As Shota left the Kazekage's office, the expressions of the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, the elders Haran Gisei and Tōjūrō, and the jonin commander Kenta Ryoji turned serious.
Haran Gisei spoke first, "Konoha is now aware of young Shota's kekkei genkai. We should provide him an Anbu security detail. His ability is too valuable to die with him."
Tōjūrō nodded, his thin frame leaning forward. "He erased the Yellow Flash's chakra in seconds. If Minato Namikaze saw that and let him live, others will come looking. Iwa, Kiri, even rogue shinobi, they'll want him dead or captured."
Kenta Ryoji crossed his arms. "Kid's a walking target now. One slip, and we lose the best weapon Suna's got."
His scowl deepened, but there was a glint of respect in his eyes. "Not that I like babysitting prodigies, but we can't afford to lose him."
Rasa raised a hand, silencing the room. "My predecessor, the Third Kazekage, believed Shota would be the key to Suna's future. Our own genius and prodigy. But he warned me never to spoonfeed him. Growth comes from struggle, not handouts. The Third was right."
He leaned back as he explained his reasoning, "He survived the Yellow Flash. He copied the scroll. He earned an A-rank jutsu through his own cunning. Rewarding him with a B-rank jutsu would push him to take harder missions, to improve. But we give too much, and he risks becoming complacent."
Rasa's voice hardened. "If we just hand out rewards, he could become another Sasori."
The name hit the room like a kunai. Sasori, Suna's previous prodigy, had vanished six months ago, leaving the village without a trace.
A genius puppeteer, he'd abandoned Suna, becoming a missing-nin. The elders grimaced, their faces tightening. Kenta's scowl returned full force, and he kicked at the floor, sending a small puff of dust into the air. "Don't remind me," he muttered. "Kid was supposed to be our future, and he just… poof. Gone."
Tōjūrō clenched his fists. "We trained him, gave him everything, and he spat in our faces. Shota's different, but we can't coddle him. Prodigies break if you push too hard or too soft."
Haran Gisei nodded, his creepy smile gone for once. "Shota has all the qualities of a prodigy. A sharp mind, a kekkei genkai that sets him apart, skill in ninjutsu, and most importantly—luck."
Everyone in the room knew luck was critical for a shinobi, especially a prodigy. Talent meant nothing if you died before you could use it. Shota had faced Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash, and walked away alive. He'd outsmarted him with a copied scroll. That wasn't just skill that was fate smiling on him.
Kenta added,"Did you see how he played us with that 'oh, no reward' act? Rejected it twice, then snatched it like he'd been starving for it."
He chuckled, shaking his head. "We need more like him. Someone who can talk his way out of a fight as well as fight his way out. We should train him as a negotiator, and he'll do Suna proud."
Rasa nodded, his expression thoughtful. "His mind is as dangerous as his dojutsu. We'll nurture that."
Gisei's creepy smile returned, "Fate's finally shining on Suna," he said, his voice almost dreamy. "Our very own prodigy. I was tired of Konoha hogging all the geniuses. What do they feed their infants over there? Chakra-infused milk? I swear, every time I turn around, another Konoha kid's rewriting the rulebook!"
He threw his hands up, nearly knocking over a candle on Rasa's desk. "Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Three Sannin, Sakumo Hatake, Kagami Uchiha, Fugaku Uchiha, those Hyuga twins, the current Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Minato Namikaze, and now that Kakashi Hatake brat. It's ridiculous!"
Rasa said, "Enough about prodigies. Let's talk about Iwa. Chunin Shota's suggestion has merit. Why waste our shinobi's lives when Konoha will likely strike Iwa with the scroll's information? We should focus on a target that hurts Iwa and minimizes our losses."
Tōjūrō frowned, his thin fingers tapping the desk. "How do we know Konoha will act? What if they sit on the information?"
Gisei scoffed, waving a hand dismissively. "Danzo's leading Konoha's Iwa front. That man's like a vulture, he smells weakness and dives. No way he lets this scroll gather dust. He'll strike, and Iwa will bleed for it."
Rasa nodded, "Iwa's stretched thin, fighting three great villages on multiple fronts, just like Konoha. They tried to exploit our war with Konoha, attacking both of us. Kiri saw their weakness and struck back, avenging their Second Mizukage's death. Iwa's desperate, and desperate enemies make mistakes."
Suna's resources were limited, its shinobi fewer than the other great villages. Every mission, every loss, had to count. Shota's copied scroll gave them an edge, but they needed a plan to maximize it.
Kenta scratched his chin, his scowl softening. "So we let Konoha and Iwa tear each other apart. Smart. But we need a target something that'll make Iwa flinch without costing us half our forces."
Tōjūrō nodded. "Their supply lines, maybe? Cut those, and their fronts collapse."
"Too risky," Gisei said. "Iwa's paranoid about their supplies. They've got patrols everywhere. We'd lose more shinobi than what we would gain from it."
The jonin leader, silent until now, spoke up. "What about their outposts near the border? Small, but they coordinate their attacks. Take a few out, and Iwa's blind in that region."
Rasa listened, his eyes narrowing. Then Rasa's lips curved into a small, rare smile. "Iwa's Explosion Corps."
The room stilled. The Explosion Corps was Iwa's elite unit, a group of shinobi trained in devastating explosive techniques. They were the backbone of Iwa's shock troop tactics, capable of leveling fortifications or wiping out entire squads with a single well-placed blast. Targeting them would cripple Iwa's ability to push aggressive offensives, forcing them to play defense.
Kenta's eyes lit up, his scowl replaced by a grin. "Now that's a plan. Hit the Explosion Corps, and Iwa's got no teeth. They'll be too busy crying over their blown-up toys to chase us."
Tōjūrō nodded, "It's bold. Risky, but bold. If we pull it off, Iwa will think twice before pushing into our territory."
The others also nodded. Rase then said, "Very well then, I would propose this plan on the Council meeting tomorrow."