"That year, several villages, besieged Konoha. In the end, they retreated in defeat."

"At that moment, I thought: If I could become a hero of the village, I would win everything for Suna."

"Now, the opportunity to exchange a hero's sacrifice for peace is right before us. I must consider whether this will be the only chance I have in this lifetime."

"I believe that Suna will one day achieve dominance. When that day comes, please carve my image into the sand, like the Hokage Rock in Konoha, as an eternal symbol."

"Reforging the glory of Sunagakure is our inescapable duty!"

Pakura stood directly opposite the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, her eyes blazing with a holy fire that seemed to melt the shackles binding Suna. Her voice resonated with unwavering determination.

She was… the ninja who bore the name of Suna's hero!

Although her strength didn't reach the heights of Konoha's White Fang, her resolve far surpassed that of suicidal ninjas.

"Pakura, you…"

Rasa was speechless, his heart filled with a mixture of reluctance and guilt. It was likely the kind of guilt that would jolt him awake in the middle of the night, accusing him of being inhuman.

The other elders lowered their heads, unable to meet Pakura's gaze.

They were the ones who had devised the plan for Pakura to die in exchange for Suna's opportunity. Why was Pakura herself proposing it?

The relationship between Suna and Konoha…

Once, in search of the missing Third Kazekage, Suna had instigated a war with Konoha, an incident that became the catalyst for the Third Shinobi World War. Even earlier, during the Second Shinobi World War, Suna had killed Konoha's high-ranking commander, Kato Dan…

In the eyes of the Suna elders, the possibility of Pakura returning alive from Konoha was practically zero. Konoha wouldn't miss such an opportunity to vent the accumulated hatred of an entire village onto a single person.

"Pakura, have you thought this through?"

"This journey may be a one-way trip."

"Then let it be a one-way trip!"

Pakura's voice remained firm, her eyes devoid of any fear of death.

"Very well."

Rasa, who could be so ruthless towards his own children, was not one for sentimentality. He immediately exercised his authority as the Fourth Kazekage.

"I will dispatch emissaries to secretly negotiate an agreement with Konoha, with you as the price."

"After your death, Pakura… Suna's emissaries will travel to Konoha to discuss establishing a comprehensive commercial partnership and constructing trade routes."

Pakura sat upright, calmly accepting this reality. A weak village had no diplomacy; sometimes, a ninja's life had to be sacrificed to bridge the gap.

Knock knock knock-

Just as Rasa gave the order, a hurried knock echoed from outside.

"Reporting to Kazekage-sama!"

"Speak."

"Kumogakure's emissary has arrived!"

"What?!"

Rasa was taken aback. He quickly regained his composure and ordered, "Find a way to stall him for ten minutes. Bring him here after ten minutes."

"Yes!"

As the messenger ninja departed, an eager discussion erupted in the meeting room. "The Kumogakure emissary is here at this time? What could be his purpose?"

"He's probably here to propose an alliance with Suna!"

"An alliance? Why?"

"It seems Kumogakure, like us, initially intended to join forces with Kiri against Konoha, freeing up their hands to deal with their rival, Iwagakure."

"But now that Kiri and Konoha have formed an alliance, their strength has grown. We must unite to dismantle Konoha's hegemony."

"And then there's Iwa. Needless to say, Iwa is our common enemy, a target that must be eliminated."

"Fourth Kazekage, what are your thoughts?"

Rasa crossed his arms and nodded noncommittally.

The rhetoric was quite impressive, directly addressing the current political landscape of the shinobi world.

Although Suna had limited interaction with Kumogakure, having a common enemy forged an undeniable partnership!

"An alliance with Kumogakure… is acceptable!"

"Excellent! Then let's sign the…"

Atsui eagerly pulled out a scroll, ready to retrieve the "Kumo-Suna Treaty."

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"However, there are conditions for an alliance with Sunagakure."

"Conditions… please state them."

Conditions.

The elder advisor had also anticipated this. For the grand Kumo Prosperity Sphere plan, offering some benefits to their impoverished Suna brethren was acceptable.

"First, money. During the alliance, Kumogakure must provide Sunagakure with four hundred million ryō in annual military aid, along with a complete set of ninja tools for at least one hundred people, paid quarterly. Otherwise, Suna reserves the right to unilaterally terminate the alliance."

"That… is acceptable!"

Atsui mentally calculated the cost of the ninja tools for one hundred people. Combined with the cash payment, it didn't exceed the limit set by the elder advisor, so he readily agreed.

Seeing the first condition accepted without hesitation, the liberal Suna elders wore expressions of both joy and regret.

They had asked for too little.

Kumogakure was rolling in money.

"Second, Kumogakure must help us share the military pressure from Iwagakure. If one side is attacked, the other must send ninja reinforcements. Before dealing with Konoha, we must first resolve the Iwa issue."

"That's no problem. Our original plan was to eliminate those Iwa monkeys first anyway," Atsui assured them, thumping his chest.

"The final condition… I need Kumogakure to dispatch strong and hardworking laborers to help Suna build roads!"

"Laborers?"

Atsui was taken aback, then recalled the Raikage's secret instructions: Atsui, find a way to send those southern swamp rats to Sunagakure.

What a coincidence!

Atsui had long been annoyed by those dark-skinned swamp dwellers. They caused trouble and were unproductive, creating unrest in southern Kumogakure.

