Changing Allegiance

"How dare Rasa."

The Daimyo of the Land of Wind roared furiously inside the Daimyo Manor. Ever since hearing that Rasa intended to abandon the alliance, he had remained in a state of extreme rage.

In his view, Ninja were nothing more than dogs raised by the nobles. Give them funding and missions, and they would obediently wag their tails. Yet he had never expected Rasa, this dog, to want to bite his master instead.

The Daimyo of the Land of Wind had begun cutting funding during the Third Kazekage’s time. Back then, he still offered seemingly legitimate reasons, such as the Land of Wind being barren. But after Rasa became the Fourth Kazekage and then lost the Third Shinobi World War, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind began slashing financial support without restraint.

Fortunately, Rasa possessed the Gold Dust Kekkei Genkai. After the funding cuts, he could gradually make up for the village’s deficit with Gold Dust, barely maintaining things. But vigorously developing the village was no longer possible.

The Daimyo of the Land of Wind had also been constantly probing Sunagakure’s limits. He believed the Suna-nin were a useless bunch. From the Second Shinobi World War to the Third Shinobi World War, they had never won even once. Since they always lost wars, why did they need so much funding every year?

The Daimyo of the Land of Wind felt there was nothing wrong with what he had done. The Suna-nin were useless themselves. Since the Konoha Ninja were so capable, it was only natural to give the missions to them. After all, who would choose the inferior option when there was a better one? Besides, Sunagakure and Konoha had an alliance.

But Rasa daring to abandon the alliance was something the Daimyo of the Land of Wind could not accept.

Ninja had to be kept on chains. Otherwise, with their strength, they could cause immense destruction. This was an unspoken rule acknowledged by the Daimyo of the great nations. Now that Rasa wanted to break free of his chain, he had to be dealt with.

Seeing the Daimyo of the Land of Wind breathing heavily in rage, his whole body like a bellows in a furnace, an official of the Daimyo Manor cautiously suggested, "Daimyo, are you troubled by the Kazekage?"

"Take a look yourselves, but do not spread this around." The Daimyo of the Land of Wind handed the intelligence in his hand to his subordinates. Everyone in the room was one of his trusted retainers. No one would betray him.

Besides, Sunagakure was so impoverished that, aside from its own people, it could not possibly afford to bribe anyone else.

"How could this be?"

"The Kazekage actually… This is troublesome."

After reading the classified intelligence, every official of the Land of Wind showed shock. They understood how dangerous uncontrolled Ninja could be. Just look at the wandering ninja in the Ninja World. Once they slipped beyond control, they could easily seize a mountain and proclaim themselves kings. Other than sending Ninja to kill them, the Daimyo had no means of dealing with such people.

"Daimyo, this matter must be resolved as soon as possible."

A minister of the Land of Wind solemnly advised him. If Sunagakure slipped out of control, not only would the Land of Wind be in grave danger, it would also suffer a complete loss of face.

"I will never compromise! Rasa has gone too far!"

The Daimyo of the Land of Wind gritted his teeth. If he lowered his head to Sunagakure, then he would face one demand for funding after another from them in the future. This was clearly not a consequence he wished to see.

Many of the nobles and ministers of the Land of Wind had thought of the same thing. Having stood high above others for centuries, they were unwilling to bow to a bunch of hired thugs. Yet they had to resolve this matter quickly.

After having the servants dismissed, one of them suggested to the Daimyo,

"Daimyo, why not put out a bounty to assassinate Rasa? Once Rasa dies, we can replace him with a new Kazekage. Then we can send someone to offer a few hints. I believe the new Kazekage will bow his head to the Daimyo. Of course, no one can know this was our idea."

"Assassination?"

The Daimyo of the Land of Wind was tempted, but then asked hesitantly, "Can it succeed? Although I detest Rasa, he is still the Kazekage of Sunagakure."

Even someone who knew little about Ninja understood what the Five Kage represented.

Furthermore, Rasa was always accompanied by many Ninja whenever he traveled. Combined with his own strength, it would be difficult to succeed.

The man continued, "If we are willing to spend enough money, we can hire powerful Ninja. I have heard that the Underground Money Exchange specializes in posting discreet and difficult missions. Besides, we can try it. Even if it fails, we will not lose anything."

Those words struck directly at the Daimyo of the Land of Wind’s heart, immediately helping him make up his mind. He clapped his hands and said, "Then it is settled. I can take out five hundred million ryo from the Daimyo Manor. Is that enough to successfully assassinate Rasa?"

"Five hundred million ryo? That should be enough for someone of the Kazekage’s status."

"Then make it eight hundred million ryo. Tell the Underground Money Exchange that Rasa must be dealt with."

After being subtly guided, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind now believed from the bottom of his heart that Rasa was the culprit leading Sunagakure to abandon the Land of Wind. As long as this man was eliminated, the next Kazekage certainly would not be so arrogant.

He only needed to obediently yield to him, the Daimyo. There was no need to train so many Ninja. The Daimyo Manor also needed plenty of funds for enjoyment. As subordinates of the Daimyo Manor, they should not take it upon themselves to sell off the Land of Wind’s mineral veins.

The Daimyo was deeply dissatisfied with many of Rasa’s actions. He thought that once this man was dealt with, everything would return to normal.

