"The enemy tore a hole through the squads on the front line. Amegakure intends to wipe out the personnel our village stationed along the border with the Land of Rain."
After a brief exchange with Yubi, Sasori finally got down to business.
Clearly, Sasori had already encountered other enemies from Amegakure who had pushed into the canyon and learned the truth.
"The conflict between Amegakure and Konoha was basically over once that major battle ended... Hanzō knows perfectly well that this Shinobi World War will ultimately end in Konoha's victory. So, after reducing friction with the Land of Fire, he turned his weapons on us?"
Yubi sounded thoughtful.
The major battle he referred to was the confrontation between the Konoha Sannin and Hanzō.
Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade had earned the title of Sannin from it.
"Konoha will win?"
"The Land of Rain backing down doesn't mean our village is ready for peace talks."
Sasori's voice suddenly turned cold.
Seeing his expression, Yubi understood.
He had voiced his analysis without thinking, forgetting that Sasori's parents had died at the hands of Konoha's White Fang.
So... it was easy to imagine how much Sasori hated Konoha.
But facts were facts... judging by the current situation, Sunagakure, which had already suffered devastating losses, was even less capable of challenging Konoha one-on-one.
Still, knowing how events would unfold, Yubi kept silent.
Konoha's strength made Hanzō realize he couldn't gain anything from them, so, intent on expansion, he set his sights on the Land of Wind. After all, the Land of Wind has a vast territory but relatively meager resources, with most of its terrain consisting of barren wastes and deserts... And right now, the village is short on manpower. Sunagakure also lacks elite fighters like the Konoha Sannin whom it can deploy on the battlefield. In this Shinobi World War, almost every village is fighting on multiple fronts... Even if the village has arranged its border defenses properly, once something happens, mobilizing personnel and support, including committing further forces to the battlefield, will be difficult.
Besides Amegakure and Konoha, we also have to watch out for Kirigakure and Iwagakure... Hanzō really does have a sharp eye.
Yubi thought to himself.
Amegakure's surprise attack on the Land of Wind's border was very likely also based on the assessment that Sunagakure would not reach a ceasefire with Konoha anytime soon.
Although Sunagakure was one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, it was indeed the easiest target right now.
The fighting between Sunagakure and Konoha alone had already stretched the village's manpower thin.
The deaths in Chiyo's family offered a glimpse of that.
It was no wonder old Granny Chiyo would be so furious when she met Kakashi in the future. The two sides were sworn enemies.
"Let's go for now."
Yubi came back to his senses and spoke.
The three of them then took their injured companion to another hidden outpost.
Along the way, Endo left to relay the intelligence to the other nearby squads.
Only Sasori and Yubi remained there, waiting.
"He's in pretty bad shape. We need to send him back to the village."
Yubi spoke as he looked at the Genin beside him, who had already lost consciousness.
Sasori glanced at the wounded boy and said, "Under these circumstances, even without being a medical ninja, I can tell how he'll end up... Even if we send him back, never mind whether he can survive the journey, with the village's medical services already so overloaded, they won't have time for a Genin like him."
"You've spent time in the hospital. You should know that perfectly well."
"He has only his own lack of strength to blame."
"..."
Hearing this, Yubi fell into thoughtful silence.
He knew Sasori was telling the truth.
This was the battlefield.
"So... both the village and its ninja have to become stronger, to put an end to this kind of thing."
Yubi spoke.
Sasori glanced at him without answering.
"These probably aren't the only Amegakure squads that have pushed through... Hanzo of the Salamander most likely intends to use these advance troops to scout the locations and routes of our outposts along the border, as well as the strength of our current defenses, to pave the way for a large-scale offensive. Maybe... we'll face a fierce battle very soon."
Yubi said.
There was some surprise in the look Sasori gave him... He had only thought that Yubi possessed outstanding medical skills for a Genin his age.
He had not expected him to also have his own insights into how developments on the battlefield were connected.
"I don't know."
Sasori shook his head.
He had merely taken a prisoner and forced some confidential information out of him.
At their age, they did not consider many things as thoroughly as adults did.
All Sasori knew was to kill enemies to protect the village.
But Yubi's thinking... was clearly on a higher level.
The village's current condition, and the leadership's intentions...
At this thought, Yubi frowned.
In the end, Sunagakure would still yield to Konoha. That was inevitable.
Because if the fighting continued, Sunagakure would definitely fall first.
The Third Kazekage was no fool either... But as far as the Sasori before him was concerned, any compromise by Sunagakure would be unacceptable.
His parents had already died in battle because of the village's-or rather... the Third Kazekage's-decisions. Before he could avenge them, the village would have "surrendered."
That would undoubtedly push Sasori further down a dark path.
Although his parents' deaths had made the current Sasori somewhat withdrawn and cold... he was still within the bounds of "normal."
Later, when Konoha's White Fang killed himself, Sasori would no longer even have a target for his revenge... The discontent and emptiness that had accumulated within him for years would inevitably need an outlet.
And the Third Kazekage would have to bear the brunt of it all.
This series of events would also completely sever Sasori's ties to Sunagakure.
He... was far too disappointed.
Peace talks between Sunagakure and Konoha would plant a time bomb for the future.
Actually, Sasori might not have noticed, but Yubi had crossed paths with him many times before entering the Ninja Academy...
Back then, Sasori had still worn a smile. To Yubi, he had been a sweet, shy little boy who sometimes even blushed when he met adults.
As someone who had transmigrated, Yubi paid close attention to the characters from the story who lived in the village.
But three years ago, following his parents' deaths, Sasori's personality had noticeably changed.
He had even stopped leaving the house much, and was rarely seen in the village.
As for the Ninja Academy, although Sasori was in the same class as him, as a puppeteer, he had inherited most of his skills from Granny Chiyo. With his talent, he rarely appeared at school either... Graduating and becoming a Genin was merely a formality for Sasori.
So Sasori was not particularly familiar with his peers or others his age.
The Second Shinobi World War left Sunagakure so weakened that it still hadn't recovered by the Third Shinobi World War... Its fighting strength was always stretched thin. Later, Rasa was even forced to use his kekkei genkai to control gold dust in exchange for usable resources. Making his own son a jinchūriki afterward was also a move he had no choice but to make.
Sasori has hopes for the village, but some things...
Yubi looked at Sasori again.
It was not just Sasori's parents. Later, the village's kunoichi Pakura... would also be a bargaining chip Sunagakure sacrificed to negotiate peace with Kirigakure.
Sunagakure had done this sort of thing more than once or twice.
Now that I've become a member of Sunagakure, I have to find a way to change this situation before things get even worse... Otherwise...
Yubi's gaze sharpened.
He had had this idea for a long time.
At its root... it all came down to not being strong enough.