Perfect! The Kumo Prosperity Sphere plan took precedence. He could use the plan as justification to force the elders to send those swamp rats to Suna as laborers.

"That's… also acceptable!"

"But if I may ask, where does Suna intend to build these roads?"

He had to admit, the roads in Suna were atrocious. Even he, accustomed to Kumogakure's mountainous terrain, found it difficult, having swallowed a mouthful of sand on his way to the Kazekage Tower.

"To Konoha."

"Oh… to Konoha. Huh? Konoha?!"

Atsui's eyes widened in surprise, and he immediately became wary. "Wait, Suna is building roads to Konoha? Why?"

"Why else would we build roads? To expand commercial and cultural exchange with Konoha, of course."

"But… you want to do business with Konoha?" Atsui was dumbfounded. "You're choosing Konoha over Kumogakure? What about our alliance?"

"According to shinobi world regulations, military partners are true allies. Expanding commercial and cultural exchange with Konoha is merely a way for Suna to earn funds for military expenses."

The Fourth Kazekage explained without batting an eye. "Mere commercial cooperation cannot be considered a true alliance. Our true ally is only Kumogakure!"

"Konoha won't realize that every ryō we earn from them will be turned into kunai and shuriken piercing their flesh."

Hiss-

'Ruthless Suna!' Atsui gasped, secretly admiring the village's leadership.

There was nothing wrong with allying with Suna! They were planning to leech off Konoha, using the profits to create weapons against them… They weren't holding back at all!

From this perspective, helping Suna build roads to Konoha wasn't aiding the enemy; it was secretly draining Konoha's resources!

Perhaps this was the "Secret Passage through the Valley of the End" mentioned in the "Thirty-Six Stratagems."

Atsui bowed towards Rasa. "Fourth Kazekage, brilliant!"

Rasa returned the gesture, bowing towards Kumogakure. "Fourth Raikage, formidable!"

"I accept this on behalf of the Raikage. We will send… at least five hundred strong and capable laborers to you."

The liberal elders couldn't contain themselves, eager to squeeze more out of Kumogakure. "Em, Kumogakure emissary, Suna's financial situation isn't ideal, and we may not have much to pay the laborers. Regarding their wages…"

"Oh, that's no problem. Kumogakure has already paid them in advance."

"How generous!"

The liberal elder bowed again, then, suspecting a trick, tentatively asked, "May I inquire about the background of these laborers…?"

"They are refugees who fled to Kumogakure during the Kiri civil war. They've been well-fed and taken care of in Kumo, and it's time for them to contribute."

"So, they're Kiri refugees…"

The liberal elder murmured, his gaze drifting towards the map of the shinobi world on the table, mentally connecting Kiri, Kumo, and Suna.

A triangle!

A spark of inspiration ignited in his mind. "Besides the 'Kumo-Suna Treaty,' how about we sign another agreement?"

"Please elaborate."

The liberal elder spoke slowly, "Look, Kiri and the Land of Water maintain oppressive policies, and many people want to escape. Kumogakure borders Kiri. How about you specialize in receiving these people for Suna and transporting them here as laborers?"

"Suna will handle the public relations. You can deflect any issues onto us."

"We will compensate Kumogakure based on the number of Kiri refugees you provide."

"How about we tentatively call this trade agreement the 'Triangular Trade Pact'?"

Hiss-

Wasn't this human trafficking?

No, wait…

Atsui reconsidered. "Refugees" weren't protected by law in any village.

Runaway ninja were labeled as missing-nin, hunted by their village or listed on bounty boards. As for ordinary people, except for extreme nations like the Land of Water, there were few restrictions.

If refugees from the Land of Water were caught, they faced life imprisonment, enslavement by nobles, or becoming "ninja synthesizers" for Kirigakure, serving as first-kill targets for academy students.

Therefore, even if they were captured by Kumo and sent to Suna as laborers, it wouldn't matter!

Perhaps these swamp rats would even praise them as saviors.

And conveniently, Kumogakure's base in the Land of Hot Water was still operational.

"That's… acceptable! Let's sign the agreement without delay!"

Soon, two copies of the "Kumo-Suna Treaty" and the "Triangular Trade Pact" were placed on the table. Both sides, having achieved their desired outcomes, signed their names and affixed their seals with satisfaction.

The alliance was thus formed.

"Kumogakure emissary, would you like to stay in Suna for a couple of days to exchange culture and ninjutsu techniques?"

"Aha… perhaps another time. I must hurry back and report."

A harmonious scene of mutual satisfaction filled the meeting room.

Then, discordant footsteps interrupted the pleasantries. "Reporting to Kazekage-sama, there's trouble at the ninja tool shop!"

The incident stemmed from some literate readers who, after reading the third issue of Iki, felt increasingly dissatisfied and decided to cause a scene at the ninja tool shop.

First, they asked the shopkeeper for "ten explosive tags, without a speck of sand on them." The shopkeeper, after much searching, provided ten such tags.

Then, they demanded "ten kunai, without a trace of rust." Although annoyed, the shopkeeper still complied.

Finally, the literate ninja, still unsatisfied, deliberately provoked the shopkeeper, asking for "ten shuriken, washed seven times with water!"

The shopkeeper finally snapped. "Are you kidding me? Should I wash them with gold?"

"You don't have any? Are you trying to get me killed on a mission?"

"What does your mission have to do with me?!"

Thus, the literate ninja and the shopkeeper engaged in a brawl, causing quite a commotion.