Chapter 93: 93. All for Sunagakure
[Danzo leads Konoha forces to defeat Sunagakure forces in the Land of Rain. The Kazekage Rasa and elder advisor Chiyo of Sunagakure are missing, their fates unknown.]
On the night the war ended, this news was delivered to the major powers at the fastest possible speed.
In an oasis town in the southern desert of the Land of Wind.
Yagura, the Mizukage, looked at the intelligence report in front of him, a smile spreading across his face.
"That old man Danzo actually moved this fast?"
The towering figures of Fuguki Suikazan and Biwa Juzo also leaned in.
"What's going on, Lord Mizukage?"
Facing the inquiries of his two capable subordinates, Yagura's eyes gleamed with arrogance.
"The Konoha forces have defeated the Sunagakure forces. The Kazekage and Chiyo are both missing!"
Hearing this, Fuguki Suikazan and Juzo also showed signs of excitement.
"With the Kazekage missing, Sunagakure will undoubtedly be in chaos. Now is the perfect time for us to continue our offensive!"
Fuguki Suikazan was particularly enthusiastic.
Perhaps to make up for his previous failure against Danzo, Fuguki Suikazan had performed exceptionally well in the battles against Sunagakure.
He had repeatedly faced Suna's famous [Scorch Style User], Pakura, and had provided significant assistance to Kirigakure's advance.
So far, under Yagura's leadership, the 2,500-strong Kirigakure forces had successfully occupied several oasis towns and key salt-producing areas in the southern Land of Wind.
This had caused significant trouble for the Land of Wind and Sunagakure.
After all, these southern salt-producing regions contributed about 30% of the Land of Wind's tax revenue.
If they couldn't be recovered in time, it would have a massive impact on the Land of Wind's financial chain.
Unlike Fuguki Suikazan's aggressive stance, Juzo remained relatively calm.
"Lord Mizukage, I think we should confirm the status of Kazekage Rasa and Elder Chiyo before making any further decisions."
"If those two aren't dead, it's possible that Sunagakure will quickly seek peace with Konoha and then focus their forces against us."
These words quickly cooled Yagura's eagerness to achieve further victories.
Juzo was right. Between nations, there is only interest.
He didn't believe that the scheming Danzo would continue to fight Sunagakure to the death.
As long as Sunagakure offered a tempting enough price, Danzo would surely end the war quickly and then watch Kirigakure and Sunagakure tear each other apart!
Moreover, the desert terrain was not ideal for Kirigakure ninjas to utilize their strengths.
Coastal areas were manageable, but once they ventured deeper into the desert, the cost of using Water Release techniques increased significantly.
Thus, they had to be prepared for a large-scale counterattack from Sunagakure.
"In that case, let's take this opportunity to pressure the Suna forces, quickly plunder the surrounding oasis towns, and then wait and see."
"Yes!"
---
"That old bastard actually defeated Sunagakure so quickly?"
The Third Raikage, known as the strongest offensive and defensive ninja in the shinobi world, sat imposingly on his Raikage throne.
His gaze was filled with doubt as he looked at the battle report.
As a ninja from the same era, the Third Raikage believed he had a decent understanding of Danzo.
In his impression, the man known as the [Darkness of Shinobi] was fond of underhanded schemes and plots.
But this time, Danzo had completely changed his usual style, engaging in three direct, head-on battles against the Suna-Kumo alliance, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure.
This was truly baffling to him.
But the battle report was right there, and it had been verified by spies within both Konoha and Sunagakure. There was no doubt about its authenticity.
Thus, the Third Raikage could only attribute this change to Danzo's newfound confidence after mastering Wood Release.
However, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing for Kumogakure.
After all, after consecutive large-scale battles, Konoha had likely suffered significant losses.
In this situation, Kumogakure might be able to pressure Konoha into yielding some benefits...
---
Iwagakure.
The news of Danzo leading Konoha to a major victory over Sunagakure also landed on Ōnoki's desk.
