But almost at once, Chiyo shook her head again.
"Sasori has been missing for far too long. If he were still alive, there would have been word by now."
"Kazekage-sama, there is no need to deceive an old woman like me just to make me fight for the village."
Rasa met her gaze seriously.
"What I'm saying is true. I can stake my position as Kazekage on it."
If Uchiha Yamakaku could stake his position as clan head to calm the Uchiha's anger and discontent, then Rasa could do the same here before Chiyo.
Because Rasa knew very clearly—
Sasori of the Red Sand was indeed alive.
Chiyo's expression turned grave.
"Kazekage-sama, the position of Kazekage is not something to be used so lightly. This is too childish."
Rasa nodded.
"I know. Which is why everything I said is true."
Chiyo fell silent for a while.
Then, at last, she said, "Very well, Kazekage-sama. Tell me—what exactly do you want me to do?"
"This old woman truly cannot return to the front lines anymore. But if it is something else, something within my ability… I can do it."
Rasa had never expected Chiyo to charge straight back to the battlefield against Kirigakure.
Just as she herself had said—her husband, her son, her daughter-in-law were dead, and her grandson had been missing for years. At her age, she had long since lost any real attachment to life.
And besides, Rasa still had no concrete proof to present that Sasori was alive.
The fact that she was willing to make even this much of a promise already showed respect for his position as Kazekage.
Rasa explained his plan.
A look of surprise appeared on Chiyo's face.
"So the rumor about Uchiha Kagami… you and Ebizo were the ones pushing it?"
"That's right. Didn't Ebizo tell you?"
Chiyo shook her head.
That actually surprised Rasa a little.
Given the relationship between Chiyo and Ebizo, he would have thought there were no secrets between them.
"I need one—or better yet, several—puppet machines capable of printing a huge number of leaflets in a short time. The simpler they are to operate, the better. The clearer the text, the better."
"Chiyo-senpai, is that difficult?"
Chiyo glanced at him.
"No."
"Roughly how long will it take?"
"In three days, I can make one. The second will be faster."
"Good. Then I'll come again in three days."
Very soon, the three days passed.
Rasa returned to Chiyo's courtyard.
The moment he entered, he could clearly feel that both the atmosphere of the place and Chiyo's presence were different from before.
Last time, the courtyard had felt lifeless.
This time, there was a trace of vitality.
Even Chiyo herself seemed more spirited, despite a visible fatigue.
"As expected," Rasa thought, "people need work. Too much idleness can wear a person down."
"Kazekage-sama, the puppet is ready. Come with me."
Rasa nodded.
She led him into a storeroom.
In the center stood a puppet larger than a human being.
Chiyo began explaining.
"Because your requirements were relatively simple, Kazekage-sama, I didn't use especially fine materials. I used cheaper materials instead, which is why the finished product is rather large."
"I've named this puppet the Printing Hound."
"Under normal conditions, it can print three thousand leaflets in a day."
"It's very simple to operate. Place the paper here, add ink here, then put both hands here and continuously feed in chakra."
Rasa did the math in his head, then said, "Chiyo-senpai, I'll take this Printing Hound puppet first. Please make two more. How long will that take?"
"Four days."
"Good. Then I'll come again in two days."
The moment Rasa took the Printing Hound puppet away, he headed straight for the Kazekage Building.
In the basement, he cleared out a room and emptied it completely.
After that, he summoned three ANBU shinobi.
"Kazekage-sama."
The three stood before him in unison.
Rasa swept his gaze across them.
"I have a very important mission for you. You will be operating this puppet…"
He quickly explained how the Printing Hound worked.
"One person works for seven hours. After seven straight hours, let the puppet rest for one hour, then the second person takes over. Continue rotating like that. Whoever finishes their shift should use the time to rest immediately."
Chiyo's estimate of three thousand per day had only been based on daytime work.
But with Sunagakure in its current state, who had the luxury of caring about day and night?
What mattered was running the machine at full capacity for all twenty-four hours.
And with three people rotating, it was entirely manageable.
That way, one puppet could print six thousand leaflets a day.
Two days later, Rasa brought back a second Printing Hound puppet.
Another two days after that, a third Printing Hound appeared in the basement room.
By then, the number of leaflets Rasa needed had already reached thirty-six thousand.
"In another four days, it'll pass one hundred thousand. That amount should be barely enough."
"Even if I wait a few more days and produce more, it won't make much difference to the overall effect."
Rasa looked out the window, anticipation flickering in his eyes.
"I wonder how many points this will earn me."
"The method is simple. Crude, even."
"But more often than not, the cruder the method, the more effective it is."
…
…
At the same time, elsewhere—
Kirigakure.
The entire upper echelon of the village was deeply dissatisfied with the war situation on the front lines.
"What exactly are Fuguki Suikazan and Jinpachi Munashi doing?"
"Why has the battle stalled like this?"
"Weren't we told Sunagakure was already finished?"
"Weren't we told we held an overwhelming advantage?"
"Weren't we told it would only be a matter of days before Sunagakure fell?"
"And now?"
The higher-ups were furious.
War required investment.
Without victory, there was no return.
The longer the stalemate lasted, the more resources had to be poured into it.
And before this, both Fuguki Suikazan and Jinpachi Munashi had made promises.
Yet this was the result.
Inside the Mizukage's office, opinions clashed sharply.
The peace faction in particular believed the village had already wasted too much manpower and too many supplies on this war, with too little to show for it.
Under that pressure, even the war faction had become more and more dissatisfied with the two commanders.
The Third Mizukage sat in silence with both hands folded before him, his eyes narrowed into thin slits.
His aura resembled a scholar more than a Mizukage.
Only after the room had argued itself tired did he finally take out two letters.
"Mizukage-sama, what are those?"
Everyone's eyes turned toward him.
The Third Mizukage said, "These are complaint letters from Fuguki Suikazan and Jinpachi Munashi. Each claims that the other is the reason the offensive has stalled."
"What do you all think?"
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/Inkveil_