Konoha Notes

Chapter 246 Follow-up
On the fourth day after Loulan was completely cut off, an uneasy cloud hung over Sunagakure.

However, the fact that the Wind Shadow had already gone there in person earlier offered them some comfort.

But when the first liaison team returned hastily with their discoveries from the ruins, that little bit of comfort was shattered.

Loulan is gone.

It wasn't a tactical retreat, nor a temporary defeat; it was literally "gone." The once rugged ruins were utterly flattened by some violent force, and the sealing squad, the puppet troops... all the stationed personnel perished. The meticulously crafted dragon vein puppets were scattered all over the ground, leaving only unrecognizable fragments.

Feng Ying has disappeared without a trace.

Ebizo personally led his team to Loulan, while his sister, Elder Chiyo, led the main force of Sunagakure to deploy in the Yixiantian Gorge.

The rock walls on both sides of the canyon were covered with a large number of explosive tags. Chiyo stood on the high ground, her wrinkled face expressionless.

She was waiting, but she didn't know whether Ebizo's message would arrive first, or Konoha's vanguard would arrive first.

The Sand Village's air force has been deployed, circling around the border, awaiting new orders.

The camp in Konoha was quiet, with no signs of advance.

Until a messenger broke through the sandstorm, bringing news that Chiyo did not want to hear.

"Feng Ying is still nowhere to be found, and the dragon vein has been resealed using the same technique."

Machi arrived with the messenger.

He was one of the two teams of messengers.

After confirming the situation in Loulan, Ebizo sent two teams. One team came here to ascertain Konoha's attitude.

One team went to Iwagakure in the Land of Earth to inform Onoki of the current situation in Sunagakure.

Chiyo calmly accepted reality, watching Maki's squad head towards the front-line outpost of Konoha.
-
This time, Maki was given the privilege of being seated, and Konoha arranged for a command post carved out of the mountainside to serve as the meeting place.

Following procedure, the Sand Village Jonin reiterated Sand Village's desire to reach a peace agreement, emphasizing that they were only entrusted by the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers to undertake a period of homeland defense mission.

This time, Shuji did not stop Maki from saying those things.

He would even nod slightly occasionally to show that he was listening.

"...Therefore, we believe that the previous conflict between the two sides stemmed from a misunderstanding of their respective mission objectives. However, this should not affect the friendly relationship between Konoha and Sunagakure. Of course, Sunagakure is willing to take responsibility for any problems that arise in the process and seek solutions." Maki's wording was extremely cautious.

“Alright,” Shuuji said. “Until Konoha has thoroughly investigated the events in the Land of Rivers, Sunagakure shall not accept any further official commissions from the Land of Rivers. Secondly, Sunagakure shall compensate Konoha for the losses caused by this unilateral action. The specific amount and form will be discussed by our diplomatic personnel later.”

Maki listened to the conditions demanded by the Konoha front-line commander opposite him.

This is acceptable to Sunagakure.

As a risky attempt, this punishment is to be expected.

After a moment of silence, Maki raised his head, his voice lowering: "Mr. Shuji... Lord Kazekage, is he... still alive?"

Shuji looked at him without looking away or showing any extra emotion: "Dead."

Then he turned his head and gestured to the Konoha ninja behind him.

Two ninjas carried a body covered with a white cloth forward and placed it next to Maki.

"The fact that they only took him away shows Konoha's respect for Sunagakure."

"After all, we don't know when you will arrive in Loulan."

"Now that you're here, take him back."

Maki lifted a corner of the white sheet, revealing familiar clothing and hair color, confirming the deceased's identity. He covered the body with the sheet again, turned to Shuji, and bowed his head: "...Thank you, Mr. Shuji."

The Sand Village Jonin said no more, and ordered his accompanying ninjas to lift Rasa's body. "I will bring back Rasa's body intact, as requested by Mr. Shuji," Maki said. "Please allow Sand Village to discuss the follow-up matters internally before further communication."
-
A pointless attempt.

This is what the Fourth Raikage, A, thought after learning that Rasa had brought his people to the Land of Rivers. After the formation of the Five Great Ninja Villages, without any power that could overcome the limitations, none of the villages could do anything to the others.

The Land of Rivers, which was originally reserved as a buffer zone, will only be dragged into an endless cycle of attrition when Sunagakure targets it.

How could the barren land of the Land of Wind support the Sand Village and Konoha in a protracted war?

In the first year, Luo Sha could reap some benefits, but what about after that?

If things don't go well on the front lines, Konoha might lower its stance and start using other methods to prevent Sunagakure from gaining the benefits it envisioned, even if it acquires the Land of Rivers.

Just like what Root did to wealthy merchants who tried to sell grain to Kumogakure during the years when Konoha and Kumogakure were at odds.

With Konoha losing its geographical security, don't expect them to be very reserved.

Even if you had money back then, you couldn't buy anything you wanted.

There is absolutely no buffer zone between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Fire. This is a place that Konoha would never give up to Sunagakure, even if it turned the Land of Rivers into a wasteland.

Sunagakure did not stay for long.

Finally, Ai came to a conclusion.

But he hadn't expected Sunagakure to retreat so quickly. Even with a considerable amount of their fighting force tied up by Iwagakure, Konoha still easily repelled Rasa.

Shuji is a user of Wood Release.

Despite its seemingly frail appearance, it suppressed Darui's physical strength and powerful ninjutsu.

And then there's Tsunade's attitude towards him when they met.

"That guy is Senju."

Another Senju clansman with Wood Release has appeared in Konoha.

Large-scale wars are yielding increasingly lower returns. A trade and mission-based system operating in a peaceful environment is the future.

The platform showcasing the presence and power of the ninja village will be the completion rate of various high-level missions, as well as the various competitions that are currently visible and will continue to be held in the future.

Depending on the situation, the standoff between Konoha and Sunagakure will continue at least until next year, before Sunagakure falls into a predicament of resource shortage.

Konoha will not withdraw its troops until Rasa completely surrenders, giving him a second chance to seize an opportunity to obtain food from the Land of Rivers.

But Rasa will eventually yield, just as Kumogakure eventually gave up on war.

Their inherent disadvantages left Sunagakure with few other options.

The Hidden Cloud Village should take this opportunity to negotiate with the Hidden Leaf Village and gain more initiative in the competition.

In this situation, Konoha would make more concessions.

Ai was about to do that.

But just as he was making his plans, new intelligence struck like a thunderbolt in Kumogakure.

"What?! Rasa was killed by Shuji?!"

"Sunagakure offered peace, and Konoha... agreed?!"

"Will Sunagakure still send a team to participate in this year's Chunin Exams as usual?!"

(End of this chapter)