Sunagakure.
"Still no sign of the Third?" Chiyo, an elder highly respected in the village for her contributions during the Second Shinobi World War, asked wearily at the jonin council meeting.
"No, we haven't found him," replied a member of the ANBU tasked with searching for the Third Kazekage, lowering his head.
"Because of our widespread search efforts, other villages have started paying close attention to us. If we don't find Lord Third soon…" Jonin Rasa trailed off, not finishing his sentence.
Even though Rasa didn't say it outright, everyone present knew exactly what he meant.
Most of them had survived the brutal Second Shinobi World War. They understood better than anyone the harsh rules of the shinobi world:
A great village without a Kage will inevitably attract the greed and hostility of others.
What made the situation even worse was that the ninja world had enjoyed years of peace. The wounds of the last war had healed, and the villages had regained much of their lost strength.
While no one wanted to start a war again so soon, the unease in everyone's hearts was undeniable.
"Lady Chiyo!" An ANBU operative wearing a mask suddenly appeared, kneeling and handing over a scroll containing urgent information.
Chiyo's expression hardened as she accepted the scroll. She knew that ANBU wouldn't interrupt such an important council meeting unless the situation was truly critical.
Using a special seal, she unlocked the scroll and carefully read through its contents. Even though she had mentally prepared herself, the information still made her brow furrow deeply.
The other jonin, along with the elders and clan leaders, exchanged uneasy glances as they noticed the grim expression on Chiyo's face. A heavy sense of foreboding settled over the room.
"You all should take a look," Chiyo said, tossing the scroll to Rasa and signaling him to pass it around.
Rasa opened the scroll, and as his eyes scanned the contents, his expression darkened immediately.
Before long, everyone in the room had read the scroll. Most of them now wore anxious, troubled expressions.
"Humph! Those barbarians from Kumogakure!" Rasa sneered.
"This is a clear provocation against Sunagakure! Our border defenses might not hold against a full-scale assault from Kumogakure," another jonin added with concern.
The intel reported that the Hidden Cloud Village (Kumogakure) showed signs of mobilizing its entire military force, and the border with them required a large increase in personnel.
The worst part?
The report clearly stated that leading this attack was none other than the Third Raikage!
In the ninja world, just hearing the name of any Kage from the Five Great Nations could bring tremendous pressure and fear.
If it were only some Cloud Village troops, Sunagakure wouldn't take it too seriously—it would just be a typical exchange of skirmishes.
But the moment a village's Kage enters the battlefield, it signals the beginning of full-scale war!
If the Third Kazekage, known as the strongest, were still around, Sunagakure could face the conflict head-on. But right now, he's been missing for a long time, and despite extensive searches, there's been no trace of him.
Without their leader, the most urgent question before them was: war was about to begin, and the enemy's Kage had shown up. How would they respond?
No one dared underestimate the combat power and destructive potential of any of the Five Kage. If they didn't have someone with comparable strength to hold him off, the casualties in Sunagakure would be impossible to control.
During the war between Sunagakure and the Hidden Rain Village (Amegakure), it was only thanks to the sibling duo, Chiyo and her brother, that they held off the Rain Village's demigod, Hanzo. They neutralized his poison, preventing the total annihilation of Sunagakure's forces.
Hanzo was a legendary figure, rare among small nations for his ability to fight against two great powers and still ensure the survival of the Hidden Rain Village. His fame and power were enough to rival even the Kage of the Five Great Nations.
"The Third Raikage is too arrogant. He's trying to take advantage of the Third Kazekage's disappearance to force his way into becoming the shadow over Sunagakure," said a female Jonin with a resolute air. She stood and bowed respectfully to Chiyo.
"Chiyo-sama, I'm willing to lead a support unit to the border and hold him off myself."
"I can go too," said Rasa, sitting across from the female Jonin. "My Magnet Release will be more effective on the battlefield."
Chiyo glanced at the two standing before her and felt a headache coming on.
Both Rasa and Pakura were among the finest Jonin in Sunagakure. They had strong abilities and rare Kekkei Genkai. Their destructive power in war was enormous.
The Third Kazekage had been missing for so long, and news of his disappearance had spread across the ninja world, with no one able to find him. Deep down, Chiyo and the other elders, clan heads, and senior Jonin present already knew the truth.
The strongest Kazekage of legend had likely been killed.
With war looming, the position of Kazekage could not remain vacant. And among the candidates, Rasa and Pakura stood out the most.
Rasa, in particular, was seen by many as the most likely successor, due to his mastery of Magnet Release, which closely resembled the Third Kazekage's techniques. He had many advantages over other candidates.
Pakura had made great contributions to the village, and her Scorch Release technique was a force to be reckoned with in both war and battle.
Both Rasa and Pakura had their share of supporters.
Chiyo understood that the Jonin present were eager to establish a Kazekage as a symbol, someone to rally the village's morale.
Of course, if Chiyo—being an elder advisor—was willing to take on the title of Kazekage herself, none of the others, not even Rasa or Pakura, would oppose her.
But everyone knew that the siblings, Chiyo and her brother, would never take up the mantle of Kazekage.
Ever since Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law died at the hands of Konoha's White Fang, her only desire had been to kill him with her own hands.
However, news of White Fang's death, which reached them from Konoha over a year ago, shattered her last hope.
If the village hadn't needed her, she would have withdrawn from public life long ago to raise and train her only grandson, Sasori.
"This time, whoever earns the highest military merit in the war with the Hidden Cloud will become the Fourth Kazekage!
In the meantime, get in touch with the daimyo to secure funding, gather and select our ninjas for support, and start assigning tasks immediately.
Lastly, send a request for aid to our ally, Konoha, and ask them to send one of the Legendary Sannin for support," Chiyo ordered decisively.
"Do we really need to ask Konoha for help?" Pakura frowned. The war hadn't even started, and they were already asking allies for aid...
"Konoha won't be spared either. I don't believe those brutes from the Hidden Cloud will just pass through Konoha's borders peacefully without causing trouble. As allies, let them share some of the pressure and losses with us," Chiyo said with a cold snort.
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