This Danzo Is Weird!

In the end, Rasa chose to slightly deviate from Chiyo's final instructions.

He used his Gold Dust to carry away the body of the elderly advisor.

By the time Shisui's tracking team arrived at the scene, Rasa had long since disappeared.

However, thanks to his meticulous observational skills, Shisui still managed to find some traces of Gold Dust on the ground.

"It seems Kazekage Rasa is still alive," Shisui concluded.

"Captain Shisui, should we continue the pursuit?" asked a chūnin from the Inuzuka clan, his eyes flashing with reluctance.

Not just him, but another Hyūga ninja also showed signs of unwillingness.

After all, this was the Kazekage!

If they could personally capture a Kage, what an incredible achievement that would be!

Whether it was to exchange for powerful ninjutsu to improve themselves or to claim a reward and enjoy a comfortable retirement, capturing the Kazekage would make it all possible.

However, looking at the border ahead, Shisui shook his head.

"Up ahead is the Land of Wind. All units, retreat!"

Soon, the details of the reconnaissance mission were delivered to Danzo.

"So, traces of Gold Dust and Rasa's blood were found? It seems he really isn't dead," Danzo said, reaching the same conclusion as Shisui.

However, given the current situation, whether Rasa was alive or dead no longer had a significant impact on the overall picture.

What Danzo was more concerned about was why Rasa hadn't died.

Based on the bloodstains Shisui and the others had found, Danzo's Wind Release shuriken should have hit its mark.

Under such unprepared circumstances, with Rasa's average physical abilities and constitution, survival was nearly impossible.

Unless...

Danzo suddenly thought of someone.

Chiyo, the elder advisor of Sunagakure!

If she had used the forbidden technique [Life Reincarnation], sacrificing her own life to revive Rasa, then everything made sense.

After all, in the original story, Chiyo had used this technique to successfully revive Gaara after he had his chakra drained by the Akatsuki.

"I didn't expect you to sacrifice so much for Sunagakure," Danzo mused.

To be honest, there was no real distinction between good and evil when it came to Sunagakure or Konoha. It was simply a matter of differing perspectives.

Thus, Danzo couldn't help but feel some admiration for Chiyo's self-sacrifice for the sake of her village.

However, admiration aside, they were still enemies.

"I'm sorry, sensei. It's my fault for not capturing the Kazekage," Shisui said, feeling guilty.

Despite all the effort his teacher had put into securing this victory, he had let the biggest prize slip away.

"This isn't your fault, Shisui. You've done well," Danzo said, gently tapping the table, a mysterious smile on his face.

"Besides, letting the Kazekage escape might not be a bad thing for us."

Danzo said this mainly because of Rasa's outrageous actions in the original story.

These included, but were not limited to, betraying Pakura to Kirigakure in exchange for a ceasefire, testing his own son and Jinchūriki Gaara's "potential" through assassination attempts, and collaborating with Orochimaru to launch the Konoha Crush Plan, only to be double-crossed...

Thus, Danzo felt relatively at ease with Rasa as the leader of Sunagakure.

However, Shisui still looked worried.

"Could the Kazekage abandon these prisoners and refuse to negotiate with us?"

If the Kazekage decided to turtle up, Konoha really didn't have many good options at the moment.

Konoha was already facing a manpower shortage.

With so many Suna prisoners to guard, Konoha couldn't muster enough forces to continue advancing into the vast Land of Wind.

But Danzo didn't seem too concerned about this issue.

He pointed to the map of the Land of Wind and said, "Have you forgotten that there's still someone operating within the Land of Wind?"

"Minato-senpai?!" Shisui's eyes widened as he instantly understood Danzo's meaning.

Danzo smirked. "Don't worry. As long as Minato is active within the Land of Wind, Rasa will have no choice but to seek peace with us."

With Minato's speed, Sunagakure couldn't catch him, nor could they drive him away.

If anyone was caught alone, it would mean certain death.

To be precise, even if they weren't alone, they might still end up dead...

This was the "bug" Minato.

As long as Sunagakure didn't make peace with Konoha, they would never be able to resolve this lingering threat or focus their efforts on dealing with Kirigakure.

Otherwise, Konoha could simply have Minato cause some chaos within the Land of Wind from time to time.

