At dawn, in front of the Fourth Kazekage Rasa's residence in Sunagakure.
"Knock! Knock! Knock!"
"Who is it?"
"Lord Kazekage, something has happened!"
"Wait!"
After a series of hurried footsteps, the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, dressed only in a sleeping robe, opened the door. His expression darkened when he saw the ANBU shinobi standing outside.
"Yashamaru, what happened? Is something wrong with Bunpuku?"
Looking at his anxious brother-in-law, the only major incident Rasa could think of at that moment was something happening to the village's One-Tail Renchūriki!
Sunagakure's One-Tail Renchūriki, Bunpuku, was already advanced in age and nearing the end of his life. He could die at any moment.
To prevent Sunagakure's ultimate weapon, Shukaku, from dying along with its Renchūriki, the village had recently been making preparations to extract Shukaku from Bunpuku's body in advance and seal it inside the ninja tool known as the Black Tea Kettle, after which they would select a new Renchūriki.
The only shinobi in Sunagakure capable of suppressing Shukaku was the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa. However, Rasa had been seriously wounded during the recent Battle of Kikyō Mountain and had yet to fully recover.
As a result, the matter had been delayed until now. Elder Chiyo had also been doing everything she could to prolong Bunpuku's life.
If something went wrong at this point, it would undoubtedly be a disaster for Sunagakure!
"No. Something has happened along the border. One of our outposts has been attacked!"
"Someone has already gone to inform Elder Chiyo and Elder Ebizō. Lord Kazekage, please hurry to the Kazekage Tower as well!"
Yashamaru explained the situation at breakneck speed, clearly anxious.
"Wait a moment!"
Rasa's expression immediately became serious. He turned and headed back inside.
Since he was going to attend a meeting at the Kazekage Tower, there was no way he could go dressed only in a sleeping robe.
As the Kazekage, he still had to maintain his dignity.
Before long, with the help of his wife, Karura, Rasa had changed into his Kazekage robes and stepped outside.
"Karura, it's probably nothing serious. Stay home and take care of Temari and Kankurō."
Rasa's wife, Karura, was also an elite shinobi of Sunagakure and was qualified to attend the meeting.
However, Karura was already seven months pregnant, her belly considerably enlarged and her movements inconvenient. Rasa therefore had no intention of having her accompany him.
"Don't worry, Sister. Everything will be fine!"
Seeing Karura's worried expression, Yashamaru, who was standing at the door, also offered a word of reassurance.
"Mm. Hurry to the Kazekage Tower. Don't keep everyone waiting. I'll take good care of myself!"
Karura nodded and escorted Rasa to the door.
Rasa and Yashamaru didn't waste any more time. After saying goodbye to Karura once more, they vanished into the darkness and hurried toward the Kazekage Tower.
Only after their figures disappeared into the darkness did Karura withdraw her worried gaze, close the door, and return inside.
Soon, Rasa and Yashamaru arrived at the brightly lit Kazekage Tower.
By the time they entered the conference room, Elder Chiyo, Elder Ebizō, and the rest of Sunagakure's senior leadership had already gathered.
Rasa walked directly to the seat of honor and immediately asked,
"What exactly happened? Which outpost was attacked? Was it Kumogakure? Iwagakure? Or perhaps Kirigakure? And what is the current situation?"
The attack on a border outpost had certainly caught Rasa by surprise, but it wasn't entirely unacceptable.
Although the Land of Wind was poor and barren, it was still one of the Five Great Nations of the Shinobi World. It was impossible for it to remain on the offensive indefinitely without eventually being attacked itself.
Moreover, something like this had happened before.
During the Third Shinobi World War, Kumogakure had launched a surprise attack against Sunagakure by sea. Rasa had repelled the attacking Cloud shinobi during that incident, and that victory had ultimately cemented his position as the Fourth Kazekage.
"It's not Kumogakure, Iwagakure, or Kirigakure."
Maki, the head of Sunagakure's ANBU, spoke.
"The outpost that was attacked was one of ours in the Land of Rivers. Judging from the distribution of forces in the region, the most likely culprit is Konoha."
"Konoha?!"
Rasa and most of the Sunagakure leaders who had yet to hear the news froze.
A similar thought appeared in everyone's minds.
How could it be Konoha?
Why would it be Konoha?
They had considered many possibilities. Even if some small country had lost its mind and attacked them, they could have accepted it.
But how could it possibly be Konoha?
To exaggerate the comparison, the situation between Konoha and Sunagakure was like that between a fabulously wealthy man and a beggar on the street.
Would a wealthy man go out of his way to rob a beggar?
Moreover, given Konoha's longstanding tendency to remain on the defensive and endure attacks from others, how could it possibly take the initiative to attack another village?
Rasa frowned.
"Maki, have you confirmed this? Was it really Konoha?"
Maki replied, "Yes. The enemy's assault was extremely powerful. The entire outpost in the Land of Rivers was completely destroyed, and there were no survivors! The defenders didn't even have time to send out a warning!"
"It was only after the border patrols noticed the disturbance and went to investigate that they discovered what had happened."
"According to the reports, all the traces left at the scene indicate that the attackers came from the direction of Konoha's outpost. They have already crossed the border and entered the Land of Wind!"
"And among the forces in the vicinity, Konoha is the only one capable of accomplishing something like this."
"They've entered the Land of Wind?"
Rasa was shocked. He slammed his hand onto the table and stood up.
"What are they trying to do? Have we located them?"
Maki's expression was solemn.
"They don't seem to have any intention of concealing their movements. Judging from their route, they're heading straight for Sunagakure!"
The moment those words were spoken, everyone's expression changed.
Everyone knew what kind of state Sunagakure was currently in.
It would not be an exaggeration to call this the most vulnerable the village had ever been.
If Sunagakure were attacked at a time like this...
No one dared imagine the consequences.
Rasa's expression was extremely grim.
"Why is Konoha attacking us? Is it because we don't want to pay reparations? That's merely our negotiating position! We haven't even officially begun negotiations yet!"
"Konoha is seriously playing dirty!"
Elder Chiyo narrowed her eyes.
"Kazekage, now isn't the time to speculate about Konoha's intentions. We need to prepare for battle!"
Rasa suddenly came to his senses. He was no longer concerned with his anger and immediately asked,
"How many of them are there? When will they arrive?"
Maki answered, "Based on the traces left at the scene, at least two thousand. They will reach the village in no more than twenty hours!"
Rasa asked again, "How many troops can we mobilize from within the village?"
Maki replied, "At most fifteen hundred. If we transfer troops from the border, it will take at least a day."
Rasa closed his eyes and thought for a moment.
"In other words, we need to hold them off for at least four hours... We absolutely cannot let the battle take place inside the village. Otherwise, we'll be far too passive."
A sharp glint flashed through Rasa's eyes.
"We must take the initiative and attack!"
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