Konoha: Starting with Sage Mode

Unlike Uchiha Homura, he did not give the Senju clan ninja an immediate answer, but instead immediately summoned the clan elders for an emergency meeting.

That night, many famous ninja clans in Konoha received Momoka's handwritten letter. Some of these clans immediately gave an affirmative reply, but many others, like the Hyuga clan, did not reply immediately.

In the Hokage Building, in the Hokage's office.

The Third Generation was looking at the letter from Momoka with a serious expression. As the head of the Sarutobi clan, he naturally received a personal letter from Momoka as well.

After reading Momoka's handwritten letter, he immediately made the same choice as Uchiha Homura.

He had no choice but to make this decision. In his view, Momoka's letter was not a request but a threat, and as the Hokage, he had no way to refuse.

His personal agreement to Momoka's request was tantamount to the Sarutobi clan agreeing to her request.

In this way, if the Sarutobi clan dares to spread rumors that are detrimental to Kirito in the future, and these rumors are proven true, then he, as the Hokage, will be in a very awkward position.

To be honest, he himself had no intention of spreading rumors to slander Kirito, but he couldn't guarantee that his own clansmen wouldn't do so.

Momoka's actions this time were undoubtedly a warning to him and to the Sarutobi clan behind him. She was making it clear that she would keep a close eye on the Sarutobi clan.

"What a clever tactic, Tao Hua. But aren't you overestimating me? Have I become so despicable in your eyes?"

The Third Hokage used a fire-style ninjutsu to burn the letter in his hand, and sighed dejectedly.

A moment later, the dejected look on the third generation's face quickly disappeared, replaced by a cold expression, and a chilling glint flashed in his eyes.

Chapter 196: The Schemes of Sunagakure and Kumogakure

While Konoha was embroiled in internal problems due to protests from other ninja villages, Sunagakure was also troubled by Ebizo's death and the loss of the One-Tailed Beast.

The number of Kage-level shinobi in Sunagakure was already small, with only four at most: the Third Kazekage, Chiyo, Ebizo, and Bunfuku, the Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast. Now, with the loss of two of them and the One-Tailed Beast, the blow to Sunagakure is catastrophic.

The loss of the One-Tailed Beast, in particular, deprived Sunagakure of a powerful force of equal strength in its battles against other major ninja villages.

For Sunagakure, this is no less significant than losing the deterrent power of a nuclear weapon.

A sense of fear, despair, and helplessness, like a massive sandstorm in the desert, enveloped the hearts of countless Sunagakure villagers, causing them to gradually lose faith in Konoha's ability to continue fighting.

At the same time, the name Kirito Tohsaka is etched in the hearts of every Sand Village resident, inspiring both hatred and fear in them.

From this day forward, as long as this Konoha ninja lives, his name will remain in their hearts like a nightmare.

Sunagakure Village, Kazekage Building, Round Table Room.

A meeting that lasted for most of the day had just ended, and Chiyo, her face clouded with gloom, slowly left amidst the sympathetic gazes of many.

Since receiving news of her brother's death, Chiyo has not uttered a word. She seemed lost in thought, and the entire meeting was a blur. When she came to her senses, the meeting was over, and she had no idea what had been discussed.

Fortunately, her disciple Ye Cangyou was carefully recording everything discussed in the meeting.

Overall, the entire meeting focused on only one issue: whether or not to surrender to Konoha.

After losing Ebizo and the One-Tailed Beast, the battle between Sunagakure and Konoha became very clear. Before his death, Ebizo even issued a retreat order to the battlefield headquarters.

Therefore, the Sand Village's ninja forces have retreated to the Land of Wind and completely abandoned the territories they previously controlled in the Land of River and the Land of Fire.

Meanwhile, Konoha seized the opportunity to occupy Sunagakure's original battlefield headquarters and set its sights on the Land of Wind.

If Konoha hadn't been uninterested in the desert, and if Sunagakure hadn't been located deep within it, Konoha's ninja forces would have already attacked.

However, according to information from the scouts, more and more Konoha ninjas are gathering at Konoha's new battlefield headquarters.