The elderly Tsuchikage, wore a troubled expression as he read the report.
Although he was also a Third generation Kage, Ōnoki was significantly older than Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo.
Logically, a ninja of his age should have experienced a considerable decline in strength.
But this old man had managed to maintain his competitiveness thanks to his rare Kekkei Tota, [Dust Release], and his unparalleled Earth Release techniques that defied gravity.
Even so, Ōnoki had one major concern.
The issue of succession.
This had always been a difficult problem for Iwagakure.
Ōnoki's son was of average talent and not fit to inherit the position of Tsuchikage.
The Four-Tails Jinchūriki, Rōshi, who had the necessary talent, held political views that clashed with Ōnoki's, making him an unreliable choice.
Thus, Ōnoki had turned his attention to his disciple, Deidara, who possessed the Kekkei Genkai [Explosion Release].
The problem was, Deidara was a complete troublemaker.
Despite his exceptional talent and intellect, he was obsessed with his so-called "art," often setting off bombs in the village, which drove Ōnoki to the brink of madness. He had no choice but to imprison him.
In contrast, look at Konoha's performance on the battlefield.
They were overflowing with talent.
The Sannin were still in their prime, and the [Yellow Flash], Minato Namikaze, had already made a name for himself.
Before Minato could even reach middle age, the next generation—Kakashi and Shisui Uchiha—had already risen to prominence.
"Sigh, I wonder how much longer this old body of mine can hold on."
Ōnoki sighed.
What he worried about wasn't the present, but the future...
Before he could finish his sigh, a sharp pain shot through his lower back.
"My back, my back!!!"
---
Konoha.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi saw the frontline battle report, his expression was a mix of emotions.
He was both happy and unhappy.
Happy because his old comrade had achieved something remarkable.
Leading the Konoha forces to victory against overwhelming odds, Danzo had single-handedly lifted Konoha out of its precarious situation.
With the wars against Kirigakure and Sunagakure over, Konoha had lost two adversaries.
The geopolitical environment had improved significantly, and now Konoha only had to deal with the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning.
Unhappy because his old comrade had achieved too much!
They had been trained by the same teacher.
Now, Danzo had defeated Kirigakure and Sunagakure, and even half of Kumogakure.
With such illustrious achievements, where did that leave Hiruzen, the Hokage?
With such immense prestige, what if Danzo decided to rally support and seize power?
Not to mention, Danzo had taken on an Uchiha disciple without consulting him.
What was he trying to do?
Betray their anti-Uchiha alliance?
Reconcile with the Uchiha and gain their support?
In short, Danzo's recent actions had aroused Hiruzen's wariness.
And as Danzo's prestige continued to grow, so did Hiruzen's unease.
"Danzo, I'm doing this for your own good..."
With a sigh, Hiruzen closed his eyes.
---
Border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind.
Night had engulfed the sky, and the only moon was obscured by dark clouds. A light drizzle fell, plunging the world into darkness.
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the rushing river.
If Danzo had been there, he would have recognized this person through his Byakugan as the missing Sunagakure elder—Chiyo.
Her hunched figure was completely drenched.
This was a necessary measure for her escape.
After all, Konoha possessed the strongest reconnaissance ability in the shinobi world—the Byakugan.
If she had taken the usual route, she would have been easily detected.
Thus, she had no choice but to use the turbulent river to evade pursuit.
On the dim riverbank, Chiyo tugged at the air with force.
As her fingers moved, the nearly invisible chakra strings tightened, pulling another figure hidden in the river to the surface.
This figure was, of course, not a puppet, but the missing Kazekage—Rasa!
Unlike Chiyo, Rasa was completely unconscious.
Moreover, he had a massive wound running from his shoulder to his abdomen.
This was caused by Danzo's Wind Release shuriken.
Since Rasa had been caught off guard, the wound was deep and had even damaged his internal organs.
