Amid the relentless back-and-forth between Kirigakure and Sunagakure, the flames of the Third Shinobi World War finally came to an end.
However, regarding the terms proposed by Sunagakure for the ransom of prisoners, Kirigakure continuously accused them of demanding exorbitant prices. When it came to the captured members of the Kaguya Clan, Kirigakure's overt and covert actions seemed to suggest they wanted these individuals erased from the list altogether.
For Sunagakure, the Kaguya Clan members, whose "genetic information" had already been extracted, were not of particularly high value.
Kirigakure's attitude reflected their frustration with this battle-hardened and fanatical clan. During wartime, such individuals could be sent to the front lines without any need for motivation—they would charge into battle with morale at its peak, howling ferociously as they lunged at the enemy.
But now, as the world transitioned into a time of peace, returning these defeated warriors to their clan would almost certainly lead to internal strife within the Kaguya Clan.
In the end, despite strong protests from the Kirigakure delegation, the captured members of the Kaguya Clan remained in Sunagakure.
Sōmi directly advised that those with superior genes (those who were physically attractive and exceptionally skilled) should be kept. Sasori was then tasked with using his Subconscious Sand Manipulation technique to erase all memories related to Kirigakure from their minds. As for the less desirable individuals, they were handed over to Sasori as experimental material for creating new human puppets.
Initially, the Third Kazekage hesitated slightly. After all, such treatment could tarnish Sunagakure's reputation if word got out.
However, when the Kazekage personally visited the prison and witnessed the emaciated Kaguya Clan members—starving to the point where their ribs touched their spines, their hands and feet tightly shackled—still screaming incessantly day and night, he readily agreed to Sōmi's proposal.
He also understood why Kirigakure was unwilling to pay the ransom for such a powerful Kekkei Genkai clan.
"This is what happens when you neglect ideological education... Possessing such a powerful Kekkei Genkai, yet unable to serve the village. Those short-sighted fools in Kirigakure..."
These were Sōmi's words to the Third Kazekage at the time.
After the negotiations concluded, Sōmi immediately sought out Elder Ebizō, instructing him to activate all their covert operatives in the Land of Water.
Their goal was to locate two specific children: one named Kimimaro Kaguya and the other a member of the Yuki Clan named Haku. Both children were under two years old.
Sōmi emphasized that capturing these two individuals and bringing them to Sunagakure was worth sacrificing all their covert operatives if necessary.
If it came down to it, he would personally travel to the Land of Water to retrieve them.
When Ebizō asked for an explanation, Sōmi simply stated that the information had been extracted from Kirigakure shinobi during Sasori's interrogations. These two children held immense potential value.
Land of Lightning, Kumogakure, Raikage's Office
The Fourth Raikage, his body rippling with bulging muscles, stood shirtless in his office. His massive arms flexed as he lifted a thick dumbbell up and down.
His shoulders bore green shuriken-like tattoos, and he wore a wide belt around his waist. Heavy armor adorned his wrists, clearly designed to add significant weight to his movements.
Beside him, a Kumogakure shinobi held a document, reporting the latest news from the shinobi world to the Raikage.
"Sunagakure defeated Kirigakure on the border of the Land of Rivers, capturing numerous Kirigakure shinobi. The conflict ended with Kirigakure conceding defeat and paying a large sum to ransom their prisoners."
"According to intelligence from our operatives in the Land of Water, it's highly likely that Sunagakure has developed a perfect Jinchūriki for the One-Tail..."
"There was a massacre at the Daimyō's mansion in the Land of Wind. It's suspected that rogue shinobi broke in and looted the wealth accumulated by the Daimyō over many years. Sunagakure is currently making every effort to track down the culprits..."
"Minato Namikaze has been inaugurated as the Fourth Hokage..."
As the reports continued, the Raikage's pace of lifting the dumbbell gradually slowed.
"The shinobi world has been quite lively lately, hasn't it?"
"Sunagakure, with their subpar sealing techniques, managed to produce a perfect Jinchūriki?"
The Raikage's mind flashed back to the time when the other great nations had attacked Uzushiogakure, dividing up its sealing techniques.
Kumogakure's own sealing techniques had been developed based on the Uzumaki Clan's secret techniques.
However, Kumogakure never managed to acquire the Uzumaki Clan's most advanced forbidden techniques, such as the Reaper Death Seal or the Four Symbols Seal.
This was one of the reasons why they had once attempted to abduct Kushina Uzumaki. Kumogakure's Iron Armor Seal was far from perfect, which often led to incidents of Tailed Beast rampages.
Fortunately, Kumogakure had Killer B, who managed to gain the Eight-Tails' recognition despite the flaws in their sealing techniques.
If the Iron Armor Seal had minor flaws, then Sunagakure's Possession Technique was akin to leaving the door wide open.
The technique essentially locked the Jinchūriki and the Tailed Beast together, with the beast's violent will constantly influencing the Jinchūriki's mind. Under such circumstances, even sleeping would be a challenge for the Jinchūriki.
And yet, Sunagakure had managed to produce a perfect Jinchūriki?
The Raikage couldn't help but feel a chill. As Killer B's elder brother, he was well aware of the immense strength and willpower required to become a perfect Jinchūriki.
Sunagakure had previously been so lax in their intelligence defenses that it was practically a sieve. At one point, Kumogakure had even considered withdrawing their operatives from Sunagakure to avoid wasting resources.
However, with the rise of Sōmi and the Third Kazekage, the Kazekage had implemented sweeping reforms in the village. As a result, Kumogakure had received no intelligence from their operatives in Sunagakure for a long time.
The Raikage showed little reaction to the news of Minato Namikaze's inauguration. After all, he was well aware of the strength of the "Yellow Flash."
"What's the deal with the Daimyō's mansion? Sunagakure's defenses around the Daimyō were that weak? They couldn't even protect him?"
The Raikage scoffed, openly criticizing the incident at the Daimyō's mansion.
"Lord Raikage..."
"According to our analysis, the massacre at the Land of Wind's Daimyō's mansion may have been the result of a conflict between Sunagakure and the Daimyō. After occupying the Land of Rivers and the Land of Birds, Sunagakure refused to hand over governance to the Daimyō."
"If this is confirmed, then Sunagakure's actions clearly violate the agreements established during the First Five Kage Summit!"
"The economic power of the Land of Wind has fallen into Sunagakure's hands. This will undoubtedly provide a significant boost to Sunagakure's strength..."
As the Raikage listened to the report, his expression grew increasingly puzzled.
"Indeed!"
"Why should economic power be handed over to the Daimyō?"
"It seems like keeping the country's economic power within the village is nothing but beneficial!"
"What's the point of those summit agreements?"
With a loud clang, the dumbbell slipped from the Raikage's hand and crashed to the ground. Lost in thought, he didn't even notice.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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