The senior ninjas present had, to some extent, considered what Li Fan had said.But no matter how much they thought about it, their emotions wouldn't allow them to admit the truth.
The first to speak was Aoki Jōnin. Unable to bear the oppressive silence any longer, he finally broke it with a hoarse voice:
"Even so… we should mobilise the entire village to search for the remains of the Third Master. No matter how powerful the murderer is, there's no way he could have left no trace at all!"
Li Fan glanced at Aoki Jōnin, recalling Luo Sha's memories.This man was the very definition of a puppeteer with strong limbs but a simple mind.And yet, that same physical strength, combined with his excellent close-combat skills and remarkable puppet mastery, made him one of Sunagakure's most formidable shinobi.
The proof was clear — despite being a puppeteer, there were no facial lines marking his features.Only recognised elite puppeteers could forgo such tattoos, because their skill itself was the proof.
Li Fan shook his head.
"We could certainly mobilise the entire village to search — but let's not even discuss whether we'd find anything.Just by making such a high-profile move, don't you think other ninja villages would immediately take notice?It's been ten years since the Second Ninja World War. You are all the backbone of the village. I believe you clearly understand the current balance of power between other villages and our own Sand Village."
Aoki Jōnin exhaled heavily at those words. His rugged face was filled with unwillingness, laced with other, more complicated emotions.
After a moment of thought, the others present understood exactly what Li Fan meant.
Sunagakure still hadn't recovered from the Second Ninja World War. The other major villages, however, had — especially Konoha and the Cloud, both restored to their pre-war peaks.
They were no longer children. They understood.If the other villages realised the Kazekage might be missing, they would naturally seize the opportunity to strike.It wasn't a matter of morality or alliances — it was simply about interests.
And Sand's relations with the other great villages were already strained.
Chiyo remained silent for a long time. Her sagging face twitched slightly, and when her withered lips parted, her voice carried an edge of grief and anger rather than her usual composure.
"In that case, Li Fan… what do you think we should do next?"
The surrounding jōnin's eyes widened at her words, and they exchanged looks.They knew exactly what her question implied.
No one objected. Instead, they turned back to Li Fan — but this time their eyes held not anger, but expectation.
Ye Cang's emerald-red eyes also fixed on the young man beside her, standing straight and radiating calm.His measured, reasoned words shattered her old impression of him as the quiet friend who only knew how to train.
He was calm, far-sighted, and unafraid of offending senior jōnin.The realisation left her feeling strangely unsettled.
Her heart began to beat faster without her willing it. The sensation grew stronger and stronger, filling her thoughts entirely in mere seconds.
In truth, Ye Cang had never been in love — nor had she indulged in much leisure. She had no idea the strange emotion flooding her was called love.
Li Fan, unaware of the turmoil in Ye Cang's heart, let out a silent sigh of relief.He knew he had nearly convinced them.
In his past life, having read the original story, he knew exactly what would happen.The Sand Village had mobilised everyone to desperately search for the Third Kazekage — first within the village, then across the Wind Country, and finally into other lands.
The result: within days, the Cloud learned of the Kazekage's disappearance and launched a massive attack.It became the spark that ignited the Third Ninja World War.
Still recovering from the previous war, the Sand suffered catastrophic losses, later forced to fight multiple major villages at once, teetering on the brink of annihilation.
In that version, Rasa — the Fourth Kazekage — even sacrificed Ye Cang, the hero of the Mist front, sending her alone to the Hidden Mist under the pretence of signing a peace treaty.The Mist's price for negotiation was her death. Loyal and politically naive, she never knew until her final moment.
Even after that, by the time of Naruto's first Chūnin Exams, Sand still hadn't recovered. Rasa gambled on a treacherous surprise attack during the exams in Konoha — only to be killed by Orochimaru en route, his body left exposed in the desert for days before discovery.
From the start, Li Fan had viewed the current crisis as an outsider, and with his memories of the future, he could work backwards from the result.Convincing the grief-stricken, confused leadership was simple.
