A special thank you to my patrons:
—Cain, Jacob Mooe, HADES, Varun Madhu, Gonzalo Sumalavia, kevin Williams, KD2001, merp., Jose Carrillo, Derek M, Joseph, Jose Sierra, AR3S, Nuro, SPabloS, Nocturnal, Impreux, Florin Durbaca, Salim, Vernan Stapleton, Pasang Sherpa.
You can read 30 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - [email protected]/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
—————————————————————
The Sand Village didn't dare take the gamble. If they bet wrong, the consequences would be catastrophic.
To put it plainly, if they didn't take the risk, they'd just have to grit their teeth and endure—it wasn't a big deal.
The news had already been sent back to the village. They'd wait for the higher-ups to decide.
But if they gambled and lost, sparking a war, the person who made that call would be in deep trouble, branded as the village's sinner.
The Sand Village's current situation couldn't support a war.
Konoha, on the other hand, had grown increasingly powerful over time.
After two days of travel, Soro finally reached the border camp. He was the one Rasa had sent to resolve the issue of the detained caravans.
As a mediator, he would represent the Sand Village to negotiate at Konoha's border camp.
But first, he needed to check in at their own camp to gather the latest intelligence and updates.
Something felt off.
The moment Soro arrived, he noticed the camp's tense atmosphere. Everyone was on edge, as if expecting a battle to break out any second.
Something big was happening.
Realizing this, Soro headed straight to the command center to meet the elite jonin in charge of the camp.
"What? You're saying Konoha's showing signs of starting a war, constantly sending people into the Land of Wind to provoke you, hoping you'll make a move?"
Soro was stunned, completely blindsided by the flood of reports. I came here to mediate the caravan issue, not to deal with a potential war!
Has Konoha lost its mind? What are they trying to do?
Both Konoha's and the Sand Village's border camps were now on a knife's edge, ready to clash at any moment.
All it would take was a single spark to ignite a border conflict.
Even if it started small, a skirmish could easily escalate into a full-scale war.
Once that happened, neither Konoha nor the Sand Village could avoid fighting—they'd be locked in.
After grasping the situation, Soro felt a wave of relief. "You did the right thing. The most important thing now is restraint. We can't make impulsive decisions. If fighting breaks out, it could spiral into a war between our villages. Since the news has been sent back to the village, we'll wait for the Kazekage's orders. Until then, we can't start a conflict."
"But Konoha's people…"
"Let them do what they want. If they're bold enough to provoke us, they must have confidence and preparations. With their strength recovering, Konoha might be itching to start a war."
After some thought, Soro abandoned the idea of heading to Konoha's camp to negotiate for the caravans.
At a time like this, who cared about caravans?
With war looming, caravan issues were irrelevant.
Mediating caravan disputes was within Soro's authority.
But when the situation escalated to the level of war, it was beyond what an elite jonin like him could handle. He could only wait for the village's orders.
Fortunately, the camp had already sent word back. By now, the village should have responded.
Detained caravans and a few arrested members were minor issues for the Sand Village.
Even the closest of villages had these kinds of small conflicts and frictions.
Didn't the Sand Village often detain Konoha's caravans too?
After sending someone to mediate, Rasa hadn't paid it much mind. But then, a new problem arose.
"Konoha's ninjas are repeatedly crossing the border into the Land of Wind to provoke us?" Rasa's eyes twitched.
This was a dangerous signal.
If Konoha's ninjas were just provoking them, they could claim they got lost, stir trouble, get a reaction, and leave.
That kind of behavior was just meant to annoy—no deeper meaning.
But Konoha's actions didn't seem like mere annoyance. They were deliberately provoking, trying to enrage the Sand Village's ninjas into attacking.
Konoha wants to start a war with the Sand Village!
That was Rasa's first thought.
But then he reconsidered—it seemed unlikely. Konoha had no precedent for initiating wars against other major ninja villages.
Since the founding of the ninja villages, Konoha had only started one war: against the Rain Village.
Even then, the Rain Village had provoked them first.
And that war wasn't fought by Konoha alone—the Sand and Rock Villages had joined in, turning it into a chaotic multi-front conflict.
"Summon Chiyo," Rasa ordered.
"Yes, Lord Kazekage."
An Anbu ninja left with Rasa's order, quickly finding Chiyo and directing her to the Kazekage's office.
Now elderly, Chiyo was semi-retired.
If not for Rasa's insistence, she would have retired alongside her brother, Ebizo.
"Looks like something big's happening in the village, sister," Ebizo said, chuckling as he held his fishing rod across from her.
"Seems like it. I wonder when this old hag can fully retire and rest," Chiyo sighed, slowly rising with a hand on her back. She glanced at her brother, now a full-fledged fishing enthusiast, and shook her head before leaving.
Ebizo, once the head of the intelligence department, had been scapegoated for certain events and forced into retirement.
Konoha had its share of dark secrets, but the Sand Village wasn't much better.
Ebizo and Yekura, who was tricked into going to the Mist Village and died, were victims. Fortunately, Ebizo's life was spared—Rasa didn't dare easily dispose of a respected intelligence veteran.
Unable to deal with him directly, Rasa had forced him into retirement, much like what happened with the Third Hokage.
"What important matter does the Kazekage need this old hag for?" Chiyo asked, shakily entering the Kazekage's office.
Her frail appearance and slow movements were deceptive.
Underestimate her as a half-dead old woman, and you'd meet a grim fate.
Rasa didn't dare put on airs in front of Chiyo. After a polite nod, he handed her the intelligence scroll.
"Konoha's border camp ninjas detained some caravan goods and arrested a few people?" Chiyo read slowly, muttering to herself, "Repeated provocations?"
In that moment, her hunched back straightened, and she radiated vitality, shedding all traces of her earlier frailty.
"Kazekage, these two incidents aren't coincidences. They're connected."
Rasa's expression was grave. "I think so too. Konoha wouldn't target us for no reason. Detaining caravans might be a fluke, but repeatedly sending ninjas into the Land of Wind to provoke us, pushing our ninjas to act, suggests they want a fight to break out."