"That was an interesting fight, Kazekage-dono. Your daughter is very talented." Orochimaru spoke, his eyes almost glinting in excitement. He liked the ninjutsu display very much. Especially the first wind technique. He had never seen something like that, and he guessed it had to be the girl's original.
His eyes never left her back as she huffily walked out of the arena. He did not even notice how he liked his lips.
He wanted that jutsu.
Hearing Orochimaru's praise made Rasa feel very satisfied. But he had seen that little slip of a tongue, causing him to tense. After all, this was still Orochimaru he was talking about. They might be secret allies, but he didn't trust the man.
"Thank you, Otokage-dono. I am very proud of her and contemplate grooming her as my successor." Rasa said in a measured tone, inclining his head slightly forward to make the hat cover his eyes, creating an air of mystery.
But his words were also a hidden warning. One he knew Orochimaru would catch. It was practically, 'Back off. She is mine.'
"Indeed." Hiruzen decided to join the conversation with a cheerful tone as Orochimaru pursed his lips. "She did seem a bit too powerful to be in these Exams. So, she is the Kazekage-dono's chosen successor. Now it makes sense, hehehe."
Rasa's lips twitched at that hypocritical, two-faced critique veiled as praise, and even Orochimaru let out a small, amused chuckle.
It was infuriating for Rasa because he couldn't retort. Temari was a Jonin-level combatant. Maybe she was not at the level of his topmost elites. The girl lacked combat experience. But skill-wise, she was already there.
And thus, she should have been promoted to chunin long ago. The old geezer was basically accusing Rasa of deliberately keeping her as a genin to show off!
Rasa gave Hiruzen a quick look full of derision before he schooled his expression. "Thank you for the praise, Hokage-dono. The Aburame boy was stronger than I expected, too. He made Temari truly struggle. It seems Konoha has some strong seedlings in this generation."
Translation? Politely fuck off. You did the same.
Because the Aburame boy was definitely not some run-of-the-mill genin. The fact that he put up a decent fight against his daughter meant he had the skill not to be instantly defeated.
Also, Aburame bugs were kind of a counter to the war fan users in one versus one. Not many war fan users could make the airwaves sweep everything in three hundred sixty degrees around them. Usually, the Aburame could swarm them from multiple sides, and at least some bugs would succeed at reaching their opponent, making it a game over.
Of course, it was not exactly such a clear-cut case. The war fan ninjas had their own advantages in the match-up, but overall, the Aburame should have had the upper hand.
And Rasa did not doubt the match-up was deliberate. Of course, it was the children who randomly drew their opponents, right? He inwardly rolled his eyes with a snort. As if there were not a hundred ways to manipulate such a draw.
In Rasa's opinion, Hiruzen was just butthurt that his Konoha genin lost despite having all advantages stacked in his favor.
"Yes. Shino had shown remarkable strategic thinking during that short match." Hiruzen nodded, barely suppressing his lips from twitching. As an old hand at politics, he naturally understood the hidden meaning behind Rasa's words.
Taking a leisurely drag from his pipe, Hiruzen continued, "I guess he is simply too young and inexperienced to truly match somebody trained as Kazekage-dono's successor. Haaa~, such a pity." His lips slightly curved up at how Rasa briefly stiffened.
Everybody knew that overtraining was bad for kids. And looking at that Temari girl? Hiruzen felt a twinge of pity for her. Because no child could get to that level without being trained to the breaking point. Especially since she did not possess an active bloodline or any special physique.
While other kids her age were enjoying their childhood, the girl was most likely kissing the ground of her training ground, physically exhausted and on the verge of chakra exhaustion.
Hiruzen could only mentally shake his head.
Alas, that was the nature of their world. Hiruzen understood it better than most. He also understood Sunagakure's not-so-recent financial struggles. He really hoped that Rasa would open diplomatic talks with him about these issues after the matches were concluded.
Unfortunately, Hiruzen couldn't do that himself. It would have been overstepping his bounds and bringing up their problems without them asking for help first was a big no-no. As much as Hiruzen disliked it, that's how the game was played.
It wasn't as if such a thing was happening for the first time in history either. Konoha had a similar situation with Kirigakure after the Second War. Thankfully, the Third Mizukage was a reasonable man. They sat down. They talked. They argued. They negotiated. And in the end, they made a solution that made both of them dissatisfied, but they could agree on it for the greater good of their respective villages.
Crisis solved.
