Sold Out and Sunagakure Gossip

Sold Out and Sunagakure Gossip

A camel bared its teeth because of the sun. A person bared theirs because they were angry.

At this moment.

Inside a secret chamber on the top floor of the Kazekage Office Building.

A Sunagakure official slammed the table and rose to his feet, glaring angrily at the village elders around him before turning his gaze toward the Fourth Kazekage. Baring his teeth, he said,

"Kirigakure has no sincerity whatsoever when it comes to negotiations.

Damn it, so what if we fight on two fronts? Give This Old One 2,000 ninja, and I'll capture every water-spouting ninja in the Land of Water and cool the village down a little."

Rasa interlaced his fingers beneath his chin and poured cold water on the official's words.

"Excluding the ninja bedridden with injuries or removed from active duty, the village has only 1,721 combat-capable ninja remaining."

Bang! The official clenched his hand into a fist and pounded the table hard, saying furiously,

"Give me 500 men. I'll pass through Konoha and grab some of those water-spouting bastards from the Land of Water as bargaining chips."

Rasa glanced at him and did not dwell on the issue any further.

His gaze then swept across the other officials before finally settling on the two empty chairs beside him.

After he became Kazekage, the sister and brother, Chiyo and Ebizo, had relinquished their authority and retired behind the scenes.

"Rasa."

Another official turned to look at the Fourth Kazekage, his face thoughtful as he said,

"Kirigakure wants Pakura's life just by opening its mouth. That is impossible.

Don't imitate those fools in Konoha who cut off their own arms.

We can't do something that idiotic."

"Mm."

Rasa nodded.

At that moment, seeing that no one else was rising to speak, an official beside them lightly tapped the table with his fingers. With a pensive expression, he said,

"Because the daimyo has cut funding, Sunagakure's decline in the future is foreseeable.

As Kazekage, Rasa disregarded his status and used the Magnet Release ninjutsu he had learned to gather gold dust as village funds, temporarily easing the village's crisis.

He made his own son, Gaara, into Shukaku's vessel, striving to make the village more prosperous and its military strength greater.

These are all things he is doing now.

As for Pakura... I believe Rasa must have his reasons for doing this."

"That is not a reason to trade a comrade for peace.

Rasa, even taking ten thousand steps back, have you considered what happens if you hand Pakura over and Kirigakure immediately goes back on its word?"

These officials were practically exploding with rage.

This was supposed to be an ordinary meeting, yet as soon as it began, Rasa had dropped a bombshell.

He said Kirigakure had agreed to peace talks, but the condition was handing over Scorch Release Pakura.

They had assumed that Rasa, as Kazekage, would oppose it even more fiercely than they did. Yet judging by his demeanor, he seemed to have made up his mind long ago.

"Rasa, Konoha has the Will of Fire, and we in Sunagakure have the Will of Wind.

Trading a comrade for peace is no different from digging up the village's roots.

Unless This Old One has a stroke and ends up in the hospital today, don't even think about getting this proposal past me."

"That's right. If you want this proposal passed, then I'll have to be under a genjutsu today."

"If you want me to approve this proposal, it's simple. Knives will have to fall from the sky and put This Old One in the hospital."

"..."

Listening to the noisy arguments of the Sunagakure higher-ups, Rasa pulled out a sheet of paper from his pocket, slapped it onto the table, and said,

"Everyone in the village has value, and what Kirigakure offers is worth more than Pakura.

That is my reason."

???

The Sunagakure officials stared at Rasa with question marks all over their faces. One of them stood, walked to his side, picked up the paper, and carefully read it.

While the man was reading, a trace of fervor, apology, and paternal love flashed through Rasa's eyes as he continued,

"Right now, the village has only four high-end combatants: myself, Pakura, Ebizo, and Chiyo.

And with the two advisors, Ebizo and Chiyo, having retired, a huge gap has appeared in our already limited fighting strength.

