Within 15 minutes, every Council Member and Elder except 2 were in the meeting room once again. They noticed Rasa's grim expression and asked while sighing, "What happened now, Kazekage-sama?"
Their sigh wasn't an act. All of them were sick of the recent events. It was just one thing after another continuously with no respite!
Rasa didn't say anything and just handed them the scroll. Their eyes widened and arms shivered in rage and horror as they read the report.
Joseki shouted, "This is outrageous! We are in an alliance. Do they want to launch a full-fledged war?"
All of them were experienced. They reached the same conclusion as Rasa.
Rasa said, "I received these reports from the cities and towns around Shunkuto a few minutes before I called the meeting. Wait for some time. There are still more people to come."
Joseki looked around and asked, "Who else is remaining?"
As if to answer his question, the door opened and two very old ninjas walked in. The Council Members and Elders were surprised. They were Ebizo and his sister Chiyo.
Behind them, the messenger finally sighed in relief. Bringing these two here was a huge headache. He thought, 'I know she is just fooling around, but one of these days she might really end up dead!'
Chiyo and Ebizo immediately noticed the tense expressions in the room. Chiyo asked, "Why are your expressions so grim? I haven't even played possum yet!"
Rasa handed them a scroll and said, "This isn't the time to be fooling around. Please read."
The siblings began reading. Unlike the time when Gaara was kidnapped, Rasa was still alive. Though he was junior to them, they couldn't dismiss him casually like Baki. In addition, their health was much better as compared to what it would be 6 years later.
Their eyes widened as they completed reading the report. Chiyo chuckled and said, "That's why I told you to not form any alliances. They will stab you in the back the very first chance they get."
However, her brother said, "True, but we were the ones to make a move first. They didn't act against us until we took steps towards breaking the alliance."
Ebizo's words reminded the Council Members and other Elders that it was Suna's choice that led to Konoha's retaliation. Goza gritted his teeth and said, "But their actions are outrageous. There were numerous ways to counter our moves. There was no need to do something so drastic. I'm afraid that they intend to launch a war."
Rasa nodded and said, "I'm of the same opinion. I plan on deploying 2000 ninjas along the border with the Land of Rivers to deter Konoha. What are your opinions?"
The Council Members were surprised. They realized that Rasa already had a plan. He had just called them here to inform them and check if they had any ideas. However, considering how grave the situation was, no one opposed him.
Only Chiyo laughed in disdain while Ebizo shook his head. He said, "If you do that, then it will give Konoha an excuse to mobilize as well. And if Konoha indeed wants a war, then they will be prepared. Such a frontal confrontation is what they would want to see.
In addition, the culprit who made this mess will also receive more opportunities to keep creating a mess in the West and worsen the situation even further."
His words caused everyone to frown. They thought for a bit and realized that it made complete sense. Goza asked, "Then what would you recommend, Elder Ebizo?"
Ebizo said, "Instead of deploying an army on the frontlines, divide them in small squads and discretely deploy them in the deserts between here and the Land of Rivers. Have them deploy various traps to harass any incoming army.
Even if Konoha marches, we shouldn't defend the frontlines. Instead, let them enter the desert. We will fight and stall them here instead of fighting a quick and decisive battle. I doubt Kumo or Iwa would miss the opportunity to take advantage if Konoha is stuck in a drawn-out battle here.
In addition, we can use this time to find and kill the one making a mess in the West. As long as he is dead, we won't have to worry about our backs."
Ebizo's words made sense. Everyone nodded. Only Sajo asked, "But what if our estimates are wrong? What if this is Iwa's scheme and they plan to attack us when our forces are facing Konoha?"
Before Ebizo could answer, Goza answered, "Let them attack. It's only a vast desert from the Land of Birds to here. We can use our alliance with Konoha to make them attack Iwa through the Land of Grass. And we can move our forces from the west and east to intercept and stall Iwa's army.
In case Iwa and Konoha have allied, then we will have to stall them both and form an alliance with Kumo and have them attack Konoha. In that case, the war will enter a stalemate."
Everyone agreed with his answer. Seeing that there was no other objection, Rasa said, "Alright, let's do this. Sajo, you will lead 500 ninjas to the West. You will be responsible for scouring the deserts and providing more security to the cities there. If you encounter the Copy Ninja, don't engage and inform me. I will move towards the escape routes to intercept him if he decides to escape the county."
Rasa turned his eyes towards the siblings and said, "In my absence, I'll leave the safety of the village to you two. Yura will be returning with Gaara in a few days. Please inspect his seal as well. Goza, you will be responsible for slowly deploying 2000 ninjas towards the Land of Rivers and have them deploy traps and prepare ambushes. The rest will aid you. Any objections?"
No one objected. Rasa got up and left. Within an hour, 500 ninjas departed from Sunagakure towards the Western part of the country to hunt for Kakashi, who was neither the culprit nor present there.
The real culprit had a nice long sleep and was enjoying his lunch in Ichiraku. He wasn't aware of the movements inside the Land of Wind. But if he was, Fujin would wonder what sort of expressions Rasa, the Council Member, the Elders, and the 500 ninjas would make if they learnt the truth.
Though Fujin didn't care about this matter, others did.
The next morning, every major village received reports that 500 ninjas had moved from Sunagakure towards the Western part of the Land of Wind. Due to how massive the movement was, every spy in Sunagakure noticed it immediately. Most leaders were puzzled as to why Suna was making such huge movements.
Onoki wondered, 'What's going on in Suna? They have already deployed more than 600 ninjas. And now 500 more? And even Rasa moved? Don't tell me that bastard Rasa intends to start another dumb war.'
He immediately called for a council meeting. After a discussion, they decided to deploy 500 ninjas on the borders with the Land of Bird and another 750 ninjas on the border with the Land of Bear.
Just like Onoki, the Fourth Raikage Ay was also puzzled. After thinking for a bit, he decided to secretly ready his forces to take advantage in case a war broke out.
Unlike the rest of the world, two people were very clear about the situation. Shikaku analyzed the news, 'I can understand why the 500 ninjas left. But why did Rasa leave? Do they not know that Fujin already left?'
He opened the report Fujin had made and checked the end. He thought, 'His report doesn't mention how he returned. Now that I think about it, he returned way too quickly. Does he have a flying summon or know a space-time ninjutsu?'
He thought for a bit before giving up, 'Leave it, I'll just ask the Hokage. According to the movements, Rasa likely wants to hunt Fujin. But Fujin is already here.'
A smirk formed on his face as he thought, 'Looks like you will have a nice wild goose chase for quite some time.'
His smirk faded away as he let out a sigh, 'Unfortunately, once they give up, there is a high likelihood of them moving those troops towards our border. And thanks to the vast deserts, we won't even know where that army is.
The best way to counter this would have been to deploy Konoha's forces. Unfortunately, that's the worst option here. I'll have to deploy many Anbu and spies in the Land of River to warn us if the Suna army enters it. In addition, I will have to have Konoha's forces prepared for war. Sigh, so much work.'
Fujin's face appeared in his mind as he decided, 'No more long-term missions for this guy. Fortunately, I sent him to Suna. If this was Kumo, the Fourth Great Ninja War might have already started.'
Fujin was blissfully unaware of all these developments. He was back in his training ground doing his morning physical workout after a long time!
