Wait for the Lawyer's Letter from Konoha

His brows were locked in an impenetrable sorrow.

It was fortunate that it was Rasa; had it been his son Gaara, he certainly wouldn't have been able to lock those sorrows away: Gaara had no eyebrows.

Rasa didn't spare a glance for anyone else, walking straight up to Pakura and asking simply and directly, "When you returned, did you encounter the Kazekage?"

"No, why?"

Pakura was completely baffled.

"Nothing."

Rasa brushed past the question about the Kazekage, only then noticing the corpse of Daishi on the ground, looking somewhat stunned: "Daishi, why is he here? Who killed him?"

"He killed himself."

"You must be the renowned Heavenly Flying Immortal of the ninja world, Uchiha Jiang Feng."

Rasa looked at Jiang Feng a few more times, feeling that this young man was indeed as the rumors described; just meeting him gave one a feeling as refreshing as a spring breeze.

"It is I."

Jiang Feng nodded and added, "You must be the disciple of the Third Kazekage, the Magnet Release user Rasa."

"It is I."

Rasa nodded in return.

The two exchanged brief pleasantries and introductions, not rushing to become friends, as there were more important things to do.

Rasa crouched beside the corpse, carefully examining Daishi's body. Residual, intense Lightning Style Chakra and an unknown energy remained at the knees, which should have been caused by Jiang Feng.

But what truly caused Daishi's untimely death was the poison he had hidden in his molars.

"Correct, Daishi indeed died by committing suicide via poison."

Rasa nodded slightly, then immediately raised another question: "But why would he commit suicide for no reason?"

"It was not for no reason. He failed in his assassination attempt on me and Pakura, which is why he committed suicide out of fear of punishment."

Assassinating Uchiha Jiang Feng and Pakura?

Rasa was taken aback; he couldn't quite understand what Jiang Feng was saying.

Daishi assassinating Jiang Feng was a slim possibility, but not entirely impossible; no one could guarantee that a veteran like Daishi wouldn't suddenly have a rush of blood to the head.

But assassinating Pakura?

It is common knowledge in Sunagakure that Daishi is Pakura's idol, and they share a very close senior-junior relationship.

Jiang Feng recounted what had just happened, emphasizing at the end, "He distributed the rations to Pakura first, and only then to me. Perhaps in his heart, killing Pakura was far more important than killing me."

"But why would he want to kill Pakura?"

Indeed, why would Daishi want to kill Pakura?

Sunagakure and Konoha shinobi in the camp arrived one after another. A crowd gathered nearby to watch, whispering and murmuring, occasionally casting glances at Rasa, who had just arrived.

Oh no!

Rasa froze abruptly; he had become the prime suspect.

He was now the suspected mastermind who had ordered Daishi to poison Pakura and instructed him to commit suicide by poison immediately after the plan failed.

"Everyone knows that Daishi and Pakura were close friends, while his relationship with me was not particularly good."

Jiang Feng nodded, and the group of Sunagakure shinobi nodded as well.

"Everyone knows that although I have been entrusted with important tasks by our teacher, I do not have the authority to issue direct orders to Jonin."

Jiang Feng nodded, and the group of Sunagakure shinobi nodded as well.

"Therefore, I am not the one who ordered Daishi to assassinate Pakura and you."

This time, Jiang Feng did not nod. From the moment Rasa appeared—ignoring Daishi's corpse and anxiously questioning Pakura about the Kazekage's whereabouts—Jiang Feng realized that it was highly unlikely Rasa was the true mastermind.

He had already guessed who the real culprit was, but he could not say it outright; after all, a distant relative should not interfere in the affairs of close kin. Thus, he had to guide Rasa to deduce the identity of the mastermind himself.

Jiang Feng did not nod, and the group of Sunagakure shinobi did not nod either.

The two reasons Rasa provided were indeed persuasive, but they were not persuasive enough.

Just because Daishi and Pakura were close friends, does that mean he couldn't kill her?

Fratricide is a common occurrence in the ninja world. Even the past friendship between Daishi and Pakura, and the distance between Daishi and Rasa, could have been a facade.

Just because Rasa lacked the official authority to mobilize Jonin, does that mean he couldn't command Daishi?

Jiang Feng also lacked the authority to mobilize Konoha shinobi, yet he could freely command any Uchiha other than Fugaku. Furthermore, an order to assassinate a hero of one's own village would inevitably be issued in secret.

The two reasons Rasa gave were insufficient to clear him of suspicion.

However, a suspicion lingered in the hearts of the Sunagakure shinobi that could cement Rasa's status as the mastermind: with Pakura dead, Rasa was the greatest beneficiary.

The factional strife and internal opposition within Sunagakure were clear to anyone with a discerning eye.

The upper echelons—led by the Kazekage, the Council of Elders, and Rasa—along with a portion of the villagers and shinobi, longed for peace and a chance to recuperate. Meanwhile, another group of villagers and low-to-mid-level shinobi, led by Pakura, desired revenge and war.

One side thought the other was a brainless idiot, while the other side thought the first was a spineless coward.

Which side was right?

No one knew.

But everyone knew that once Pakura died, Rasa would be the greatest beneficiary.

As the Kazekage's direct disciple, he could firmly cement his position as the heir to the Kazekage. Without Pakura, the pro-war faction would no longer be a concern; at the very least, there would be no one left within that faction capable of reaching for the Kazekage's seat or serving as a spokesperson for their collective expectations.

People who aren't clever enough have a hard time being merchants. Pakura's subordinates were all clever people; they already had an answer in their hearts, and they were convinced of that answer.

So they remained silent. When it came down to it, they were still people of Rasa's faction.

Rasa was speechless, choked by his own frustration. He was not a person who wore his emotions on his sleeve. The Kazekage had always taught him that those in power must learn to remain composed; the attitude you display must always be the attitude you want others to see.

But now, even a blind man could see the grievance and helplessness on Rasa's face.

Everyone just assumed it was his acting.

"The person who ordered Daishi to assassinate you and Pakura was absolutely not me!" Rasa said with a serious expression.

Jiang Feng sighed softly and patted Rasa on the shoulder. "Whether it was you or not no longer matters. What matters is that even your own people in Sunagakure believe it was you.

When I return to Konoha, I will report this matter to the Hokage."

To think that Sunagakure would actually dare to assassinate a Konoha representative?

Just wait to receive our Konoha legal notice!

"So it was you who ordered Senior Daishi to assassinate me?"

Pakura was shocked. Her reaction seemed to be a step slower than everyone else's; only now did she realize that Rasa was highly likely the mastermind behind the attempt on her life.

There are some things you clearly didn't do, yet everyone unanimously believes you did.

Jiang Feng had experienced this himself. According to the storytellers, the money he had lent to friends added up to more than the annual GDP of the Land of Fire, and the number of Kumogakure Jonin he had killed was so high that even Kumogakure didn't know they had that many Jonin to begin with.

Rasa was in that exact situation now. Everyone believed he was the greatest beneficiary and that he certainly had the motive to commit such an act, so in everyone's mind, this was something Rasa had done.

But Rasa knew that he truly hadn't done it.

He hadn't reached the point where he had to eliminate Pakura, even though he did indeed have that thought.