Baki pointed out, "But Lord Kazekage, there are still some inconsistencies, due to which I'm not sure if it was Sasori. The reports say that nearly a hundred puppets were involved in the attack. A single puppeteer can't control so many puppets. It was why we suspected involvement of other villages."
Rasa replied, "It doesn't have to be him alone. It has been thirteen years since he went rogue. He could have accepted some students and taught them our secret technique.
I have confirmed with Orochimaru that Sasori is in Akatsuki. He has also trained a lot of spies. So it isn't far-fetched for him to have trained some underlings."
Baki's mood became heavy on hearing Rasa's speculations. He asked, "What do we do now, Lord?"
Rasa thought for a long time to decide what his next step should be. Baki waited patiently while thinking as well. Finally, Rasa said, "Sasori has to be eliminated. He is too big of a danger to be left alive. However, now is not the time. We can't divide our forces to find and fight him. For now, we will focus on crushing Konoha. That is more important for our village.
Since Yamakawa town has been destroyed and Tanigakure is hostile towards us, we can't use their towns to hide our forces. If we do so, Konoha might become suspicious as well and make better preparations.
We will only move small squads to the Land of Rivers a few days before the war begins. They will sneak into the Land of Fire and stealthily travel to Konoha a few days before I reach Konoha. When the signal is given, they will use Reverse Summoning to summon our Elites for a quick and deadly attack on Konoha."
Baki thought for a bit and nodded. That was the only option they had left. Rasa looked at him and said, "You should begin preparing as well. As planned, you will be leading Gaara's squad for the Chunin Exams. Your squad will be our Vanguard and also our secret weapon. Only with Shukaku can we buy enough time and avoid being swamped by Konoha ninjas. It's time to inform and prepare the kids. Call them here."
Baki nodded and left. A few minutes later, he returned with Rasa's children. Temari and Kankuro became a bit nervous upon seeing Rasa's serious expression. As for Gaara, he didn't care.
Rasa said, "Listen to what I say very carefully…"
Rasa informed his children that Suna would soon be attacking Konoha. He informed them about the plans that they needed to know. Temari and Kankuro were shocked when they heard Rasa order Gaara to let Shukaku lose when the signal was given! They wanted to protest, but one look from Rasa made them eat their words.
Rasa said, "That's all you need to know. I will emphasize this once again. Nothing that we discussed in this room should get out. Remember your roles properly. The future of the village will depend on whether you can do your job properly. If you fail, we will be surrounded by thousands of Konoha ninjas without any reinforcements to help us."
Temari and Kankuro were terrified upon imagining that scene. Both gulped nervously. On the other hand, Gaara was excited to kill more people and let 'mother' drink more blood. He didn't care how many enemies he'd be facing.
Rasa handed his kids a book and said, "This book has a list of Konoha's Elite Jounins. Memorize all of them, especially the first 6 ones. Every single one of them is extremely dangerous and will pose a great threat to our plan. If you meet them in Konoha, act naturally. Once the war begins, be careful of them. They might be able to even stop Shukaku's rampage."
This time, even Gaara was shocked. In Suna, there was just one person who could stop Shukaku. It was their father, the Kazekage. However, Konoha had as many as 6!
Temari opened the book while her brothers peeked into the book. The person on the first page was none other than Hiruzen, the Third Hokage. While they read his details, Baki said, "At his peak, the Third Hokage was nearly unstoppable. It had caused others to call him the God of Shinobi. Fortunately, he is much older now and has grown weaker."
The trio read his information before turning the page. The one on the second page was Shimura Danzo. Baki gave a short introduction of him as well and mentioned his injuries and the fact that he needed a walking stick to walk around. He did the same for Jiraiya and Tsunade, who were on the third and fourth pages respectively, while mentioning that neither of those two stayed in the village.
Temari and Kankuro wondered, 'What the hell is up with this village? Their Kage is an old man who should have long retired. There is another old man who is handicapped but still is said to have a lot of power in the village. But the two Sannins, who are at their prime, don't stay in the village?'
The two couldn't make any sense of the information and even doubted whether it was true. However, considering that it was their father who had given them the information, the two didn't have any choice but to believe it.
On the fifth page was the image of a silver-haired ninja who covered his left eye with his headband. While they read his information, Baki said, "He is Hatake Kakashi, also known as the copy ninja. With his Sharingan, he has copied over a thousand jutsus, which earned him his title. He was also the student of the Fourth Hokage, the Yellow Flash.
With his Sharingan, there is a chance that he could influence Shukaku, which makes him very dangerous for our plan. During the assault, I and others will ensure that he stays away from Gaara."
The three kids nodded before turning the page once again. Their eyes landed on a picture. The person in the picture didn't look unique like the 5 that preceded him. On first look, he looked like any other young man. However, there was one distinct feature that caught the eye of the trio. It was his eyes, they were as dark as the very abyss itself.
Their eyes moved from his eyes to his face. At first glance, his face, though handsome, was unremarkable. It was a face that would easily blend into the crowd. However, on closer inspection, they noticed subtle symmetries.
His jawline was very well-defined and his complexion was fair but held a hint of tan, which was a result of spending long hours training outside. His hair was spiky black and seemed to be waving in the winds while his expression was that of indifference. Everything combined together very well to give him quite a unique charm.
As for his body, it was a testament to discipline and training. His arms showed how toned his body was, showcasing the countless hours spent training. They weren't bulky by any means, but the muscles were clearly visible to the Kazekage's children.
He wore Konoha's headband on his forehead and was wearing the standard Jounin vest. The shirt underneath as well as his pants were black in color. On his forearms were bracers and his hands were covered in fingerless gloves with metal plates covering the back of his hands.
After seeing his appearance properly, the three of them began reading his details. Baki spoke once again, "He is Suzuki Fujin. He is just a bit older than you guys and gained fame a year ago when the Third Tsuchikage announced that he was the Spectral Swordsman.
Even though he is very young, he is still extremely strong. He specializes in Wind jutsus and can even use the Wind Vacuum Technique that Lord Second created. He is well known for his blinding speed and assassination skills. In addition, he is also a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster, which could give him some means to deal with Shukaku."
The trio was surprised. Kankuro said, "Seriously? He's just a couple of years older than me!"
Rasa ignored his elder son and looked at Gaara while saying, "We also suspect that he was the one to injure you and kill Susumu. If he attacks you for some reason, always ensure that your sand is defending you."
Gaara's eyes widened. The memory of him bleeding resurfaced in his brain. At the same time, Temari exclaimed, "Wait a minute! Uncle Susumu died two and a half years ago! Do you mean to say that he killed Uncle Susumu and injured Gaara when he was just 13 years old?"
————————————
A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon.
Link - www.pat reon.com/DevilHex
(No space)
Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi
Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.
Thank You Carlos, The Reapers Shadow, Blue Bird, Harman, Lucas, Neopolotansoso and Nicholas for supporting me on P@treon.