"Then we have no choice. We have to count on Yura and Arisa. They are our only hope now!" Goza sighed tiredly. No?v(el)B\\jnn

    Ebizo thought, ''There is another hope. That is if Iwagakure and Kumogakure make a move right away after getting this news. Unfortunately, they won''t do that. Even if they did, sending a message here would take several hours, something we don''t have. Our negotiations have to be completed before Fujin''s army enters our country. Besides...''

    Ebizo glanced at the council members. Instead of heroic or brave faces, all he saw were tired and defeated faces. From the day the Chunin exams ended and they received the terrifying news of their defeat, the Sunagakure council was on edge. They had to dig deep into their reserves and use any resource they had to dissuade others from making a move and limiting their losses simultaneously.

    Unfortunately, Konoha''s latest move was the final nail in the coffin. Sunagakure had reached a limit. If they tried anymore, they would increase their losses drastically instead of limiting them. The Sunagakure council lost all will to continue playing games with Konoha and the other villages.

    Ebizo sighed internally, ''This was a thorough defeat. In a sense, it is worse than even the previous great war. We don''t have any good candidate for the Fifth Kazekage.''

    He said, "We should discuss what compromises we''re willing to make. Even though Konoha is in a dominant position right now, they''d still make some concessions to maintain good relations with us."

    The Council nodded and began discussing. Within fifteen minutes, they were done discussing almost all topics. Since Konoha had compromised so much the previous day, the terms were somewhat acceptable for Sunagakure. There were only three aspects where they had some reservations.

    The first wasn''t a demand made by Konoha but the fact that Konoha took most of the missions from the Land of Wind. The second was the amount they had to pay to Konoha. And the most important aspect was the selection of the next Kazekage.

    Tojuro, who had his sights on the seat of the Kazekage, completely opposed it knowing that Konoha wouldn''t support him. On the other hand, the remaining council members weren''t so stubborn. Tojuro had been the biggest instigator in clashing with Konoha. He encouraged Rasa on every turn to attack Konoha. As such, none of them wanted to see him in the Kazekage''s seat.

    Realizing the conflict, Chiyo said, "You''re taking this issue too lightly. It''s a pity, but I''ll make concessions to their demand for our puppetry techniques. However, we can''t take a step back on this issue. If Konoha gets a veto, they could continuously veto all our options and keep us without a Kazekage for years.

    They could use the absence of a leader in our village to create factions and cause conflicts within the village, weakening us further. This will not only ensure that we never have the strength to attack them again but will also make it easier for them to attack us in the future. Even if they don''t, we won''t be any different from a minor village within a few decades."

    Chiyo diverted their attention from the Fifth Kazekage to the hidden danger within Konoha''s condition. Their moods became grave. However, they were troubled by the circumstances. Sunagakure had no option but to accept Konoha''s demands.

    Goza asked, "What if they refuse to drop this demand?"

    Chiyo said, "Then we''ll have to alter the demand. Instead of giving them the sole veto, we''ll follow their decision only if the Wind Daimyo has an issue with our candidate as well.

    Even though he is friendly with Konoha for now, he knows he can''t let Sunagakure be too weak. In such a case, he won''t side with Konoha even if we don''t pressure him. However, only resort to this if they''re adamant since it is still a hidden danger for our village."

    The council thought for a bit and agreed. Ryusa said, "That''s a good idea. Konoha wouldn''t refuse it as it would worsen their relationship with the Wind Daimyo."

    Sunagakure''s spy network was spared because they had no reason to investigate, and thus, they avoided the trap. However, Sunagakure''s spies became an asset for Fujin as he wanted to send a message through them.

    His tactic succeeded with ease as Shikaku agreed with his plans and began preparing an army as if Konoha planned to invade a great village! In order to appear more convincing, Shikaku also prepared a second army a bit more discreetly.

    With his modifications to Fujin''s plan, Sunagakure was put in a position where they didn''t dare to take any risks. And since there weren''t any Iwagakure and Kumogakure spies, those villages weren''t aware of the pressure bearing down on Sunagakure and hence couldn''t take advantage of the same. Since Sunagakure wasn''t aware of it, they''d think that neither Iwagakure nor Kumogakure were serious about allying, forcing them to be even closer to Konoha in the future.

    So, while Konoha was actually preparing two armies, Shikaku had no intention of sending them out of Konoha. Despite the work he did, it was just a bluff. Even if Sunagakure refused to compromise, he didn''t plan on sending the two armies to reinforce Fujin.

    Instead, he''d just ask Fujin to do something along the lines of what he had done in the Land of Lightning and the Land of Rice. Fujin would be allowed to target the ambush squads and eliminate several hundred or possibly up to a couple of thousand ninjas. Konoha would then claim that as a fitting punishment for Sunagakure''s cowardly attack and close the matter.

    While there were some dangers, Shikaku was confident about his plans. He knew Sunagakure wouldn''t dare to leave the desert and confront Fujin''s army head-on. Similarly, Iwagakure and Kumogakure wouldn''t act if only 3,000 Konoha ninjas were deployed in the Land of Wind. Combined with the minor villages, Konoha had more than enough forces to deter the two villages from making a move.

    Of course, it was still risky. Shikaku would have to work a lot in order to maintain the delicate balance. And, all this was due to Fujin deciding to implement such a bold and risky move. So, Shikaku had another reason to curse Fujin for the needless work he kept piling on Shikaku''s head. Luckily, things had happened as he and Fujin anticipated.

    Shikaku replied, "Yeah, it is. Anyway, inform him that Sunagakure has started negotiating and ask him not to enter the Land of Wind. Tell that to Renjiro and the other Generals too. Who knows how he''ll spin my orders if we don''t?"

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