuku's existence, it would be one thing, but once they do, it will be like before, where the Sand ninjas will demand that the higher-ups invite Bunpuku out, otherwise, they will not give up.
No matter how much the Sunagakure high-ranking officials delayed, they would eventually have to invite Bunpuku out, because only with Bunpuku's presence could they possibly win a more lenient treaty. Even knowing Konohagakure's intentions, they still had to invite him. This is the terrifying aspect of an open plot, because it is open and aboveboard, making it difficult to break.
"If Bunpuku really wins a more lenient treaty..." Chiyo hesitated.
"If we, the high-ranking officials, truly have to step down, and Konohagakure insists on supporting Bunpuku, I can also accept it, but at least some people must be protected, even if I bear all the responsibility," Ebizō said, "Anyway, I'm half-crippled now, so I don't care what the outcome is."
"Ebizō, you..." Chiyo stopped there. She also understood her younger brother's resolve and couldn't bring herself to stop him.
"In short, let's just wait patiently, sister, and see what kind of final terms Konohagakure will give us," Ebizō said quietly.