He finally voiced his proposal:
"I think we should prepare for war now. Begin quietly stockpiling supplies and discreetly send elite ninjas to various borders as a precaution.At the same time, double the training of our reserves, holding them to wartime standards."
He turned to Ebizō.
"You can act publicly as the Third Kazekage, but appear sparingly. The more often you're seen, the greater the risk of flaws showing.Show yourself once or twice a day, irregularly — enough to delay suspicion for ten days, maybe two weeks.Even if other villages suspect something, they won't act rashly."
Considering they didn't know the Kazekage was already dead, Li Fan added:
"Of course, we must still search. Send reliable, unoccupied ninjas who won't weaken the village's defences.Publicly, they'll have other mission reasons — but in reality, they'll be looking for the Third Kazekage."
Ye Cang's eyes shone with a new light. Her breathing caused her chest to rise and fall in graceful rhythm despite the clothes tightly wrapping her form. Her long, smooth, flawless legs tensed unconsciously together.
In a shadowed corner of the office, a tall, slender woman in a black windbreaker crossed her arms beneath her chest, emphasising her figure. A mask hid her face, but her exposed lavender eyes watched Li Fan intently. A flicker of excitement passed through them before vanishing. She nodded faintly in approval, then turned to observe the others.
Chiyo's expression openly showed approval and relief. She exchanged a glance with Ebizō, and they nodded in unspoken agreement.
Originally, Chiyo had only intended to inform the senior jōnin of the situation and coordinate a search. She hadn't expected this quiet, diligent disciple to reveal such intelligence, courage, and foresight — and such composure.
His master had vanished and was likely dead, yet there was no trace of grief on his face. For a Kazekage, that was a strength, not a flaw.It meant he wouldn't make reckless decisions driven by anger or impulse — a rare quality in Sunagakure, where scarce resources bred short-sighted thinking and impulsive tempers.
Again, Chiyo and Ebizō exchanged a look, and this time, the decision between them was clear.
"Li Fan, you're remarkable. I'm glad to see such a genius among our younger generation. But do not let your guard down — the future of our village may soon rest on you."
Her words were no longer a hint; they were a declaration. If not for the need to maintain the illusion of the Third Kazekage's presence, she might have named him Fourth Kazekage then and there.
Chiyo addressed the others:
"You're all experienced jōnin. Speak freely if you have suggestions — don't fear being wrong."
The veterans, well-versed in war, began adding their input one by one.
Li Fan's talent and calm reasoning had won most of them over. The few who still had doubts stayed silent, unwilling to challenge the authority of the Chiyo siblings.
Aoki Jōnin kept his head lowered, hiding the flicker of something in his eyes. Li Fan's argument had convinced him, but he refused to see the young man as Kazekage.
Talent doesn't make a leader, he thought. What we need is a powerful Kazekage, not just a gifted one.
He was in his prime, among the strongest of the village's hundreds of jōnin. If he could defeat Li Fan in a public spar… the boy would have no grounds to claim the title.
Li Fan, meanwhile, was quietly relieved. His future as Fourth Kazekage now seemed almost certain.
Before he could dwell on it, a cascade of system prompts filled his mind:
"Successfully altered the original plot — 300 skill points gained!""Ye Cang's favourability +5 (now 21)!""Ye Cang's favourability +8 (now 29)!""Favourability with Chiyo, Ebizō, Benizuki, and others increased!""Total favourability increase: 80 — Skill points gained: 80!"
The plot change rewards were expected, though 300 skill points felt low. But this was only a strategic adjustment, delaying the inevitable war by a month or two — not preventing it.
Ye Cang's rising favourability was no surprise either; he had noticed her gaze on him during the meeting.At 29 points, the system likely considered them good friends. With a little more effort…
As for others' favourability, he skimmed the changes and moved on, opening the "Host" interface:
Host Name: Li FanAge: 23Overall Combat Power: Ordinary personChakra Attributes: Wind, FireSkills: NoneSkill Points: 420Items: None
The wind–fire combination surprised him; for the early Shippuden era, it marked him as a rare talent.