The night was bright under the moonlight.
Due to the festival, Sunagakure had not imposed a curfew, and the village remained illuminated. Not far from the Kazekage Building, a traditional Japanese-style palace was even livelier.
This was one of Sunagakure's rare all-wooden structures, a place reserved for hosting guests. The grand hall was now filled with dining tables, exquisite dishes, and fine wine.
Several of Sunagakure's high-ranking officials, along with the officials from the Land of Demons who had accompanied Miroku, had gathered here to enjoy the village's unique delicacies.
At the highest point of the hall, atop a two-meter-high platform, sat Rasa and Miroku. Additionally, Michikawa and Pakura were present, while the Land of Demons was represented by a minister named Mizuo and Miroku's bodyguard, Jippo.
Without unnecessary formalities, the banquet began.
Despite having spent the entire afternoon touring the village, Miroku was still full of energy and spoke excitedly.
"Rasa-sama, Sunagakure is completely different from what I imagined!"
"Oh? How so?"
Miroku thought for a moment before replying with a tone of wonder.
"Everyone says Sunagakure's environment is extremely harsh, but after this afternoon, I realized that's not entirely true. There are many places brimming with life and beauty. Even the seemingly barren areas have a unique desert charm. And most importantly, everyone I saw was smiling. It shows they have hope for the future."
Though her words were somewhat naive, they resonated warmly with the people of Sunagakure.
Sitting nearby, Michikawa chimed in supportively.
"That's all thanks to the Kazekage-sama leading the village to victory against Konoha multiple times, securing us the stability and funds needed for development."
Miroku nodded earnestly.
"Mhm! Rasa-sama is the strongest shinobi I've ever met. He even defeated Mōryō!"
At that moment, the middle-aged man named Mizuo raised his cup, his face filled with gratitude.
"For the Land of Demons, the Kazekage-sama is our savior. For generations, our country has sacrificed countless lives, including one priestess after another, just to seal the demon Mōryō. But now, it's finally over. I propose a toast to the Kazekage-sama!"
From his words, Mizuo seemed like an honorable and fair man. Unfortunately, according to intelligence from the covert operations unit, this man was far from simple.
Sure enough, after downing his drink in one gulp, Mizuo spoke again, his tone dripping with sincerity.
"Kazekage-sama, I'd like to take this opportunity to make a rather bold request!"
"Oh? What request?"
Mizuo's words immediately drew everyone's attention. Some of the Land of Demons' officials below seemed to have anticipated this, setting down their chopsticks and looking up with expectation. Meanwhile, Miroku's smile vanished the moment Mizuo stepped forward.
Under the crowd's watchful eyes, Mizuo stood up as if he were the true host of the banquet and declared:
"I propose an alliance between the Land of Demons and Sunagakure, one that includes the leasing of Sunagakure to protect the Land of Demons."
As soon as these words were spoken, the eyes of Sunagakure's higher-ups lit up.
They all understood what this meant.
After all, one of the major sources of income for Kirigakure in the Land of Water was leasing shinobi to protect the Land of the Sea. Now, all eyes turned expectantly toward the Kazekage.
There seemed to be no reason to refuse. As for the priestess sitting at the head of the table, everyone subconsciously chose to ignore her.
Just a little girl!
That was the unspoken thought in everyone's mind.
And that was precisely why Mizuo dared to be so bold.
In his view, as the ruler of Sunagakure, the Kazekage had no reason to reject such a proposal based on his investigation. Meanwhile, Miroku bit her lip and lowered her head, the atmosphere growing increasingly tense.
This reaction alone revealed the truth. Despite being the former priestess of the Land of Demons, Miroku had never truly held real political power. The only reason the officials had acknowledged her status before was due to the threat of Mōryō. But now, with the demon gone, ambitions began to stir.
Among the men present, aside from her bodyguard, not a single one was willing to bow to a naive little girl.
Seeing this, Rasa slowly set down his wine cup, his expression calm and unhurried as he spoke.
"My victory over Mōryō was not achieved alone. During the battle, I witnessed the souls of past priestesses of the Land of Demons, and it was with their power that I succeeded."
His words instantly seized everyone's attention.
The Sunagakure shinobi remained composed, merely intrigued by the details of their leader's feat. But the officials from the Land of Demons reacted with shock.
"W-What?!"
"The souls of the past priestesses?!"
"Is this true?!"
The priestesses still held immense reverence in the hearts of the Land of Demons' people.
The moment Rasa mentioned their lingering presence, those with ill intentions suddenly felt as if the priestesses' spirits were watching them.
Even Mizuo's expression stiffened.
Miroku, however, lifted her head again.
"Of course it's true. As gratitude for their aid, I made a promise to protect the current priestess and the Land of Demons."
Here, Rasa's gaze swept over Mizuo and the other officials below.
"Therefore, even without Mizuo-san's proposal, safeguarding the priestess and your nation remains one of Sunagakure's duties."
The hall fell into heavy silence. The ministers exchanged uneasy glances before turning to Mizuo, who merely bowed respectfully.
"I see. Then we are deeply grateful for the Kazekage-sama's generosity."
Rasa found himself mildly impressed by the man's composure and replied smoothly,
"No need for thanks. It's only natural."
With that, Mizuo returned to his seat, and the banquet resumed.
A soft, grateful voice whispered beside Rasa.
"Thank you… Rasa-sama."
He turned to see Miroku's bright, relieved eyes and smiled gently.
"There's no need to thank me. This is my duty."
Watching this exchange, Jippo, Miroku's bodyguard, sighed heavily in his heart.
He understood the situation better than anyone.
On one side were internal forces coveting the priestess's authority. On the other hand, external powers are eyeing the Land of Demons itself. Caught between them, the nation had no choice but to align with one.
For a fleeting moment, a dark thought crossed his mind: If only Mōryō had never been destroyed… But the world had no room for what-ifs.
And judging by the priestess's joyful smile, her choice was already clear.
Just then, a Sunagakure ANBU operative appeared at Rasa's side, whispering urgently into his ear.