Inner Sage, Outer King

With internal issues resolved, the next matter to discuss is how to handle the problem of Roshi.

"Little Rasa, you are about to become the Kazekage. From now on, you must attempt to make decisions—decisions that will influence the future of the village. Regardless of whether these decisions are good or bad, as long as you can provide a basic logic for them, we will support you unconditionally."

As everyone sat down, Chiyo said kindly. Sunagakure may be weak, but it is not without its merits; namely, its unity. The two elders serve merely as deputies to the Kage. In the original timeline, to resurrect Gaara, Chiyo even used the One's Own Life Reincarnation at the cost of her own life. Before that, the two elders had firmly supported Gaara in taking the seat of Kazekage, holding real power without the slightest greed for it. Compared to the backstabbing internal traitors in high positions within Konohagakure, they were leagues ahead.

"That's right, no matter what decision you make, we will support you." Ebizo nodded and continued, "The most urgent priority is to decide how to handle Roshi. Whether to kill him or release him, the choice is yours."

Rasa lowered his head in thought. The fact that the two elders were not greedy for power was excellent news, and it was also within his expectations. As for the problem of Roshi, it was indeed somewhat troublesome. Capturing him now had offended the Land of Earth, but not to the point of no return.

"Are there any other candidates in the village suitable to become a Jinchuriki?" Rasa asked.

"No. Bunpuku was the only one in decades." Chiyo shook her head; being a Jinchuriki was not an easy task.

So that was it. In the original timeline, after Bunpuku died, Sunagakure could not find a suitable One-Tail Jinchuriki. After several consecutive failures, his predecessor had no choice but to seal Shukaku into the body of the unborn Gaara.

Rasa pondered for a moment longer and analyzed, "Killing him is not impossible; it would greatly weaken the power of the Land of Earth, but we would gain no benefits whatsoever. If a Jinchuriki dies, the Tailed Beast will eventually resurrect, and it might be captured by Iwagakure once again. Moreover, to weaken Iwagakure, it is not strictly necessary to kill Roshi. As long as we detain him and stall Iwagakure, we can achieve the same effect. Releasing him is definitely out of the question; we would gain nothing, and outsiders would only mock us, thinking we are afraid of Iwagakure."

"Hmm, then what is your choice?" Chiyo nodded and asked again.

Rasa did not answer. His eyes were deep as he countered, "How is the village's war readiness?"

Chiyo and Ebizo seemed to realize something. Rasa likely intended to use Roshi to conduct a transaction with Iwagakure in exchange for desperately needed supplies.

"Key points along the borders are currently stationed with several squads, and the village has sent out as many ninja as possible under various pretexts. However, the situation regarding supplies is not optimistic. With the current tensions, war materials are in high demand. Every major village is preparing for war, so they are not easy to purchase."

Some villages prepare for war to launch invasions, while others prepare for defensive wars. This is a situation where one move affects the whole, and no village can remain aloof. As for Sunagakure, they were escalating their standard state of readiness to pre-war status, intensifying their efforts.

Tapping his fingers on the table, Rasa said calmly, "Ōnoki should have reached the border of the Land of Lightning by now. Regardless of the outcome, he will certainly have a clash with the Third Raikage, if only to give his subordinates an explanation. Send people to monitor the situation there constantly. Once they have finished fighting and the atmosphere becomes even more volatile, release the news that we have captured the Four-Tails Jinchuriki and that Iwagakure's strength has been greatly diminished. I believe the situation between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth will become even more tense."

Chiyo and Ebizo exchanged glances. Previously, Rasa had impressed them as heroic and decisive, but they hadn't expected this unexpected gain—this little Rasa's heart was truly dark. Ōnoki had just finished fighting the Third Raikage, and tensions were high; if they announced that Roshi had been captured and the Land of Earth had lost a high-end combatant, what would the Land of Lightning think? They would certainly want to take this opportunity to attack the Land of Earth, or at least test them.

"And then?" Chiyo asked impatiently, looking forward to Rasa's next answer. Even though she had a guess or two in her heart, it was nothing more than taking the opportunity to raise the price and extort the Land of Earth.

"Then, send letters to both the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth. It must be done with great fanfare, stating that we want to invite them to discuss matters related to Roshi. List the supplies we lack, make two copies, and give one to Ōnoki and one to the Third Raikage. If the Land of Lightning accepts this price, we will either kill Roshi or keep him detained. If they are willing to double the price, we will pack Roshi up and send him over. As for the Land of Earth, their offer must be higher than that of the Land of Lightning, otherwise, we will never return Roshi."

"Hiss!"

Chiyo and Ebizo leaned back in their chairs. Evil—too evil. Rasa was even more wicked than they had imagined. Not only did he plan to extort the Land of Earth, but he also utilized the Land of Lightning. With the Land of Lightning lurking nearby like a tiger, even if Ōnoki had to tighten his belt, he would have to agree to Sunagakure's conditions. As for Ōnoki flipping the table and abandoning Roshi to attack the Land of Wind, it didn't matter. As long as he dared to make a move, the Land of Lightning would not let go of such an opportunity to strike while they were vulnerable. At that point, the Land of Earth would fall into a two-front war. And between the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, there was no possibility of an alliance in the short term, or rather, not for a very long time to come.

"Brilliant, simply brilliant!"

Chiyo's eyes shone with excitement, and she praised Rasa's dark heart endlessly. To be a leader, one's heart must be dark when dealing with outsiders—internal benevolence, external dominance. As for offending two major villages, that was not something that needed to be considered. The Shinobi World was built on mutual exploitation; you cut me, I cut you. If they didn't scheme against them, would they not be attacked once the death of the Third Kazekage was exposed? Impossible. They were all surface-level brothers, and if there was an opportunity, they would certainly stab each other in the back. Relying on others for the hope of peace, praying that one's opponent is a vegetarian who values benevolence and morality, is far worse than seizing the opportunity to strive and make oneself stronger.

"In this way, by obtaining the supplies we are short of, we will have truly completed our pre-war preparations. Relying on our home-field advantage, even if we face a full-scale siege from both the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth, we will not collapse for a very long time."

Ebizo nodded repeatedly. It was indeed possible for Sunagakure to be besieged, but it was absolutely impossible for it to be besieged by two major ninja villages at full strength; only Konohagakure was worthy of such treatment.

It still came down to the same principle: pull one hair and the whole body moves. If you take all your underlings to hack at someone else, you must be prepared for your own home to be raided.

"But I'm still not reconciled to this."

Chiyo let out a faint sigh and lamented, "We went to such lengths to capture the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, yet even if we could trade it for the supplies we desperately need, it still feels like it isn't worth it.

If the Jinchuriki is lost and then regained, the strength of Iwagakure won't suffer much of a loss."

"I have a way to make Iwagakure lose both the girl and the soldiers," Rasa said with a smile. When it came to being black-hearted, he was a professional.

Some people suspect that I am a lecher, so let me clarify here...

That's right, I am a lecher.