Environment, Kazekage

Konoha, Hokage's Office.

Ever since Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu brought back Chiyo's request, the arguments here have never stopped.

Danzo firmly opposed this compromise-style alliance, not only gaining no real benefits but also losing over a hundred prisoners for nothing.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, however, believed that in times of crisis, it was best to act expediently. With all the countries eyeing Konoha covetously, exchanging these hundred-plus prisoners for the stability of the Southern Frontline, allowing the village to have sufficient energy to deal with enemies from other directions, was a worthwhile thing to do.

Moreover, Sunagakure has agreed to a defensive alliance, meaning they can help Konoha fight against Iwagakure together.

"You believe such a lie as an alliance? If I remember correctly, Sunagakure signed an alliance with us after Second Shinobi World War II, but we're still fighting now!"

Danzo his lip in disdain, staring at Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu as if they were idiots. "Oh, I seem to remember now, it's still within the validity period of that alliance. The previous alliance hasn't expired yet, and now we have to sign another one. I wonder if Sunagakure will even recognize it!"

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu blushed deeply, speechless after being confronted by Danzo. The facts were undeniable, and they couldn't refute them even if they wanted to.

"Hiruzen, you decide how these negotiations should proceed." Mitokado Homura directly shifted the blame, having already stated his position; the rest was up to the Hokage.

Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe, his mind racing. Chiyo's request was indeed tempting, but Danzo's concerns were not unfounded.

After all, sometimes a written alliance is not as tangible as the benefits that can be obtained, especially given that Sunagakure has broken its alliance before.

Moreover, he also had to consider the thoughts of the ninjas on the front lines. If the village didn't gain anything from the prisoners they risked their lives to capture, what would they think if they were released?

Just as the office fell silent, a series of knocks on the door broke everyone's thoughts.

Suppressing his agitation, Hiruzen Sarutobi's calm voice rang out. "Come in."

The visitor was an Anbu member wearing a cat-face mask. After entering, he did not hesitate at all, took out an intelligence scroll and handed it to Hiruzen Sarutobi, then silently left the office.

After everyone left, Hiruzen Sarutobi opened the scroll and began to examine its contents.

The further he read, the more his brows furrowed. By the time he finished reading the entire intelligence report, his brows were furrowed into a deep frown.

His index finger tapped incessantly on the table, revealing his inner turmoil and frustration. He glanced at Danzo, who stood there Hiruzen Sarutobi, and pointed to the scroll he had just finished reading and placed aside. Without saying a word, he gestured for Danzo to take a look for himself.

After so many years as old partners, we still have this much understanding.

Danzo forward, picked up the intelligence scroll, and wanted to see what had made Hiruzen Sarutobi so upset.

The first thing you see is the eye-catching title: <New Information on the Strength of Iwagakure in the Land of Grass>

Danzo contracted, and he quickly continued reading. It turned out that just yesterday, Iwagakure had sent another 500 ninjas towards the Land of Grass. Now, the number of Iwagakure Ninja on the Land of Grass line was approaching 3,000, while Konoha had less than 2,000 ninjas there.

As the village with the largest military force among the Five Great Ninja Villages, Iwagakure may be slightly weaker in individual combat, but they excel at group warfare. The more people they have, the more advantageous it is for them.

Previously, Iwagakure had sent 500 ninja to Konoha because of Sunagakure's defeat. At that time, Konoha did not take any action, for fear of provoking Iwagakure and causing them to make an excessive reaction.

Only a few days later, another 500 people were sent. With such a large number of troops, Konoha could no longer afford not to react, and sending reinforcements to the front lines was an inevitable outcome.

In that case, Danzo glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was sitting there silently, and already knew the outcome: this was the last straw that broke the camel's back.

If Hiruzen originally hoped to gain some benefits from Sunagakure, then since this information appeared, he only had one thought in his mind—to appease Sunagakure as soon as possible and restore stability to the Southern Front.

"I reserve my opinion." Danzo knew that it would be useless to object now, so he stopped wasting his breath and put the intelligence scroll back on the table.

"Alright! In that case—" Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, "Resume negotiations first thing tomorrow morning, agree to Sunagakure's demands, sign the alliance treaty as soon as possible, and release the prisoners."

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of worry in each other's eyes. Clearly, Konoha had encountered trouble again, but they didn't ask any further questions. Right now, they should deal with Sunagakure first.

"Good!"

