"A declaration of war against the Land of Wind... those Renegade Ninja have some nerve."
A senior Hidden Sand Ninja crumpled a piece of paper into a ball, gritting his teeth.
A small country formally declaring war on a great nation is already a grave humiliation for the latter.
The representative declaring war is a Renegade Ninja who had broken away from the Ninja Village system, which feels like a hard slap in the face for the Hidden Sand.
"Konoha! Land of Demons! We must demand a reasonable explanation from the Hokage and the Witch of the Land of Demons, or this won't end here!"
Another senior of Hidden Sand wore the same ashen expression, his eyes dark and brooding.
The fact that Renegade Ninja have been allowed to roam free for over ten years without being dealt with is undoubtedly a failure on Konoha's part.
Similarly, the Witch of the Land of Demons allowing Renegade Ninja to act within their territory and even serve as military representatives is even more ridiculous than Konoha's leniency.
Since when could Renegade Ninja openly make their voice heard on the international stage?
"Regardless of what Konoha might have to say, it's evident that the Witch of the Land of Demons condoning the Renegade Ninja is a policy of the previous generation. Seeking out the current generation of witches... I'm afraid will yield little result. Moreover, the role of the witch in the Land of Demons is unique; they probably don't wish to explain anything. Regardless of the outcome, the witch can remain uninvolved."
Rasa frowned in distress.
In hindsight, all of Hidden Sand's actions seem to have been passively led by others.
From when the Debt Collector caused a ruckus at the Daimyo's Mansion of the Land of Wind, the Land of Demons had already set a trap.
They naively believed the Land of Demons lacked the strength to resist a great nation, leading to a series of wrong policies. Such losses make all the top officials culpable.
Since an unexpected event has occurred on their side, the troops under Maki stationed in the Land of Demons are likely in grave danger.
Such heavy sacrifices left Rasa in a foul mood.
"What does the Kazekage plan to do?"
"Next, I will lead the troops anew, trying my best to drive Uchiha Ruri out of the Land of Wind."
On the words "trying my best," Rasa enunciated heavily.
It was clear that he himself did not have much confidence in the matter.
"Aren't you planning to negotiate with the Hokage of Konoha and the Witch of the Land of Demons?"
"Naturally, negotiation is necessary. It's estimated that negotiating with the Witch of the Land of Demons will be difficult and will ultimately resort to force. But Konoha might possibly become our support."
"Konoha... support?"
The Kazekage's statement left the high-level Hidden Sand officials deep in thought.
"As far as I know, Konoha has never given up searching for Chiba Hakushi, Uchiha Ruri, and Hyuga Ayane. The Kyuubi Rampage that occurred seven to eight years ago, which led to the death of the Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato, also cannot be separated from these three. Therefore, compared to us in Hidden Sand, Konoha is the village least willing to see these three rise on the international stage."
If Chiba Hakushi and the other two firmly establish their foothold, not only will Konoha lose face, but a formidable enemy will emerge on the international stage.
It can be said that Konoha is now more anxious than Hidden Sand, desperately wanting the Land of Demons to vanish and to erase the traces of the three as if nothing ever happened.
As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
If at this moment Konoha can become an asset to Hidden Sand, Rasa wouldn't mind temporarily aligning with Konoha.
"What if Konoha refuses to intervene?"
A worried high-level official inquired.
"Then tell them that Hidden Sand is willing to negotiate peace with the Land of Demons and acknowledge the legal status of Chiba Hakushi and the others in the Land of Demons."
This is a lie.
Because the current conflict with the Land of Demons cannot be solved through mere negotiation.
Neither his side nor the Daimyo would agree.
But Rasa wouldn't mind using such a statement to threaten Konoha into launching support actions for Hidden Sand.
Because, as it stands, Konoha cannot afford to take such a gamble.