The shortage of high-end combatants and the mediocre talent of the next generation are scars the village cannot erase.

But if the One-Tail can be controlled by a Jinchuriki... then the village will permanently gain another top-tier powerhouse. This is exceptionally important to Sunagakure as it is now."

As he spoke, Rasa slowly closed his eyes, his expression dimming.

Without his son's consent, he had sealed a tailed beast inside him.

But if Gaara could control the tailed beast, it would bring enormous benefits to both Gaara and the village.

Pakura, as one of the village's only two Kekkei Genkai ninja, was certainly important. But compared to a controllable tailed beast that could protect the village permanently... her importance had to be moved down the list.

"It has long been rumored throughout the ninja world that Fourth Mizukage Yagura Karatachi can perfectly control tailed beast power."

The official holding the paper found his fingers trembling. He swallowed with difficulty, feeling as if even his voice was about to stammer.

"If we trade Pakura for a method to control tailed beasts, what if Kirigakure goes back on its word afterward?"

"Whew!"

Seeing that they were beginning to relent, Rasa let out a deep breath and said coldly,

"I naturally have a way to guarantee that we obtain the full method for controlling tailed beasts.

And to demonstrate its sincerity, Kirigakure sent two Kekkei Genkai ninja some time ago with half the method for controlling tailed beasts.

The method has been verified. What it says is true.

The Fourth Mizukage's control over a tailed beast was not accidental. It can indeed be artificially influenced."

At that moment, an official interrupted him. He narrowed his eyes at Rasa and asked,

"What is their purpose in doing this? Is it only to take revenge on Pakura?"

"Konoha!!"

Oh~

The Sunagakure higher-ups all understood now.

Kirigakure probably wanted to use Pakura's death to suppress the Hawks in its village from continuing to launch wars, then peacefully resolve its conflict with Sunagakure.

As for giving Rasa the method to control tailed beasts, part of the reason was to make Sunagakure abandon Pakura. The other part was likely to join Sunagakure in attacking Konoha in the future.

As for Kirigakure taking Pakura and then pushing its luck by continuing to threaten Sunagakure... then they would all die together. After the paper had circulated once and returned to him, Rasa swept his gaze over everyone and said,

"Everyone, give me your opinions."

"Whew!"

One official took several kunai from his pocket and immediately flung them overhead, allowing them to fall freely.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! The official neither dodged nor blocked, letting the kunai pierce his body before directly collapsing unconscious onto the floor.

Rasa's cheek twitched as he turned his gaze toward the man beside him.

"Ugh—"

A bout of dry heaving sounded out. The official gripped his own throat with both hands, his eyes rolling upward before he collapsed onto the floor and began convulsing.

He looked as if he would die right there if he was not sent to the hospital immediately.

"Whew!"

Rasa took a deep breath and turned to the man on his left. Before he could say anything, the man began repeatedly chanting as if he had fallen under a genjutsu.

"Digging up the village's roots... Sunagakure's roots are exceptionally developed, losing one won't matter... digging up the village's roots... Sunagakure's roots are exceptionally developed, losing one won't matter..."

"Old fox!"

Cursing inwardly, Rasa looked at the last Sunagakure official and said quietly,

"Do you have nothing to say?"

"Ahem."

The official coughed lightly, his face calm.

"Kirigakure probably wouldn't mind helping me deal with Uchiha Asuka."

"And then?"

"I have recently developed a ninjutsu. Please appraise it."

As he spoke, the official formed hand seals, and Chakra instantly gathered in his throat.

Water Release: Water Prison Technique.

A pillar of water sprayed from his mouth and instantly formed a water prison on the ground.

After looking at the Kazekage, the official resolutely stepped into the water prison. Then, as if suffocating, he continuously blew bubbles from his mouth.

In less than a minute, the official had successfully drowned in the Water Release he cast himself.

Though the village's collective interests outweighed individual interests.

