End of the Meeting
Chapter 184: The Meeting Concludes. In the Sand Ninja Village's lodging,
"Maki."
The Fourth Kazekage removed his hat and said, "What matter requires you to see us personally?"
He looked exhausted. Since the failure of the Konoha Crush Plan, he had been working day and night.
It was truly a plunge into a fate worse than death.
If he could, he would want to switch places with Maki.
Ebizo sat opposite him, with the two Jonin who were acting as shadow guards this time, Yinfeng and Yura, standing behind him.
"Regarding the disposal of the Third Kazekage puppet that the village just acquired," Maki said with a solemn expression, "I once exchanged information with Sasori of the Red Sand during the battle assisting Lin Ke of Konoha Village..."
"Sasori can repair the Third Kazekage's Human Puppet, allowing the Human Puppet to once again possess the ability to refine Iron Sand."
"?!" x3 Even someone as composed as Ebizo showed a change in expression.
They all realized what this meant: a puppet that could make the Puppet Technique shine again and allow the Sand Ninja Village to rise again had appeared.
Maki looked at Yura, whose expression didn't change much, and sighed softly, "Yura, you should be able to contact Sasori, right?"
Indeed, the contact information Sasori of the Red Sand gave him was simple: the name of a spy.
Yura was a Jonin qualified to enter the upper echelons of the Sand Ninja Village and had been familiar with him for many years. He never expected...
This was also why he was unwilling to let the information pass through Gaara and the others' hands. With Yura as an example, it was difficult for him to trust everyone in his own village.
"That's right, I can contact Lord Sasori at any time."
Yura didn't hide anything and said it openly, a Kunai already pressed against his neck.
"You bastard!" Yinfeng's face showed an angry expression.
"I see..." Ebizo nodded, probably understanding why Maki insisted on seeing the Kazekage. "It's the Mind Control Sand Manipulation Technique, right?"
He was no stranger to this technique.
The Fourth Kazekage raised his hand and said, "Take him to another room." Even if he was a traitor, dealing with him could wait.
What was more important now was the Third Kazekage Human Puppet, the future of the village.
Yinfeng suppressed his anger and obeyed, escorting the unresisting Yura away.
Maki didn't express anything about this, only silently recounting the information he possessed and reporting the intelligence network he had left behind before his death, "Lin Ke of Konoha Village."
He frowned and said, "That kid knows a lot of information he shouldn't know."
"I suspect he has a secret technique for obtaining information."
"Also, the Pure Land..." He felt a bit complicated when he mentioned this final destination of death. That place had no concept of time, and Lin Ke's constant chatter became the only sensation. For the deceased, it was like someone constantly nagging in their ear. How should he put it?
It was completely impure.
But after thinking about it, telling the village probably wouldn't solve anything. Maki skipped the topic rather good-naturedly and continued, "Temari and Kankuro are growing quite well. If they return to the village, consider promoting them. Gaara's Seal is very stable; I'm afraid it will require Konoha's help to release the Tailed Beast again."
"They have a close relationship with Lin Ke. It is recommended to rely on this to increase contact..."
He reported bit by bit what he had thought about while being harassed in the Pure Land: Lin Ke's information, the situation of Gaara and the other two, the changes in Konoha Village, and so on.
Don't think that just because he respected the Kazekage and was willing to die for him, his actual status was low. He was, after all, an elite Jonin, the kind who was qualified to recommend a Kage, not just an ordinary Jonin.
Speaking as if he were entrusting his last affairs, Maki inadvertently spoke for a long time. The two people in the room with higher status than him didn't say anything, only listening quietly. He estimated the time, stopped talking, and said with a complicated expression:
"I probably won't be able to help the village much with what comes next, sorry." He had already given everything for the village, and even at this moment, he still thought that he was useless.
"Thank you for your hard work." The Fourth Kazekage stood up and bowed.
After a while, Ebizo's voice sounded, "He has already left, Lord Kazekage." His expression was calm, having experienced so many years and seen too many people give everything for the village.
It was because of this that the Sand Ninja Village was able to struggle to its current state in such an extremely harsh environment.
"Let's end this meeting and go back to contact Sasori," he said, grasping the Scroll that sealed the Third Kazekage puppet, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. The meeting the next day proceeded as scheduled.
This time, the Fourth Kazekage clearly stood on Konoha's side, so the meeting became one-sided.
Theoretically, the Rain Hidden Village should have agreed to help pacify the Land of Rivers after receiving some benefits. There was no reason not to take free benefits.
"I still stand by my previous thoughts." Hanzo's tone was resolute.
"There's no reason for our Rain Hidden Village to pay the price for your great nations' decisions. If compensation cannot be provided in one lump sum, I will not stop accepting missions related to the Land of Rivers."
His attitude was strangely firm.
The meaning of this sentence was that even in the face of threats from two great nations, he would not yield, seemingly as tough as the Salamander who had once stubbornly supported the Land of Rain.
But in Lin Ke's view, it was very strange.
Because he knew very well that Hanzo at this time in the manga should have already lost his will, squatting in a secret residence all day long, guarded by his subordinates twenty-four hours a day...
Here is the biggest problem. There's no way Hanzo would come out to participate in the Three-Nation Summit. How could an old codger who needs a thorough physical examination even to see a child suddenly leave the village and the country?
His gaze swept over the five ninjas behind Hanzo.
To disguise oneself as someone else, the Transformation Jutsu is the most common method, but it is easily seen through. However, Zetsu of the Akatsuki Organization possesses the most powerful transformation technique, capable of simulating even Chakra, making it impossible for even sensory ninjas to see through.
What if the Rain Hidden Village has already been destroyed at this time? Lin Ke thought to himself without showing any emotion. He didn't plan to expose or question Hanzo.
The internally conflicted and closed-off Land of Rain was an information black hole. No one probably knew what the real situation was.
Faced with such a persistent Hanzo, the Third Hokage tried to persuade him, but did not succeed. It wasn't until the Fourth Kazekage sternly said that he would send ninjas to prevent Rain Hidden Village ninjas from completing any missions that the meeting completely broke down.
Chiriku didn't expect it to develop like this. Originally, it was supposed to be a win-win situation for everyone, but now it had evolved into the Rain Hidden Village confronting the Sand Ninja Village and the Konoha Village?
What a joke! But before he could persuade them, the Fourth Kazekage got up and left with his guard Yinfeng, leaving behind an awkward atmosphere in the meeting hall.
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