~ Support & Read 10 Advanced Chapters on My Patreon!
Gojo Kaigetsu was wary of Baki, but he had to admit, he appreciated the man's "Way of the World" attitude. Back in the days of the previous administration, he would have addressed Rasa as an elder brother, now, Baki was practically on his knees, ready to call him "sugar daddy".
But beneath that obsequious smile lurked a militaristic ambition, a plan to shift the village's focus entirely towards military developnt.
The storehouses were filled with newly crafted puppets, and an abundance of explosive tags, shuriken—Suna was clearly brewing a war that would overturn the existing Shinobi World order.
"Greetings, Fifth Kazekage."
"Greetings, greetings, Advisor Gojo. Please, co in~"
Baki's eyes flickered with cunning. The Konoha delegation wasn't accompanied by a high-level Shinobi like Tsunade for protection, as they had been during the trade route ceremony.
It seed that his leadership of Sunagakure had successfully caused Konoha to lower its guard.
'Just wait...' he thought. 'You'll pay for every slight, every humiliation. And we'll make sure you pay a hefty price.'
In the Kazekage Tower's war room, Baki had already marked several strategic targets belonging to Konoha.
As long as they had enough ti to develop and accumulate sufficient strength, Baki would not hesitate to launch a surprise attack! He would transform the village's long-accumulated internal conflicts into a war of external aggression!
He would tell the people of Suna that their taxes were not paid in vain! They had been turned into explosive tags that would be used against Konoha!
--
Soon, the Konoha delegation was led to the eting room in the Kazekage Tower.
Normally, such an important event would also involve the presence of the Suna ambassador to Konoha, Mitokado Homura.
But clearly, Suna was intentionally limiting the number of participants in this eting. And Konoha, in turn, was intentionally excluding the "elder" Mitokado Homura from their core decision-making circle.
There were disparities even among elders.
Gojo Kaigetsu held imnse power and influence, while Mitokado Homura could only play pretend in Suna, unable to even return to the village to pay his respects after Danzo's death.
The two sides sat down.
"Advisor Gojo, according to the intelligence gathered by our Suna, we have confird that the rogue Suna Shinobi, Hiruzen, is hiding within Rōran. We have invited you here to guide our Suna Shinobi in an anti-terrorism operation..."
To be honest, Baki had no interest in eliminating Suna's Missing-nin who were on the run. As long as it didn't interfere with his grand plans, it was fine.
But he was very interested in using the elimination of Missing-nin as an excuse to rake in the cash!
Over the past few days, under the pretext of eliminating Missing-nin, the Kazekage Tower had amassed a considerable fortune from within the village.
"Regarding this 'crackdown on Shinobi active in the underground Ninja World,' let just say a few words." Gojo Kaigetsu stood up. "How do we target the Missing-nin of each village?"
Whoosh...
As if on cue, the Suna council mbers attending the eting took out their small notebooks, ready to listen, giving Gojo Kaigetsu plenty of face.
"To put it simply, cracking down on the underground Shinobi World ans identifying the key issue. And what is the key issue? We need to find the crux of the problem! So, if we can't find the crux of that key issue, the key action, and the key link, if we can't grasp it, if we don't focus on the crux, then we won't be able to solve the key issue, or any issue at all..."
The council mbers stopped writing, exchanging bewildered glances, recognizing the confusion in each other's eyes.
So, what exactly was this "crux" he was talking about?
"Capturing the Missing-nin, Hiruzen, is Suna's first shot in our war! We must sign a letter of responsibility, launch a decisive strike, establish a strong foundation, identify the key points, eliminate any risks, and ensure we don't overstep our boundaries. Finally..."
Baki's mouth twitched. He finally couldn't take it anymore and asked the key question:
"Advisor Gojo, according to our intelligence, Hiruzen is able to infiltrate Rōran and establish roots likely due to the support of the Rōran royal family—To put it another way, all of Rōran might be harboring these terrorist Shinobi. In this situation, what should we do?"
A direct question! Straight to the heart of the matter!
Gojo Kaigetsu reined in his smile and coughed lightly. "I don't agree with that assessnt—The people of Rōran wouldn't have the guts to harbor a known Missing-nin."
