This puppeteer is a bit... well...

Chapter 105 Disha (Please Subscribe)

It's always raining in the Land of Rain, all year round, day and night, as if the heavens are crying.

The people of this country feel the same way.

Because it is situated between three major powers, and lacks the strength to confront them.

War, plunder, sorrow...

Misfortune always seems to surround this country.

At this moment, Luo Sha also understood the feelings of the people of this country.

Following the Third Kazekage, leading three thousand ninjas to the Land of Rain, they initially thought it would be a straightforward and exhilarating war.

As a result, the army was bogged down by the little-known Akatsuki organization as soon as it arrived at Amegakure.

Two months have passed, but the task has made no progress whatsoever.

After finally making up his mind to threaten the enemy with breaking the rules of ninja, he ended up losing.

Not only did the Kazekage, who was both the de facto and spiritual leader, die, but more than a thousand ninjas also perished in the battle.

Although the enemy also suffered heavy losses, their morale was soaring.

After learning about their spirit and strength in dedicating themselves to protecting peace, many wandering ninjas and ninja clans rushed to join them.

Now, the enemy has three thousand men, and more and more foreign ninjas are joining them, allowing them to overtake the enemy in terms of troop strength.

If that were all, Luo Sha wouldn't think it was a big problem.

Two thousand against three thousand... Although outnumbered, the odds of winning are still quite good.

Sunagakure Village has a small population and has often fought against overwhelming odds since its founding. It has experienced countless wars where it was at a greater disadvantage than it is now.

The key issue is morale.

In the decisive battle where they had previously held an absolute advantage, their side suffered a crushing defeat, and even the Third Kazekage was killed. This was a huge blow to the morale of the Sunagakure ninja.

Everyone would think: when the Third Kazekage was still around, they weren't a match even with numerical superiority. Now that the Third Kazekage is gone, their numerical advantage has turned into a disadvantage, so wouldn't they be even less likely to win?

The other side, on the other hand, did the exact opposite.

I won even when I was at such a huge disadvantage, so now that I have the advantage, what reason is there not to win?

The Akatsuki organization believes in protecting peace, and their conviction is as hard as steel. If they come back with the momentum of a great victory in the next battle, they will be almost unstoppable.

The difference in morale between the two sides was so great that there was no need to investigate; one could sense it simply by listening to their movements.

The enemy camp was located on a hillside a few kilometers away.

But across the street, the lights were on, the atmosphere was lively, and celebratory sounds could be heard constantly.

Meanwhile, on our side... the vast camp was completely silent, deathly still, and even the crackling of the wildfires was clearly audible.

"Phew~"

Looking at the noisy camp across the way, Luo Sha couldn't help but sigh.

He felt that this time it was really difficult.

No matter how difficult the situation on the battlefield, he would not be so pessimistic.

But the situation is no longer as simple as just a defeat on the battlefield.

Nearly a week has passed since the death of the Third Kazekage and the subsequent defeat.

However, no information came from Sunagakure.

This defies common sense.

Whether it's providing support or deciding to withdraw troops, there should be an explanation.

But there were no instructions whatsoever.

This gave Rosa a bad feeling.

As the assistant and bodyguard of the Third Kazekage, he had long been involved in the village's power structure and was aware of the village's dark side.

He worried that with the death of the Third Kazekage, the former high-ranking officials he had dismissed would take the opportunity to cause trouble.

Without the formidable presence of the Third Kazekage, the newly promoted Round Table members would be no match for the veterans.

They are far inferior in terms of experience and cunning.

If something really happens to Sunagakure, then this war will truly be hopeless.

If it were just a disadvantage on the battlefield, he could turn the tide through skillful maneuvering, but the Sand Village headquarters in the Land of Wind... was beyond his reach.

"Ugh!"

With no one around, Luo Sha couldn't help but sigh again.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded behind me.

Luo Sha straightened his expression and returned to normal.

"Lord Rasa."

The person stopped a few steps behind.

Luo Sha didn't turn around, and calmly asked, "What is it?"

"The leader of Akatsuki wants to negotiate with you, sir."

"negotiation!?"

Luo Sha was stunned.

That doesn't make sense!

Historically, it has always been the weaker party that initiates negotiations...

Even if the Akatsuki were unaware of the events in Sunagakure, they still held an absolute advantage on the battlefield, so there was no reason for them to come to negotiate with them.

Did something go wrong?

Rasa was slightly taken aback, then turned around and confirmed, "The Akatsuki organization is here to negotiate with me?"

"Yes, the Akatsuki organization hopes that you will withdraw your troops voluntarily. They will not pursue you, nor will they demand war reparations."

Upon hearing this, Luo Sha fell silent.

He was a little confused about the situation.

The Akatsuki organization clearly holds an absolute advantage. If they launch a general offensive, riding on the momentum of their previous great victory, they could potentially win this war completely.

But instead of doing so, the other party took the initiative to seek negotiations and even offered generous terms of not seeking compensation...

