Sunagakure's Internal Strife

The morning light had barely brightened, the smoke of battle had yet to disperse, and corpses carpeted the ground.

Crows cawed from the trees while vultures circled overhead, waiting for the Konoha Ninja below to finish clearing the field so they could feast.

This fertile grassland had been watered with blood. Next year's grass would grow even more lushly.

The war was over.

After the Konoha Ninja who still had strength left finished gathering all the spoils, Sakumo returned to Konoha with the crippled Shin'nosuke and his wife, along with Leopard.

Orochimaru had not suffered many injuries in his battle against Pakura and Rasa, but facing a Shukaku that fought without regard for its life, he had truly been injured badly.

If not for the Flying Thunder God and the Great Snake Substitute Technique, his injuries would only have been worse, and he would not have been able to handle the aftermath of this battle as he did now.

Regarding negotiations over Sunagakure's defeat, Hiruzen Sarutobi had sent specialists, but Orochimaru also had to sit at the negotiating table to serve as a deterrent.

More often than not, a single expression from him was worth several hours of work by the negotiators.

Sunagakure had assigned Ebizo, the old man responsible for the village's intelligence work.

Sunagakure feared that Chiyo would lose her mind if Hatake Sakumo appeared at the negotiating table, so Chiyo did not attend.

But now, the internal conflicts Sunagakure had accumulated over the years erupted all at once.

There had been many reasons why Sunagakure's upper ranks had unanimously agreed to wage war against Konoha.

Rasa had only recently taken office. He had not yet firmly settled into the Kazekage's seat, and much of the power was still controlled by the older generation of high-ranking officials.

He needed a victory to establish his prestige.

That way, not only could he use the prestige of defeating Konoha to secure his position as Kazekage, he could also take back the authority that rightfully belonged to the Kazekage.

But Sunagakure had lost. Orochimaru, along with Yellow Flash and Purple Lightning, had given them a thorough beating, and their Tailed Beast was dead as well.

Now Rasa's position was even less secure. A major upheaval could break out within Sunagakure at any moment.

It was like a powder keg stuffed with explosives. Once the fuse was lit, it would explode immediately.

Many people did not support Rasa, believing that he bore great responsibility for this defeat and should step down for someone more capable.

Pakura, for instance, was perfectly suited.

She was so beautiful and approachable. She would surely be able to soothe the people.

Those saying such things were mostly senior officials whose interests and power clashed with Rasa's.

They did not want a capable person sitting in the Kazekage's seat, especially one who would compete with them for power.

Through public opinion, they had pushed Pakura, the person posing the greatest threat to Rasa's position as Kazekage, into the ring against him.

Orochimaru saw it clearly. If Rasa managed to remain Kazekage, Pakura would certainly not survive.

This was good news for Orochimaru. With Sunagakure successively losing two powerful forces, the One-Tail and Pakura, its remaining strength had also been severely depleted. Sunagakure likely would not recover for more than a decade.

Only after the next generation of talent had been cultivated would Sunagakure regain the ability to wage war abroad.

In other words, Sunagakure's war potential had currently been completely crushed.

Sunagakure, Kazekage Building.

"Rasa, what did you call me here for?"

Pakura looked at Rasa, who wore the Kazekage's hat, and asked.

Having recently been focused on training her students, she had not noticed the rumors spreading outside.

Rasa looked at the seductive beauty before him, unsure whether his decision was right or wrong.

But his resolve quickly hardened. Once he lost his position as Kazekage, those old parasites would never let him go.

What would he do then?

Defect from the village?

What a joke. A former Kazekage defecting from the village would be an enormous disgrace. Once he defected, Sunagakure would spare no cost to kill him, even if countless people had to die.

Besides, his wife Karura was already pregnant.

He could not abandon his wife and child and simply leave.

Sorry, Pakura. For my position as Kazekage, for my family, I can only ask you to go...

"I want to ask you to make a trip to Kirigakure."

There was not the slightest trace of abnormality on Rasa's face.