"But they did just that, didn't they, Advisor Gojo? In my opinion, at a ti like this, we shouldn't be soft-hearted~ I believe we should completely annihilate Rōran."
"Kazekage, that's a bit much," Gojo Kaigetsu said, his expression stern. "You should know that we in Konoha are the most peace-loving village. That's why we're vigorously promoting this initiative to crack down on the underground Shinobi World—Killing all the people of Rōran goes against our initial goal."
"You're right, of course. I understand completely. But the Daimyo of the Land of Wind also ordered to eliminate Rōran—This is a difficult situation. Unless Advisor Gojo can agree to a few minor conditions on my behalf, it will be hard to justify this to the Daimyo..."
"Conditions? What conditions?"
"Firstly, as one of the few remaining kin of the Fourth Kazekage, his daughter, Temari, has been reluctant to return to the village. This has negatively impacted both Suna and the entire Land of Wind. We believe in leading through filial piety, and I hope Advisor Gojo can persuade Princess Temari to return to Suna."
"Secondly, Rōran is, after all, within our Land of Wind's borders. Yet, during the First Shinobi World War, they violated regulations by sealing the 'Ryūmyaku,' a shared resource between our Land of Wind and Rōran, causing massive economic losses to the Land of Wind and continuing to affect us to this day."
"Thirdly, the Daimyo heard about the completion of the Konoha-Suna Trade Route and sent his congratulations. But the Daimyo believes that since this route was built through our joint efforts, Suna should have a share of the profits."
"If Advisor Gojo can represent Konoha and agree to these three conditions, I—can represent the Daimyo—and promise to only eliminate the ringleader, Hiruzen!"
Setting the price high, knowing they'd haggle.
Gojo Kaigetsu countered, "If that's the case—then let's just kill everyone in Rōran!"
"I won't waste any more words with you, Kazekage. Of the conditions you listed, I can only agree to one on behalf of Konoha. You choose."
Thump-Thump-
Baki's heart raced.
He hadn't expected Konoha to agree to any of his demands. He'd assud they'd—bargain. This—suggested Gojo Kaigetsu believed his—deception.
Konoha wanted recognition for its anti-terrorism efforts. And Suna, by cooperating, was—profiting.
Baki made his choice. "Then, we'll unseal the Ryūmyaku."
"The Uzumaki clan sealed it. And now that they've returned to Konoha. it's a fitting end."
"We'll use the Ryūmyaku's power for peaceful purposes, to develop Sunagakure and contribute to the stability of the Shinobi World."
Baki delivered his carefully crafted speech.
"Very well," Gojo Kaigetsu said, nodding. "Using the Ryūmyaku for—peaceful developnt is sothing Konoha supports. But the Daimyo. he might not tolerate Rōran's continued existence."
Baki's eyes lit up. "What do you an, Advisor Gojo?"
In Baki's plan, once the Ryūmyaku was unsealed, he would transform Rōran into a military zone, expanding Sunagakure's strategic depth.
There would be no place for the people of Rōran.
They would beco refugees. Allowing them to—wander the Shinobi World, harboring resentnt towards Sunagakure, was—unwise.
Killing them was—out of the question. But if soone else were to—take them...
"We're willing to take on that burden," Gojo Kaigetsu said. "But... they might be reluctant to relocate. You'll need to persuade them. And of course, there's a fee."
Baki's gaze sharpened. "A fee? What do you want, Advisor Gojo?"
"People. Do you know about our Uzumaki clan leader in Konoha? He has a peculiar hobby. He likes—younger ****. and he enjoys being called Shōta-kun. And another of our elders, Koharu Utatane she lost her family in the war. The Hokage Tower feels sorry for her. So we thought perhaps a companion. What do you say, Kazekage?"
"...."
Clatter.
Soone's pen dropped to the floor, breaking the silence.
Baki's mind raced.
Support & Read 10 Advanced Chapters. Ahead of the rest!
sp-atreon/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
There is 9 Exciting Fanfics already available on my Patreon!
Reviews
All reviews (0)