" Hoshino Maki, it's rare to see you come visit me~"
Chōjūrō had thought up all sorts of ways to treat a talented subordinate with respect, but the moment he saw that face, he couldn't help scrapping his preparations and opening with a taunt.
Hoshino Maki calmly drew back his gaze. "Is this how you treat everyone who helps you, my lord?"
"What do you have to offer me?"
Chōjūrō paused, narrowed his eyes, and slowly grew serious. "It was you?"
Hoshino Maki smiled but said nothing.
Chōjūrō looked him up and down as if seeing him for the first time. "Why?"
He couldn't understand why the other man would betray Chiyo. Neither he nor the Kazekage faction could offer a better deal than Chiyo.
"Because I want to become Kazekage."
Chōjūrō stared at him as if he were an idiot.
Everyone at the top knew Chōjūrō wanted to become Kazekage. He didn't believe Hoshino Maki was unaware of that. And now this man had come right to him and said he wanted to seize the position. What was he thinking?
"Chiyo doesn't support you?"
Hoshino Maki shook his head. "Lady Chiyo doesn't want to get involved in this dispute. After all, with her strength, whoever becomes Kazekage won't affect her much."
Ignoring Chōjūrō's increasingly grim expression, he continued, "I was born a commoner. Although I was lucky enough to earn some military merit, I know my own strength and talent. I can never compete with the Great Clans. They're the lifeblood and foundation of this village, so all I can do is pursue the greatest honor an individual can attain—the title of Kazekage."
"That's my ideal, and the dream of every child in Sunagakure."
"I know you're interested in the position of Kazekage, Lord Chōjūrō, but may I ask you this: if you become Kazekage, will you be able to stand against Lady Chiyo?"
Chōjūrō said nothing. He knew it would be difficult. But at his level, there were few ways left to increase his influence. Before the Kōtarō incident, weakening the Chiyo Clan had been nothing more than an idle thought. And if Hoshino Maki hadn't been an insider, the Kōtarō affair might not have caused a ripple at all.
The Chiyo Clan was as steady as a rock, and he still had to win over the other clans. Looking across Sunagakure, he couldn't think of a better way forward than becoming Kazekage.
As luck would have it, the Third Kazekage's disappearance had given him this opportunity. If he didn't seize it, he'd regret it for the rest of his life—though he didn't have much life left to live anyway.
"What, you think becoming Kazekage would let you help me suppress Chiyo?"
Chōjūrō didn't answer. Instead, he asked a question of his own.
Hoshino Maki shook his head. "No. But at least there'd be one fewer person in the Elder Council opposing you. If Rasa were to—"
Chōjūrō didn't look at him. His gaze dropped.
"Chiyo won't get involved in the dispute, so she doesn't care whether Rasa takes the position. But if it's you—especially after what happened with Kōtarō—the Chiyo Clan probably won't think well of you. If they all speak with one voice, even Chiyo won't be able to ignore them."
"Kid, this is your real goal, isn't it?"
Chōjūrō no longer felt pleased with himself for having schemed against Chiyo.
By his reasoning, Chōjūrō was just a blade in his hands.
A mere child had toyed with an elder of the Sunagakure Shinobi. Fury blazed undisguised in Chōjūrō's eyes.
"My lord, if I wanted to use you, I wouldn't have told you I was the one who recorded the video. On the contrary, laying everything out proves my sincerity. If you tell the Chiyo Clan about this, I'll be doomed."
Chōjūrō met the other man's frank gaze. They stared at each other for a long while before Chōjūrō finally spoke. "What's your relationship with Chiyo like now?"
"I don't know, but it probably isn't too bad."
Chōjūrō gave a cold laugh. "You expect me to support you without cutting ties with Chiyo? Do you think I'm stupid?"
"Then what do you plan to do? Compete with Rasa for the position of Kazekage despite Chiyo's opposition? Forgive my bluntness, but unless you plan to launch an armed coup, if Chiyo opposes you, the elders' vote will easily go against you."
"My lord, Lady Chiyo won't compete for Kazekage, but she also won't let someone hostile to her become Kazekage."
Chōjūrō fell silent. He had already regretted letting his ambitions show too soon, but there was no remedy for that now.
It was true that Chiyo knew him well, but people could change—especially when the other person was an eccentric old woman.
He had considered the option of using force. But setting aside whether his clan could defeat Chiyo and the Kazekage faction, the village had recently distributed a great deal of supplies. Everyone's lives had improved, to the point that they were better off than people in the countries he used to envy. Would they still be willing to risk their lives and follow him into battle now?
They might rush to report him instead.
After being Backstabbed by an ally, Chōjūrō no longer had as much confidence in the strength he commanded.
"Tell me what you're planning."
"I plan to send troops to Konoha—"
Hoshino Maki was halfway through when the other man cut him off. "How do you plan to deal with the Nine-Tails?"
Hoshino Maki shook his head. "They won't use it again. That's a trump card Konoha only brings out in a crisis."
"What information do you have?"
"It's just a deduction. We haven't heard from Jiraiya or Tsunade in a long time. Based on when and where they disappeared, I suspect they've already returned to Konoha."
"How could I—"
Chōjūrō started to speak, then swallowed his words.
He knew about this information. When shinobi of their caliber were spotted by another village's spies, a report was sure to be sent back.
He simply hadn't connected it to Konoha. After all, the two had been away from Konoha for years and had never returned. It seemed as if they had completely severed ties.
The Sannin—no old-generation Sunagakure Shinobi could ever forget that name. They had made the Sunagakure Shinobi suffer terribly on the battlefield in the Land of Rain.
Now Hoshino Maki was saying that all three Sannin had gathered in Konoha, and that they should send troops there. Chōjūrō thought the other man had lost his senses.
The Sannin's influence wasn't just a matter of their strength. More importantly, they represented Konoha's indomitable fighting spirit.
Tsunade, the world's best Medical Ninja;
Jiraiya, a Senjutsu user;
Orochimaru, the most gifted shinobi in Konoha before Minato.
They weren't merely the Sannin—they were as formidable as three Kage.
As long as they remained standing, Konoha would still have the courage to raise its blade.
Their return was undoubtedly a shot in the arm for Konoha, but a nightmare for the other shinobi villages.
"Do you know how strong the Sannin are?"
Chōjūrō frowned. This was one of the reasons he disliked young people: they didn't know their limits, always overestimated themselves and underestimated long-established shinobi.
"I do. That's why we should wait until the Sannin and the Cloud and Stone shinobi are locked in a fierce battle before we enter the fray."
"You've suddenly come around to supporting a troop deployment. That's a little strange, isn't it?"
Chōjūrō rubbed his chin. Something about the other man's words felt off.
But Hoshino Maki paid him no heed and continued, "Rasa and I will each lead an army. We'll agree that whoever reaches Kikyo Castle first becomes Kazekage!"
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