In the 24th year of Konoha, the Second Kazekage, Shamon, died from a relapse of old injuries. He had sustained incurable wounds during his battle with Tobirama, and for years, he had been relying on a unique secret medicine from Sunagakure. However, he eventually couldn't hold on any longer and departed this world with worries for Sunagakure.
Fumori Masaki knew that the Second Kazekage wouldn't live much longer, but he hadn't expected him to survive for more than nine years after the war. The news of the Second Kazekage's death was both unexpected and within his expectations. At the same time, he was very curious about who would inherit the position of Kazekage. The historical Third Kazekage was already dead, and among the remaining Sunagakure ninja, as far as he knew, only Chiyo and Ebizo met the criteria.
The outcome was not beyond his expectations; the Third Kazekage was indeed chosen from these two individuals. Perhaps considering Chiyo's tendency to act on emotion, which made her unsuitable as a leader, Shamon designated the wise Ebizo as his successor before his death.
On the day Ebizo assumed the position of Third Kazekage, Fumori Masaki specially sent someone to deliver a letter, congratulating Ebizo on becoming the leader of Sunagakure and expressing hope that the two ninja villages would continue to cooperate in the future to maintain order in the ninja world.
Although Chiyo did not become Kazekage, with her strength and the fact that her younger brother was the Kazekage of Sunagakure, her status was almost that of the second most important person in the village. When she saw the letter, she almost tore it to pieces, calling Fumori Masaki a hypocrite.
Due to past grievances, Chiyo had no good feelings towards Fumori Masaki. Although Hatake Sakumo did not kill her son during the joint Chunin Exams, her moment of gratitude was quickly overshadowed by the animosity between their villages.
After the ninja war, the Land of Wind was forced to sign an agreement with the Land of Fire, not only compensating all the land gained during the First Kazekage's era but also giving up a domestic mine. Originally, Sunagakure believed that the mutual trade between the two countries would benefit the nation. Unexpectedly, while the nation did benefit, Sunagakure suffered as a result.
The Land of Wind gained considerable profits from the mutual trade. Most of the goods lacking in the desert could be purchased with funds, and the capital expenditure was far less than what was needed for war. Having tasted the sweetness, the Daimyo, under the persuasion of domestic ministers, gradually reduced financial support to Sunagakure, no longer wishing to rely on the power of the ninja village.
According to investigations by the Sunagakure Anbu, the shadow of Konohagakure was present in the commercial activities of the mutual trade. Among the ministers who swayed the Daimyo, many had received bribes from merchants of the Land of Fire, and the actions of those merchants were undoubtedly supported by Konohagakure.
Although it was beneficial to the nation, the gradually diminishing role of Sunagakure made its position very awkward. The funds provided by the Daimyo were enough for the villagers' livelihood, but limited the speed of military development. A Sunagakure unable to enhance its strength further became incapable of being a weapon relied upon by the Daimyo, forming a vicious cycle.
Sunagakure was, at its core, a ninja village. The value of ninja lay in war. Once this was lost, Sunagakure didn't know how to exist, unless they abandoned their ninja identity, which was impossible.
Therefore, Sunagakure became increasingly wary of Konoha, feeling that it was because of Konohagakure that they were in such an awkward situation. Yet, they couldn't resolve it, because the benefits brought by the mutual trade were needed by both the Daimyo of the Land of Wind and the local nobles. Sunagakure could not bypass the Daimyo to stop the mutual trade.
Unless, they once again started a war, completely destroying the current situation and allowing the entire Land of Wind to be reborn from the ashes.
This thought had been lingering in the minds of Ebizo, Chiyo, and other high-ranking Sunagakure officials, and they were meticulously planning. They knew this move could not be taken lightly. Konohagakure was currently the strongest of the Five Great Ninja Villages. Unlike Sunagakure, which had reduced its funding, Konohagakure, relying on merchants, had gained enormous financial income, significantly boosting the village's strength.
In these years, Sunagakure primarily focused on collecting intelligence on Konohagakure,
seeking its weaknesses, and at the same time, contacting other countries with the intention of forming an alliance to jointly oppose Konohagakure. After the Land of Rain opened up, Sunagakure Anbu repeatedly entered it to investigate the cooperative relationship between Konohagakure and Amegakure.