For that reason, he directly put up eight hundred million ryo to completely eliminate Rasa.

"Please rest assured, Lord Daimyo. I will handle this matter perfectly."

The conflict between the Land of Wind and Sunagakure was about to reach an irreconcilable point. One side fought for the Daimyo’s dignity, while the other fought for the Ninja Village’s survival.

After making his decision, Rasa also felt somewhat uneasy. He had the courage to reform, but breaking the One Village One Nation system was another matter. For Sunagakure’s sake, he could force himself to make that choice, yet afterward, he still felt lingering fear.

However, he no longer had a better choice. After breaking away from the Daimyo Manor, the Yasunori Trading Company was the only force capable of helping Sunagakure.

For this, Rasa had even prepared to offer generous benefits. For instance, he could invite the Yasunori Trading Company to join the Suna-nin. If they were unwilling, he had even considered promising them one Elder position, or perhaps two.

As long as he could obtain the Yasunori Trading Company’s full support, Rasa could accept yielding some of the village’s authority. Besides, the Yasunori Trading Company were outsiders. He was the Kazekage of Sunagakure. Even if he gave them Elder positions, they likely would not hold much power in the village, at least while he remained in office.

Rasa was confident he could suppress the Yasunori Trading Company, even if Pakura was close to them. In fact, Rasa’s tolerance for Pakura had already reached its limit. He was prepared to deal with Pakura once this matter was over.

Let Pakura die with the title of Sunagakure’s hero!

Rasa solemnly invited Yasunori Sakai to the Kazekage Office Building Council Hall. This time, nearly all of Sunagakure’s higher-ups had come, including Pakura.

Upon seeing this scene, Yasunori Sakai pretended to be startled. Pakura beside him then comforted him, saying, "Do not worry, Sakai. This shows how much Sunagakure values the Yasunori Trading Company."

"I understand. It is just my first time seeing so many people, so I was a little surprised."

Yasunori Sakai sat across from Rasa, smiled, and asked, "Lord Kazekage, why did you summon me here today?"

"Sakai-san, regarding the unfair treatment your trading company has suffered in the Land of Wind, I bear an unavoidable responsibility as Kazekage. After today, Suna-nin will help your trading company resolve the difficulties surrounding your mineral veins in various regions. You may resume mining them."

Rasa spoke calmly. After he said this, quite a few people turned to look at him.

It seems Lord Kazekage has already made his decision.

"Is that so? Then that truly is good news."

Yasunori Sakai showed delight and gratefully said to Rasa, "Thank you, Lord Kazekage. You have helped me greatly. If the mineral vein matter had not been resolved, I would have been in serious trouble."

Rasa nodded. "It is only right, Sakai-san. There is one more matter. I wonder whether your trading company would be willing to enter into deeper cooperation with Sunagakure?"

"Deeper cooperation? Lord Kazekage, you mean…?"

"Sunagakure can offer the Yasunori Trading Company Elder positions in exchange for priority supplies of materials. The Suna-nin will also fully provide the Yasunori Trading Company with Ninja support, as well as…"

Rasa described many areas of cooperation. Some of Sunagakure’s higher-ups, who had only just learned of this matter, found it increasingly strange as they listened.

Was this not simply a replica of the alliance between Sunagakure and the Daimyo Manor?

"I am afraid I cannot give you an answer on this matter, Lord Kazekage. I need to report it to the Patriarch," Yasunori Sakai said with some difficulty.

Rasa nodded and said in a deep voice, "Naturally. If possible, I hope to meet the Patriarch of the Yasunori House in person." He had never expected Yasunori Sakai to give him an answer. If Yasunori Sakai had agreed to something so important at once, Rasa would not have trusted him instead.

Yasunori Sakai nodded and said solemnly, "I will truthfully relay Lord Kazekage’s request to the Patriarch."

With the matter settled, Yasunori Sakai also needed to convey the news that the mineral veins could resume operations, so the meeting soon ended.

What they discussed today was merely an appetizer. The formal negotiations would still have to wait until they met the Patriarch of the Yasunori House.

However, these matters alone were already enough to spread among Sunagakure’s higher-ups. Rasa had issued a gag order, strictly forbidding anyone from leaking the matter. If anyone did, he would dispatch the Anbu to investigate thoroughly.

"Sir, the Kazekage has invited the Patriarch of the Yasunori House to Sunagakure."

As Hyuga Mirai was making Space Capsules, a Nano Display Screen suddenly appeared before him. On it was Android 18, wearing an imitation of Anya’s smile, which immediately made Hyuga Mirai’s Tenseigan ache.

"Alright, alright. Before speaking, return to your normal expression first, Android 18. As for smiling, I suggest you learn from Sara. Do not try to figure it out yourself."

Hyuga Mirai sighed and continued, "So, what did you just say?"

"The Kazekage has invited the ‘Yasunori House Head’ to Sunagakure for negotiations. This is the message Yasunori Sakai sent back."

Android 18’s expression returned to its usual calmness. She then brought up a recorded image of Rasa speaking. This footage had been recorded through Yasunori Sakai’s eyes and recreated by Android 18.

"It seems to be going very smoothly. Then I will have to ask you to make the trip, Android 18. I will attend as well when the time comes."

Hyuga Mirai said with a smile. It seemed Sunagakure would soon be his.

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