After their defeat in the battle for River Country Castle, Sunagakure Ninja Village withdrew completely from the Land of Rivers, abandoning every city it had held. They could not have kept them anyway, so they were better off consolidating their forces as much as possible. Now, Konoha Ninja Village had established its camp on the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers, ready to cross at any moment.
Following Kazemori Masaki's orders, Kagami Uchiha advanced slowly, neither rushing nor letting up the psychological pressure on the enemy. Their primary goal remained negotiating an armistice. They had no intention of destroying the Land of Wind; what mattered most was finding a way to achieve their objectives.
This time, when Sunagakure Ninja Village's envoys arrived once again, Kagami Uchiha sent people to welcome them. Upon learning that their leader was an elderly man dressed like a monk, he felt certain that an armistice was close at hand. That old man had to be Karura's teacher, Bunpuku.
Karura would not casually reveal that her teacher was a jinchūriki, but Kazemori Masaki's letter had suggested that Bunpuku might be Sunagakure Ninja Village's jinchūriki. Kagami Uchiha thought that made sense. Even after things had deteriorated this far, Sunagakure Ninja Village still had not deployed its jinchūriki. The only explanation was that he refused to cooperate, and Bunpuku happened to be the uncooperative man imprisoned in the High Tower.
Kagami Uchiha trusted Bunpuku's stance: he insisted on defending against wars of aggression but would not initiate one himself. He also felt that such a man would make a suitable Kazekage. Konoha Ninja Village's goal was to cultivate a Peace Faction within Sunagakure Ninja Village powerful enough to influence its decisions. Even if Bunpuku did not become Kazekage, achieving that much would still