Sunagakure, after receiving the intelligence.
The scorching sun mercilessly baked this barren land. Even the wind carried blistering grains of sand, stinging faces like blades.
Most of the village's buildings were built from sand and stone, giving them a bleak, oppressive look—much like the suffocating atmosphere in the Sunagakure leadership's meeting room.
Around the oval table sat the handful of people who held Sunagakure's fate in their hands.
At the head sat an old woman: Elder Chiyo, Sunagakure's adviser. Her younger brother Ebizo sat beside her. Their deeply furrowed faces seemed to hold nothing but sand and exhaustion.
At one of the side seats sat Rasa, a young elite jonin with striking reddish-brown hair. His brows were knitted, and he sat with his hands clasped on the table, silent.
Across from him sat a graceful, beautiful kunoichi: Pakura of Scorch Release. Her bright orange eyes burned with an unyielding fire.
"The intelligence has been confirmed," Ebizo said in a dry, hoarse voice, breaking the silence. "The Cloud Village delegation has already set out for Konoha. Their purpose is to surrender—or, to put it another way, to 'seek peace.'" He deliberately stressed the last two words.
"As for Iwagakure, Ōnoki, that stubborn old fool, hasn't made an official statement yet. But the news Kitsuchi brought back should be enough to make him face reality. An army of over ten thousand was routed by Uchiha Ling alone... That kind of power is beyond anything we can withstand." Chiyo picked up the thread, her voice carrying a trace of barely concealed dejection.
Pakura slammed her palm on the table and shot to her feet. "So what? Are we supposed to wag our tails and beg, just like the Cloud Village and Iwagakure?!"
Her voice echoed through the empty meeting room, filled with indignation