He would not take the blame for selling out a village hero.

ps: Sigh, honestly, I couldn't figure out why Sunagakure sold out Pakura either.

If the Sunagakure higher-ups and Pakura were at odds, they could have simply sent her to the battlefield and let her "accidentally" enter an enemy encirclement, taking a group of enemy ninja down with her before dying.

Sending her to die like this brought the least benefit.

I could only make something up.

Also, Pakura is the female lead. A living female lead.

The protagonist has a system. He doesn't need a sacrifice to awaken his eyes.

Speaking of sacrificing the female lead, in all these years, I've only seen it in that one Douluo novel.

Pakura, carrying out missions on the battlefield, and Asuka, working as an instructor in Sunagakure, knew nothing of the Sunagakure higher-ups' plans to sacrifice them both.

At this moment.

Asuka sat beneath the shade of a tree, explaining the great profession of Puppet Master to Kankuro.

"The Puppet Master profession has already been developed quite well by Sunagakure, but it is still not enough."

Kankuro bit into the chicken drumstick in his hand and stared at Asuka with innocent eyes, asking in confusion,

"Not enough?"

"Mm!" Asuka nodded. Looking at the crowds coming and going around them, he said solemnly,

"Whether it is Granny Chiyo's famous White Secret Technique: Puppet Show of Ten Masters, or Sasori's Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets, they only pursue the quantity of puppets, not their quality."

As he spoke, he cautiously glanced around the crowd. Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, Asuka took a Transformers model from his clothes, placed it before Kankuro, and said quietly,

"When it comes to puppetry, you have to choose the best materials. Never mind whether it can beat anyone after you throw it out—the crater it makes must be at least as big as your house.

They say a Puppet Master's creations contain their maker's soul.

But souls are ultimately intangible things. It would be better to house a person inside.

Then you sit inside the puppet, use one hand to control its direction and the other to control its weapons.

And install a loudspeaker in the puppet's mouth. Whenever you unleash a move, roar first to build momentum and intimidate the enemy.

That way, no matter whether you win or lose, the name Kankuro will spread throughout the ninja world. Your fame will rival Monzaemon, the founder of puppetry."

Kankuro imagined the scene Asuka described, and stars instantly appeared in his eyes.

Then he looked expectantly at the model in Asuka's hands and asked,

"Really?"

"Wait until you develop the ultimate puppet."

Asuka put away the Transformers he had made and said quietly,

"In your eyes, Puppet Master Chiyo will be nothing but dry bones in a grave. You will surpass her sooner or later.

Sasori of the Red Sand is all reputation and no substance. Before the ultimate puppet, he will not even last one exchange.

The rest of Sunagakure's Puppet Masters are all mediocrities. There is no need to take them seriously—"

Just as he was about to continue, Chiyo suddenly appeared in front of Kankuro. In an aged voice, she said,

"I have heard that Uchiha Fire Release is famous throughout the ninja world. This old dry bone wishes to seek your guidance."

Asuka picked his nose and looked at Chiyo blocking his path, shaking his head.

"Once Kankuro helps me make a super puppet, I'll have a Puppet Master duel with you."

"Heh~"

Chiyo kicked backward, sending Kankuro flying to one side. Narrowing her eyes at Asuka, she slowly said,

"You've been in Sunagakure for quite some time, haven't you?"

"More than two months."

Asuka could not help sighing. He had already eaten sand for more than two months. After another ten or so days of sand, he could return to Konoha.

During those two months, his Anbu Captain had even kept tabs on his every move in Sunagakure.

He had to report his itinerary every day. There was not even the slightest foundation of trust.

It was as though he would defect the moment he skipped a daily report.

"More than two months, yet you have earned so much money from Sunagakure. It truly makes one envious."

Hearing the sourness in Chiyo's voice, Asuka's mouth twitched. Counting on his fingers, he said,

"That's not how you calculate it.

