Still steeped in sorrow and dazed from grief, Chiyo slowly rose to her feet after Rasa finished his analysis.
"Veigar Koshima. Konoha."
At this moment, Chiyo's heart was gripped by an uncontainable hatred, hatred toward Veigar, and toward Konoha.
"Advisor Chiyo, are you alright?"
Rasa, clearly alarmed by Chiyo's fragile state, was quick to voice his concern.
"Rasa… I will avenge my brother."
Though her voice was calm, it only made her resolve more chillingly clear: Chiyo's heart was dead set on vengeance.
"I understand," he replied.
"I too mourn the loss of Elder Ebizō."
"But as the Kazekage, I beg you, before you act, consider what the village can currently withstand."
"It's not that I don't want to avenge him… nor will I forget this grudge. When the time comes, I will take the killer's life for Elder Ebizō."
"So please… I ask this of you."
He ended with a deep, respectful bow.
Rasa knew all too well, contradicting Chiyo now would only incite her wrath and throw Sunagakure's already fragile political situation into chaos. He had only just assumed the mantle of the Fourth Kazekage. If he clashed with Chiyo now, it could spell disaster.
So, he did the only thing he could, appeal to emotion and bind her with the moral weight of the village's survival.
...
Kikyo Mountain, Konoha Frontline Command Center.
Barely half an hour had passed since Veigar brought back the wounded Regan to Kikyo Mountain.
But the shocking news had already spread like wildfire: Shimura Regan had led over two hundred shinobi in an assault on the Suna encampment, and was the only one who made it back. His entire force had been annihilated, and he now lay in the field hospital, barely clinging to life.
The blow to the morale of Konoha's frontline forces was catastrophic.
This was Regan, a seasoned jonin of the Shimura clan. Many had watched him march out with his squad from Kikyo Mountain just the day before.
And now?
Only the commander had returned, critically wounded and stretchered in by others.
What were the shinobi supposed to think?
Was Suna truly that powerful?
Even before Regan could be held accountable for the mission's failure, he had already lost all face. Though he retained his jonin rank, his authority had evaporated.
One could only imagine the resentment waiting for him back in the village once word spread.
Now confined to the hospital and officially listed as "critically injured," Regan dared not show his face, he could only lick his wounds in silence.
Command Center.
Orochimaru stood silently, his cold gaze fixed in the direction of the field hospital. His snake-like tongue flicked out, licking his lips with subtle satisfaction.
"Annoying fly… finally silenced."
Yes, to Orochimaru, Regan was nothing more than a buzzing nuisance. Backed by Danzo, he wasn't someone Orochimaru couldn't deal with, but someone he chose not to, for now. He still needed Danzo's support. That's why he had tolerated Regan's presence until now.
But with the news out, Orochimaru convened a new war council, summoning the ranking jonin to the command room.
Tsunade sat beside him, her sharp gaze locked unwaveringly on Veigar.
"Everyone," Orochimaru began, his voice laced with frost, "Regan failed. Utterly. Over two hundred of our shinobi lie dead in the Land of Rivers."
"He'll answer for this once he recovers. But now, we have something even more urgent to address."
"What are your thoughts on the current situation?"
The room fell into stunned silence.
While they had already heard the rumors of Regan's defeat, many had harbored doubts. But now, with Orochimaru himself confirming the news, there was no room left for disbelief.
Shock rippled through the room.
Just yesterday, a jonin-led force of over two hundred had left the command post.
And today… they were gone.
Just like that.
Seeing the silence, Orochimaru turned to Veigar.
"Veigar. Speak your mind."
Without a hint of fear, Veigar stepped forward and calmly stated:
"To take something, one must first give. To win, we must first retreat."
His words sent a jolt through the entire room.
"What?"
"Retreat?!"
Tsunade was the first to react with stunned disbelief.
"Are you joking?" she snapped.
Beside her, Minato's eyes widened in shock.
Even Tsunade and Minato, two of the most respected and powerful ninja present, were taken aback. The rest of the room was reeling.
Even Orochimaru, with all his calculating foresight, hadn't expected this.
Still, he held his tongue and asked:
"Why retreat?"
"Do you understand the consequences of such a move?"
Veigar's expression remained calm as winter frost.
"I do."
Orochimaru pressed on.
"Then give your reasoning."
He had placed high expectations on Veigar, expectations that this suggestion seemed to defy. Still, he chose to hear him out.
With no change in his expression, Veigar spoke again:
"Soon, the Suna forces will launch a full-scale assault on our frontlines. If we don't pull back, our troops may never return."
And the unspoken reason?
They would die.
Shikaku Nara, Konoha's lead strategist, narrowed his eyes.
"Are you certain?"
"What makes you so sure Suna will go on the offensive?"
Veigar's gaze remained still, cold and depthless, like still water or the biting winds of winter.
"Because… I killed one of Suna's high council elders, Ebizō."
His words struck like thunder on open ground. A nuclear bomb dropped into the deep sea.
"What?!"
"WHAT?!"
"YOU DID WHAT?!"
Gasps echoed through the room.
Every eye turned to Veigar in disbelief, even Minato, Shikaku, and Tsunade stared, their jaws slack with shock.
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