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Are your hearts all black?
Especially you two—Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Itachi!
What the hell is with those eager looks in your eyes?
You really want to string me up that badly, just to add some entertainment for everyone?
You two black-hearted man.
To avoid getting strung up, Shikaku decisively chose silence.
Even during the celebrations, he kept his mouth firmly shut.
Shisui and Itachi had been staring at him the whole time.
"Class president, why aren't you saying anything?"
"Hahaha, are you scared of getting strung up by the advisor?"
After Kazuki's words spread, the camp's ninjas couldn't help but tease and poke fun at Shikaku.
They hoped he'd snap and say a few words, so they could see if it was really that amusing to watch the village's jonin squad leader get hoisted up.
You bunch of bastards!!!
Shikaku itched with rage, but while munching on grilled meat, he grabbed a pen and scribbled the word "bastards" on a piece of paper.
"Hahaha..."
Everyone burst into laughter, amused by Shikaku's antics.
Not being able to speak didn't mean he couldn't write—I can still curse you out on paper.
Kazuki, seated in the main position, couldn't help but chuckle:
"Shikaku."
"Sir!!"
Hearing Kazuki call his name, Shikaku responded instinctively.
But as soon as the words "Sir" left his mouth, his face darkened.
Oh, shit!
He'd fallen for it!!!
"Hahaha..."
Everyone lost it, even the Uchiha clutching their stomachs in laughter.
Fortunately, no one took it seriously—Shisui and Itachi wouldn't actually hang Shikaku.
Joking was one thing, but making it real would be crossing the line.
The Konoha camp was filled with joy.
But the atmosphere in the Sunagakure camp was far more dismal, with each ninja hanging their heads, moods thoroughly depressed.
This time, Sunagakure had lost face big time.
Rasa had already left the camp, but before departing, he'd lectured them harshly and issued a stern warning.
Whoever provoked trouble again would be a sinner against the village!!!
No one could shoulder that kind of infamy.
This round, Rasa had lost all face, but with strength not matching up, there was nothing he could do.
He'd done his best—at least he hadn't lacked the courage for negotiations and fled with his tail between his legs.
At the critical moment, he'd still managed to lead the village's ninjas to safety, only turning back after ensuring they were secure to continue handling things.
It could be said that Rasa had pushed himself to his absolute limit.
Even if it meant losing face, as Kazekage, he had upheld his duty to Sunagakure—and to everyone in the Land of Wind.
The only one who might be truly furious upon hearing this was the daimyo, who would stubbornly believe it was Sunagakure's weakness that let Rasa get bullied relentlessly by Kazuki.
"Kazekage-sama."
Upon Rasa's return to the village, Chiyo promptly set aside the documents she was handling—the rest was for Rasa to deal with himself.
Now she could finally rest and go fishing with her little brother.
With Rasa back from the front lines, it meant the border issue was resolved. Though she didn't fully approve of some of Rasa's actions, Chiyo still acknowledged his capabilities.
Otherwise, back then, she wouldn't have supported him becoming Kazekage instead of passing over Karura, who had considerable potential.
Karura had great potential and wielded a powerful kekkei genkai, but Magnet Release had practically become the standard for Sunagakure's Kazekage. That was the fundamental reason Chiyo backed Rasa over Karura.
It wasn't that Karura was lacking—it was just that she didn't have Magnet Release.
"Chiyo."
Seated in his chair, Rasa fell silent for a moment. As Chiyo turned to leave, he slowly spoke up.
Chiyo, already at the door, couldn't help but pause. She turned back to gaze at Rasa, whose expression flickered between shadows, her snow-white eyebrows furrowing toward the bridge of her nose:
"This time... it didn't go smoothly?"
"Sigh~"
Rasa let out a breath and slumped softly against the back of his chair:
"The issue's resolved, but this time, the village and I lost all face. I'm afraid for a long while, we won't be able to provoke Konoha anymore, or push for anything—hell, we'll just have to cower under their shadow."
"???"
That sounded pretty serious.
Chiyo tilted her head, pondering slowly—what exactly had happened at the border to sink Rasa's spirits this low?
This wasn't the demeanor a Kazekage should have.
"Uchiha Kazuki came to the border camp personally. The detention of the merchant caravan's goods was on his orders, and so were the infiltrations into the Land of Wind— all the provocations against us."
There was no point in hiding what couldn't be concealed. Even if Konoha didn't spread it actively, the ninjas in the know would talk.
Especially those on Konoha's side.
Something this satisfying—if there wasn't a gag order, it'd definitely leak out.
So Rasa chose not to hide it, recounting the entire sequence of events from start to finish.
"Looks like it's really not good news."
Chiyo muttered to herself, lifting her head to peer toward Konoha through the window. Soon after, she withdrew her gaze and let out her signature cackle:
"Kazekage, don't take it to heart. You've already done everything you possibly could. The fault in this incident isn't yours. You're right—Konoha is growing stronger and stronger. Just one Uchiha Kazuki is enough to force us to take them seriously. It's not good news for the village, but it's also good news. After all, Konoha won't come attacking us unprovoked. Don't you think?"
The stronger Kazuki became, the harder life would be for Sunagakure—or so it seemed in theory.
But in reality, as long as Sunagakure didn't beg for trouble, Konoha wouldn't bother with them at all, let alone target them actively.
Konoha didn't have the spare time to mess with this stuff, and besides, Sunagakure had nothing of real value to attract them.
So why worry so much?
The ones who should be concerned were the other villages—especially Iwagakure and Kumogakure. Those two were Konoha's true archenemies.
"Since Uchiha Kazuki has shown off his immense power, it means he and Konoha will now be treated and guarded against seriously by Iwagakure and Kumogakure. That works to our advantage."
Konoha's overwhelming strength actually benefited Sunagakure—this might sound grating, but it was the truth.
A steadily rising Konoha wouldn't come sniffing around Sunagakure; instead, their eyes would be on Iwagakure and Kumogakure.
By the same token, Iwagakure and Kumogakure would view Konoha as their greatest foe.
All Sunagakure needed to do was develop steadily and peacefully.
Provided they didn't stir up trouble.
"..."
So damn logical, but it still doesn't sit right with me—I'm the one who lost face!!!
Rasa felt indignant, but unfortunately, the limits of Magnet Release were right there.
He could become one of the stronger Kage-level powerhouses in the shinobi world, but pushing further... that was next to impossible.