Everyone fell silent at those words.
Harsh as they were, they made sense.
The Hidden Sand Village was the weakest of the Five Great Nations. It had gone to war with Konoha simply because, after so many years of development, its resources were running short, and it wanted to secure some benefits.
An alliance with Konoha might even help improve the Hidden Sand Village's weak position.
But allying with other nations to weaken Konoha would be like bargaining with a tiger for its hide!
Not only might they receive little of the spoils as a victorious nation, they might not even get their full share of war reparations!
Konoha, a major power, only wanted to retain its position at the top. The other nations all had ambitions of their own.
The Hidden Sand Village's wisest choice was to form an alliance with Konoha.
The Hidden Sand Village could provide minerals, while Konoha provided land. Together, they could even counterbalance the Land of Lightning and Land of Earth.
But surrendering outright would be far too humiliating!
After listening for a long while and giving it considerable thought, the Third Kazekage finally stepped forward.
"I'll go personally and face this Xuanhui!"
Some of the senior officials immediately objected.
"As the Kazekage, how can you go straight to the battlefield to fight? Who would oversee things back here?"
Everyone understood the part left unsaid.
If you died, who would oversee things back here?
The Third Kazekage motioned for everyone to stop arguing and hear him out.
"If I challenge him to single combat, there are only three possible outcomes.
If I defeat him, Konoha's momentum will drop sharply. We'll remain at a stalemate for six months or longer, and when neither side can overcome the other, we'll form an alliance.
If he kills