Standing tall atop the Kazekage Building, Rasa swelled with pride.
It was Rasa himself who had ignited this Great Ninja War.
And now, he was ready to usher this war into its next, decisive stage.
These very facts alone ensured that Rasa would leave an indelible mark on the history of Sunagakure!
As Ebizō suggested it was time to turn the flames of war toward Konoha, Rasa opened his mouth to speak—"Ah… tch!"
Just as Rasa opened his mouth, a sudden gust of wind sent a blast of sand flying in.
That doesn't count. Try it again.
Clearing his throat, Rasa declared solemnly, "Then… let us begin the next phase and ignite the flames of war across the entire ninja world!"
After making the announcement, Rasa mused coolly, "The unforgiving desert, teeming with swirling sands, shall become the ultimate crucible for forging true ninja strength. This time, our Sunagakure will surely rise to power!"
Ebizō immediately got to work.
Thanks to Ebizō's extensive network of secret informants across the great nations, spreading rumors went extremely smoothly.
Konoha had stolen the Magnet Release kekkei genkai bearer that was originally destined for Sunagakure—and ultimately Iwagakure. That particular Magnet Release ninja defected to Konoha, and using his identity as a relative of the Third Kazekage, lured the Third Kazekage out of the village, where he was assassinated by Konoha ninja—who then faked evidence pointing to Iwagakure.
Moreover, there was ample evidence suggesting that Konoha had framed Iwagakure.
Within just over a week, this rumor had already spread widely throughout all five great nations.
Inside the Hokage Building:
In the office, along with Hiruzen Sarutobi, were Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Danzō.
Hiruzen Sarutobi wore a grave expression as he spoke, "You've all heard the news by now, haven't you?"
Koharu Utatane looked as if she'd tasted something bitter, her face sour and unamused, "Of course we've heard. It's already spread beyond Konoha Village—the rumor claims our Konoha ninja assassinated Sand's Third Kazekage and framed Iwagakure."
Pushing his glasses up, Homura Mitokado suggested, "Could it be Iwagakure under pressure trying to frame us? Perhaps we should urgently contact the new Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure to clarify things…"
Before Homura could finish speaking, Danzō cut him off.
Danzō spoke in a cold, ominous tone: "Framed by Iwagakure? I doubt that. The moment the rumor surfaced, I deployed operatives to investigate. The rumor first appeared in the Land of Earth—doesn't that speak volumes?"
Homura looked puzzled: "What's wrong with the rumor appearing first in the Land of Earth? Isn't it natural for Iwagakure to want Sunagakure to turn their hostility against Konoha?"
Hiruzen remained silent for a moment before murmuring thoughtfully, "I believe I understand Danzō's point. If Iwagakure really wanted to redirect Sunagakure's hostility toward us in Konoha, the rumor should have first spread within the Land of Wind—not the Land of Earth."
"So, Danzo," Hiruzen said slowly, "you're implying it wasn't Iwagakure trying to frame us? Someone else wants Sunagakure to turn against Konoha. Am I right?"
Danzo gave a slight nod. "That's exactly what I meant, Hiruzen."
Koharu frowned, adjusting her glasses. "If not Iwa, then is it Kumo? Or... could it possibly be Kirigakure?"
Homura Mitokado's hand trembled slightly as he adjusted his spectacles, the light glinting off the lenses, hinting at his sharp mind. "What if..." he began slowly, "this rumor actually originated from Sunagakure itself?"
Both Sarutobi and Danzo turned toward Homura in unison.
While Danzo had investigated and ruled out Iwagakure's involvement, he hadn't identified the true source of the rumors, nor had he considered Suna as a possibility.
"That doesn't make sense!" Koharu objected. "Why would Sunagakure spread such rumors? What would they gain by provoking war with Konoha?"
A confident smile curved Homura's lips as he explained to the three elders, "Before Sunagakure officially declared war on Iwagakure, remember how chaotic things were there? The Sand ninja were unusually aggressive and restless.
"The Third Kazekage might have gone missing far earlier than anyone suspected. This instability likely stemmed from their inability to locate him.
"In other words, if they couldn't resolve this issue quickly, Sunagakure would face serious internal problems.
"You all know Ebizō – our longtime rival. I must admit, he's a cunning man with many tricks up his sleeve.
"The new Fourth Kazekage took office surprisingly quickly. I believe that was orchestrated by Ebizō and the Suna leadership as an emergency measure. Their decision to push Rasa into power so suddenly was undoubtedly to stabilize the crisis within Sunagakure.
"And the situation inside Sunagakure is probably far worse than outsiders imagine. To deal with internal turmoil, Sunagakure's leadership would most likely try shifting focus outward – turning internal conflicts into external ones.
"And what better way to create external conflict than starting a war?"
The three elders fell silent, contemplating Homura's analysis.
It did make sense.
But Koharu raised a question: "If Sunagakure wanted to redirect internal issues through war, wouldn't their plan already be successful? Why spread these rumors now? Why provoke Konoha specifically?"
Homura paused dramatically before turning to Hiruzen. "Hiruzen, you know Onoki better than anyone does."
Hiruzen Sarutobi had largely deduced the truth. He said, "Well, Onoki is a man who pursues nothing but profit. If Sunagakure and Iwagakure go to war, Suna would stand no chance against Iwa. Yet Onoki himself wouldn't fight Suna to the bitter end either because there's basically no benefit for him in doing so.
"If we follow Mitokado's line of thinking, Sunagakure declared war on Iwagakure, accurately predicting that Iwa would not fight them all-out, since the Great Ninja World War is now underway and internal conflicts have been redirected outward into external conflict.
"However, overall, Iwa is stronger than Suna. If the war drags on, Suna won't be able to withstand Iwa's pressure. Even though they know Iwa won't fight them to the death, for Sunagakure—which suffers from severe resource shortages—this kind of war of attrition is unbearable.
"And here comes Sunagakure's second conspiracy. They clearly understand Onoki's profit-driven nature. Moreover, Kumogakure has already dispatched a ninja unit into the Land of Earth, placing Iwagakure in a precarious two-front situation.
"So… what if the attack on the Third Kazekage was blamed on Iwa by mistake—and was actually orchestrated by Konoha? Then both Sunagakure and Iwagakure would be painted as victims. Suna could then approach Onoki to propose cooperation and declare war on Konoha. Based on my understanding of Onoki, he'd almost certainly agree!"
After hearing Homura Mitokado and Hiruzen Sarutobi's analysis, Danzo and Koharu Utatane became visibly grave.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>