Hundreds of Sunagakure miners had died horrific deaths, silently buried in the barren earth, and no one had cared.
Yet the deaths of just a few people from Konoha meant more than eight hundred victims had to pay with their lives-an entire group had to repay that blood debt.
At that moment, Sarada fell completely silent.
She stood where she was, staring at the endless rain outside the window, chilled to the bone.
The rain in the Land of Rain had fallen for more than a decade, cold and biting.
But only today did she truly understand.
Colder than that relentless rain was this Shinobi World, controlled entirely by Konoha, where right and wrong had been turned upside down.
After hearing Kisame's words, Sarada felt a crushing weight in her chest. Even though she had already seen through Konoha's tyranny, she still could not accept it.
Her brows knitted tightly as she pressed in a low voice, "Then what about the Kazekage, Gaara... did he agree to this? Those eight hundred people were all citizens of his Sunagakure."
Kisame's expression was grave as he slowly shook his head. "Whether he agrees or not makes no difference."
"No difference?" Sarada's face filled with shock. "He's the Kazekage! Everyone from his own village is going to be executed. How could his opinion make no difference?"
"Because the Kazekage was never the one making the decision."
"Besides pressure from Konoha, the Kazekage also has to face all his village's higher-ups!"
Kisame's voice was icy as he laid bare the cruelest rule of the current Shinobi World.
"Konoha now claims resources around the world, controls trade, and holds every nation's economic lifeline in its grip."
"If Konoha backs down over this Sunagakure riot and lets the rioters go unpunished..."
"Then the other ninja villages