At the place where desert met rocky wasteland, a fat figure stood with one foot planted atop a stone.
Orange-red hair.
A massive blade wrapped in bandages slung across his back.
One of Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen—Fuguki Suikazan.
Fuguki cast an indifferent look toward the battlefield.
"Sunagakure truly made an unwise choice this time."
"If they had just agreed to those few conditions, Kirigakure would have withdrawn. Some resources and one Pakura—compared to a ceasefire, that's nothing."
"Instead, they've forced themselves into a dead end."
"Sunagakure is no match for Kirigakure."
"And that's not even counting the Konoha shinobi watching greedily from the borders of the Land of Wind."
"It won't be long before Sunagakure is carved up completely."
"For the sake of pride, they provoked Kirigakure and are willing to bury their entire village with it?"
"As Kazekage, Rasa is unqualified."
In the eyes of nearly every Kirigakure shinobi, Sunagakure had chosen the worst possible path.
As far as they were concerned, Sunagakure had already been sentenced to death.
The only question left was when.
Some Kirigakure ninja were already imagining the aftermath of carving the village apart.
"Bring Rasa back alive and make him refine gold every day."
"Sunagakure's puppet techniques still have some value. We have to seize those."
"Their kunoichi have their own appeal too."
"Pakura and Rasa must die!"
…
Fuguki then turned to look in another direction—
Toward where Konoha's forces were stationed.
"By now, those Konoha ninja should be moving, shouldn't they?"
"Kirigakure has already made its decision. Konoha only needs to provide support from the side, and it can share in the spoils of dividing Sunagakure."
"A good opportunity like that? With Konoha's nature, there's no way they'd pass it up."
And the truth was just as Fuguki had predicted.
Once Kirigakure's army launched another fierce assault on Sunagakure, Konoha understood that negotiations between the two villages had collapsed completely. Kirigakure would inevitably attack with full force.
Given Sunagakure's current condition, it would be very difficult for them to hold out.
Sunagakure was simply too weak.
A middle-aged man stood up.
A sword strapped to his back, standard Konoha combat gear on his body, his expression stern and resolute.
Yūhi Shinku looked around at everyone present.
"Everyone. Kirigakure's army has already moved. Sunagakure's collapse is close at hand. An opportunity like this must not be wasted. This is exactly why Hokage-sama and Danzo-sama stationed us here."
"Hear my orders."
"First unit—advance to the main battlefield and coordinate with Kirigakure's forces in attacking Sunagakure."
"Second unit—move in near Sunagakure. The moment the village collapses, our Konoha shinobi must enter before Kirigakure's do."
"Puppet techniques, ninjutsu scrolls, gold…"
"We're taking all of it."
A glint of greed rose in many eyes.
No matter how weak Sunagakure had become, it was still one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
How much wealth would such a village contain?
Shinku continued,
"These years of war have cost Konoha dearly."
"But once we complete the division of Sunagakure and seize the largest share of its wealth, Konoha will be able to recover rapidly and become the number one shinobi village once more."
"The glory of Konoha will be restored—by us."
"Today."
The crowd's excitement surged. Their emotions had been completely stirred by Yūhi Shinku's words.
Attacking Sunagakure would not only be easy, but also highly rewarding.
And during the plundering, secretly taking a little for oneself would be perfectly natural.
One such operation might be enough to ensure comfort for the rest of one's life.
But at that moment—
Suddenly, a letter was delivered into Yūhi Shinku's hands.
He opened it, read it, and his face changed drastically at once.
"Shinku-senpai, what is it?"
Everyone noticed the shift in his expression, and the room instantly fell silent.
The atmosphere turned cold just as quickly.
Yūhi Shinku looked up at them, his eyes uncertain.
"Stand down."
Everyone froze.
"Stand down? Why?"
"Shinku-sama, weren't we going to attack Sunagakure and join Kirigakure in dividing it up?"
"Why stop now?"
Yūhi Shinku answered in a grave tone,
"This is a direct order from Hokage-sama. We are to remain on standby. Something may have happened in the village, and we may be required to return at any time to provide support."
"If we take part in the operation against Sunagakure, we won't be able to return in time."
Seeing that quite a few still looked tempted to attack Sunagakure anyway, his tone hardened sharply.
"Any who defy orders will be executed."
Dividing Sunagakure would indeed have been a fine thing.
But if Konoha itself fell into chaos, then no matter how many resources they took from Sunagakure, it would mean very little.
Without the village, where would the shinobi go?
Under Yūhi Shinku's iron stance, the others suppressed the greed in their hearts.
"Yes, Shinku-sama."
Not long after, a Kirigakure intelligence shinobi ran quickly toward Fuguki Suikazan.
"Fuguki-sama, the Konoha ninja still haven't moved."
Fuguki frowned deeply.
"What is Konoha doing?"
The meat was already at their lips.
Only the final bite remained.
Why would Konoha not move?
Because they suddenly felt dividing Sunagakure was immoral? Ridiculous.
What morality existed between shinobi villages?
There was only利益—interest.
And Konoha had hardly never done such things before.
Except perhaps in the First Hokage's era.
Or was Konoha trying to make Kirigakure suffer more losses first—
Choosing to keep watching, only to sweep in later and snatch the benefits?
What did they take Kirigakure for?
"Fuguki-sama, could it have something to do with that rumor?"
"What rumor?"
"The one that appeared recently regarding Konoha and the Uchiha. It says there was something hidden behind Uchiha Kagami's death—that he died because Senju Tobirama deliberately sold him out."
Fuguki frowned.
"Uchiha Kagami's death happened so long ago. Are you telling me that a rumor with no proof behind it could still make people believe it and cause trouble in Konoha? That's absurd."
The intelligence shinobi could not help saying,
"But… they're Uchiha."
Fuguki fell silent for a moment.
"…True enough. The Uchiha are all lunatics. Nothing that happens to them would surprise me."
The intelligence ninja asked,
"Then what should we do now, Fuguki-sama?"
A sharp light flickered in Fuguki's eyes.
"Whether Konoha really has run into trouble, or whether they're just trying to watch from the sidelines and profit off Kirigakure…"
"Our strategy against Sunagakure remains unchanged."
"You take a team and keep Konoha under surveillance. We cannot allow them any chance to take advantage of us or swoop in afterward."
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