"Lord Fourth, the casualty report is out."
Inside the Kazekage Building in Hidden Sand Village, in the conference room with statues of past Kazekages, the Anbu quickly compiled the casualty statistics from this incident. The Reanimation Bodies were fearless and could revive even if shattered, causing significant trouble for the Hidden Sand.
"Four hundred and twelve civilian deaths, seventy-eight injured; three hundred and forty-five ninja deaths, ninety-four injured, and the damaged buildings..."
As the Anbu laid out the casualty numbers and various losses, even Pakura felt uncomfortable after listening. The Reanimation Bodies invaded Hidden Sand for less than an hour; if they stayed a bit longer, these numbers would likely double.
Most importantly, Hidden Sand Village lost the One-tailed, a crucial strategic weapon.
Rasa, feeling troubled, said, "Everyone, what do you think we should do next?"
However, after he asked, the hall fell silent, and no one could respond to him.
"Heh..."
Only Pakura chuckled lightly, then said, "If the intelligent and decisive Kazekage had listened to me just now, at least the One-tailed could have been salvaged. And what was the result? Suspicion and internal strife made Kazekage lose judgment, leading to the loss of the One-tailed."
Bang!
Rasa couldn't help but slam the table hard. With the village damaged, ninja casualties, and the loss of his son and the One-tailed, he was already furious. Now, hearing Pakura's mockery made him even more intolerant.
"Pakura, how did you know their target was the One-tailed? Is it you..."
"Rasa, stop spouting nonsense. Last time, you failed to ambush me with the Hidden Mist, and now you're trying to frame me again!"
Pakura shouted angrily, her Chakra's aura burst out, creating fierce gusts of wind, cracking the sturdy table and floor.
Rasa also shouted in anger, "Do you think I'll be afraid of you..."
"The two of you, this isn't the time for internal conflict. Let's focus on handling the village's matters first."
A high-ranking Hidden Sand ninja stood up, and other high-ranking ninja joined in persuading them, but the hall was clearly divided into two factions, with fewer people on Pakura's side.
Some neutral ninjas stood in the middle, like Chiyo and Ebizo. Although they were retired, with the appearance of the Red Sand Scorpion, they came to listen to the situation.
Moreover, Pakura had stronger abilities than Rasa. Once ninjas reach adulthood, their chakra amount peaks, and becoming stronger requires understanding ninjutsu or other secret or forbidden techniques.
In a few short years, Rasa's strength couldn't change significantly; at most, his control over the sand gold improved slightly.
But Pakura was different; her Sage Curse Seal would continuously absorb natural energy, modifying her body, allowing Pakura to accept Uchiha Yoichi's will while enhancing her physical qualities.
If the duel a year ago had Rasa slightly losing, then if they fought now, he had a seventy to eighty percent chance of dying.
With the persuasion of several high-ranking Hidden Sand ninjas, the tension between Rasa and Pakura gradually dissipated.
Then a Hidden Sand ninja spoke up, "Lord Fourth, the compensation is estimated to be around one hundred and ten million ryo, not including the building damages. Should we negotiate with the Daimyo Mansion?"
Hearing the compensation amount, Rasa's face sank. The village indeed had some money now, accumulated from his labor in gold mining in the desert, but he suspected Pakura had allied with Konoha and refused to use village funds for material reimbursements.
Thus, about two hundred million ryo was accumulated, but more than half was needed just for compensation, which felt like cutting into his flesh.
"Let's do that, and have the finance department cooperate with you."
Rasa gritted his teeth secretly, thinking that compensation was unavoidable, along with caring for the civilian casualties; if these funds were withheld, the village's morale would crumble.
"What about those who took the One-tailed? It seems premeditated, and Konoha's traitors and the Red Sand Scorpion were among them. Should we inquire about Uchiha Fugaku's intelligence from Konoha?"
"No need to ask; Konoha has already sent the intelligence, but sadly, the enemy was too fast."
Pakura took out the Uchiha Trading Association's intelligence and placed it on the table, continuing, "The intelligence from Konoha came when the enemy invaded; by that time I already wanted to alert our Kazekage, but someone didn't pay attention. Heh... The opponents are Akatsuki Organization, and they have revived Uchiha Madara; their goal is to collect the nine Tailed Beasts in the Ninja World."
Hearing Uchiha Madara's name startled everyone, even Chiyo couldn't remain seated. She had lived through the era of the First Generation Hokage and Uchiha Madara and knew the legendary fame of two ninjas during the Warring States Period.
There were five First Generation Kages among the villages, but only Senju Hashirama was called the God of Shinobi, and Uchiha Madara was the only ninja who could fight Senju Hashirama.
As everyone circulated and learned this intelligence, they were unsure of what to do. Some Hidden Sand ninjas didn't understand Uchiha Madara's strength, thinking Madara couldn't possibly overpower an entire Ninja Village.
But this foolish notion was stopped by Chiyo, not even mentioning Madara's strength; today's Reanimation Bodies already caused severe hardship to Hidden Sand Village, let alone Akatsuki having other ninjas.
"Seek help from Konoha; now we can only rely on them."