That despicable Konoha ninja who stole the One-Tailed Beast spent the entire day demonstrating Shukaku's sand manipulation power in the desert of the Land of Wind, clearly getting used to using Shukaku's power.

Sunagakure knew all too well the power of Shukaku.

In the desert, Shukaku's power will be greatly enhanced; it is a mobile natural disaster capable of controlling sandstorms.

Once Kirito Tohsaka adapts to using Shukaku's power and gains the ability to control sandstorms, the Sand Village's advantage in the desert will vanish, and it may even face annihilation.

This destruction is not just a simple matter for Sunagakure; it could potentially affect the entire Land of Wind.

Because the sandstorms created by Shukaku can easily destroy all oases in the desert.

Therefore, the situation has now reached a critical juncture of life and death, and they must quickly reach a conclusion: whether to continue fighting or surrender.

Chiyo and the Sand Village's fighting faction naturally had no intention of surrendering. They consistently and firmly stated that they wanted to avenge Ebizo and make Konoha pay for their blood debt. However, because Chiyo was not in the right state of mind, she lacked confidence during the meeting.

Meanwhile, the conservative faction of Sunagakure, led by Sha Yun, insisted on surrendering to Konoha, not wanting Sunagakure to continue making pointless sacrifices, and stated that they would strive for a surrender that would not require reparations to Konoha.

The Third Kazekage was unable to preside over the meeting due to health reasons, and Rasa, as the Third Kazekage's representative, remained silent in the meeting room.

As a result, the militants and the conservatives argued for most of the day without reaching a conclusion.

However, due to the sacrifice of Ebizo and many other martial arts ninjas in this battle, the strength of the Sand Village martial arts faction within Sand Village has been greatly weakened. In addition, Chiyo has been out of sorts, and the martial arts faction is clearly at a disadvantage in this conflict.

"Lady Chiyo, Lady Chiyo, you've arrived home."

With Yekura's help, Chiyo returned to her front door in a daze. She only came to her senses when she heard Yekura's anxious calls.

"Thank you for your hard work today, Yecang. You can go home now."

Chiyo suppressed her grief and spoke to Yekura with a blank expression.

Yekura hesitated for a moment, then said with a worried expression, "Lady Chiyo, please accept my condolences, but please pull yourself together quickly. You are the pillar of Sunagakure. If even you fall, Sunagakure will truly be finished."

When Pakura learned of Ebizo's death and the loss of the One-Tailed Beast, her first reaction was disbelief. But facts speak louder than words, and she could only accept this terrible news. She silently kept this debt in her heart, vowing to make Konoha pay for it in blood when she went to the battlefield in the future.

However, her biggest worry right now is Chiyo. She knows that Chiyo and Ebizo have a very deep bond, no less than that between Chiyo and her son, Akasuna.

Unexpectedly, Lord Akasago had just miraculously returned alive from Iwagakure when Lord Ebizo was killed in battle.

It can be said that Chiyo's joy today has turned to sorrow, and the grief is indescribable.

However, Sunagakure really needs Chiyo right now. The Third Kazekage was injured by a deadly poison and is unable to handle Sunagakure's affairs for the time being. Now that Ebizo has died in battle, Chiyo is the only one who can take on the main responsibility.

If even Chiyo falls, and the current panic in Sunagakure cannot be stabilized, the collapse and disintegration of Sunagakure is imminent.

"Don't worry, I know what to do. But Sunagakure won't be finished even without me, because we still have you young people. Grow up quickly, Sunagakure needs you to grow up as soon as possible."

Chiyo, comforted by Yekura, paused for a moment before forcing a smile and replying.

After saying that, she pushed open the door and went inside.

Yekura watched Chiyo go inside, and only after the door closed again did she turn to leave, but as soon as she turned around, she saw Rasa.

"What's up?"

Ye Cang raised his eyebrows and said.

She personally didn't like this person because he was indecisive and always hesitated before acting.

However, she had to admit that this guy was very powerful, especially after he awakened the Magnet Release that allowed him to manipulate gold dust. His strength grew stronger every day. If she hadn't recently been lucky enough to awaken the Scorching Release bloodline limit, she probably would have been left far behind by him long ago.

But now, she believes she's not much worse than the other person.