Now, the latest intelligence was laid out on the table of the Sunagakure high-level meeting. Chiyo glanced at it, slammed her hand on the table, and shouted, "Look, look! Konohagakure has already established military cooperation with Amegakure! This has betrayed the Five Kage Agreement of that year, privately drawing in a small country. Fumori Masaki, his intentions are malicious!"
A certain high-ranking Sunagakure official coughed and said, "Lady Chiyo, the Five Kage Agreement of that year stated that the Five Great Nations were forbidden from interfering for ten years. Ten years have now passed."
"I know, you don't need to tell me!" Chiyo glared at the person and said, "Less than a year after the agreement expired, they established such cooperation. Didn't they plan this long ago? It shows that Konohagakure is not as good as they claim; they still have other sinister motives!"
The high-ranking Sunagakure officials were at a loss for words. In fact, other countries, including Sunagakure, were also engaged in attracting and controlling smaller nations, not just Konohagakure. No one could really criticize anyone else. Moreover, Konohagakure was much more benevolent compared to other countries; other nations, even if capable, were unwilling to provide medical aid to a country like the Land of Rain.
"Don't be fooled by Konohagakure's sweet talk; in reality, aren't they controlling the entire Land of Rain from behind the scenes?" Chiyo coldly snorted, "What Konohagakure is doing to the Land of Rain now, isn't it exactly the same as what they did to the Land of Wind? It's just that the Land of Wind is vast, so it's not as easy to control."
Although Chiyo didn't understand the methods of economic intervention, she vaguely felt that Konohagakure was using commerce to control the Land of Wind from behind. After a detailed investigation into the situation of the Land of Rain, she became even more certain of this.
"My sister is right. Konohagakure's goal must be the same as with the Land of Rain, to use these methods to control the Land of Wind," the Third Kazekage, Ebizo, slowly said.
"Kazekage-sama, if that's the case, we absolutely cannot let Konohagakure succeed," a high-ranking Sunagakure official stated.
According to the information investigated by the Sunagakure Anbu, the current Land of Rain could be said to have sided with Konohagakure. Even if merchants from the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth participated, they could not surpass the Land of Fire, with its vast territory and abundant resources, in market competition. It wasn't that there were no profits, but they couldn't compare to the profits gained by the Land of Fire.
"Hmm," Ebizo nodded slightly and said, "However, the village currently has no way to deal with Konohagakure. Now that Amegakure has cooperated with Konohagakure, they can support each other. Even a small Amegakure is a problem."
Ebizo did not know the formidable strength possessed by Hanzo, the leader of Amegakure. If he had known, he would have understood that what Amegakure could bring them was far more than just a small problem.
"I remember sending a letter of alliance to Iwagakure, right? Did Iwagakure give any response?" Chiyo asked.
"Yes, but..." A high-ranking Sunagakure official hesitated at this point, but under Chiyo's gaze, he had no choice but to answer, "But they were all evasive words, with no real intention of forming an alliance with our village."
"Damn it!" Chiyo felt her anger flare up again and cursed, "What is Onoki thinking? Doesn't he feel the threat of Konohagakure? Was that 'Konoha Threat Letter' not delivered to him?"
"No, it was delivered. He even wrote a letter, pointing out the... fallacies?" the Sunagakure high-ranking official said cautiously, worried about angering the second most important person in Sunagakure.
"Fal... fallacies?" Chiyo's eyebrows twitched continuously, clearly indicating she was very angry. "I really don't know how he has the nerve to say such a thing. Does he think that because Konohagakure and Iwagakure were allies in the last ninja war, they will always be?"
"This, I don't know," the high-ranking Sunagakure official could only show a helpless bitter smile.
Unlike the furious Chiyo, Ebizo remained calm, though his brows were furrowed, making him look very distressed. He sighed softly and said, "Alas, Onoki is an old fox. He won't agree so easily. That guy is just like his village, a stubborn rock, stinky and hard."
