Kazekage advisor Ebizo died.
Chiyo, the strongest Puppet Technique in Sunagakure Chiyo, has died.
The entire elder council was wiped out. In addition, some Jonin Chunin with decent strength died in the explosion created by Konan and at the hands of Naoki Senju's Wood Clone.
These were the backbone of Sunagakure's resistance against Konoha. Without their obstruction, Naoki Senju's process of supporting Temari to become the Fifth Kazekage was almost unbelievably smooth.
Seeing Temari, who at only sixteen years old had already donned the Kazekage Temari and become one of the Five Kage, Naoki Senju couldn't help but lament how useless Sunagakure was. How could one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages not even be able to find a Kazekage successor more outstanding than Temari!
However, according to Temari, Sunagakure originally had a genius ninja who was absolutely capable of becoming the Fifth Kazekage, and had even made a name for herself in the Shinobi World. She was none other than Scorch Release: Pakura.
A beautiful and powerful Sunagakure Ninja is the goal of many young Sunagakure Ninja. However, this genius ninja who had the potential to lead the Sunagakure to its peak did not die on the battlefield, but died in the village's political struggle during a mission.
Moreover, the order that led to Pakura's death was personally given by the Fourth Kazekage Rasa. The moment Pakura stepped into the Land of Water, she was already surrounded by Kirigakure. Furthermore, the Kirigakure Ninja were disguised as Sunagakure Ninja, making Pakura's death all the more unbearable.
A flawed leader and a barren, harsh environment led to the increasing decline of Sunagakure. Fortunately, Naoki Senju did not intend to plunder much this time; otherwise, even if he had thoroughly looted Sunagakure, he would have only obtained a few pieces of silver, not even enough to fill a tooth gap.
Sunagakure is really poor~
After becoming Kazekage, Temari also realized this problem. However, she was much more decisive than the useless fools of Sunagakure. She directly assured Naoki Senju that Sunagakure would not reduce the war reparations it owed to Konoha by a single penny!
In order to gain the full support of Konoha and Naoki Senju, and in order to secure a place for herself in the future, Temari has made up her mind.
As for how the impoverished Sunagakure would pay this enormous compensation, according to Temari's own words. "Those noble lords of the Land of Wind have been feeding the Sunagakure scraps; it's time they had to give up some meat."
The daimyo and the ninja villages have always been in a delicate balance. The daimyo control the country, its finances, and the resources necessary for survival and development, while the ninja villages possess absolute violence. In order to avoid being harmed by violence and returning to the Warring States period, the ninja villages are very restrained.
But suddenly one ninja village decided not to restrain itself, and the daimyo was helpless. Asking other ninja villages for help would only be like escaping one wolf's den only to fall into another.
Temari is in this situation now. She doesn't intend to continue to tolerate the stagnant future of Sunagakure. With Konoha's support in military strength and the ability to exploit the economy, why should Sunagakure not develop?
Of course, whether the name of Sunagakure can be retained in the future depends on Naoki Senju's decision. In any case, Temari doesn't have deep feelings for Sunagakure; all she cares about is the place where she grew up and her younger brother.
Temari has once again refreshed Naoki Senju's impression of her. Her courage, resourcefulness, cunning, and methods... Temari has almost no intellectual shortcomings. As long as she has time to grow, it seems that taking over the Five Great Shinobi Villages would not be difficult.
Chakra gathered in his palm, Naoki Senju clenched his fist, condensing the highly malleable Wood Release Chakra into a solid form. The pale green Chakra crystal shone brightly in the sunlight.
"Recall all Jonin Sunagakure, and at the same time be wary of Iwagakure next door. One month later, the Fourth Shinobi World War will officially begin."
Temari's heart rate instantly soared to 120, her cheeks flushed. For someone with ambition and aspirations, and who is unwilling to accept the status quo, there is no sweeter poison than war.
By Shinobi World instigating the Fourth Shinobi World War, many people are destined to die, but many clever people will also rise to high positions. Temari has already grasped the future, and the Fourth Shinobi World War is the best opportunity to turn this future into reality!
Temari accepted the Chakra crystal, a symbol of their own people, with Temari, realizing its meaning: she had been accepted by Konoha!
This also means that Sunagakure, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, was sold for a good price by their Kazekage.
Being recognized by Konoha, becoming a part of Konoha, and gaining the right to share the spoils of victory—this is the reason why Temari is willing to pay Konoha a huge sum in compensation!
Temari doesn't think it's shameful to defect to Konoha. After being targeted by Konoha and abandoned by Sunagakure, Temari has come to understand the true nature of ninja villages.
Overall, Sunagakure is a complete village where everyone works hard for its prosperity. It looks wonderful and is a place worth joining.
However, if we look at it in different parts, Sunagakure is an upper group consisting of the Kazekage, the elders, and advisors, and an ordinary group consisting of villagers and ninjas. These two parts together make up Sunagakure.
However, the distribution of power and resources between these two groups is not balanced. Often, the upper class receives the majority of the benefits and, while enjoying these benefits, continues to oppress the ordinary group.
A single wrong order can cost the lives of one, or even a group, of excellent ninjas. Strip away the facade of a ninja village, and Sunagakure is nothing more than a cold-blooded, oppressive machine. How could Temari possibly develop any feelings for it?
Although Konoha was in the same situation, Konoha's machine was more efficient and safer, so Temari told herself with certainty that she must become a member of the upper echelons!
Seeing Temari, Naoki Senju completely understood; wasn't that the mindset of anyone who got a green card?
I just hope Temari doesn't stop at Konoha. He has no real affection for Konoha. He only chose Konoha because Konoha the most solid foundation and the strongest strength. If necessary, even if it means abandoning Konoha, Naoki Senju is capable of doing so.
Unburdened by external factors, unswayed by the tides of power, and steadfastly adhering to his own path and goals—this is the ninja way of Naoki Senju, and the reason he decided to instigate the Fourth Shinobi World War.
He had many ways to unify the Shinobi World, but to completely disrupt Obito and Black Zetsu's plans and avoid being dragged into their schemes, he had to create chaos in the Shinobi World. Only in troubled waters could he catch the big fish.
Besides Sunagakure, Kirigakure was also taking action at the same time. Chōjūrō and Ao, who returned to the village first, stabilized the situation in the village according to the instructions of Mizukage Mei Terumi, preventing large-scale panic. The Kirigakure Ninja returned to the village later also facilitated this process.
Some people's hopes were dashed. Apart from Chōjūrō and Ao, no one knew that Mizukage Mei Terumi would send secret messages every now and then, guiding their next move.
The contents of this secret letter were--
"Recall all Jonin on missions and keep a close watch on Kumogakure; the Fourth Shinobi World War could begin at any moment."