"Kirigakure? What are we going there for? Weren't we enemies in the last Ninja Wars?"

Pakura was somewhat puzzled, but she did not think too much of it.

"Because of the village's defeat, our negotiations with Konoha are currently at a disadvantage. If another force intervenes and acts as a deterrent against Konoha, it will help reduce our losses in the negotiations."

Rasa analyzed solemnly, "Kumogakure has already deployed troops, and Konoha is fighting them in the Land of Hot Water. Iwagakure is also about to send forces. If we can persuade Kirigakure to step in now, Konoha will have to face four great nations at once."

"I understand. You want to use Kirigakure's influence to restrain Konoha."

Pakura said as she brushed the hair from her forehead.

"That's right. Elder Chiyo no longer involves herself in worldly affairs, Elder Ebizo has to oversee the negotiations, and I need to remain in the village. Among the higher-ups, the only one free, influential enough, and capable of drawing Kirigakure's attention is you."

"For the sake of the village, it is naturally my duty!"

Pakura replied with a solemn expression.

"Remember, this is a confidential mission. Do not reveal it to anyone. The village's reputation has already fallen to rock bottom. If people learn that we need the help of another great nation, I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to attract missions in the future."

"I understand. If there's nothing else to tell me, then I'll go prepare to depart."

What Rasa said did make sense. If it was true, it would not be without benefits for Sunagakure.

Therefore, Pakura took this mission very seriously. After bidding farewell to her disciples, she set off without delay.

Land of Water.

Pakura walked through a gorge shrouded in thick mist, cold and damp.

"Lady Pakura of Scorch Release, please wait!"

"Hm?" Pakura turned her head toward the mist.

"I have come to receive you."

A smiling Kirigakure Jōnin approached her and bowed.

"The fog here is too thick, so you need someone to guide you."

As he spoke, the Kirigakure Jōnin moved very close to Pakura.

"Thank you for your trouble, but it's only a valley. I shouldn't get lost, should I?"

Pakura did not think much of it. Wherever she went, her youth and beauty always attracted men who wanted to get close to her.

"Ahahaha, that's true."

The Kirigakure shinobi laughed, rubbing his forehead. Then he turned around, bent slightly at the waist, and extended his right hand toward the path ahead.

"Then, this way, please!"

A faintly cruel smile curled at the corner of his lips, but Pakura did not notice.

Even at war, envoys were not to be killed, much less now that the war between Sunagakure and Kirigakure had long since ended and the two sides were not currently enemies.

Without suspicion, Pakura walked forward.

"Urgh..."

Pakura's body stiffened. A Kunai wielded by the Kirigakure shinobi had pierced the spinal nerves in her exposed back, leaving her unable to move.

Without treatment from a medical ninja, even if she did not die, Pakura would become a useless cripple, paralyzed from the waist down and unable to move for the rest of her life.

"What are you... doing...?"

Pakura's voice was filled with confusion.

The Kirigakure shinobi slowly raised his head and looked at Pakura with a cruel smile.

"Please have a good taste of the pain my comrades suffered when they died at Sunagakure's hands years ago!"

The Kirigakure shinobi pulled out the Kunai and leaped sharply backward.

Then countless Kunai and Shuriken shot toward Pakura, who lay prone on the ground.

Unable to move, Pakura could only silently endure the pain raining down upon her back.

Perhaps it was not only pain in her back, but in her heart as well.

Her eyes remained open in unwillingness as she looked at the Kirigakure shinobi standing before her, still wearing the same smile he had shown when they first met. Yet now, that smile seemed so sinister.

"Don't get the wrong idea. Don't think this will erase the hatred between Sunagakure and our village. Sacrificing you is merely a way for us to vent our anger, one of the prices for sending out troops."

"I imagine those Sunagakure people who used you as cannon fodder must think it was quite a bargain!"

Facing the rampant Kirigakure shinobi, no matter how unwilling Pakura was, the body that had once granted her such great power no longer responded.

Pakura's eyes finally closed weakly, plunging into darkness...