The negotiations between Konoha and Sunagakure went very smoothly the next day. Chiyo did not make any further unreasonable demands, and the two sides formally signed an Offensive-Defensive Alliance Treaty based on the conditions of the previous day.

Chiyo then received an order from the Hokage to release the prisoners and, accompanied by a squad of Anbu, hurried towards the front-line Camp.

Those captured Sand Village Ninja are still locked up in the front-line Camp. The sooner we arrive, the sooner we can free them from their suffering. After all, in this era, there is no such thing as treating prisoners of war well.

While Chiyo was on her way to Konoha's front-line Camp, Taiichi had already infiltrated the oasis market for the second time.

With the foundation laid by the previous reconnaissance, Taiichi was clearly much more adept this time.

Once the caravan's work was all finished, the crew finally got the rest they had been longing for.

--

People went out in twos and threes to relax and have some drinks.

At this point, a tavern is naturally the most suitable place.

"Ryota, let's go out for a drink!" A burly man in his thirties with a full beard shouted in Taiichi's direction.

Taiichi was slightly taken aback, then realized that Ryota was calling him.

"Okay, wait for me!" Taiichi was more than happy to agree. Going out with everyone was much safer than wandering around alone.

Taiichi unloaded the last box from the camel and placed it in the designated spot. Then, he dusted himself off and walked towards the bearded man named Kara. Four people had already gathered there, all waiting for Ryota.

"Ryota, why are you being so diligent today? You usually avoid people like this."

"Oh, don't even mention it, the supervisor saw us!" Taiichi laughed it off, but inwardly he was sweating bullets, afraid that these people would ask him some intimate questions and he would give himself away if he answered incorrectly.

Fortunately, they made it through without any major incidents and finally arrived at the tavern, albeit unsteadily.

At this time, the tavern was already packed with people, including caravan workers and Sunagakure Ninja wearing Headband.

Taiichi and his group of five finally got a table after a group of guests left.

With a few side dishes and a pot of sake, everyone started chatting about the gossip they knew.

On the surface Taiichi agreed with their words, but in reality, he controlled his senses, which enveloped the small tavern, allowing him to listen to the ninjas' conversation.

It wasn't that Taiichi didn't want to expand his sensory range, but rather that in such a large Camp shrouded in Barrier, no one knew if there were any Sensory Barrier or Sensor Ninja present. To be on the safe side, it was best to be cautious.

Just then, Taiichi a conversation between a group of customers at a table in the corner of the tavern to his left.

That must be an elite squad. Judging from their clothes, all four of them are Chunin. They must have just returned from a mission and are taking advantage of their free time to drink and chat.

"Captain, what exactly is the purpose of following Lord Kazekage here this time?" One of the team members, emboldened by alcohol, asked the question that had been on his mind for a long time.

"Yeah, Captain, we've been here for days, and all we do is patrol. We don't do anything else!" another team member complained. They all have families, and they're just patrolling the rear every day, but they don't get paid much.

"Shut up! It's not like you can just gossip about the Lord Kazekage's affairs." The Captain snapped, then looked around to make sure no one was watching before continuing, "You've only recently been promoted to Chunin, and you've never worked with the Lord Kazekage before, so you don't understand the situation. I won't blame you this time."

These kinds of missions are usually paid separately, so there's no need to worry about insufficient pay. Otherwise, why would so many people want to go on missions with important figures? Is it really because they can get some kind of position in the village?

Indeed, being a ninja is ultimately just a job. There are ninjas with noble sentiments and ambitions, but the vast majority are just doing it to make a living.

Otherwise, why would the Civilian of the Land of Rain hate ninjas from other countries so much during Second Shinobi World War? It's because those ninjas with bad character wantonly plundered the Civilian of the Land of Rain during the war.

"Don't complain like this outside anymore, or if someone with ulterior motives hears you, you'll be in trouble."

"Yes, yes, Captain, you are very magnanimous!"

The group showered the Captain with compliments, making him beam with joy, before they began talking about other trivial matters.

But Taiichi had no interest in listening anymore, because he had already gotten the answer he wanted.

The Third Kazekage of Sunagakure is actually in this oasis, and it seems he's been there for quite some time. What is his purpose?

The fact that the village's shadow had left the village so casually was incredibly important, especially considering there might be more to the story. Taiichi decided to spend a few more days staking out the village to see if he could uncover any other useful information.

And this wait lasted for three days.

Over the past three days, Taiichi used his Shadow Clone to explore almost every corner of the oasis except for the Sunagakure Village camp. He saw many caravans coming and going and ninjas coming and going, but he didn't see a single person who looked like the Kazekage.

