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My Journey as Fourth Kazekage 141
🕑 Added 2025-04-08 16:00:06 +0000 UTCChapter 141: Trouble Approaches
Listening to Oda's words, Rasa did not rush to respond.
Although the contents of the letter seemed reasonable, a common practice in the shinobi world, the moment he read it, Rasa sensed a whiff of conspiracy. Instinctively, he thought of Onoki's scheming face.
This alliance proposal probably doesn't come from the daimyo of the two great nations, but from the Raikage and Tsuchikage behind them.
Yet, he did not refuse.
For one, as the Kazekage, it would be unwise to openly disrespect the daimyo. Secondly, he wanted to see what game the Tsuchikage and Raikage were playing.
"Since this is the daimyo-sama's wish, Sunagakure naturally has no objections. Please inform him that we welcome shinobi from Kumogakure and Iwagakure to our village. Of course, whether an alliance is formed will depend on the negotiations."
Oda bowed respectfully.
"I understand, Kazekage-sama. Then, with your permission, I shall take my leave and report back to the daimyo."
"Mm, good work. Sēramu, see him out."
Watching Oda depart, Baki, standing nearby, narrowed his eyes warily.
"Kazekage-sama, the daimyo's order seems... suspicious, right?"
Unlike others, Baki, as the head of the ANBU, had little time for training the thoughts.
While Sēramu, as Rasa's assistant, handled many of the village's public affairs, matters concerning security, shinobi operations, and covert missions fell under the ANBU's jurisdiction, and this was Baki's expertise.
"Oh? Why do you say that?"
Baki answered decisively.
"It's too sudden. Kumogakure and Iwagakure didn't form an alliance when attacking Konohagakure, yet now they're suddenly reaching out to us. And the timing... it's strange."
Rasa nodded in approval.
"It is unusual. But whatever their goal, we must meet them. By the way, has the ANBU received any intelligence regarding the daimyo?"
Baki tensed slightly.
"Reporting, Kazekage-sama, under the Third Kazekage-sama's orders, to avoid unnecessary complications, the ANBU never stationed operatives near the daimyo."
"Is that so?"
Rasa understood. Unlike Konoha, which, due to its wealth, was less dependent on the Fire Daimyo, Sunagakure's past poverty had enforced stricter deference to the Wind Daimyo's authority. This made the ANBU hesitant to plant spies in the daimyo's court.
But this can't continue.
The daimyo's sudden involvement made Rasa realize the need to monitor this influential faction.
Rasa smiled and issued a knowing order.
"The daimyo-sama's safety must not be neglected."
"Hai!"
As the ANBU commander, Baki immediately grasped the implication.
"Good. Dismissed."
With another bow, Baki exited, leaving Rasa alone in the Kazekage's office.
He leaned back in his chair, slowly contemplating the letter from the daimyo in his hands, then slightly narrowed his gazes. He realized that the timing of this letter's arrival carried implications far beyond just the Tsuchikage and Raikage scheming something.
More importantly, it likely meant that Kumogakure and Iwagakure now viewed Sunagakure's rise as a threat nearly on par with Konohagakure.
This was not good news.
Until now, Sunagakure had been able to maneuver skillfully in this war precisely because it was considered the weakest among the Five Great Shinobi Villages. The surprise attack on the Land of Fire and the cooperation with Kumogakure and Iwagakure had all been built upon the other villages' underestimation of Sunagakure.
But now, after the crushing defeat in the Land of Rivers, Konoha could no longer afford to look down on Sunagakure. Similarly, Iwagakure and Kumogakure had begun taking them seriously. This means that Sunagakure's strategy of navigating between the Five Great Villages would have to change. Still, no matter what the future held, true strength was what mattered most. At present, Sunagakure's overall military power remains lacking.
First, in terms of basic shinobi numbers, primarily genin and chunin, Sunagakure still fell far short compared to the other Great Villages.
From what this Great Shinobi War had shown so far, whether it was Konoha, Kumogakure, or Iwagakure, each had at least seven to eight thousand shinobi. Even after half a year of development, Sunagakure's forces numbered only a little over three thousand. This was nowhere near the others, and worse, it wasn't something that could be quickly remedied. Even if they resorted to desperate measures like throwing children onto the battlefield, it wouldn't make a meaningful difference.
(AN: Author here isn’t wrong about the number of ninjas since he is distributing according to the number in the 4th War, which is itself a plot hole in the original source.)
As for mid-tier shinobi, the jonin, the gap between Sunagakure and the other villages wasn't as severe. After all, at the jonin level, unlike the expendable genin and chunin, casualties were far less frequent on the battlefield.
Still, a gap undoubtedly existed.
Fortunately, there was a solution. If they could quickly establish the spatial passage between Sunagakure and the Island of Summons, allowing Sunagakure's jonin to control the giant summoning beasts there, this gap could be closed, perhaps even reversed.
Then came the upper-tier shinobi, those at the Kage level. Here, Sunagakure wasn't at as much of a disadvantage. Chiyo, Ebizō, Pakura, and Michikawa might not hold the title of Kage, but in terms of strength, they were undoubtedly at that level. If absolutely necessary, even Bunpuku could be deployed to compensate for the difference in tailed beast jinchūriki.
Finally, there were the true Kage-level powerhouses.
This was where Rasa felt most confident.
At his current strength, aside from Konoha's Minato and Jiraiya, as well as Iwagakure's Ōnoki (the latter primarily due to the threat of his Dust Release), there were few he needed to fear.
From this perspective, in a one-on-one scenario, Sunagakure had no reason to fear any single village. But if it came to anything else... that would be troublesome. And given that Kumogakure and Iwagakure had suddenly proposed an alliance, Rasa couldn't shake a growing sense of unease.
At this thought, the brief respite he had considered taking due to Karura's pregnancy was overtaken by urgency once more.
"Truly, there's no stopping."
But aside from the Forgotten Island to summon beasts, how else could Sunagakure rapidly strengthen itself to face future crises? After some consideration, Rasa realized the only immediate option was still senjutsu chakra.
If Pakura and Michikawa could master senjutsu energy faster, their power would increase dramatically, elevating them to the level of shinobi like Minato and Jiraiya, capable of fighting armies alone. That would significantly lessen the burden on Rasa's shoulders.
But how to achieve this?
After some thought, Rasa wondered if the White Snake Sage of Ryūchi Cave might have a solution. With that in mind, he wasted no time. Forming the necessary hand seals, he summoned: Lady Tagitsuhime.
