Land of Wind, Hidden Sand Village.
Chiyo, who had returned to Sunagakure from Konoha, went straight to the Kazekage Building.
She handed a scroll to the Third Kazekage and said, "Lord Kazekage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage of Konoha, wishes to meet with you in person.
Sunagakure can choose the meeting location."
"The meeting location, huh..."
The Third Kazekage looked at the information Chiyo had collected in the scroll and confirmed that Kumogakure had not allied with Konoha.
Konoha knew about Bunbuku, which likely indicated a collaboration between Kumogakure and Konoha.
This was good news for Sunagakure.
"Chiyo, look at this information."
The Third Kazekage took out a scroll and handed it to Chiyo.
"Konoha's surprise attack squad..."
Chiyo looked at the information in the scroll with a hint of shock.
It was news that Iwagakure's supply unit's camp had been destroyed by Konoha's surprise attack squad.
Iwagakure had already decided to recall the Iwagakure troops fighting on the front lines against Konoha.
"Chiyo, who do you think led the surprise attack squad to destroy Iwagakure's supply unit's camp?"
The Third Kazekage couldn't believe that Konoha would suddenly attack Iwagakure's supply line so soon after the stalemate between Konoha and Iwagakure.
He had thought that Konoha was already struggling to fight both Iwagakure and Hidden Mist simultaneously.
He had underestimated Konoha's strength.
"It's highly likely that Konohas Sannin led the team."
Chiyo speculated.
Currently, among Konoha's Ninja capable of intercepting Iwagakure's supply squad and destroying Iwagakure's supply unit's camp in a short time, only Konohas Sannin had the strength and qualifications to lead such a team.
The somewhat famous Konoha White Fang seemed less reliable than Konohas Sannin.
"At this time, forming an alliance with Konoha is a good choice."
The Third Kazekage placed the scroll on the table and looked at Ebizo, who had just pushed the door open and entered.
He said, "So, regarding the choice of meeting location, Ebizo, do you have any ideas?"
"Lord Kazekage, since Konoha has left the meeting location to Sunagakure to choose, it indicates that the Hokage is not afraid of Sunagakure playing tricks in this regard.
This approach also aims to see Sunagakure's sincerity."
Ebizo pondered briefly, first stating his view on Konoha leaving the meeting location to Sunagakure, then continuing, "Regarding the choice of meeting location, I think cooperation with White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Company in the Land of Rain would be a good option."
"The Land of Rain?
How about Rouran, located on the border of the Land of Wind?
That country is also a peaceful country."
Compared to the Land of Rain, the Third Kazekage favored Rouran more.
He was still quite wary of Hanzō, the leader of the Land of Rain.
If they chose Rouran, Sunagakure could retreat in time if any unexpected situation occurred.
"Lord Kazekage, Rouran is located within the Land of Wind, which is not a good choice."
Upon hearing that the Third Kazekage intended to choose Rouran within the Land of Wind, Ebizo felt it was not entirely stable and advised, "Hanzou of the Land of Rain has sufficient prestige in the Ninja World, and Hanzou is a pacifist. He uses the power of White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Company to develop the Land of Rain but has no intention of expanding its territory."
"The current Land of Rain is a completely neutral country; it will not actively participate in wars and will only act when affected by war. The Land of Rain borders the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, so choosing the Land of Rain can also express our sincerity to Konoha."
"The most important point is that the Land of Rain also borders the Land of Earth. We can inadvertently leak information and see if Iwagakure will take any action."
"Ebizo, continue!"
The Third Kazekage's eyes lit up, urging Ebizo to continue.
"Iwagakure's supply lines have been severely damaged. If Ōnoki, the Tsuchikage, were to learn now that Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage, is meeting with Lord Kazekage in the Land of Rain, he is very likely to do something."
"If the conflict between Konoha and Iwagakure escalates, the Land of Rain might be drawn into their war because of this incident, and we, Sunagakure, would have done nothing, yet the surrounding countries would be fighting. This is the most advantageous situation for us."
Ebizo laid out his entire strategy. Given Sunagakure's current situation, it would be difficult to defeat any single village—Konoha, Iwagakure, Hidden Mist, or Kumogakure—in a head-on confrontation. To gain an advantage in war, they could only resort to schemes.
"Ebizo, have you considered how Konoha would treat Sunagakure once it discovered that Sunagakure leaked the information?"
Chiyo wanted to agree with Ebizo's plan, if only she hadn't been to Konoha.
Based on her observations in Konoha, she believed that Sunagakure could only get through the war period safely by forming an alliance with Konoha.
"Sister, there are no flawless plans, nor are there any plans without risks."
Ebizo did not refute her but admitted the shortcomings and risks of his plan.
"Proceed with Ebizo's plan. If Iwagakure takes no action, then we will proceed with our original plan and form an alliance with Konoha."
The Third Kazekage was swayed. Ebizo's plan resonated deeply with him; if successful, it would bring more benefits than drawbacks to Sunagakure. With surrounding countries fighting, Sunagakure could remain aloof.
Chiyo knew she couldn't change the Third Kazekage's mind, so she said nothing more. Besides, she was already in disgrace; what right did she have to strongly oppose this plan?
Land of Fire, Konoha, Orochimaru's Laboratory.
Tsunade slowly sat up on the operating table, blinking her eyes. She felt a cool, slightly uncomfortable sensation in her eyes, which quickly disappeared.
Orochimaru watched Tsunade, who kept blinking, and asked, "Tsunade, how do you feel?"
"Very good. There was a slight discomfort at first, but it quickly went away."
Tsunade got off the operating table and tried to inject Chakra into the liquid invisible contact lenses. She felt her vision slowly expanding, seeing everything with incredible clarity, her eyes acting like both a magnifying glass and a telescope.
"How amazing!"
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