The ship slowly sailed into the waters of the Land of Wind, the distant sand dunes gleaming golden in the setting sun.
Hoshino stood on the deck, muttering to himself, "Finally back."
After drifting at sea for several days, I felt like I was about to fall apart.
Uchiha Inabi walked to his side and asked, "Boss, what do we do next?"
Hoshino turned around and smiled, "You all stay on the boat for now, don't go ashore. I'll go back to the village to take care of some things first, and then I'll let you know when everything is arranged."
Uchiha Inabi nodded.
Although he still had doubts, he knew that he had no choice but to trust Hoshino.
Just then, a figure sped across the distant sea.
Hoshino stopped Uchiha Inabi wary movements and said, "They're on our side!"
The figure strode across the water at incredible speed, leaving long, thin ripples on the surface.
Only when she got closer to the ship did Uchiha Inabi see her clearly.
She was a woman dressed in ninja attire, wearing a half-face mask, with a short sword at her waist.
" Hizuki," Hoshino called out.
The woman leaped lightly and landed steadily on the deck. "Lord Hoshino."
Hoshino nodded and introduced her to Uchiha Inabi: "This is Hizuki. If you need anything while I'm away, just look for her."
Hizuki stood up, her gaze sweeping over the Uchiha members on the deck, her expression indifferent.
Although she didn't speak, her sharp aura made Uchiha Inabi secretly startled.
This woman is very strong.
" Hizuki, I'm leaving the ship's affairs to you for now," Hoshino said. "Don't dock until I return, and don't let anyone near."
"Understood," Hizuki replied briefly.
Hoshino patted Uchiha Inabi on the shoulder. "I'm leaving."
After saying that, he formed a hand seal, and his figure vanished in a gust of sand.
Sunagakure, Kazekage's Office.
Rasa was reviewing files, he suddenly sensed a familiar Chakra fluctuation.
He looked up and saw that Hoshino was already standing in the center of the room.
" Hoshino?" Rasa put down his pen, his brow furrowing slightly. "You caused quite a stir this time."
Hoshino walked to the table and sat down, smiling, " Lord Kazekage, I brought back some gifts, but I need you to deal with some troubles first."
Rasa's gaze sharpened, and he asked, "What trouble?"
"The letter of inquiry from Konoha should arrive soon," Hoshino said calmly.
We've arrived!
Rasa pulled a letter with a sealing wax stamp from the drawer and slammed it heavily on the table.
"They demanded that we immediately hand over all remaining Uchiha, or it would be considered a declaration of war against Konoha."
"As expected."
Hoshino picked up the letter on the table and opened it.
The letter was strongly worded and threatening.
They claim that the Uchiha Clan might take actions that endanger the peace of the Shinobi World after leaving Konoha, and that they have found evidence that the Uchiha incident is related to Sunagakure.
They demanded the surrender of Uchiha remnants, prosthetic bodies, Chakra Crystal, and other related technologies; otherwise, it would be considered a declaration of war against Konoha.
Hoshino placed the letter back on the table, rubbed his fingertips on the Hokage seal a few times, and suddenly let out a soft chuckle.
"Interesting."
He looked up, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes. " Hiruzen Sarutobi's plan is quite clever."
"Look here."
Hoshino pointed to a passage in the letter. "To maintain peace in the Shinobi World, the Five Great Shinobi Villages should jointly supervise dangerous technologies... This is putting us in a very difficult position."
The Five Great Shinobi Villages have never lacked spies from other ninja villages.
General information about Sunagakure must have been recorded by the other four Kage.
If Konoha is willing to apply pressure initially, other ninja villages certainly won't mind following suit.
This would not only eliminate the threat posed by the Uchiha, but also shift the focus of the Shinobi World to Sunagakure, thus curbing the village's development.
Rasa snorted coldly, "Dream on! Do you really think Sunagakure is easy to bully?"
Hoshino carefully folded the letter and smiled, " Lord Kazekage, it seems we need to speed things up."
Rasa frowned and asked, "You mean... the five-person co-governance you proposed before?"
Force, ideology, laws, and information.
These four core members are jointly governed by Rasa, Hoshino, Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara.
The remaining resources were entrusted to Rasa, the economy to Kankuro, the people's livelihood to Temari, scientific research to Hoshino, and supervision to Gaara.
This will shape a completely new future for Sunagakure.
All five had begun to adapt to their respective fields, but at this time they were still confined to the sphere of influence of the Reform Society.
Now that this policy is being extended to the entire village, it seems like a few more civil wars are inevitable.
"There's nothing we can do about it!"
Hoshino nodded, a sharp glint in his eyes.
"I was originally planning to wait a while longer, but now it seems... time is running out!"
Rasa pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Alright, let's proceed according to your plan."
I've long disliked those selfish ninja clans and factions, so I'm going to take a drastic step and destroy everything to build something new.
"What about the Uchiha? What are your plans?" Rasa continued to ask.
Hoshino smiled and said, "We'll recruit them under the guise of exiled ninjas. They'll first adapt to the Inspection Department, and then move into the Armed Forces Department."
Rasa agreed, "That's fine. I'll send people to the black market to spread rumors that the Ice Release and Swift Release ninjas are missing-nin from Kirigakure and Kumogakure, and have nothing to do with Sunagakure."
As for Konoha...
"Let's prepare for battle!" Hoshino laughed. "It's just a show anyway; we can't let the Shinobi World think that Sunagakure is easy to bully."
Rasa nodded. "I understand."
Immediately afterwards, Rasa quickly summoned several Anbu and began to relay his orders.
Recall ninjas on missions abroad, strengthen patrols and defenses along the borders of the Land of Wind, and ensure that any disturbances are detected and reported promptly.
The Logistics Department began stockpiling large quantities of supplies to prepare for a possible war.
As for the selection of ninja troops, they mainly consist of ninja units under other factions.
First, relocate them to the border so that Hoshino and the others can unleash their full potential in the village.
The two discussed every detail in the Kazekage's Office for three or four hours.
By the time Hoshino walked out of the Kazekage Building, the sun had already set, and night had fallen over Sunagakure.
"Sigh! I didn't want to trouble my mother-in-law, but now it seems... I still have to go and look for her!"
Back to the Reform Society.
Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara were all waiting for Hoshino on the third floor.
Hoshino told them the results of his discussion with Rasa, and the three of them immediately became serious.
" Hoshino, I'm backing you up!"
Gaara doesn't talk much, but he provides support as always, as if he would never say no to Hoshino no matter what he does.
"Me too!"
Kankuro and Temari echoed.
Hoshino smiled with satisfaction, then said seriously, "Then let's convene a meeting of the existing management of the Reform Society to discuss the follow-up arrangements!"