"We all know how strong Konoha is. Going to war with them now would be foolish," Pakura countered, laying bare Ebizo and Rasa's intentions.
"Exactly. Konoha is too powerful. One Ninja Village alone would never be enough."
"But what if four major Ninja Villages attacked Konoha at once?" Rasa asked quietly.
"Rasa, you..." Everyone stared at him in shock.
"That's right. We've joined forces with the other Three Great Shinobi Villages. We're preparing to go to war with Konoha together!" Ebizo cut in before the senior officials could speak.
The officials fell into thought.
If Sunagakure had declared war on Konoha alone, many of them would have sided with Karura and Pakura.
Starting a war carried enormous risks. Whether Sunagakure could defeat Konoha was one question; the surrounding Ninja Villages would hardly stand by and watch them fight.
But now things were different. Four major Ninja Villages would attack Konoha together!
No one believed Konoha could withstand that.
"Very well. We agree!" After a long deliberation, the officials voiced their support one after another.
"You..." Karura and Pakura watched the officials who had supported them switch to Rasa's side, one by one. Anger flared within them.
Merchants followed profit, and politicians did so even more.
They could change sides faster than merchants.
At that moment, Rasa smiled to himself and gave a nearby official a look.
"Now that we've made our decision, we need a leader to serve as acting Kazekage in the Third Kazekage's place and lead us into war against Konoha."
"Who do you think is fit for the role?"
One official put forward the question.
"Since Lord Rasa was the first to propose this plan, why not make him our acting Kazekage?" another official suggested.
"Lord Rasa possesses Magnet Release, just like the Third Kazekage, and he's