"That man is… Hongshan Lie?"
"Why is he here?"
"Wasn't Hongshan Lie not with the others from last night?"
As they looked at Lie, everyone showed visible surprise.
Rasa offered no explanation. Lie said nothing either.
Only after they entered the meeting room did things settle.
Rasa sat first.
"Take your seats."
Only then did the others sit down one after another.
After a full night to think, Sunagakure's upper echelon and the heads of the major clans had more or less sorted out the full chain of events from the previous night.
They felt far more at ease now—especially the ninja clans.
Because they had all come to the same conclusion: the Hongshan Clan had indeed been the problem. That was why things had escalated the way they had.
Rasa had simply acted in self-defense.
The only thing that had truly caught everyone off guard was Rasa's strength.
It was nothing like what they had known before.
He was far stronger.
But for Sunagakure, that was a good thing.
Rasa swept his gaze around the room.
"I won't explain yesterday's matter any further. As for right and wrong, I trust each of you already has your own judgment."
A middle-aged man spoke first.
"Kazekage-sama, the Hongshan Clan sold out the village. They deserved their fate."
Another immediately agreed.
"That's right. Gathering clan shinobi to assassinate the Kazekage—people like that could die a hundred times and still not repay their crime."
"The Hongshan Clan brought this upon themselves."
"Exactly."
…
Rasa nodded.
"To betray the village and rise against one's superior is an unforgivable crime. That is true in any ninja village. I hope all of you take it as a warning."
"We are all members of Sunagakure. In all matters, the village must come first."
"Those who betray the village will never meet a good end."
"The Hongshan Clan is the example."
He paused for a moment.
"I called this meeting today mainly to address three matters."
"First: the investigation into the Hongshan Clan has been handed over in full to Ebizo. Ebizo is a veteran of the village—capable, highly respected, and beyond question. He will handle it properly."
"I will not wrong the innocent."
"But neither will I spare the guilty."
No one had any objection to that.
Ebizo's seniority, ability, and merit were plain for all to see.
In today's Sunagakure, if Rasa was unquestionably the one at the top, then Ebizo was the second only to him.
More importantly, there was no rift between them.
Unlike Konoha.
"Second." Rasa turned slightly. "As for the rebellion of the Hongshan Clan—Hongshan Lie… no. To be precise, Lie—has rendered tremendous service."
"Between clan and village, Lie chose justice."
"He did not join his blood relatives in their crimes."
"He held fast to the justice in his heart."
"Lie's character is worthy of admiration."
"Lie's choice is worthy of reward."
"Lie is worthy of trust."
"Therefore, I have decided to promote Lie by exception. He will be listed among the village's hero shinobi, given treatment equivalent to an elite jonin, and bestowed the heroic title—Loyal Soul of the Village."
Lie's eyes lit up at once.
His reasons for betraying the Hongshan Clan had actually been very simple.
First, he truly could not stand what they had done. Selling out the village for private gain had cost the lives of countless comrades.
That was intolerable.
Second, Lie had never been valued within the Hongshan Clan.
He had offended people. He had been marginalized. He had never once received fair treatment there.
So his attachment to the clan had long since grown faint.
Lie had never expected any great reward.
In his eyes, all he had done was provide information.
Ebizo had driven the plan forward.
Rasa had personally crushed the Hongshan Clan.
Lie had never thought his own contribution amounted to much.
And before this, Rasa had made him no promises at all.
Yet now, hearing Rasa publicly announce such a reward—such a heavy reward—Lie could no longer contain himself. His breathing quickened. His emotions surged.
Hero shinobi.
Treatment equivalent to an elite jonin.
A title.
Loyal Soul of the Village.
Status. Reputation. Benefits. He had gained everything.
For someone like him, a fringe figure within the Hongshan Clan, it was nothing less than reaching the heavens in a single step.
"Thank you, Kazekage-sama!"
The others also felt that the reward was somewhat excessive.
But after thinking over what Lie had done, they found it difficult to say it was undeserved.
On one side was his clan. On the other, the village.
To resolutely abandon the clan, choose the village, stand with the village, and even turn against his own blood relatives—
That was not something an ordinary person could do.
Lie looked at Rasa, his eyes filled with gratitude and reverence.
If before, Lie's loyalty to Rasa had been seventy percent simply because Rasa was the Kazekage—
Then now, that loyalty had risen to ninety.
"Rise," Rasa said. "What you did was worth it."
"I said before that I will not spare a single criminal."
"But by the same token, I will not fail any person who has rendered merit."
The reason Rasa had given such a reward was simple.
On the one hand, Lie truly deserved it.
On the other, Rasa wanted to show the entire village that loyalty to Sunagakure would be rewarded.
That way, the loyalty of the village itself could be strengthened.
"Third."
Rasa paused slightly.
"Since the disappearance of the Third Kazekage, Iwagakure has invaded us repeatedly. Konoha has plundered from us repeatedly. And Kirigakure has gone even further—they seek to completely break Sunagakure."
"That has made me understand one thing very deeply."
"If you fall behind, you will be beaten."
"Sunagakure is weak. That is why we have suffered attacks from other ninja villages."
"I am unwilling to accept that. I believe all of you feel the same."
"There has not been a single moment when I have not thought of this—if one day Sunagakure is no longer so weak, and the other villages are no longer so strong…"
"Then we must rise and strike back."
"Those who humiliated us—we will humiliate in return."
"Those who robbed us—we will take back what is ours."
"A debt of hatred must be repaid with hatred."
"A blood debt must be repaid in blood."
As Rasa's words fell one after another, the emotions in the room were stirred completely.
Because what he said was true.
Everything Sunagakure had suffered in recent years had been borne by everyone together.
Casualties.
Bleeding.
Loss of dignity.
Some people's eyes reddened.
Some clenched their fists.
"And now," Rasa said, "I believe the time has come."
"It is time to strike back at Kirigakure."
"Two thousand shinobi will remain in the village to garrison it."
"All the rest will head for the front."
"Starting today, we reverse Sunagakure's situation."
"We begin by driving the Kirigakure army out of the Land of Wind."
An old man hesitated before speaking.
"Kazekage-sama… isn't this a bit too rushed?"
"Kirigakure did not suffer any real weakening just because Fuguki Suikazan defected."
"And what happened with the Hongshan Clan has also affected our village quite a bit."
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