"The frontline squad had a hole ripped through it by the enemy. Amegakure intends to destroy the personnel our Village deployed at the border of the Land of Rain."
After a brief conversation with Yuji, Sasori finally got down to business.
Clearly, Sasori had encountered other enemies from the Hidden Rain Village who had advanced into the canyon and learned the truth.
"The conflict between Amegakure and Konoha has basically ended with the conclusion of that previous great battle... Hanzou knows very well that this Ninja World War will end with Konoha's victory. So, after reducing friction with the Land of Fire, he turned his spear and aimed it at us?"
Yuji said thoughtfully.
The battle he spoke of was the confrontation between Konohas Three Legendary Sannin and Hanzou.
Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade earned the title of the Sannin because of it.
"Konoha will win?"
"The Land of Rain backing down doesn't mean our Village is ready for peace talks as well."
Sasori suddenly said in a cold voice.
Seeing his expression, Yuji understood immediately.
He had instinctively stated his analysis, forgetting that Sasori's parents had died at the hands of White Fang of Konoha.
So... Sasori's hatred for Konoha was imaginable.
But facts were facts... looking at the current situation, in a one-on-one fight, the Sunagakure, which had already suffered heavy losses, was even less likely to challenge Konoha.
However, knowing the future course of events, Yuji remained silent.
"Konoha's strength made Hanzou realize he couldn't gain any advantage. Attempting to expand, he set his sights on the Land of Wind. After all, the Land of Wind has a large territory, but its resources are relatively scarce, and most of its landscape consists of rocky terrain and deserts... Moreover, the Village is currently short-staffed, and the Sunagakure doesn't have top-tier combat power like Konohas Three Legendary Sannin to deploy on the battlefield. In this Ninja World War, several Villages are fighting on multiple fronts... Even if the Village's control over the border is adequate, once something happens, mobilizing personnel and support, including subsequent investment in the battlefield, is very weak."
"Besides Amegakure and Konoha, we also have to watch out for the Hidden Mist and Iwagakure... Hanzou's vision is indeed ruthless."
Yuji thought to himself.
Amegakure's raid on the Land of Wind's border was likely because they saw that the Sunagakure would not call a truce with Konoha in the short term.
Although the Sunagakure was one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, it was indeed the easiest target right now.
The flames of war between Sunagakure and Konoha alone had already overextended the Village's personnel.
This was evident from the deaths in Chiyo's family.
It's no wonder Grandma Chiyo would be so angry when she saw Kakashi in the future; the two sides were mortal enemies.
"Let's go first."
Yuji came back to his senses and said.
Immediately, the three of them took their injured companion and returned to another hidden base.
Meanwhile, Endo left to inform other nearby squads of the intelligence.
Only Sasori and Yuji were left waiting at the original spot.
"His condition is a bit serious; he needs to be sent back to the Village."
Yuji looked at the Genin who had already fainted beside him and spoke.
Sasori glanced at the injured person and said, "In this environment, even if I'm not a Medical Ninja, I can tell what his end will be... Even if he's sent back to the Village, setting aside whether he can withstand the journey back, with the Village's current high medical load, they won't have time to care for a Genin like him."
"You've stayed in the hospital; you should know this very well."
"He can only blame his own lack of strength."
"..."
Hearing this, Yuji fell silent.
He knew that Sasori was telling the truth.
This was the battlefield.
"So... whether it's the Village or the Village's Ninja, they must become strong to put an end to this phenomenon."
Yuji spoke up.
Sasori looked at him but didn't respond.
"There's likely more than just these Amegakure squads that advanced in... Hanzou's idea is probably to use these vanguards to scout the border area, our personnel's base locations and routes, as well as the current level of defensive strength, to pave the way for a large-scale invasion later. Perhaps... there will be a fierce battle soon."
Yuji said.
The look Sasori cast was somewhat surprised... He only thought that as a Genin at this age, Yuji's medical skills were excellent.
He didn't expect him to have such unique insights into the connections within the battlefield situation.
"I'm not sure."
Sasori shook his head.
He had only captured a survivor and forced some secrets out of his mouth.
At their age, many things aren't considered as thoroughly as adults do.
Sasori only knew to kill enemies to protect the Village.
But Yuji's level of thinking... was clearly higher.
"The Village's current state, and the will of the high-level officials..."
Thinking of this, Yuji frowned.
Ultimately, the Sunagakure would still yield to Konoha; it was inevitable.
Because if the fight continued, the Sunagakure would definitely be the first to fall.
The Third Kazekage wasn't stupid... but as long as the Sunagakure compromised, it would be unacceptable for the Sasori in front of him.
His parents had already died in battle because of the Village's—or rather, the Third Kazekage's—decisions, and before he could even avenge them, the Village'surrendered'.
This would undoubtedly cause Sasori to darken further.
The current Sasori, although somewhat withdrawn and cold due to the death of his parents... was still within the 'normal' range.
Later, when White Fang of Konoha committed suicide, Sasori wouldn't even have a target for revenge... the dissatisfaction and loss accumulated in his heart for years would inevitably need an outlet.
And all of this would have to be borne by the Third Kazekage.
This series of events also completely severed the bond between Sasori and the Sunagakure.
He... was too disappointed.
The peace talks between Sunagakure and Konoha planted a time bomb for the future.
Actually, Sasori might not have noticed that Yuji had already met him many times before entering the Ninja Academy... Back then, Sasori still had a smile on his face; in Yuji's eyes, he was a soft, cute, and shy little boy who would sometimes blush when meeting adults.
As a transmigrator, Yuji paid quite a bit of attention to the plot characters in the Village.
But three years ago, with the death of his parents, Sasori's personality clearly changed.
He even rarely left his house, and was seldom seen even within the Village.
As for the Ninja Academy, although Sasori was in the same class as him, as a Puppeteer, most of his skills were inherited from Grandma Chiyo. With his talent, he rarely appeared at school... graduating and becoming a Genin was just a formality for Sasori.
Therefore, Sasori wasn't very familiar with his peers or people of the same age group.
"The Second Great Ninja War depleted their vitality, and Sunagakure didn't even recover by the Third Great Ninja War... combat power was always tight, which later forced Rasa to use his Bloodline Limit to manipulate Gold Dust in exchange for certain usable resources, including making his own son a Jinchuriki later; these were all necessary moves."
"Sasori had expectations for the Village, but some things..."
Yuji looked at Sasori again.
It wasn't just Sasori's parents; even the Village's female Ninja, Pakura... was a bargaining chip discarded by Sunagakure to make peace with the Hidden Mist.
The Sunagakure had done this kind of thing more than once or twice.
"Now that I've become a member of Sunagakure, I must find a way to change this situation to avoid a worse deterioration later... otherwise..."
Yuji's gaze sharpened.
He had already had this thought for a long time.
At its root... it was all because he wasn't strong enough.