This is very unusual.

Rasa first ruled out the possibility that the Akatsuki leader was an idiot.

Although they had only been fighting for a little over two months, the opponent used his familiarity with the terrain to give the Sand Village, which outnumbered them several times over, a lot of trouble.

If the Third Kazekage hadn't threatened the lives of civilians, Hanzo might not have been able to catch the enemy even after returning from the Land of Iron.

This kind of leadership ability could never come from someone who is stupid.

So, since the leader of Akatsuki is not a fool, then his decision to "give up an easy victory" is not a foolish one, but rather has a deeper meaning.

What is it?

Luo Sha pondered deeply, his brain working at lightning speed.

Is the negotiation itself a trap, a desire to achieve victory without firing a shot, or a reluctance to suffer excessive losses to the hard-won strength, thus giving up the victory already in hand?

First, we must rule out the possibility that the negotiation itself is a trap.

As the temporary leader of Sunagakure, even if he agrees to negotiations, he will definitely make thorough preparations and would not risk going to any dangerous place alone.

"So he just doesn't want his power to suffer too much loss?"

After eliminating possibilities, Luo Sha arrived at this conclusion.

Let's think about this further...

With the Rain Village already established as a ninja organization, there's no room for another large organization to survive in the Land of Rain.

If the number is only a few hundred, they can survive by picking up the scraps left over from Amegakure.

However, the Akatsuki organization has now grown to a size of over three thousand people, and it continues to grow every day... This level is already the size of a relatively weak, medium-sized ninja village.

It has already threatened Amegakure's position in the Land of Rain.

Regardless of whether the leader of Akatsuki wants to overthrow Amegakure, only one of Amegakure and Akatsuki can survive in the end.

Either Yu Yin merges with Xiao, or Xiao devours Yu Yin.

The two forces are bound to clash in the end.

It's understandable to make preparations in advance at this time.

"To be able to think so far ahead now, Yahiko will definitely become a famous figure in the ninja world in the future."

Luo Sha couldn't help but sigh.

During the two months of fighting against the Akatsuki, he met Yahiko more than once.

He was a cheerful young man with confident eyes, and even in times of crisis, he wore a reassuring smile.

Although his strength still needs improvement, he is undoubtedly a qualified leader.

Through this experience, he gained a deeper impression of the other party.

At the same time, he also felt the pressure.

They say the new generation surpasses the old, but he, this new generation, hasn't even gotten started yet, and he's already about to be crushed by the new generation.

Sasori of the Red Sand, Ryuji Ayaki, Yahiko...

(These newcomers are amazing!)

Luo Sha couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"that……"

Luo Sha looked up and saw that the subordinate who had delivered the message looked hesitant and unsure of what to say, so he couldn't help but ask, "Is there anything else?"

"Um, um..." The messenger opened his mouth, but couldn't get a coherent sentence out.

He really wanted to say that the leader of Akatsuki wasn't what he thought, but he was worried that interrupting and contradicting his superior might offend him.

Luo Sha frowned, annoyed, and said, "Just say what you have to say."

The messenger's heart sank, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "The Akatsuki members have sent word that they are negotiating with you, sir, for the sake of peace and to prevent more people from sacrificing themselves. They also hope that you, sir, will consider the peace and the lives of the many brothers in the villages and not make unnecessary sacrifices."

"Oh, I see!"

Luo Sha wasn't angry. Instead, he said thoughtfully, "Although the reason of peace is too flimsy, it is indeed a very effective slogan in this era."

The world of ninjas is rife with war.

During the era when ninjas lived in clans, war never ceased.

During the ninja village era, although there was a brief period of peace, a much longer war was about to begin.

Take the current Ninja World War as an example. It has been going on for more than ten years, but there is still no sign of it ending. Even the ninjas who make a living from war are disgusted by it and hope that peace can come as soon as possible.

When someone steps forward under the banner of peace at this time, it is easy to be deeply moved and inspire people to work together for it.

That's the current situation for the Akatsuki organization.

Of course, this "easy" is based on the premise that the other party is convinced that you are truly acting for peace.

It is absolutely impossible to achieve this level of success by merely shouting slogans without taking any real action.

That's why Rasa thought Yahiko was amazing.

As for Yahiko, he truly was working for peace...

Born and raised in war, he became involved in the power struggles among the village's elite from his teenage years, following the Third Kazekage...

Having lived through this era, Rasa simply doesn't believe anyone would stand up for peace.

Because ninjas are born to fight, and fighting creates positions and breeds hatred, which in turn expands the scale of the battle.

War will follow.

To eliminate war, we must eliminate ninjas, and thus become enemies of the entire ninja world.

No one can do that.

Luo Sha also didn't believe that any intelligent person would step forward to do such a thing.

Rasa acknowledged Yahiko's abilities, which is why he firmly believed that Yahiko would never do something to stand up for peace.

In his view, Yahiko's previous actions were nothing more than a means to win people's hearts in order to build his own power.

(End of this chapter)