Two weeks earlier — Sunagakure.
Cold wind howled across the desert, sand whipping painfully against exposed faces.
"Lord Kazekage, the Sound Village will become Sunagakure's most reliable ally."
Rasa nodded slowly.
As he looked at the pale man before him—smiling softly, almost gently—an unexplainable sense of danger stirred in his chest.
Especially that faint metallic, bloody smell clinging to the man…
It made his stomach churn.
Could it be… Orochimaru's real target isn't Konoha… but Sunagakure?
The thought surfaced suddenly—
Only to be crushed just as quickly.
He shook his head with a bitter smile.
Sunagakure was poor, resource-starved, and isolated.
What could Orochimaru possibly want from them?
After a moment, Rasa spoke firmly.
"Then it's settled. In three days, we head to Konoha together."
"An alliance visit…"
"…and a collapse."
Years ago, Sunagakure had nearly fallen into chaos.
Things had only stabilized recently.
But funds, missions, and resources were still pitifully scarce.
Among the Five Great Villages—
Sunagakure had the fewest assignments.
He himself had to personally use Magnet Release to sift gold from desert sands just to keep the village afloat.
It worked…
But it wasn't sustainable.
If they wanted real change—
They had to overthrow the shadow looming above them.
Konoha.
Destroy its dominance.
Rebalance the world.
Rasa's voice lowered as he confirmed again:
"Orochimaru… are you certain the Fourth Raikage A and the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki have already infiltrated Konoha?"
"Of course."
Orochimaru smiled faintly.
His long tongue slid slowly across his lips.
"They've already taken root around Konoha's outskirts."
"All we need is this visit…"
"And the strike from inside and out."
"Konoha's fall will no longer be a distant dream."
And Sarutobi-sensei… will finally see that I was the right one, he added silently.
Rasa rubbed his fingers together, excitement flickering beneath his calm exterior.
"Good."
"Then in three days—outside Kikyo Mountain—the winds will rise."
"I'll lead a delegation to the Ninja Academy for an exchange."
"You and your Sound shinobi will disguise yourselves as my guards."
He wanted to change Sunagakure's fate.
Even if it meant betrayal.
Even if it meant blood.
"So then… congratulations in advance, Kazekage-sama."
Orochimaru's smile widened.
His yellow snake-like pupils narrowed into slits in the blowing sand.
He bowed slightly.
His loose sleeves fluttered—
HISS—
In the next instant, his body dissolved into a thin snake and vanished into the desert.
Preparations for the coming operation had begun.
Behind him, Rasa stared at the empty horizon.
That uneasy feeling returned.
Conspiring with one of the Legendary Sannin to topple Konoha…
Cloud and Stone were already involved.
The opportunity was rare.
Dangerous or not—
He had to try.
Only by tearing open Konoha's dominance…
Could Sunagakure truly rise.
After a long breath, he turned and left.
Back to the Forest of Death.
At the edge—
What had once been a forest stretching dozens of kilometers was now mostly cleared.
Even the surrounding hills and shrubs had turned scorched yellow-black from intense heat.
But across the ground—
A massive gray-brown foundation layer now covered much of the former forest.
Support pillars had already begun rising.
Konoha's reconstruction zone was taking shape.
Further inside—
Heat waves from the kilns twisted the air.
The temperature here was several times hotter than outside.
Yet after two weeks—
The two villages' two hundred elite shinobi had grown used to it.
What changed most…
Was their clothing.
With Kai's "assistance," almost everyone now wore:
Sandals.
Loose shorts.
Sleeveless tops.
Even the female shinobi.
Kai lounged sideways in a rocking chair, body melted into it like he'd become part of the furniture.
If you didn't look closely, you might not even notice someone was there.
"Seriously… no one can resist shorts and a tank top."
Two weeks in, the Forest of Death's entire workflow ran smoothly.
No supervision needed.
Nearby—
Yugito bared her teeth slightly and exhaled another stream of blue flames into the kiln.
FWOOOSH—
Firelight shimmered across her honey-colored skin, sweat sparkling in the glow.
She wiped her brow casually—
Then kept breathing fire.
Again.
And again.
Without pause.
Whenever she tired—
A familiar crimson chakra cloak would appear.
Mixed with a trace of black chakra.
It restored stamina.
Restored focus.
The cloak appeared for exactly eight hours each day.
Once the time ended—
Yugito, fully refreshed, would immediately resume high-intensity work.
Over and over.
Relentlessly.
Which meant—
Since being captured, she'd spent two straight weeks doing nothing but feeding the kiln.
Even capitalists would shed tears hearing that workload.
CRACK.
Suddenly, a brick split.
Or rather—
One poorly mixed brick cracked during firing.
Yugito frowned.
Before she could react—
Pain shot from the collar at her neck.
ZZZT—
Black chakra surged.
Piercing.
Burning.
She froze—
Then glared at Kai in fury.
"Hey! Did you even look?! That brick was mixed wrong! Why're you taking it out on me?!"
She was angry.
More accurately—
Wronged.
This had happened before.
Her flames were perfectly controlled.
If anyone was at fault, it wasn't her.
Yet every time—
Kai punished her.
It felt deliberate.
Today, she finally snapped.
Kai lazily waved one arm out of the rocking chair.
"Oh, don't be ungrateful."
"You should know—I only lose my temper with people I'm close to."
"Outsiders don't get that privilege."
Yugito blinked.
Her heart skipped.
"…So… if you get mad at me…"
"…I should feel proud?"
Her thoughts tangled.
But strangely—
A faint sweetness crept into her chest.
Wasn't that true?
She'd always been proud herself—
And only acted freely with people she trusted.
Kai nodded seriously.
"Exactly."
"Otherwise think about it—why do I only get mad at you and not others?"
"Maybe reflect a bit more."
"Have you been slacking lately?"
"Are your bricks solid enough?"
"Is your flame stable?"
"Have you improved at all these years?"
One question after another left Yugito completely dazed.
Even someone as proud as her had never experienced this level of psychological manipulation.
Without realizing it—
She breathed fire even harder.
Somewhere deep inside—
A strange sensation stirred.
Was that…
Satisfaction?
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