Forget decapitation strikes; setting fires, ambushing supply lines, and other such actions were entirely feasible.

As Danzo had predicted, just one day later, Suna's jōnin, Baki, arrived at Konoha's frontline camp with orders.

Baki was dressed in classic Suna attire, wearing a brown vest and a white headscarf that covered half his face, revealing only the red tattoo on his cheek.

"Lord Danzo, I have come on behalf of the Kazekage to discuss terms of peace with your village," Baki said, bowing his head, doing his best to hide the hatred and... fear in his eyes when facing Danzo.

Unfortunately, his micro-expressions were laid bare before Danzo's Byakugan.

Danzo sat in the center chair, leaning on his cane, his hoarse voice carrying the arrogance of a victor.

"As the defeated party, Sunagakure sends only a mere jōnin like you to negotiate peace. It seems your Kazekage lacks sincerity."

Danzo slowly opened his eyes, a glint of sharpness flashing within.

"Or is it that something has happened to your Kazekage, and Sunagakure has been reduced to letting a jōnin make decisions?"

His arrogant words instantly darkened Baki's expression. Clenching his teeth, Baki replied, "Lord Danzo, our Kazekage is doing well. Thank you for your concern."

"Oh?" Danzo first showed a look of surprise, then suddenly seemed to understand. "Then it must be your elder advisor, Chiyo, who's had an accident?"

At these words, Baki's heart skipped a beat.

As Rasa's trusted subordinate, he was well aware of the truth about Chiyo's death.

Being confronted with this by Danzo made him nervous.

But he quickly steadied himself and replied, "Lord Danzo, there's no need to probe further. Elder Chiyo is also doing well."

Although he hid it well, Danzo still caught the fleeting look of panic and guilt in Baki's eyes.

Danzo's lips curled into a mysterious smile. "That's good."

He tapped the table, his tone turning serious. "Since the Kazekage and Chiyo are both alive, have them come here and negotiate with me in person!"

This finally made Baki anxious. After all, Rasa's orders were clear: he had to reach a peace agreement with Konoha as quickly as possible, even if it meant making significant concessions!

Thus, Baki could only say, "Lord Danzo, Sunagakure is truly sincere this time. It's just that the Kazekage and Elder Chiyo are unwell and cannot be present."

Hearing his reply, Danzo smiled.

By now, he was almost certain from Baki's reactions that Chiyo was indeed dead.

"Since you say Sunagakure is sincere, then tell me, what are you willing to offer to compensate Konoha for its losses?"

With such a massive advantage in hand, Danzo didn't hesitate to adopt the demeanor of a victor.

Baki was both angry and helpless.

He could only present the terms he and Rasa had previously discussed.

"If Konoha is willing to sign a peace treaty, Sunagakure will withdraw its forces from the Land of Rain and the Land of Rivers, ceding the mission markets in both countries to Konoha."

Rasa's offer immediately drew a cold laugh from Danzo.

"Jōnin Baki, if I'm not mistaken, Sunagakure has suffered heavy losses, correct?"

"In such a situation, do you really have the ability to compete with Konoha for the mission markets in the Land of Rain and the Land of Rivers?"

Baki, however, seemed to think otherwise.

"Lord Danzo, Sunagakure may not have the ability to compete for these markets now, but what about in five years? Ten years?"

"If Konoha and Sunagakure sign a treaty, Sunagakure can guarantee that for the next twenty years, our ninja will not appear in these two countries!"

This was essentially trading the village's future for peace in the present.

But Danzo wasn't interested.

The reason was simple: Sunagakure's current leader was Rasa.

In the original story, after the Third Shinobi World War, Konoha and Sunagakure had formed an alliance.

But that alliance was meaningless, as Sunagakure still joined forces with Otogakure to launch the Konoha Crush Plan.

Thus, Danzo bluntly stated, "I'm not interested in such vague promises. I want tangible benefits now."

Seeing that Danzo was unmoved, Baki fell silent.

After a moment, he said, "Lord Danzo, please tell us directly what conditions Konoha requires for peace."

"Reparations," Danzo finally stated his goal.

"I want 10 billion ryō in war reparations!"

Danzo's demand was a blatant overreach.

