Inside the meeting room of the Kazekage Building.
The Third Kazekage was furious over the Daimyo's refusal to provide funding, which had caused Sunagakure to miss a golden opportunity.
A high-ranking official asked hesitantly, "Then... should we participate in this war?"
The Third Kazekage clenched his teeth and said, "Participate, of course! Even if there is no opportunity, we must create one. Right next door lies Konoha, rich in resources. Once the full-scale war begins, Kumogakure and Iwagakure will focus their efforts on Konoha.
So we must seize the right moment—while they are locked in fierce battle, we must snatch some gains from Konoha!"
Ebizō spoke up, "Kazekage-sama, your idea sounds promising. However, Konoha has recently produced the Yellow Flash, who has repeatedly fought against the Third Raikage's son and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki without defeat—in fact, he holds the advantage. Moreover, Konoha has many powerful ninja. Even if we attempt to gain an advantage amidst the chaos, it may come at a heavy cost."
The Third Kazekage insisted firmly, "That cannot be helped. As long as the benefits outweigh the losses, we have no reason to back down."
Ebizō suggested, "I believe we should send someone to infiltrate Konoha—gain their trust, uncover their secrets, learn their advanced Ninjutsu, steal their secret techniques, and even get our hands on their Kekkei Genkai. That way, when we plan to invade Konoha in the future, the spy inside can directly pave the way for us to acquire their secrets and power."
The Third Kazekage's eyes lit up slightly. This indeed sounded like a promising strategy!
However, his brows quickly furrowed again. "It's a great idea in theory, but extremely difficult to execute. How exactly can we successfully place an operative into Konoha? Although open war hasn't broken out yet, Konoha is already embroiled in tensions with Kumogakure, and Iwagakure is watching closely, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Konoha will certainly be on high alert for spies."
Ebizō replied solemnly, "Then it comes down to whether you're willing to pay the ultimate price, Third Kazekage."
The Third Kazekage looked at Ebizō seriously. "Advisor Ebizō, please speak plainly."
Nodding, Ebizō continued, "Something big enough to draw their attention—like valuable techniques or forbidden jutsu. However, as the Third Kazekage well knows, Konoha does not truly value what our Sunagakure shinobi possess.
Therefore, the only thing that might truly interest Konoha would be a Kekkei Genkai. If you are willing, Third Kazekage, we could embed a ninja bearing such a Kekkei Genkai into Konoha as our spy."
The Third Kazekage wore a grave expression. "Kekkei Genkai… We don't have many shinobi with such power here in Sunagakure. Plus, even if Konoha values Kekkei Genkai, they would likely reject it outright if we simply handed one over. After all, during such a tense time, our intentions would be far too transparent."
Ebizō shook his head and explained, "Naturally, we won't just hand the person over directly. It'll require some careful planning. I have a proposal—The Third may wish to hear me out.
At present, Iwagakure is watching Konoha with clear hostility, and naturally, Konoha remains wary of them in return. We can propose an alliance with Iwagakure, and to demonstrate our sincerity in this partnership—and secure needed resources—we will offer one of our Kekkei Genkai bearers in exchange. In return, Iwagakure would provide us with essential supplies—kunai, explosive tags, and other necessary equipment.
Onoki of the Land of Earth is a cunningly greedy man. Plus, between our Land of Wind and their Land of Earth there are only a few small countries separating us. Once a full-scale war begins, he's certainly going to keep a close watch on us.
If we proactively offer an alliance to Onoki, presenting him with a Kekkei Genkai bearer while guaranteeing no future attacks on his village, he will undoubtedly accept—especially since all he must offer in return are mere supplies. He'll agree to our alliance conditions without hesitation.
Here's the critical part: when we hand over the Kekkei Genkai bearer, we must ensure Konoha 'stumbles upon' this information. We need Konoha to discover that we're trading away a Kekkei Genkai bearer to Iwagakure.
Once Konoha learns of our alliance with Iwagakure, they will surely attempt to intercept the transfer. If Konoha successfully intercepts the transfer, the Kekkei Genkai bearer will become their spoils of war. This way, the Kekkei Genkai bearer can smoothly enter Konoha under legitimate circumstances.
In return, our Sunagakure will gain a batch of supplies for free while achieving our goal of infiltrating Konoha. At that time, Iwagakure will direct its anger toward Konoha for interrupting the operation—not us.
And once that happens, we can sit back and watch the tigers tear each other apart, waiting for the perfect moment to strike against Konoha."
The Third Kazekage and other high-ranking officials in Sunagakure were silently contemplating Ebizō's plan.
Chiyo took a calm, measured sip of her tea.
As for her younger brother Ebizō's wisdom, Chiyo was extremely proud.
The plan had already been carefully thought through. All that remained was for the Third Kazekage to make the final decision—once he did, success was well within reach.
After brief contemplation, the Third Kazekage reached his decision.
Sunagakure had fallen into a position of weakness. Thus, every opportunity had to be seized without hesitation.
The Third Kazekage agreed, saying, "I support Elder Ebizō's plan. What about the rest of you?"
Chiyo set down her teacup before speaking, "I agree."
The other advisors voiced their agreement in turn.
Immediately, the Third Kazekage declared, "Then we shall proceed exactly according to Elder Ebizō's suggestion. After this meeting, I will draft a letter expressing our intent to ally with Iwagakure and deliver it to Onoki as soon as possible."
Ebizō added, "Third, there's still one more thing. The selected Kekkei Genkai bearer must be utterly loyal to Sunagakure. And to prevent Konoha's ninja from prying into their mind, we must take thorough precautions."
Chiyo spoke, "[Subconscious Brain-Control Sand Technique] can handle precautions against memory probing.
However, due to the current tense situation, we need a mole to relay information back from Konoha. It would be best to set [Subconscious Brain-Control Sand Technique] as a triggered mechanism. Once the mind is invaded and memories are accessed, the technique will automatically activate and erase the fake memories."
Ebizō asked, "With that settled, does the Third have anyone specific in mind right now?"
The Third Kazekage pondered for a moment before an appropriate candidate came to mind.
Just as he was about to speak, Ebizō stopped him, saying, "This matter should remain known only to the Third. The fewer people who know who the mole is, the safer they'll be. Conversely, the more people who know, the higher the risk of exposure.
Therefore, the choice of the person responsible for delivering the mole to meet with Iwagakure must also be carefully selected. They must not be told the truth—they should only believe they're carrying out a covert exchange with Iwa ninjas. To ensure the mole's successful infiltration into Konoha, they may have to be sacrificed if necessary."
The Third Kazekage nodded and said, "Fine, I understand. Then this meeting is adjourned. I will make the necessary arrangements from here."
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!