How much food have I saved you over these two months?

How much money have you avoided wasting?"

"This old one merely recently heard something interesting and wanted to ask you about it."

"What?"

Asuka looked at Chiyo in confusion.

He could not figure out what medicine this old woman was selling in her gourd.

"Where did the ingredients for the food you make come from?"

Hearing that, Asuka rubbed his chin, looked Chiyo up and down, and then thought of the system's ability to create things out of thin air.

He did not even know how to explain where that stuff came from.

He could not exactly say the system conjured it up.

Whenever he gave these things to his clansmen, he only said he had bought the chickens and had someone else fry them.

Thinking of this, Asuka answered somewhat dismissively.

"Trade secret. No comment."

"Is that so?"

Chiyo glanced at Asuka, then revealed the information she had learned through a certain channel.

"This old woman recently heard that more than ten thousand chickens have gone missing from the Land of Lightning."

Hearing that, Asuka shook his head and replied without a second thought.

"This has nothing to do with me.

Who would travel all the way to the Land of Lightning just to steal chickens?"

His chickens had been provided by the system.

Something as miraculous as the system could not possibly steal someone else's chickens.

It had to create them out of thin air through some unknown power.

Chiyo nodded noncommittally.

When she had suddenly learned today that more than ten thousand chickens had gone missing from the Land of Lightning, her first thought had been to connect it to the Uchiha Family Bucket.

After all, the chicken drumsticks in that Family Bucket tasted quite similar to those from the Land of Lightning.

They were both so springy.

After night fell.

Asuka returned to his residence and saw his Ninja Cat energetically gnawing on Pakura's sofa.

"Fei Fei, how many times have I told you not to chew on other people's things?"

"I'm teething!"

As it spoke, the Ninja Cat released its bite, trotted over, and leaped into Asuka's arms. In a soft voice, it said,

"Something may have happened at your captain's house—the one with the enormous figure."

"What happened?"

"Someone in her family may have died."

"???"

Seeing Asuka look at it in confusion, the fat Orange Cat stretched out both paws and gestured as it explained,

"When I returned to Konoha today, I saw that she was absentminded, constantly muttering that Shinnosuke had to be safe.

Now, I have reason to suspect that your Third Hokage's son may have run into trouble while on a mission."

"That can't be, can it?"

Asuka turned to look toward Konoha, a contemplative expression appearing on his face.

If he remembered correctly, Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed to have a grandson.

Wasn't that guy named Konohamaru Sarutobi Shinnosuke's son? Yet now, it was said that neither his captain nor Sarutobi Shinnosuke had any intention of having children.

Konohamaru would probably not be born for several more years. If his father died, where would he come from?

Seeing that Asuka was ignoring it, the Orange Cat poked him in the chest with a paw and said with a gossiping expression,

"Oh, right. I've got some gossip about Sunagakure too. I heard it a while back."

"..."

After shaking the matter of Sarutobi Hiruzen's son out of his mind, Asuka grabbed the Orange Cat by the scruff with one hand and said sternly,

"Fei Fei, how many times have I told you? Don't rely on your agility and inconspicuousness to eavesdrop everywhere at night.

If you walk by the river often enough, sooner or later you'll fall in.

If you get caught, how am I, an open spy, supposed to get you out?"

"I won't get caught."

The Orange Cat stretched lazily in midair and said casually,

"So, do you want to hear it or not?

It involves that old woman Chiyo too."

Asuka set the Orange Cat on the table, casually picked up a can, and said somewhat indistinctly,

"Tell me~ Tell me~"

"Tch!"

Seeing the undisguised curiosity in Asuka's eyes, the Orange Cat curled its lips, then said mysteriously,

"Do you know what Rasa has been doing lately?"

"What?"

"He's been keeping two women with Kekkei Genkai outside behind his wife's back."

"???"

PS: Today's update was late. Sigh, I've been a bit busy. Two chapters combined into one.