Pakura's Preparations and the Sand Ninja's Preparations

Sand Ninja Frontline.

Pakura put down the intelligence sent by Ebizo's Anbu and rubbed his throbbing head.

Ever since she received the "greetings" from Uchiha Makoto, she hasn't had a proper rest.

Although she had anticipated Uchiha Makoto's reaction, and even informed Chiyo and the others in advance so that they could witness the spy delivering the message.

But as the other party remained inactive, her psychological pressure grew, because the longer they prepared, the more turbulent the attack would become!

"Nothing unusual yet?"

Pakura had a bitter face, looking utterly sorrowful.

"Can a few hundred ninjas really take him down?"

A few days ago, she followed Chiyo's advice and withdrew from the front lines to prepare wholeheartedly for the upcoming attack by the "mysterious man".

Yes, the mysterious person.

Because Uchiha Makoto's several encounters with Pakura were all disguised, Pakura still doesn't even know who wants to control her!

The other participants from Sand Village had some guesses, but Pakura truly had no idea!

Amidst these speculations, the Sand Ninja Village leadership, after privately investigating Uchiha Makoto's travels over the past year, instantly confirmed their target.

Of course, they also lost sight of their goal.

Who's on the other side?

Uchiha Makoto!

Who in their Sand Village could defeat Uchiha Makoto?

Nobody's here!

It wasn't there before, and it's not there now!

So afterwards, when Uchiha Makoto spread rumors about Rasa's "Uzumaki," everyone gritted their teeth and turned a blind eye, allowing the rumors to spread without hindrance, which could be considered doing Uchiha Makoto a favor.

Just like in the original story, after discussing it with several Sand Ninja, they decided to "sell" Pakura!

Since we are destined to be unable to resist absolute power, we might as well try to minimize the losses. This is also a viable strategy!

As for Pakura and those hundreds of ninjas, they were simply used as punching bags for Uchiha Makoto.

It's Pakura who's rebelling against you, so go ahead and attack!

If you hit her, you can't hit me!

This is a true reflection of the current leadership of the Sand Village.

Helpless and powerless, but that's reality.

Having lost the Third Kazekage and a large number of ninjas in succession, they could no longer withstand any pressure.

They just want to find an excuse to withdraw from the Allied Shinobi Forces and the Third Shinobi World War!

Because of this, Rasa, who was still a radical young man, argued with them quite a bit.

Rasa believed that if the Sand Village persisted until the Allied Shinobi Forces won, and the Sand Village were to bite into the flesh and blood of Konoha, then everything would be resolved!

"But that's impossible, isn't it?"

Ebizo said with a smile, and beside him stood the sullen Rasa.

While keeping an eye on his fish, Ebizo tried to comfort him.

"You are aware of Konoha's current situation. The Uchiha Clan has three Mangekyou Mangekyō Sharingan, the Konoha Sannin, the second Senju Tobirama, and so on. In total, they have at least ten Kage Level!"

"And what about us? There are only two or three of us."

"We can't defeat Konoha, let alone extract any benefits from Konoha!"

"We may not be good enough, but that doesn't mean the Allied Shinobi Forces is incapable!"

Rasa's words carried a hint of anger.

"Do you think we, the four great ninja villages combined, can't defeat Konoha?"

"They do have ten Kage Level ninjas, but don't the Allied Shinobi Forces have at least ten Kage Level in total?"

As Rasa spoke, he put down his fishing rod, his restless mood making him unable to sit still.

He didn't understand why he had to be confined here for the sake of the Sand Village.

Was it simply because he opposed betraying Pakura?

To prevent Rasa from carrying out any harmful plans that could lead to the destruction of the Sand Ninja, Chiyo and the others unanimously agreed to keep him by Ebizo's side at all times.

Seeing Rasa scratching his head in frustration, Ebizo couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

If they could, they wouldn't want to betray Pakura!

"If you don't want this kind of thing to happen to the Sand Village again, then you should train hard now and raise your strength so that no other ninja village would dare to bully us like this again!"

Ebizo spoke, he looked at Rasa, who was about to roar to the sky, and felt displeased.

"Rasa, you have to believe us..."

Ebizo was spouting meaningless nonsense, but Rasa was clearly not listening at this point.

"Trust you? Pakura trusted you so much, but what about her now?"

"She was sold out by you, and she doesn't even know it!"

"I'm afraid she'll still be thinking of you all until her dying breath!"

Rasa stood up and pointed at Ebizo, presenting a ready-made example.

"Elder! Have you forgotten your subordinate who died at the hands of the Konoha Ninja?"

"Bearing the wishes of the dead, how can we succumb to the tyranny of Konoha!"

Hearing Rasa's impassioned words, Ebizo also put down his fishing rod.

He stared blankly at the water, as if he could see the face of the deceased.

How could I forget...

Ebizo muttered to himself, his eyes already moist without him even realizing it.

He had long since lost count of how many subordinates he had lost during the Second Shinobi World War.

All he remembers now is that he and his sister Chiyo are each other's only remaining support in this world.

As Konoha's White Fang's cold blade sliced through the bodies of his nephew and his wife, after their only grandson Sasori went missing, the siblings relied on each other for survival, just as they had decades before.

So...

"Therefore, I must do my best to fulfill the task my sister entrusted to me and keep you in check!"

Ebizo gently wiped the moisture from the corner of his eyes and smiled as he spoke to Rasa.

"You!"

"You're absolutely unreasonable!"

Rasa was speechless for a moment, and could only say this.

Ebizo waved his hand dismissively, clearly unconcerned.

"Come, sit down and fish, let me tell you a story!"

With that, Ebizo gestured for Rasa to sit down, successfully calming her down.

Looking at Rasa who had sat down again, Ebizo paused for a moment before slowly speaking.

"Let me tell you about the current situation in the Shinobi World."

Ebizo continued speaking, ignoring Rasa's reaction.

"This is the Third Shinobi World War, Allied Shinobi Forces composed of our four great shinobi villages fighting against Konoha."

"But have you ever thought about why you would join forces in the first place?"

"Some are united for personal gain, while others are forced to join forces!"

"Who's in it for profit? It's the Mist Ninja and the Cloud Ninja! They don't have the same internal crisis as us, and they don't have the urgent need to relocate to the outside world."

"It's just that the Mist Ninja were unlucky; they ran into Mangekyō Sharingan from the Uchiha, and one who had a grudge against the Mist Ninja Mangekyō Sharingan. So they're now badly beaten!"

"And what about the Cloud Ninja? They're just tying down a portion of Konoha's forces; they're the most stable of Konoha's four fronts."

"What gives them the right?"

"It's all thanks to their Golden Consortium, which can stabilize the entire Land of Lightning! That's why they can be so lax during the war! And because of this, the more Konoha worries about the Cloud Ninja's attack, the less they dare to harm Cloud Ninja."

"They're afraid too!"