"If you have any issues, feel free to take it up with Shikaku-san." Fujin said dismissively. Koharu''s expression became ugly. Homura''s expression became dark too while the clan leaders watched in curiosity.

    It wasn''t the first time Fujin faced off against Koharu. On the contrary, he had done it every time the elders tried to go against him. Hiromasa analyzed, ''As I expected, there are definitely some hostilities between them beyond what happened during Danzo''s incident. Still, Fujin is reckless. Though not essential, he''ll need the support of the Elders if he wants to become the Hokage...''

    Koharu replied, "I will. Fujin, I hope you know what you''re doing. Even a slight mistake could result in the deaths of thousands of our ninjas, which will be fatal for our village."

    She turned around and left before Fujin questioned her authority any further. The others gave Fujin some advice before leaving. Fujin quickly finished up his food and thought, ''Time to leave before she actually contacts Shikaku. I wonder how that conversation would go. Will he shut them down, or will he try to convince me? Either way, he should have fun, hehe.''

    Fujin flickered out of his room while still in thought, ''That said, I need to talk with him once. However, it would have to be done without these old folks pressuring me. Irrespective of whether he is in favor or against it, he''ll have ideas to make this plan even more potent and foolproof.

    Now that I think about it, Hiruzen and Shikaku had failed to eliminate Suna''s spies. How convenient. Anyway, I should do that before I go.''

    ——

    After a short meeting with his colleagues, Hiromasa retired to his room and tiredly sighed, "These youngsters... They are so full of energy. I wonder how the talks will proce..."

    He suddenly heard a knock. He turned around and opened the door just to see Fujin standing outside. He said in surprise, "I didn''t expect to see you so soon, Fujin. I thought you''d be on your way. Is something the matter?"

    Fujin''s clone nodded and replied, "My main body left earlier. I''m a Shadow Clone. I came here to give you this."

    Fujin''s clone handed Hiromasa a scroll. Hiromasa opened it while asking, "What is this?"

    Fujin''s clone answered, "A little gift for the next round of negotiations. I learnt this in the Land of Rice. If you can use it to make Sunagakure relent more, feel free to do so. If not, there is no need to use it. We could save it for another day."

    Hiromasa''s breathing became rougher and his eyes widened in shock as he read the information in the scroll. Taking a deep breath, he muttered, "To think the Third Kazekage disappeared in such a way... Sunagakure... What a fucked up village!"

    He looked at Fujin''s clone and said, "Thank you. This will be a great help in the negotiations. I''ll use it at the most critical point."

    Fujin''s clone smiled and replied, "Good luck", before dispersing into a cloud of smoke.

    Hiromasa took another look at the scroll, thinking, ''He is full of surprises. To think he had such a card and didn''t use it despite going through four boring rounds. I suppose all the anger he displayed earlier was fake too. It is rare to see such control in youngsters. Hanging around those two has undoubtedly had an effect on him...''

    ——

    In Sunagakure, the council met once again. Considering how fragile their situation was, the council meetings had become a daily occasion.

    Goza glanced at everyone and started the meeting. He reported, "We received a message from our squad in Iwagakure. The Tsuchikage is still refusing to lead the attack. He is insistent on us or Kumogakure starting it."

    The council calmed down on hearing Chiyo''s words. Ebizo was about to say something when the door to the council room suddenly opened. An Anbu ninja rushed in and reported, "We were just contacted by Lord Yura. It''s an emergency, please speak with them!"

    ——

    A few minutes ago, the Sunagakure ninjas in Fire Capital were discussing their strategy for the fifth round of negotiation. However, no matter what approach they took, they hit a dead end.

    One muttered, "This is pointless. We can''t decide what to do until we know what approach Konoha will take."

    Arisa replied, "That is true. However, we need to be prepared for all possible approaches they can take, including if the Sand Slayer has another outburst or threatens us physically."

    The mood became solemn. Before anyone could reply, a knock was heard. With permission, a Sunagakure ninja entered the room and handed Yura a scroll as he reported, "We just received a message. I''m unsure where it has come from or who sent it, but it has our stamp."

    Yura frowned as he looked at the scroll. He thought, ''This is weird... We use this mark when we aren''t sure if the communication channel is safe. Still, why would the village send us a bird when they can contact us through the Chakra Transmission Communication Devices?''

    He handed the scroll to the Sealmaster, who deemed that it was safe to open and handed it back to Yura. Yura opened the scroll and began reading its content. In an instant, his body froze! Next to him, Arisa froze too! Shock and disbelief were visible on both faces, alarming the remaining Sunagakure ninjas!

    "Lady Arisa, Lord Yura, what''s the matter?" A ninja grimly asked. Without saying a word, Yura handed the scroll to them. They quickly began reading the message.

    ''I''m a member of the Sunagakure patrol team deployed in the Land of Rivers. A few minutes ago, a massive Konoha army reached the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers.

    We aren''t sure how big the army is, but it definitely numbers in the thousands! We suspect that this is the same army Suzuki Fujin led earlier. However, we''re unsure if he is leading this army or not. Please confirm whether he''s still in the Fire Capital and report to the village.''

    ————————————

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