Ebizo's tone was calm, but his words were very sharp, full of mockery towards Onoki. Sunagakure, of course, wouldn't just investigate Konohagakure; they also needed intelligence on Iwagakure. According to investigations, Onoki's actions were like the character "rock" itself—conservative, primarily moving after careful planning, never intending to be the first to act.
In the previous ninja war, the Second Tsuchikage, Mu, cautiously chose Kumogakure, which posed the greatest threat to the Land of Earth, as his target, rather than invading the Land of Fire. In terms of results, it did weaken the power of the Land of Lightning, but Konohagakure interfered, preventing the effect from being maximized.
Even if Onoki was dissatisfied with Konohagakure's later "betrayal," he did not take any radical measures. Instead, he integrated into the peaceful situation of the ninja world, slowly developing and looking for opportunities to strengthen the nation. In the process of imitating Konohagakure's commerce, Iwagakure's merchants also mostly engaged in stable businesses, rather than taking risks.
This approach was naturally very stable, but sometimes, it might lead to losing the initiative and falling into a passive position, or even missing critical strategic opportunities. At the very least, it would prevent maximizing profits, and in severe cases, it could lead to huge losses. Ebizo felt that Onoki would likely suffer from this in the future.
And in the original history, as Ebizo predicted, facing the Land of Lightning's expansion of military armament, Onoki secretly hired the Akatsuki to do inconvenient things for the Land of Earth, using the Akatsuki to fish in troubled waters and buy time for the Land of Earth. However, he consequently lost two tailed beasts, making a wedding dress for the Akatsuki.
"Onoki's plan is still to have us take the lead, while he observes the situation from behind," Ebizo said to the high-ranking Sunagakure officials present. He seemed to have completely guessed Onoki's thoughts. "Because he doesn't want to directly bear Konohagakure's attacks. Instead, he will seek allies based on the war situation, just like in the previous ninja war, when the previous Tsuchikage, Mu, chose Konohagakure as an ally to deal with the Land of Lightning."
"In other words, if our Sunagakure can demonstrate sufficient strength, he will be willing to cooperate with us. Otherwise, Onoki might..." Chiyo couldn't help but frown and murmur.
"Yes, sister, if our Sunagakure doesn't show enough strength, I'm afraid Onoki might even join Konohagakure, using the pretext of punishing those who disrupt the ninja world's order, to carve up our Land of Wind with the Land of Fire," Ebizo sighed deeply.
"What an old fox," Chiyo's breathing slightly quickened with anger.
Onoki was nearly ten years older than both Chiyo and Ebizo, rich in experience, and inherited much from his teacher, the strategist Mu. For him, his stance was always for Iwagakure and the Land of Earth, just as he once publicly stated: "No matter what, I am a ninja loyal to the Daimyo." Therefore, he placed great importance on the interests of the Land of Earth and would never act rashly without complete certainty.
"Onoki is a fence-sitter. He can be used, but we cannot fully rely on them. We still have other potential allies," Ebizo said.
"The Land of Lightning, or the Land of Water? Although the Second Raikage of Kumogakure is in poor health and likely won't live much longer, his student should inherit his will. And Konohagakure has had friendly exchanges with Amegakure many times, so it's unlikely they would attack Konohagakure. So, that leaves the Land of Water," Chiyo pondered for a moment and asked.
"Exactly. The Land of Water has been closed off for many years, with little contact with Konohagakure. Their relationship is the shallowest, and they are also troubled by their narrow territory," Ebizo nodded slightly and said, "Moreover, they have a deep hatred for Konohagakure's ally, the Land of Uzumaki. I think they are a viable target for alliance."
Other high-ranking Sunagakure officials discussed in low voices, agreeing that the Third Kazekage made sense. Among the three ninja villages, Kirigakure was the most likely to ally with Sunagakure. If Sunagakure and Kirigakure allied, Iwagakure's stance might not necessarily be with Konohagakure, especially since Konohagakure's strength had already exceeded the imagination of all ninja villages.
"Good, then next, we will try to contact the Land of Water," seeing that everyone agreed, Ebizo made a decisive decision to discuss alliance matters with Kirigakure.