Fire Capital, Daimyo Manor.
It was late at night when the black ninja hawk returned to the Fire Capital with Mei's reply.
Arashi was not resting at this time.
He stood with his back to the door, alone before the massive sand table. His fingers slowly caressed a brown chess piece representing the Land of Earth.
Aono Saku walked in silently, took the scroll, and presented it with both hands.
Arashi didn't turn around, merely saying, "Read it."
"Yes."
Aono Saku unrolled the scroll and read Terumī Mei's reply word for word.
"Kirigakure's main forces have gone to the Land of Lightning. The remaining ninja forces are negligible. The rear is secure. You may take it for yourself."
When the final word fell, a brief silence descended upon the study.
"Haha!"
"You may take it for yourself?"
After a long while, Arashi's laughter broke the quiet.
The laughter was filled with undisguised satisfaction.
"This woman is quite interesting."
He took the scroll from Aono Saku's hands, looking at the elegant yet sharp handwriting. His admiration for her deepened.
She saw through his plan.
But she didn't expose it, nor did she try to negotiate.
Instead, she directly stated her stance and displayed her worth.
She was telling him that she had secured the Land of Water's situation, so he could now pursue what he truly wanted with confidence.
A clever woman.
A woman who knew how to maximize her value.
"Truly my woman."
Arashi casually tossed the scroll into a nearby brazier. Flames rose, consuming the elegant handwriting in an instant.
His gaze returned to the sand table.
On it, most of the red flags representing the Land of Fire were concentrated at the northwestern border with the Land of Earth and the battlefield in the Land of Lightning.
Only on the eastern side, along the border with the Land of Water, were a few small red flags standing alone.
Those were Konoha's eastern border defense forces.
An elite unit established to guard against Kirigakure.
And now... Arashi reached out and decisively pulled the flags representing the eastern border army from the sand table.
Then he planted them on the western border, where the Land of Fire bordered the Land of Wind.
A seemingly simple move.
Instantly shifted the balance of power on the entire sand table.
"Issue my command."
"Immediately dispatch the eastern border army to the Land of Wind border at full speed and rendezvous with the western border forces there."
"Also, in my name, send a letter to the Daimyo of the Land of Wind right away."
"Tell him that I hope the Land of Fire's forces can enter the Land of Wind and launch an attack on the Land of Earth alongside them."
"Yes, Daimyo-sama!"
"Go."
Arashi waved his hand. His gaze once again fell on the sand table.
Aono Saku bowed and left swiftly.
In the stillness of night, the entire Daimyo Manor began to operate at high speed like a precise machine once more.
One top-secret order after another was issued from this center of power, spreading to every corner of the Land of Fire.
A massive storm, destined to sweep across the entire continent, was quietly brewing.
Arashi looked at the vast territory representing the Land of Earth on the sand table, a cold smile flashing in his eyes.
"Ōnoki, do you think you can rest easy hiding in your turtle shell?"
"Do you think I'll retreat because of your superficial schemes?"
"You underestimate me."
"And you underestimate... war."
He reached out and gently placed a black chess piece representing a Rōnin on Iwagakure.
As long as sufficient pressure was applied at Iwagakure's borders, these Rōnin would attack the village directly.
Among them, there was even a bounty ninja he placed high hopes on.
A man with five hearts.
"The game has only just begun," Arashi murmured to himself.
The next day.
A state letter bearing the seal of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire was delivered to the Daimyo of the Land of Wind at the highest speed.
After reading the contents of the letter,
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind leapt up from his seat.
"Hahahaha!"
His laughter echoed through the empty palace, startling the birds in the garden into flight.
"Good. Excellent!"
He clutched the letter tightly, his hands trembling with excitement, almost incoherent.
"Heaven helps me! Heaven truly helps me!"
"Hurry, summon Ra... no, prepare a carriage. I'm going to Sunagakure immediately!"
...Sunagakure, inside the Kazekage Building.
Rasa was listening to the battle report with a gloomy expression.
Just then,
A communication ninja hurried in.
"Kazekage-sama! An urgent letter from the Daimyo Manor!"
Daimyo Manor?
Rasa's heart stirred. He immediately took the letter.
The moment he read the contents, his usually cold eyes widened.
"This..."
The gloom on his face disappeared, replaced by disbelief and immense joy.
"What's wrong, Rasa?" Ebizō asked, seeing his unusual expression.
Rasa didn't answer. He handed the letter over, his voice slightly trembling from excitement.
"See for yourselves."
Ebizō took the letter, puzzled. The senior officials of Sunagakure also gathered around.
The next second,
A collective gasp swept through the conference room.
"The Land of Fire... wants to rendezvous with us?"
"Launch a direct attack on Iwagakure's rear?"
"Oh my god! Is this real?"
Everyone was stunned by the contents of the letter.
The good news came too suddenly.
They had been racking their brains over the war situation.
And now, the Land of Fire had handed them an even bigger, more tempting opportunity!
The Land of Fire's army would join them to strike Iwagakure.
It was simply... too enticing!
"Excellent!"
"Now let's see how arrogant those Iwa bastards can be!"
After a brief shock, cheers erupted in the conference room.
Everyone's faces were filled with excitement and anticipation.
However,
After the initial joy, Rasa quickly calmed down.
His brows furrowed deeply once more.
"Rasa, what are you still worried about?"
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind entered, laughing heartily, a pleased expression on his face.
He raised the state letter in his hand, beaming.
"This is a great stroke of luck!"
"Daimyo-sama."
Everyone present immediately stood and bowed.
After the bow, the worry on Rasa's face hadn't diminished at all.
"Daimyo-sama, don't you think this is... a little strange?"
He said in a low voice, "Why would the Land of Fire suddenly propose this plan?"
"Aren't their main forces currently facing off with Iwagakure on the Grassland front?"
"Moreover, letting a Konoha army of two thousand men enter our territory..."
Rasa paused, then voiced his deepest concern.
"This is tantamount to... inviting a wolf into our home."
His words immediately cooled the atmosphere in the conference room.
Indeed.
The strength of the Land of Fire was known to all.
Letting such a powerful army into their land... if they made any moves, the consequences would be unimaginable.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)