Inside a secluded cave on the outskirts of Sunagakure.
Candlelight cast wavering shadows on the stone walls, stretching the silhouettes of the figures inside.
Rasa stood before a stone table in the center of the cave. A topographical map of the Land of Wind lay spread across it, with several newly added red marks scattered along the main routes between Sunagakure and the border of the Land of Fire.
"Damn the Leaf Village-such despicable tactics!"
Rasa's voice echoed through the cave, seething with barely restrained anger.
"Didn't the reports say Hyuga Tianyi hadn't come to the front? This isn't something Hatake Sakumo would do!"
Chiyo sat on a flat rock to one side, her gaze fixed on the section of the map covered in red marks.
"The intelligence does say Hyuga Tianyi hasn't come, but-you've forgotten someone. His disciple, Minato Namikaze, is here too. This is probably his handiwork."
She paused. "The water sources have been poisoned, the crops harvested clean, the soil salted with mineral salts, and even the underground water channels have been blocked-
This isn't a battlefield tactic. It's the destruction of the very foundations of survival.
We gave them this opportunity, too. Still, I never expected Minato Namikaze to act so viciously with that gentle-looking face of his."
After hearing Chiyo out, Ebizo took a scroll from his sleeve, set it on the table, and pushed it between her and Rasa.
"The Leaf Village has always wanted a head-on battle with us, to finish off the Hidden Sand Village's remaining forces outright.
We avoided fighting before because we couldn't win a direct confrontation. But now-there may be a glimmer of hope."
Rasa picked up the scroll, quickly unrolled it, and scanned its contents. His frown deepened as he read.
"Jiraiya? Why would he help us? And