Chapter 362: Elder Genji's Timing
Night fell over the border of the desert.
On a rocky plateau of the scrub-filled Gobi, two figures stood looking toward the horizon with expectant eyes.
Sasori used his wooden puppet arm to squeeze Pakura's hand.
"Pakura-nee, go back and rest. I'll take the first watch."
Pakura bit her lip and shook her head. Beyond this point lay the heart of the Land of Wind...
After an unknown amount of time, a ninja hawk soared through the night sky. If not for its sharp cry, it would have been invisible against the darkness.
As the hawk passed over, a scroll dropped.
Before it could even hit the ground, Pakura leaped up and caught it mid-air. She unfurled it immediately, her eyes scanning every character with intense focus.
A moment later, her fingers tightened around the paper until her knuckles turned white.
"Pakura-nee?" Sasori asked softly. "What does it say?"
"Application to return to the village... denied," Pakura's voice trembled. "Application to report in person... denied. Leave of absence... denied. Order: Proceed immediately to the border of the Land of Rain. If we do not arrive within three days... we will be branded... traitors to the village."
A long, heavy silence followed.
Pakura refused to give up. "Has there been no word at all from Elder Chiyo or Elder Ebizo...?"
Sasori could only shake his head.
A sense of powerlessness washed over Pakura. She knew better than anyone how much Chiyo and Ebizo doted on Sasori. To have not a single word from them... it meant the situation inside Sunagakure was likely even grimmer than on the battlefield.
What were they to do? The orders came one after another, giving them no room to breathe. The slightest sign of dissatisfaction was met with the threat of being labeled a rogue ninja.
Lord Kazekage... what has happened to you? Why have things become like this?
They had hoped to use Chiyo's influence to change the village's current course, but they couldn't even manage to send her a message.
Clearly, someone was intentionally isolating them. Perhaps Elder Chiyo wasn't even in a good position herself; she was likely searching frantically for her grandson.
Should we just force our way back and risk the reputation of a traitor? Pakura wondered. But would anyone in the village support us? And even if we got back, what then?
In the biting cold wind of the Gobi night, Pakura felt a chill that went deeper than the skin.
Sasori raised his puppet arm and touched her shoulder. He knew his wooden hand couldn't provide warmth, but it was all he had.
A young man and woman with the blood of heroes, burning with the desire to save their village, yet finding every path blocked. Whether it was her Scorch Release or his Puppet Mastery, the things they took pride in couldn't help them now.
They hadn't even glimpsed the full scope of the conspiracy yet.
Pakura turned to Sasori, who was now nearly as tall as she was. "Sasori... what do we do?"
Sasori's face remained a mask of indifference, as it always did. Pakura was used to it, but she knew he wasn't unmoved.
Just as Sasori opened his mouth to answer, his brow furrowed.
"Someone's coming."
He retracted his hand from her shoulder with the speed of an electric shock.
Pakura suppressed her emotions and shifted into a combat stance, her eyes scanning the darkness.
Moments later, several figures wearing Mahjong masks whistled through the night air toward them.
"The Ashen Bandits!"
They lived up to their elite reputation. Within a few breaths, eleven people had completely surrounded Sasori and Pakura.
The Ashen Bandits held their positions without attacking. Sasori nervously deployed his three remaining puppets while Pakura prepared her Scorch Release fireballs.
Under his "One-Dot" mask, Hiroto Uzumaki thought: Finally found them.
Mimicking Dana's habitual gesture, Hiroto tossed a kunai into the air and caught it.
"Sasori... it looks like you're having some trouble," Hiroto said through the mask. "How about a trade?"
Cloud City (Kumoto), Administrative Headquarters.
After Elder Genji arrived in the capital, he and Dana had been in discussions for a long time.
Regarding Kirigakure joining the Cloud-Thunder Federation, it was currently just a concept—hardly even a verbal agreement. Elder Genji didn't have many teeth left to offer "white-toothed" promises anyway.
But that was the brilliance of the old man. He had started the meeting by point-blank informing Dana of the Mist's intent to join.
It seemed like he was exposing his hand early, but in reality, he had seized the initiative. It was the difference between asking "How much is this?" and saying "I sincerely want to buy this, give me a price." By doing the latter, he forced Dana to make the first move.
As for whether the Federation wanted the Mist to join, the answer was a resounding yes.
The Mist weren't fools. They had done their homework before coming. If the Mist joined the Federation, would the Land of Water stay out? Leave the Water Daimyo's Office alone to raise fish?
Once an agreement was reached, the Federation and the Mist Village would coordinate from the inside and out to force the Land of Water into the fold.
The Water Daimyo's Office would be the Mist's "entrance fee." The best result for them would be to end up like the former Fire Daimyo—an exiled noble. The "Anti-Cloud Alliance" would surely be happy to take them in.
So, rather than Genji coming to negotiate the Mist's entry, he was essentially placing the Land of Water on the dinner table and asking the Cloud-Thunder Federation:
"Do you want a bite? If you do, let's talk."
But there was a catch. The Mist was offering to join voluntarily. While they sought this out after calmly analyzing the world's situation, they were fundamentally different from Konoha.
Konoha was beaten into submission; it was an unconditional surrender that allowed Dana to rewrite the rules as he pleased. The Mist would not accept that.
How much autonomy would the Mist keep? How would the Federation's rules be enforced? And for that "tribute" on the table—the Land of Water—how much did the Mist intend to keep for themselves?
By speaking first, Genji had subtly tossed all these difficult questions into Dana's lap.
As expected of an old fox who has been active in politics since the village was founded, Dana thought. Even a year later, I might not have been willing to negotiate like this.
Dana didn't give an answer or engage in deep discussion on the first day. In fact, most of the first meeting was idle chatter. Afterward, Genji requested to stay in Cloud City for a few days to tour the "old sights."
It was a blatant inspection tour. Dana naturally didn't refuse; he agreed readily and even assigned personnel to look after him.
Training Ground 1.
Dana returned to the training ground. His Old Man was still in his "sealed" state, meditating in the mound, while Ichikishimahime swung her legs boredly in mid-air.
Dana didn't interrupt his father's "Great Quest for Perception." Instead, he practiced Inorganic Reincarnation on his own for a while.
Only after his father's attempt at sensing Natural Energy ended in failure for the day did Dana bring up the matter of Genji.
The Third Raikage understood the political nuances immediately.
If they didn't take the Mist by force, they had to propose a method the Mist could accept without compromising the Federation's basic structure and rules.
Transforming the Mist as thoroughly as they had Konoha would be a tall order. However, given the choice between a peaceful absorption and a bloody conquest, any ruler would choose the former—or at least strive for it.
The Third Raikage stretched his back. Sitting still for half a day was exhausting for a man of his build.
"We definitely need to discuss this carefully. I'd rather delay their entry than break the rules the Federation just established."
Dana nodded. "It was quite a surprise. I honestly thought the Land of Rain would be the next to join..."
The irony wasn't lost on him. Black Zetsu's meddling had actually accelerated the Mist's move toward the Federation. The shadow mastermind probably never saw that coming.
"Wait..."
Genjutsu... Healing Talismans... Black Zetsu...
A thought flashed through his mind like a lightning bolt.
Dana turned urgently to the Third Raikage.
"Old Man! Has Hanzo the Salamander been in contact with you lately?"