The next day, news of Konoha's internal chaos spread across the entire shinobi world.
Every hidden village had its own interests. Its own designs.
And especially in a time of war, every village had spies and infiltrators planted in others.
So when something this major happened in Konoha, those spies would risk exposure if necessary just to send the news back as quickly as possible.
Sunagakure.
An intelligence shinobi rushed into the Kazekage's office.
"Kazekage-sama, the Konoha shinobi stationed at the borders of the Land of Wind have withdrawn."
Soon after, Ebizo arrived at the Kazekage Building.
The old man's face was visibly lit with unconcealed delight.
"Kazekage-sama, Konoha has fallen into internal chaos. The Uchiha have rebelled!"
"Heaven truly favors Sunagakure!"
Over this recent stretch of time, it was not only Rasa who had been under immense pressure. Ebizo had been carrying just as much.
As an elder of Sunagakure, Ebizo truly cared about the village.
He cared deeply.
Even at his age, he still fought tirelessly on the front lines.
After confirming with Rasa that they would attack Konoha through rumors, Ebizo had thrown himself into the effort with everything he had.
Doing it as well as possible. As perfectly as possible.
But Ebizo had also understood clearly that rumors could only do so much. To place all hope on them alone would be naïve.
What he had not expected was that Sunagakure's luck would be so extraordinary.
First, a suicide note had appeared in Kumogakure—one clearly stating that its owner had personally witnessed Senju Tobirama and Hiruzen Sarutobi betraying Uchiha Kagami.
Ebizo did not care whether the note was real. As long as it harmed Konoha, it was a good thing.
Second, he had not expected Konoha to handle the matter this badly—to the point that it drove the Uchiha clan into outright rebellion.
Ebizo guessed to himself—
"Has Hiruzen Sarutobi grown old and his abilities declined?"
"Not only did he fail to keep things under control, he let them develop into the worst possible outcome."
"But for Sunagakure… this is wonderful."
The moment he had received the news, he had rushed excitedly to the Kazekage Building.
Rasa nodded.
"The intelligence shinobi already reported it just now. The Konoha shinobi stationed at the Land of Wind's border have withdrawn. Now Sunagakure has only one enemy left—Kirigakure."
After Ebizo left, Rasa withdrew his gaze.
The arrival of this news made even him let out a quiet breath of relief.
For Sunagakure, the most difficult period had passed.
But Rasa was not especially emotional.
Because he knew this was not heaven favoring Sunagakure at all.
It was entirely the result of his own manipulation.
A [Forged Suicide Note]. One Uchiha Dou.
Without those two things, the rumor alone—and Ebizo's arrangements targeting a certain Uchiha—would never have been enough to plunge Konoha into internal chaos.
"These two items were incredibly effective."
"One E-rank item. One D-rank item. But for me, their practical value is even higher than a B-rank ninjutsu scroll's—especially the [One-Day Ninja Experience Card]."
"One could say that without Uchiha Dou's sacrifice, this Uchiha rebellion would never have happened."
"Konoha would never have withdrawn."
Rasa looked toward the panel.
[Name: Rasa]
[Identity: Fourth Kazekage]
[Ninjutsu: Eye of Detection, etc.]
[Taijutsu: Basic Taijutsu]
[Genjutsu: None]
[Bloodline Limit: Magnet Release - Gold Dust]
[Remaining Activations: 0]
[Remaining Points: 890]
When he saw the number, Rasa smiled.
"An increase of more than eight hundred points in a single night… Looks like the Uchiha rebellion made even more people discuss the rumor about Uchiha Kagami, and more of them believe it now."
"A little longer, and I'll be able to do another ten-pull."
Very quickly, under Rasa's orders, the news of Konoha's internal chaos, the Uchiha rebellion, and Konoha's withdrawal spread throughout all of Sunagakure.
Including the front lines.
Everyone in Sunagakure felt a weight lift from their hearts.
The pressure on the village during this period had been immense.
Some had even started to believe Sunagakure might be wiped out.
"Heaven favors Sunagakure!"
"Konoha deserves its internal chaos. We never provoked them, but they were the ones plotting to attack us. Despicable to the core. If they're falling apart now, that's their retribution."
"The Uchiha are great people!"
The frontline shinobi immediately felt the difference. With no more need to fear Konoha's forces, their counterattacks against Kirigakure became far sharper and more aggressive.
The Kirigakure shinobi were startled.
"What's going on?"
"Why have these Suna shinobi suddenly become so much fiercer?"
Jūzō Biwa came to stand before Fuguki Suikazan, glanced toward the Land of Fire, and let out a cold snort.
"I knew better than to place any hope in Konoha."
"If they had acted earlier, Sunagakure would already have fallen, and we would have carved it up by now. But no—they just had to wait for the perfect moment."
"They wanted Sunagakure to wear us down as much as possible first."
"Well? How did that work out?"
Fuguki nodded.
"If they'd made their move earlier, then even if the Uchiha rebelled afterward, the situation would have been far easier for them to handle. They wanted to harm Kirigakure, and ended up harming themselves instead."
As he spoke, Kushimaru Kuriarare approached.
Jūzō rose to his feet.
"Kushimaru, you're injured?"
Fuguki had already noticed that Kushimaru's gait was slightly off.
Kushimaru's expression was dark.
"Pakura got close without me noticing. I was hit by one of her techniques."
"How bad is it?"
"Nothing serious. A few days' rest and I'll be fine."
Fuguki's expression eased.
"That's good."
After a brief pause, he said, "Still, we have to admit it—Pakura is truly strong. And her techniques have terrifying killing power. Even the slightest touch can be lethal."
"None of us can beat her alone."
"So be careful."
Jūzō rested Kubikiribōchō on his shoulder.
"Fuguki, should we look for a chance to attack Pakura together? Four against one. She's too much of a threat to our Kiri shinobi."
"If we kill Pakura, Sunagakure won't have anyone left at that level. We'll be able to crush them much faster."
Fuguki looked at him.
"I'm already working on a plan."
"I believe it won't be long before such an opportunity appears."
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