If Chiyo hadn't used her chakra strings to perform emergency treatment and stitching, Rasa would have died long ago.
Saving Rasa was the main reason Chiyo had abandoned the Suna forces and fled.
After all, the Third Kazekage, hailed as the strongest, had disappeared just before the outbreak of the war.
If the newly appointed Fourth Kazekage also died here, Sunagakure would truly collapse.
Thus, Chiyo had no choice.
Unfortunately, Rasa's injuries were too severe, and after such a long delay, his internal organs had begun to fail.
His life force was draining rapidly, and he was on the brink of death.
Faced with this situation, even Chiyo, whose medical ninjutsu ranked among the top three in the shinobi world, could only look on in despair.
As Rasa's body grew colder, the despair on Chiyo's face gradually faded, replaced by determination and resolve.
"No matter what, I won't let you die here."
Chiyo began to mutter to herself.
Her mind quickly recalled the scenes from the battle.
There was no denying that Rasa's Magnet Release had surpassed that of previous Kazekage.
This was why Chiyo had gone to such lengths to save him.
As long as Rasa survived, Sunagakure might give birth to a truly strongest Kazekage!
With this thought, Chiyo's heart finally calmed.
"Very well, let this old woman stake her life to secure a future for Sunagakure!"
She slowly stood up and placed her weathered, wrinkled hand on Rasa's chest.
Then, with a resolute gaze, the old woman activated the S-rank forbidden technique developed by Sunagakure but sealed away due to humanitarian concerns—
Life Reincarnation Technique!
This was one of the only two techniques in the shinobi world capable of reviving the dead.
Its principle was simple: the user would expend their own chakra and life force to summon the soul of the deceased and restore their life force until the user's chakra was completely depleted.
For a shinobi, depleting one's chakra meant one thing—death!
In short, this technique exchanged the user's life for the life of the deceased.
Due to humanitarian concerns, this technique had been sealed away after its development.
Chiyo had learned this forbidden technique because she wanted to revive her son and daughter-in-law.
To make up for the love her grandson had missed out on.
But now, it seemed that dream would remain unfulfilled.
"I'm sorry, Sasori."
Chiyo apologized in her heart, then activated the technique.
As the forbidden technique took effect, a green light representing life emanated from Chiyo's hand.
All the chakra in her body was instantly converted into surging life force, flowing through her palm and into Rasa's body.
The powerful life force caused Rasa's body to regain its vitality.
His failing organs regained their function, his heart began to beat strongly once more, and the deep wound visibly healed, forming scabs...
In stark contrast to this scene of vitality was Chiyo's condition.
Her chakra was being rapidly drained, causing her body to wither and her life force to be squeezed dry.
By the time Rasa opened his eyes, Chiyo had already become a lifeless corpse lying quietly beside him.
In her hand, she clutched a letter for Rasa.
As soon as Rasa woke up and saw Chiyo's body, he understood everything.
He hurriedly picked up the letter.
"Rasa, remember, after my death, do not worry about my body. Return to the Land of Wind as quickly as possible and, in the name of the Kazekage, seek peace with Konoha at any cost!"
"If Danzo makes excessive demands, you can request the Daimyo to pressure the Fire Daimyo, influencing Danzo's decisions through the Hokage!"
"After making peace with Konoha, mobilize all forces to stop Kirigakure's invasion. Once you gain the upper hand, prioritize negotiations with them. Do not get dragged into a quagmire!"
"Remember one thing: do not seek revenge against Konoha! And especially not against Danzo!"
"What the Land of Wind needs now is to recuperate and nurture the next generation of shinobi!"
"Rasa, the future of Sunagakure is in your hands."
"Finally, I have one small request."
"If you ever meet Sasori, please tell him this—"
"Grandma loves him!"
After reading the letter, even the notoriously ruthless Rasa couldn't hold back his tears.
This elderly woman, who had lived through multiple shinobi wars, had devoted her final thoughts and plans entirely to the village.
She had even paid the ultimate price for it...
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