Team Five stayed in Sunagakure for two days.
The Fourth Kazekage Rasa finally returned from the northern fortress. He did not summon the Konoha envoy at once. First he heard Ebizō's detailed report on the negotiations.
"Those are the terms. Konoha's bottom line is fixed."
Rasa sat upright in the Kage's seat. His fingers tapped the cold armrest without thinking, making soft clicks.
"Can we not try for more."
"If at this moment we asked Konoha for a piece of land, they might agree."
Ebizō met Rasa's gaze. He did not answer the tempting question directly. Instead he stated an apparently unrelated fact. "Fourth, the current Raikage is not like his father."
Rasa's tapping stopped.
That Third Raikage could do something as foolish as marching across the shinobi world to attack Sunagakure. After failing there, he went to attack Iwagakure.
For what. Because the Third Kazekage vanished. Neighbors Iwa and Konoha had not said a word. Why was a Raikage ten thousand miles away in such a hurry.
Never mind whether he could win. What if he did. Could the Land of Wind become an enclave of the Land of Lightning.
Did he think beating Suna and Iwa into submission would make them march on Konoha together. If you wanted to attack Konoha, could you not say so. We could have joined you.
A reckless brute like that, acting only on temper, if his envoy had been killed by Konoha, would ignore his country's reality and throw everything into mutual destruction with Konoha.
But the current Fourth Raikage, A, was not his father. He might be just as hot tempered, but he knew how to weigh costs and benefits. He understood what was worth it.
Of course Rasa understood Ebizō's subtext.
The Akai incident had been fermenting for days. Yet Cloud's response remained all thunder and no rain. That already said much about their stance.
At such a time, if Suna demanded land from Konoha, success was unlikely. More likely it would force Konoha to compromise with Cloud first.
Then, as the Konoha envoy had said, they could turn and make peace with Iwa. Cloud was thousands of miles away. Iwa was the hostile neighbor at Suna's pillow. The two sides had never stopped clashing over interests in the western nations.
It was just that this chance was so rare. Rasa felt some regret. Opportunities to fleece an ally properly were few.
"Ōnoki cannot be trusted." Ebizō saw Rasa's expression and his tone grew heavier. "That man, though I do not know how he succeeded in planning this."
"But he absolutely did not make this plan to let Suna profit."
"And he absolutely will not let Sunagakure gain such large benefits after going to such trouble."
"Fourth, take the profits we can grasp firmly. Grain, supplies, mission quotas. These are solid things that solve urgent needs. As for land. Even dividing Konoha. Too far, too uncertain."
"If there is truly hope, it is not too late to act then."
Rasa was silent a while. Then he asked another matter.
"Has Fūmaki's whereabouts been found."
"Yesterday Maki confirmed it in River Country," Ebizō said lightly. "Dead. Along with the men he took. Utterly stupid, trying to hijack the village's will and act on his own. Self destruction."
"Is that so. Dead." Rasa thought a moment. His eyes flickered. "Konoha's people killed him."
"Probably."
"Then, can we use that as grounds to demand more from Konoha. After all, we lost several elite shinobi."
Suna's old advisor smiled a little. "If the Fourth thinks it will work, feel free to try."
It was not a matter of the old man's face. Yes, our people tried to cooperate with Iwa to strike Konoha. So what. Does Konoha want Suna as an ally or not.
With a different envoy, he would be willing to lower his face again. Maybe he could squeeze out more.
But the one who came this time was no simple character. Ebizō could imagine what that Shuji would say if he brought this up.
He had no interest in more verbal sparring with that youth.
Hearing this, Rasa dropped the matter and only said, "In that case, I will go meet with Konoha's envoy."
—
The Kazekage's office.
"Kazekage-sama." Shuji inclined his head slightly. Anko and Itachi followed with bows.
"Konoha's envoy. The journey was hard. Advisor Ebizō has briefed me in detail."
"Sunagakure will firmly uphold its alliance with Konoha and face this crisis together. Please rest assured."
Anko's lips twitched. She nearly could not hold back asking what "firmly" meant. But the captain in front of her kept her quiet.
Uchiha Itachi quietly absorbed the relations between villages. On this diplomatic mission he had learned much more.
Shuji wore a perfectly measured smile.
Then he said, "Kazekage-sama has labored hard for the alliance. Konoha is deeply grateful. How is the northern fortress holding. If pressure on the front is too great, as allies, Konoha is willing to provide support to face the strong enemy together."
Rasa replied, "The front is locked in a stalemate. But Elder Chiyo has gone to command in my stead. The defense is solid. For now there is no major problem."
"As for Konoha's heart to help, Sunagakure is deeply grateful. The Land of Wind is poor. Sunagakure truly needs material aid."
More money. Of course we can do that.
"Grain and supply matters, Advisor Ebizō and I have settled. Konoha will naturally do its utmost."
More money. What money.
Shuji brushed past it and stated his real demand. "Konoha is willing to provide elite squads to directly support Suna's defense line and share the pressure."
Rasa's expression did not change. "Sunagakure receives the ally's goodwill. But at present your village's pressure from Cloud remains. Your position is likewise difficult. Elite forces should first be used to handle Cloud. Sunagakure can still manage."
Support. What a joke. The Iwa envoy's death had not yet spread. Iwa was still trying to court Suna. The northern line had no real fighting. Every day they threw a few shuriken and had to retrieve them to use again the next day.
Rasa stayed at the front just in case, and to let the old advisor play bad cop in the rear.
Konoha said it would send people to support. How many could they actually send. A few squads at most. More than reinforcement, it looked like an overseer force.
If they came, they would probably stir things up. Suna and Iwa would find it hard to avoid a major battle.
Rasa did not want to fight.
This was good as it was. Take the money and do nothing.
And Suna had already lost people over this matter.
Fūmaki was a fool who deserved to die. But he was still a Suna shinobi who died in River Country.
Why he died did not matter. He died at the hands of Konoha shinobi. That Rasa did not pursue or hold them accountable was already Suna's sacrifice.
Chapters in advance there: patreon.com/Thaniel_a_goodchild