She recently developed a very powerful Scorching Release ninjutsu and is very confident that it can break through the opponent's Magnet Release.

"How about you come with me to play a match?"

Luo Sha asked.

He's in a bad mood right now and really wants to vent his frustrations, and a good, satisfying fight would be a great way to do so.

Among his peers, he now only considers Yekura as his rival.

He knew exactly how terrifying this 13-year-old girl was. She had awakened a bloodline limit called Scorch Release. Although her strength was only that of a Jonin, even the slightest touch from her Scorch Release ninjutsu would be fatal.

"Sure, I've been itching to do it, so I hope you'll let me have my way."

Yekura agreed without hesitation.

Not long after, on a deserted sandy area in Sunagakure, two elite young ninjas from Sunagakure engaged in a battle of Magnet Release and Scorch Release.

The contest between the two seemed to be a signal, as many young Sand Ninja emerged from their homes and honed their skills in the night in their own ways.

"This village seems to have considerable war potential. Magnet Release and Scorch Release are both excellent bloodline limits."

On a towering building, the Fourth Raikage watched the battle between Rasa and Pakura below, then, ignoring the hostile gazes of the many Sand Ninja ninjas hiding in the shadows watching him, he spoke without restraint.

When he looked at Yecang, his eyes revealed an undisguised fervor.

"Hey, hey, hey, can you keep your voice down? This isn't our Hidden Cloud Village. These Sand Ninja aren't in a good mood right now. Let's hurry back to the guesthouse."

Upon hearing this, Tu Tai, who was standing nearby, covered his head with his hands and quickly tried to persuade him.

"Hmph, why go back? I've long since stopped wanting to stay in this sandy, crappy place. Besides, there's no one here who can stop me anymore. A bunch of cowards, what are they afraid of?"

The Fourth Raikage snorted coldly, still speaking without restraint.

In his view, after Sunagakure lost the One-Tailed Beast, Sunagakure no longer had the weight to have a fair dialogue with Kumogakure, and he no longer needed to be as polite to Sunagakure as before.

If any Sand Ninja dares to provoke him now, he will no longer tolerate it. He will make these Sand Ninja understand that Kumogakure is no less powerful than Konoha, and may even be stronger.

The strong prevail; this has always been the guiding principle of the Hidden Cloud Village.

As a true member of the Cloud Village, the Fourth Raikage doesn't feel there's anything wrong with looking down on the Sand Village. If it weren't for his father insisting that he complete the mission, he wouldn't have bothered talking to the Sand Village and would have simply left.

Because the weak have no need to cooperate.

Sunagakure is currently the weak one.

"You can run away, but I can't."

Tsuchikage inwardly complained, but did not stop the Fourth Raikage.

In fact, the two of them were putting on an act, their purpose being to attract the attention of the Sunagakure leadership as quickly as possible.

They knew about the big event that happened in Sunagakure long ago, so they thought their chance had come and immediately tried to contact Chiyo, but as before, they were turned away.

This leader of the Sand Village's martial arts faction clearly harbors great suspicion towards the Cloud Village, and for some unknown reason, even though the Sand Village is currently facing a huge crisis, he still shows no intention of cooperating with the Cloud Village.

The Fourth Raikage was furious about this and decided not to wait any longer. He decided to take a risk and try to force Sunagakure to cooperate with Kumogakure by retreating in order to advance.

To be honest, he didn't think Sunagakure had a better way to deal with Konoha than cooperating with Kumogakure.

The Hidden Cloud Village is still willing to cooperate with the Hidden Sand Village, and the Hidden Sand Village should be grateful.

Shortly after the Fourth Raikage uttered those reckless words, Chiyo received related information at home.

As Yekura said, Chiyo is the pillar of Sunagakure and is currently the only person in Sunagakure who can take charge. Almost all the pressure is on her, and she cannot afford to fall down now.

Chiyo is undoubtedly a strong woman with great mental fortitude. After receiving comfort from Yokura and seeing her son who had lost all four limbs and her grandson who was taking care of him, she quickly rallied.

The deceased are gone, but the living must continue to live.

For the sake of Sunagakure's continuation, and for the future of her son and grandson, she must be strong.