As evening approached, the scorching sun gradually disappeared. Dozens of kilometers away from Fengyin Village, sandstorms were constantly being whipped up by the howling wind, and the world was shrouded in mist.
On this open, sandy land, where the swirling dust blocked all prying eyes, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, was secretly conversing with Orochimaru, a rogue ninja from Konoha.
Wearing a robe, a straw hat, and a sand mask, Luo Sha looked very mysterious, and his voice sounded even more mysterious and eerie amidst the howling wind.
"Orochimaru, what exactly do you want to discuss by secretly summoning me?"
"Hehehehe," Orochimaru stuck out his long tongue and circled it a few times. "Why does the Kazekage pretend not to know? You chose to meet me in a place like this because of the secret invitation I made to you before, didn't you?"
Rasa's brows furrowed beneath his mask. This was merely an opening remark. Since he had chosen to meet Orochimaru, the so-called ally of Konoha, he had already made a general decision in his heart.
He couldn't help but recall the secret letter he had received more than ten days ago. The Sound Village and the Sand Village had secretly formed an alliance to launch a surprise attack on Konoha during the joint Chunin Exams, which was called the "Konoha Crush Plan".
It felt like an electric current had passed through his heart. Despite his usual confident, dignified, and composed demeanor in front of the Sand Ninja, no one knew how heavy the pressure was inside him.
During the Third Shinobi World War, Sunagakure suffered heavy losses. In order to save the village, even Elder Chiyo, who was most hostile to Konoha, had to agree to form an alliance with Konoha.
However, the alliance did not bring stable development, but rather a steady decline!
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind foolishly trusted the alliance, constantly cutting back on the expenses of the Hidden Village of Wind. The Hidden Village of Sand, located in the desert, already had few missions to post there. After allying with the Hidden Leaf Village, many missions that should have been undertaken by the Hidden Village of Sand were transferred to their "ally," the Hidden Leaf Village.
He, Luo Sha, a dignified Feng Ying, was forced to spend more than half of the year panning for gold in the desert to maintain the daily operation of the village.
After a series of upheavals in Konoha in recent years, Sunagakure managed to take on more missions and improve its situation. Now that Konoha has stabilized, they've used the guise of allies to take back double the amount!
Thinking of this, Luo Sha clenched his teeth.
Sunagakure has not displayed its power for more than a decade and is on the verge of losing its status as one of the Five Great Ninja Villages.
The powerful Takigakure has been eager to make a move, Amegakure has long since distanced itself from Sunagakure, and even the opportunistic Kusagakure is starting to feel uneasy.
Even without Orochimaru's invitation, Rasa himself was already plotting whether he should start a major war to drag all the other ninja villages, big and small, into the fray and reshuffle the deck once again.
If we're going to sink, then let's all do it together!
Suppressing the anger that was about to erupt in his heart, Rasa said in a cold voice, "After all, you are Hiruzen Sarutobi's disciple. How can I trust you?"
"Besides, where do you get the confidence that your small Sound Village, joining forces with our Sand Village, can conquer Konoha?"
Rasa's words were full of suspicion towards Orochimaru and disdain for the Sound Village, but Orochimaru did not get angry at all; instead, a smug, sinister smile appeared on his face.
"I became a rogue ninja because I was researching forbidden techniques. The one who attacked me back then was my dear Sarutobi-sensei!"
As for my confidence, don't worry, let me demonstrate the forbidden technique I obtained from the Book of Seals—the Impure World Reincarnation!
Orochimaru told Rasa not to rush, but he himself became more and more excited as he spoke, and couldn't help but stick out his tongue and lick himself a few times.
"Hehehehe, the First and Second Hokage fighting the Third Hokage, sending him off, what a wonderful scene this is!"
......
It's unclear what Orochimaru demonstrated to Rasa, but the two of them discussed things for quite a while in the sandstorm. When Rasa finally led the Kazekage guards who were stationed on the outskirts back to the village, he could hardly contain his smile, and even the gloomy aura around him had dissipated considerably.
In Sunagakure, the hermitage of elders Chiyo and Ebizo, Rasa, who had just returned from outside the village, was discussing matters with the two elders.
Have you made up your mind?
After listening to Luo Sha's brief introduction, Ebizo remained silent for a while, then sighed and asked a question.
"Yes, elders."
Orochimaru's forbidden techniques are indeed very powerful. It's unrealistic to completely destroy Konoha in this operation, but it will definitely cause great damage!
The situation in the village no longer allows us to delay any longer.
When the topic of the village's situation came up, all three fell silent.
In response to the Daimyo's budget cuts, Sunagakure is desperately squeezing out potential to cultivate elite ninjas, hoping to win through quality. This strategy hasn't produced any Kage-level elites yet, but Sunagakure's chunin and genin are indeed formidable.
However, without subsequent financial support, Sunagakure is on the verge of collapse even with this model of providing centralized support for elites.
"By voluntarily breaking the alliance and provoking war, have you considered the consequences if you fail?"
Even if you succeed, have you considered the subsequent retaliation and the turmoil in the ninja world?
This time, it was Chiyo who asked the question.
Rasa's face was full of determination, and his voice was as firm as a nail, "This time I will bring my three children with me. The Kazekage plus the Jinchuriki. If we fail, let our family bear the blame."
If this succeeds, how can those reprisals possibly destroy Sunagakure?
Regardless, Sunagakure is protected by the desert, so self-defense shouldn't be a problem.
"You're the Kazekage, so since you've made up your mind, then let's do it. But I'll take charge of this attack on Konoha!"
Chiyo's old face began to tremble slightly at the mention of attacking Konoha.
Although she had some grudges with Orochimaru on the battlefield back then, no matter who it was, as long as they were going to mess with Konoha, Granny Chiyo was happy to lend a hand!
Upon hearing Chiyo's words, Ebizo quickly intervened, "Sister, it's not appropriate for you to go to Konoha. It will arouse their suspicion!"
Luo Sha also spoke up to dissuade him, saying, "The joint exam itself invited me. If you go, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others will definitely be suspicious."
"I am the Kazekage; leave these kinds of charges to me. Besides, Sunagakure needs two elders to oversee things."
"Alright, I'll protect the village. I'll leave the rest of Konoha to you."
Rasa and Ebizo took turns persuading Chiyo, finally calming her impulse down.
Seeing that it was getting late, Rasa bid farewell to Chiyo and the others. As he reached the door, Rasa turned back as if possessed and said, "I'll go back and arrange the plans and manpower. If I don't return, Sunagakure will have to rely on the two elders!"
......
In Yukigami Village, dozens of Uchiha clan members were glaring with bloodshot eyes, unleashing terrifying killing intent. They had just heard Lord Yukage explain the Konoha Crush plan, and they were all extremely excited.
Although the person they hated most was Uchiha Itachi, Hiruzen Sarutobi was also their greatest enemy.
Similar to Chiyo, the Uchiha clan is happy to lend a hand to anyone who wants to mess with Hiruzen Sarutobi!
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