As long as the information was written in the sand, the same characters would appear on a sand tray in Sunagakure.
Other villages had similar methods. Ninja techniques were diverse, and so were the ways to transmit information.
Only after tidying the sand did the young nurse finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"It seems I can live normally again."
She was a spy for Sunagakure, but this was her first time sending intelligence. Compared to her home village, she preferred Konoha—safe, stable, and well-supplied. Far beyond what Sunagakure could offer.
But she had to deliver the information.
Her family remained in Sunagakure, and the village knew her position in Konoha.
If she were exposed, death awaited her.
Meanwhile, back in Sunagakure, Chiyo looked at the copied intelligence and couldn't help but smile. Hatred burned in her eyes.
"The side effects of the Mangekyo Sharingan will be more than this brat can handle."
"Shall we continue our attack on Konoha?" Pakura asked beside her.
Pakura was no longer the same as before.
Following the decisions of Sunagakure's higher-ups, Pakura had become the Fourth Kazekage.
If Rasa hadn't died, he would have been the Fourth Kazekage. After all, Rasa could control gold sand—practically a natural money-making machine.
Sunagakure was poor, and the Land of Wind itself was hardly wealthy. Most of the territory was desert, and there were no underground resources to exploit. Money was scarce.
Rasa's Magnet Release had been an excellent source of wealth.
But with Rasa gone, Sunagakure had few talents left. The only candidates for Kazekage were elders like Chiyo and jonin like Pakura.
Chiyo had no desire to become Kazekage, nor did Ebizo. So the position naturally fell to Pakura.
The only other contender was Karura, who had been discouraged after Rasa's death. And in wartime, Pakura was the more suitable candidate.
Chiyo sighed silently. Compared to the Third Kazekage, Pakura was far inferior—but people grew with time, and her sigh remained private.
"Make copies of this intelligence and send them to Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure," she instructed.
"We will attack Konoha together!"
"Chiyo-sensei, you're amazing!" Pakura couldn't help but admire her.
"Don't call me sensei anymore," Chiyo said sternly. "Call me Elder Chiyo in front of others. You are the Fourth Kazekage; I am your subordinate. Privately, you may address me as you wish. But in public, I am Elder Chiyo, and you are Kazekage-sama."
Pakura froze, then nodded. "Understood."
"Good," Chiyo said, then wrote several letters by hand and dispatched them to the other three villages.
==========
Two days later, at the battlefield between Iwagakure and Kumogakure:
The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, read the letter with a blank expression. The first line made his heart skip a beat:
"You don't want Konoha to produce someone like Uchiha Madara again, do you?"
"Damn it!" Onoki crushed the letter to powder, his eyes blazing.
"Kōdo, prepare for retreat! Get ready—I'm going to meet that fool, the Raikage!"
"Yes, Father!" Kōdo didn't know the contents of the Sunagakure letter, but he already sensed the situation was serious.
Nearby, at Kumogakure's main base, the Third Raikage also stared at a letter, this one delivered by Sunagakure.
"An alliance?" The Raikage pondered the advantages carefully.
He knew Konoha had more than one pair of Mangekyo Sharingan. Could Sunagakure truly think they could challenge them?
The young Uchiha Haru also possessed a Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Father, what does it say?" the young Ay asked, noticing his father's frown and leaning in to see.
The Third Raikage handed the letter over without hesitation.
"Yuki Seisui's vision is seriously damaged. Sunagakure wants to form an alliance with us to attack Konoha?!" The young A frowned as he read.
"We can't ally with them!" He finished reading and exclaimed, "One pair of Mangekyo Sharingan is formidable enough. Two pairs—wouldn't that be insane?!"
He had learned about the Mangekyo Sharingan only recently, and though he knew it was strong, he hadn't understood its full extent until Yuki Seisui single-handedly defeated the Third Tsuchikage and subdued the Sunagakure army.
At that moment, he realized how lucky he had been to survive against Uchiha Haru.
"Hmm," the Third Raikage nodded, approving his son's assessment.
If it were just Kumogakure and Sunagakure against Konoha, it would be a reckless fantasy.
Even if Seisui's vision had deteriorated, he wasn't blind yet. And another pair of Mangekyo Sharingan still existed.
Moreover, Konoha itself was far from weak.
Thinking this, the Third Raikage smiled at A.
"People say our village is barbaric, but becoming Raikage requires wisdom. You must think strategically too."
"Sunagakure likely sent this letter to more than just us," the Third Raikage continued, heading outside.
"Go ask Onoki what he thinks about the alliance."
No sooner had he left than a secretary ran up.
"Raikage-sama, the Tsuchikage is here to see you."
The Third Raikage glanced back at A. "See? I told you. You need to think before acting, just like me. Don't rely on brute force alone."
"Even with Lightning Style Armor, what then? You'd still be called reckless."
"I understand!" A nodded seriously. "I'll wait for the right moment to charge with Lightning Armor."
"That's the way!" The Third Raikage was satisfied.
"Let's go meet that short guy, Onoki."
==========
Meanwhile, in Konoha:
Yuki Seisui stood atop the Hokage Rock, gazing into the distance.
"What are you looking at?" Minato appeared behind him, curious.
"I'm looking at the world."
"Can you see clearly?" Minato glanced at Seisui's discarded glasses.
"Sort of. I can't see fine details yet, but I can see the general view." Seisui bent down to pick up his glasses.
"Weren't you training in sage techniques?"
"Why are you here now?" Seisui asked, puzzled.
"I came out for some fresh air," Minato replied, smiling, then sat atop the statue of the Second Hokage.
Seisui shrugged and sat down beside him.
"War is coming again," he said, staring at the sky where birds flew past, sighing.
Though he had anticipated this day, seeing it arrive stirred some emotion.
"Do you really think that era will come?" Minato asked.
"It definitely will!" Seisui said without hesitation.
With such a huge advantage, if he couldn't make it happen, he might as well find a wall to crash into.
His strength was constantly increasing. Previously, against Uchiha Madara, he could only stall to survive. Now, he could defeat him outright—yes, even old Madara himself.
Recently, the ninja world had been quiet; no wars had broken out.
Even Kumogakure and Iwagakure had withdrawn.
But those with insight knew: this calm was only the storm before the storm.
Sarutobi Hiruzen constantly monitored the other four villages.
For some reason, he always felt a sense of foreboding.