The Third Espada: The Puppeteer'
Her primary ability is the manipulation of chakra threads, clearly the style of a Sunagakure puppeteer.
"Lord Kazekage."
Ōnoki's voice was unhurried but carried a sharp, mocking laughter: "If I recall correctly, your Elder Chiyo was killed by Hanzō, wasn't she?"
Chiyo, the only puppeteer in Sunagakure after Monzaemon to master the White Secret Technique: Collection of Ten Puppets, had reached the pinnacle of chakra thread manipulation jutsu.
"Her abilities and characteristics seem to align quite well with the 'Third Espada:The Puppeteer' ' described in the intelligence, wouldn't you say?" Ōnoki's tone was full of insinuation.
At this remark, the seemingly reckless Fourth Raikage's eyes flashed. A timely expression of anger appeared on his face as he slammed the table, raising his hand to point at Rasa and speaking with a booming voice: "That's right!"
"Fourth Kazekage, shouldn't you give all of us an explanation—an explanation to those Konoha and Cloud Village ninja killed by 'The Puppeteer' on the battlefield in the Land of Hot Water!"
He was just pointing his finger and yelling at Sarutobi Hiruzen, and now he's speaking up for Konoha ninja?
Rasa's eyes twitched. His hands, resting on his knees, unconsciously clenched his robes, his knuckles turning white from the force. His heart was a mix of fury and suspicion.
He had, of course, instantly considered this possibility, but these two scoundrels were blatantly making a public accusation.
They were accusing a deceased elder of Sunagakure of having her soul become an Espada that threatened the Shinobi world, trying to put Sunagakure on the spot and pin all the debt owed by 'The Puppeteer' on them.
Regardless of whether 'The Puppeteer' was the corrupted soul of Chiyo, Rasa, as the Fourth Kazekage, could never admit it in this setting.
"Lord Tsuchikage, Lord Raikage..."
Rasa suppressed the suspicion in his heart, took a deep breath, and slowly said, "Your conjectures are far too far-fetched."
"Firstly, according to the intelligence provided by Konoha, and the information gathered on the battlefield in the Land of Hot Water, 'The Puppeteer's' appearance and physique are clearly that of a young woman."
"Whereas our Sunagakure Elder Chiyo was an elderly woman. Aside from hair color, they are completely different!"
"Secondly, while there are few ninja in the Shinobi world proficient in puppetry and skilled in manipulating chakra threads, Elder Chiyo is certainly not the only one."
"The dead puppeteers are countless."
He looked at Ōnoki and the Fourth Raikage and said sternly: "To jump to conclusions based solely on the characteristic of 'thread manipulation' and link 'The Puppeteer' to Elder Chiyo..."
"Lord Tsuchikage, Lord Raikage, I cannot concur with your baseless accusation!"
With that, Rasa's gaze no longer lingered on Ōnoki and the Fourth Raikage but slowly swept over Yagura Karatachi and Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"In contrast..." he began, "The newly added 'Fourth Espada: Malevolent Eye' can already be confirmed as the dead soul of Konoha's Uchiha Fugaku!"
"And the 'Hollow' taken from the Hidden Mist by the 'First Espada: Vortex', according to the intelligence, is the corrupted soul of a deceased member of the Kaguya Clan!"
"As for the last known member, the 'Second Espada: White Fang'..."
Rasa's gaze stopped on Sarutobi Hiruzen—or rather, it bypassed Sarutobi Hiruzen and fixed on the crimson curtain behind him.
"If 'The Puppeteer' can be regarded as Elder Chiyo by you..."
Rasa's voice stretched slightly as he spoke: "The name 'White Fang,' and that fighting style... isn't it even easier to guess who that is?"
All eyes instantly swiveled to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
More accurately, they turned toward the curtain behind him, as if trying to pierce through the fabric and see the figure with the darkened eyes hidden behind it.
"..."
Behind the curtain, Hatake Kakashi had clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles white from the effort.
His suddenly disordered breathing and tight, trembling body showed the horror and rage rising within him.
His father became an enemy of Konoha and the Shinobi world?
Are these guys saying his father turned into one of those monsters after death?!
"You!" Kakashi instinctively took a step forward.
He could endure insults to himself!
He could endure questioning Konoha!
But his father, who had committed suicide out of repentance for failing an important mission during his lifetime!
After death, why should he be branded as a monster by these people!
Just as the anger deep in his throat was about to break free, a calm and firm hand pressed down on his shoulder.
"Absolutely impossible!"
Hyūga Kawa's voice was definitive, carrying an undeniable coldness: "Hatake Sakumo-senpai sacrificed his life thirteen years ago."
"His soul has long since returned to the Pure Land; there is no way he could have become some inexplicable 'Espada.'"
But faced with Hyūga Kawa's rebuttal, Rasa let out a cold sneer.
"Absolutely impossible?" His voice suddenly rose: "Don't forget what the man who called himself 'Shadow' and 'Death' said before he left your Konoha!"
"He said, 'My Lord has returned to the world'!"
He pronounced each word as if announcing a verdict. Then, his gaze swept over everyone present, and he said coldly: "What does this mean?"
"It means the 'Hollow World' has existed long before we ever noticed it!"
"And 'Hollows' are formed from the souls of humans who died harboring negative emotions like hatred and despair!"
Here, Rasa deliberately slowed his speech, sneering: "How your Konoha's Hatake Sakumo died, you Konoha ninja should know better than I do, shouldn't you?"
"Do you dare to say that he harbored no hatred? No resentment? No despair?"
As the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure, who had recently been at war with Konoha, Rasa was arguably one of the people present with the deepest hostility toward Konoha.
Therefore, he had no hesitation in bringing up Konoha's past trauma, effectively pouring salt into the wounds of Kakashi and Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"You..." Rasa wanted to say more.
"Enough!"
A furious roar suddenly exploded, cutting off his words.
Sarutobi Hiruzen abruptly stood up. His usually composed face was now covered with fury, and he glared fiercely at Rasa: "Lord Kazekage, you've gone too far!"
"Hehehehe..."
Ōnoki narrowed his sharp, glittering small eyes, his face wearing the smile of an old fox as he slowly said, "Lord Hokage, don't be impatient like a young man."
"We are merely discussing a possibility. Why are you so nervous?"
"If the Mizukage's conjecture is established, then the enemies we face truly are quite a few 'old acquaintances.'"
Ōnoki's words, which were ostensibly a plea for calm but were actually designed to fan the flames and provoke, caused Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression to darken slightly.
It also made the atmosphere inside the shrine even more tense and oppressive.
This Five Kage Summit targeting the 'Hollow World' was different from the one in the original story that targeted the Akatsuki.
The original Five Kage Summit was based on years of peace in the Shinobi world, during which the five great nations were undergoing military downsizing and were essentially at peace.
But now, due to one person's manipulation, the wars between the five great nations have not ceased. They are still in a state of military expansion, and the relationships between the five great villages are highly strained.
Even in the calmer situation of the original story, the Five Kage Summit nearly erupted into direct conflict several times. It was even more likely to happen in the current tense state.
No one spoke.
The air seemed to have solidified into a powder keg, needing only a single spark to explode.
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