But the situation was different now.

During the negotiations with Kirigakure, Konoha had been facing the risk of a four-front war.

Moreover, Sunagakure's offensive had been fierce, forcing Konoha to act quickly and reach an agreement with Kirigakure.

Otherwise, Danzo wouldn't have let Kirigakure off so easily.

Now, however, things were different.

The Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning's offensives weren't particularly aggressive.

With Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and others holding the line, Danzo had plenty of time to handle the negotiations with Sunagakure.

"Impossible!"

Upon hearing the exorbitant amount, Baki immediately protested. "Sunagakure doesn't have that kind of money!"

Danzo frowned and turned to his disciple. "What do you think we should do in this situation, Shisui?"

Shisui was momentarily stunned, then carefully considered the matter.

"Sensei, I recall that the eastern region of the Land of Wind, near the Land of Rain, has a mining area."

Baki finally realized that this old man and his disciple had their eyes set on the Land of Wind's mineral resources!

"Lord Danzo, these mining areas are the lifeblood of the Land of Wind. They cannot be sold to Konoha!"

What a joke.

With the Land of Wind having already lost the salt-producing cities in the south and the mission markets in the Land of Rain and the Land of Rivers, losing the eastern mining areas would leave the people and the Daimyō with nothing.

Seeing Baki's firm stance, Danzo said understandingly, "Jōnin Baki, they don't have to be sold to Konoha. A lease will suffice."

He directly circled an area on the map. "I only want a twenty-year lease on this area. During these twenty years, all mineral resources produced in this region will belong to Konoha."

Baki glanced at the area Danzo had circled. It encompassed nearly two-thirds of the Land of Wind's mineral-rich regions.

Such a demand was impossible to accept!

Even if it was only for twenty years, it was still unacceptable!

These minerals were crucial to Sunagakure's weapons and equipment, as well as the Land of Wind's tax revenue.

"It seems Lord Danzo wishes to continue the war!" Baki said, his tone hardening.

Danzo, however, remained calm. "Jōnin Baki, you seem to have forgotten that it was Sunagakure who started this war."

"You can decide when the war begins, but I decide when it ends."

"If I don't get what I want, I have no problem continuing the war until we reach Sunagakure itself."

Danzo's tone wasn't particularly forceful, but it made Baki acutely aware of his determination.

If anyone else had said this, Baki might have dismissed it.

But when Danzo said it, he knew it was no empty threat.

Without exaggeration, Danzo was currently the most ruthless figure in the entire shinobi world!

"I will report this to the Kazekage. Farewell."

Baki left.

This marked the end of the first round of negotiations between Konoha and Sunagakure.

Danzo wasn't worried. He knew Sunagakure would come back to the table.

---

As expected, when Baki brought back the news, Kazekage Rasa flew into a rage.

But soon, a report calmed him down.

On the very day Baki's negotiations with Danzo had failed, the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze, had attacked another Suna outpost.

Moreover, his trajectory was getting closer and closer to Sunagakure itself!

This brought back memories of the fear Sunagakure had felt during the Second Shinobi World War, when they were dominated by Konoha's White Fang.

"This is a blatant threat!" Rasa fumed.

The negotiations failed, and on the same day, this happens. The warning couldn't be more obvious!

"Lord Kazekage, what should we do?" Baki asked, deeply concerned.

If Minato continued his attacks, the Land of Wind's rear would be thrown into chaos.

Not to mention, it would be impossible to focus on dealing with Kirigakure.

"Negotiate. Continue negotiating!" Rasa recalled Chiyo's final words and quickly made a decision.

"Test Danzo and see if he has any other demands. Try to minimize the concessions as much as possible!"

Baki nodded. "Understood."

Soon, Sunagakure's second offer arrived at Konoha's camp.

Sunagakure was willing to cede the mission markets in the Land of Rain and the Land of Rivers, offer a ten-year lease on a quarter of its mining areas, and pay 100 million ryō in reparations.

In exchange, Konoha would release all prisoners and form an alliance with Sunagakure.

The alliance would stipulate that if an enemy attacked either member nation, the other would declare war on that enemy.

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This Danzo Is Weird 300 advanced chapters: (5-10 ch updates everyday)

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