Two individuals exited the Sunagakure Council Room while deep in thought. As they walked, one of them sighed and muttered, "To approach the Wind Daimyo at this time. Sigh, will it work? It''s no secret that the Daimyo doesn''t like Sunagakure and prefers good relations with Konoha instead."

    The lady next to him replied, "He may prefer Konoha, but he is the Daimyo of the Land of Wind. He wouldn''t like to see his country being invaded by Konoha. He''ll be even more desperate than us for peace. So, we don''t need to worry about whose side he''ll be on, Yura.

    Of course, that isn''t entirely good news as he may try to force us to accept some unfavorable terms. However, anything is better than an all-out war against Konoha at this point."

    Yura replied, "That is exactly what I''m worried about, Arisa. Our economy is already in bad shape due to his preferences. It''ll be even worse if more restrictions are imposed upon us.

    Anyway, I suppose the council already considered these aspects before making the decision. We can only hope that we apply enough pressure on Konoha to stop them from making another audacious move. We need to prepare for the negotiations."

    Arisa nodded. She and Yura were the two new members of the Sunagakure Council. Tenma Arima was from a civilian background but had considerable influence due to being a Strategist and an Elite Jounin. Yura had a significant influence among the Sunagakure ninjas too. Unfortunately for Sunagakure, he was Sasori''s spy.

    Within minutes of the end of the Sunagakure Council Meeting, two squads left their village and traveled at high speed. One squad was headed to Iwagakure, while the other was headed to Kumogakure.

    At the same time, a news spread throughout Sunagakure which brought relief to most of their ninjas.

    "Thank god! I was so worried!"

    "Yeah, me too! I''m so glad the Council made this decision. My wife and kids were so worried for me!"

    "Yeah, we don''t have to fight that monster! We can flee as soon as we see him even if we are at war!"

    Realizing the fear of Fujin that had penetrated into the bones of the Sunagakure ninjas, the Council finally issued a flee-on-sight warning for Fujin, just like Iwagakure did a long time ago. It restored the morale of their ninjas to an extent.

    However, there were a few hundred ninjas who weren''t relieved. Instead, they became even more worried.

    "Shit! Does this mean that we will go to war with Konoha?"

    "Fuck! What use is the ''Flee on sight'' order? How the fuck are we supposed to run from that demon?"

    "Exactly! That monster slaughtered two hundred of our comrades in the blink of an eye. Poor guys didn''t even know what hit them!"

    "What the hell is the council thinking? They should avoid war at all costs. This was a short conflict. If we start an official war, he''ll make White Fang look like a saint! I don''t even want to imagine him hunting our forces for several weeks, let alone several months!"

    Needless to say, the council was well aware of this when Baki spoke up. Unfortunately, they were out of options. They could only be thankful for the fact that they had dispatched nearly 3,000 ninjas before Baki''s group returned to Sunagakure and spread Fujin''s infamy. As such, they were unaffected and still in good morale.

    ——

    Konomi asked gravely, "Would we really invade one of the Great Villages?"

    Fujin answered, "It is unlikely. The council is opposed to war, especially considering that the Fifth Hokage has yet to take power officially. Whether it is Lord Jiraiya or Lady Tsunade who takes charge, neither supports unnecessary wars. In addition, I doubt Sunagakure wants a war right now. However, there is no reason for us to not prepare for the worst-case scenario.

    So, prepare the army assuming you''ll receive orders to march out at any moment. No need to train right now, just let them get sufficient rest and ensure that even the minor injuries are healed."

    The three generals nodded. Renjiro asked, "Will you leave for the Fire Capital right away?"

    Fujin shook his head and answered, "No, our team will arrive tomorrow morning. I''ll rest with the army and join them tomorrow."

    Renjiro smiled and thought, ''Not bad. Being with the army for as long as he can is a good way for any commander to increase their morale.''

    The group discussed some more important topics before being dismissed. Fujin spent the remaining day catching up with Hoka and Renjiro while interacting with the army following Renjiro''s suggestions.

    In the night, Fujin stayed up in his tent while writing a report on a scroll. The report looked strange and unreadable because it was encoded in a cipher. Very few ninjas knew how to decode this cipher, as its secrets were taught only to a handful of elites in Konoha.

    Fujin went through his reports once while thinking, ''Shikaku won''t come to the negotiations. A bummer, it could have been fun to negotiate alongside him. Oh well, since he''s being lazy again, I need to be a responsible Konoha ninja and give him a few sleepless nights. After all, our Jounin Commander and best strategist has to be in top shape all the time!''

    Without wasting any time, Fujin dispatched a messenger bird to Konoha before sleeping soundly.

    [A/N: Not sure if I can do a double today. Check in like 4-6 hours. If no update, I''ll try to do a double tomorrow.]

    ————————————

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