Well, not really. Kiri still got screwed. But that was because of their internal issues. Some idiots in high positions did not like that their Kage reached a diplomatic resolution with Konoha. The Third Mizukage was exchanged for the Fourth, and we all know how that ended.
Not that he could throw stones from his glasshouse about idiots in high positions. Danzo's mug suddenly appeared in Hiruzen's mind for a moment, and his mood soured.
Half of these issues with Suna were most likely Danzo's fault anyway. It sounded like something he would have done.
And the sad part? Hiruzen couldn't fault Danzo for it. Konoha benefited while Suna suffered. He only wished that Danzo targeted somebody who was not their ally.
"With how strong the girl was, I wonder what kind of display your son will show us, Kazekage-dono." Orochimaru suddenly spoke, dragging Hiruzen from his thoughts back to reality. "I heard the boy is extremely dangerous. So much so that he was never, even once, hurt during his career." He chuckled in that usual, sinister way of his that made Hiruzen's skin crawl.
Rasa slightly shifted in his seat in a rare show of discomfort, but it was gone as soon as it happened, and Rasa regained his stone-faced exterior. "Yes. Gaara is strong."
"Then why not groom the boy as your successor?" Hiruzen asked out of curiosity. Rasa really had only three choices there. Because of the political structure of Suna, the next Kazekage will be either one of his children or his apprentice.
An apprentice he did not have.
If Gaara was the strongest among his siblings, then he sounded like the best bet, no?
Of course, Hiruzen was also subtly fishing for information. The boy looked alright, but his murderous looks when his facade broke were concerning. There was also that subtle air of tension around him at all times.
He had already asked Jiriaya what he knew and dispatched a few ninjas to find out more, but so far? Nothing. Other than the boy having a massive talent with his clan's sand manipulation bloodline and being a deranged murderer from an early age due to Rasa's screwed up attempts to turn him into a weapon, nothing of importance was uncovered. Suna had locked the boy's information very tightly.
That in itself was suspicious.
Hiruzen even suspected the boy of being a jinchuuriki. It would all fit. Except, Bunpuku, the previous jinchuuriki, should still be alive. Not much intel about that could be reached, as Suna loved to lock their jinchuuriki in prison for some unfathomable reason.
"Gaara is not suited for the job. He is a good ninja. Nothing more." Rasa succinctly spoke, giving away nothing, but his tone made it obvious he wished this conversation to be over.
Hiruzen could prod more. Maybe about his other son? But he decided to stop while he was ahead. Honestly, the whole idea of a female Kazekage was rubbing him the wrong way. There was a reason why he never considered Tsunade for his successor while she was still in Konoha.
Really. A female Kage. What a concept.
... Or was it?
Hiruzen's face scrunched as he for the very first time seriously considered that option. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad?
"Your son is going to fight Sasuke Uchiha, right?" Orochimaru asked, diverting the topic and not truly expecting an answer as he continued speaking. "But the boy is not here yet. What are we going to do if the Uchiha doesn't show up on time?"
Seeing that he had gotten the attention of both Kages, Orochimaru's eyes gleamed. "Shall we... disqualify him then?" He asked, an amused slyness dripping from his tone, and Hiruzen quietly snorted.
The bastard knew that Konoha used the Uchiha name for advertisement. Many nobles and merchants were here specifically to see Sasuke fight. Disqualifying the boy would hit Konoha's reputation.
But at the same time, Hiruzen knew Orochimaru was also most likely here for Sasuke. If the boy got disqualified, the man would not be happy either.
No. He brought the issue up to screw with Hiruzen.
'Alas, you are still a hundred years behind the apes to mess with me, brat.' Hiruzen grimly thought as he glanced at Orochimaru.
"Yes. If Sasuke Uchiha does not show up on time, he will be disqualified. Such are the rules. We can't have a tardy chunin in our forces, now, can we?" Hiruzen easily spoke, utterly ignoring the irony of speaking about tardiness while Kakashi was one of his best Jonin.
To be honest, Hiruzen felt a small headache forming. He really hoped Kakashi was not going to pull some bullshit. He would know better, right? Because Hiruzen had already given his word, and now he had to keep it.
Orochimaru's sly smile instantly evaporated, not expecting that answer. He opened his mouth to argue, only to realize there was nothing he could say. His eye twitched in annoyance as Hiruzen threw him a smug smirk.
He threw Rasa a subtle, alarmed glance, but before they could speak more about it, Hiruzen waved his hand at one of his guards, ordering the next match to be started.