Just as Taiichi was about to give up, at noon that day, Taiichi's true form, located in an underground cave several kilometers outside the oasis, suddenly felt a tremor.

Keep in mind that this is a desert. For Taiichi to still feel a tremor so clearly after being buffered by layers of yellow sand, it must either be incredibly powerful or Taiichi close to him.

But no matter what, it proves that Taiichi's current location is not safe.

His senses spread out instantly, and everything within a two-kilometer radius was reflected in Taiichi's mind. At the edge of his senses in the southwest corner, two intense fluctuations of Chakra immediately attracted all of Taiichi's attention.

But after just a brief glance, Taiichi was stunned.

On the vast, yellowish-brown desert, a huge black cone-shaped object stands out prominently, as if it had been struck by an asteroid, creating a massive crater. The surrounding sand is constantly flowing into this crater.

The tremor just now must have been caused by this thing hitting the target.

Taiichi, however, was overjoyed. It was truly a case of finding something without even looking for it.

Isn't the Third Kazekage, whom we've been searching for for days without finding a trace, right there?

Standing opposite him was a handsome man with red hair, Taiichi recognized at a glance—it was none other than Sasori of the Red Sands.

They met at this time and place.

A thought crossed Taiichi's mind: Could this be the moment when the Kazekage was killed?

Taiichi looked excited; regardless of the circumstances, this was crucial intelligence.

However, they are still too far away for Taiichi's senses to hear what the two are talking about.

Taiichi didn't dare to show his face. He immediately Hand Seals and used Earth Style: Subterranean Voyage to approach the direction of the Kazekage. Only when the distance was reduced to only one kilometer could he distinguish the sound he sensed.

"Lord Kazekage, you have quite the temper. You want to start a fight the moment we meet," the red-haired Sasori said lazily, showing no regard for the Kazekage before him.

"Hmph, the only reason I didn't kill you outright, considering you're still somewhat useful, is because you're someone who's always plotting to assassinate me." Kazekage replied without any politeness, clearly maintaining a great deal of restraint.

"Tsk tsk, Lord Kazekage, you're really heartless. I just assassinated several high-ranking officials from the Land of Wind who were obstructing the Daimyo's allocation of funds. Shouldn't you be thanking me?"

"That's just the price you have to pay for assassinating the Kazekage. Sasori, you're already Rogue Ninja, and my patience is running out."

"Tell me, what important matter do you want to discuss with me this time?"

"Lord Kazekage is indeed impatient." Sasori chuckled disdainfully, then said with a face full of hatred, "I mainly want Lord Kazekage to appreciate my new creation, to see how powerful it is, and whether it can kill White Fang of Konoha!"

Upon hearing this, Kazekage Ying immediately became alert. Gradually, specks of Iron Sand emerged from the surrounding desert, enveloping Kazekage's entire body.

Scorpion remained calm and unhurried. He took out a Sealing Scroll from his pocket and flicked it. With a "bang," five humanoid Puppet appeared in front of him.

These five Puppet look exactly like real people. If it weren't for the fact that their joints are connected by mechanisms, the average person would really not be able to tell the difference.

"You—you really were creating Human Puppet!" The Third Kazekage pointed at Sasori, his voice trembling with anger. "Aren't you afraid of becoming the enemy of the Ninja World?"

"Public enemy of the Ninja World!" Sasori shook his head dismissively, saying nonchalantly, "I'm already a Rogue Ninja from Sunagakure, what do I have to fear from adding another title like public enemy of the Ninja World!"

"You won't let me research Human Puppet, saying that the methods are too cruel and will arouse the public outrage of other ninja villages, leading to an attack by them. That's a joke."

Isn't war cruel? Every war kills tens of thousands of people, not to mention the Civilian, who die even more.

Furthermore, aren't Jinchuriki cruel? Which Jinchuriki isn't raised from childhood and treated like a monster from a young age?

What gives these people the right to say that Human Puppet are cruel?

I was merely making use of the enemy's corpses, and you mediocre people are pointing fingers at me."

Scorpion became more and more agitated and frantic as he spoke, and finally he unleashed another Sealing Scroll, causing five more Human Puppet to appear in the arena once again.

"Lord Kazekage, please help me appraise my Human Puppet and see what they are like, and whether they meet your expectations."

As he spoke, he waved both hands, and the ten Human Puppet moved simultaneously.

"You're really persistent, aren't you? This time I won't hold back."

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