The Land of Wind, Sunagakure's frontline encampment.
The temporary meeting room was solemn, its atmosphere heavy, and gloom clouded every face.
The reason was simple: ever since Konoha's Princess Tsunade had suddenly appeared on this battlefield, Sunagakure's advantage had vanished in an instant.
Chiyo's poisons had all been countered in less than three days. Not only that, but the Wood Release Princess Tsunade had suddenly unleashed had raised the morale of all the Konoha ninja to unprecedented heights.
Meanwhile, Ebizo's various mechanical ninja tools were also faltering under Orochimaru's suppression in their matchups.
Under these circumstances, Sunagakure had suffered one defeat after another.
Not only that, but their newly appointed Kazekage had also fallen to Tsunade's Sage Mode-enhanced Wood Release during a recent offensive.
Had he not relied on the energy conversion produced by rotating magnetic fields through Magnet Release to withstand Tsunade's attacks head-on, they might have had to select a Fifth Kazekage.
For a time, the senior officials around the conference table wore shifting expressions, their gazes at the Fourth Kazekage somewhat complicated.
Was this Fourth Kazekage... really qualified?
As the spiritual pillar of a village, he had been defeated just like that...
"If any of you have something to say, speak up. Rasa only took command in a crisis. He cannot bear all these expectations of yours. Whatever thoughts you have, tell this old woman directly."
The speaker was Chiyo, who sat beside Rasa with a somber expression.
As the person who had personally elevated Rasa to the position of Kazekage, she was not entirely satisfied with him either, but... given Sunagakure's current circumstances, he was the only suitable candidate.
It had nothing to do with strength, but rather the symbolic significance of the kekkei genkai known as Magnet Release.
As Chiyo spoke, the entire meeting room