Konoha: Naruto of Sekiro

Land of Wind.

Under a night sky glittering with countless stars.

A group of five figures slowly traversed the Gobi Desert.

The man leading them had blue hair and yellow eyes, his tightly furrowed brow giving him an air of natural authority. But what drew the most attention was the white Kazekage robe he wore.

This was the Third Kazekage. After the death of the Second Kazekage, he had, through forceful political maneuvering and formidable strength, overcome all opposition in an extremely short time to succeed the Kazekage position. Relying on his Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai, he signed an alliance treaty with Konoha, concentrated his forces to resist Iwagakure's invasion, and led Sunagakure through the Second Great Shinobi World War.

Within Sunagakure, he held the title of the 'Strongest Kazekage.'

"Lord Third, are we truly going to continue with the alliance treaty with Konoha?" asked his accompanying advisor, Fūseki.

"The current situation in the shinobi world is…"

The turbulent state of the shinobi world was apparent to anyone with a clear head.

But the alliance treaty between Konoha and Sunagakure had run into problems at this very critical juncture. However, the fault lay not with either side, but with issues left over from its initial signing.

When the alliance treaty was first signed, Sunagakure and Konoha had agreed to a ten-year mutual assistance pact. After all, the relationships between hidden villages…

Truth be told, neither Konoha nor Sunagakure had expected the treaty they signed this time to last so long.

Now, nearly ten years had passed since the treaty's signing…

During these ten years, Sunagakure, leveraging this treaty, had obtained a large amount of scarce resources from the Land of Fire and had embarked on a fast track of development.

Sunagakure's current economy and strength had more than doubled compared to the Second Great Shinobi World War.

This was also why the Third Kazekage, even in this volatile situation, still chose to go to Konoha to renew the treaty. He had no choice; the benefits were too great.

Even if he didn't go, the vested interests within the village would find ways to compel him to.

Rather than face an awkward situation later, it was better to make a preemptive move and use this 'renewal trip' to gain more political resources from those people.

"It is precisely because of the unstable situation that those bastards are making me go to Konoha to sign the treaty," the Third Kazekage said, his tone calm, as if he didn't mind his will being forcibly interfered with.

"Sunagakure is too poor. Those old bastards are terrified of poverty. Compared to the position of the Fourth Kazekage, they cherish the commercial communication with Konoha far more."

"Then you, my Lord?" Fūseki didn't understand. In his impression, the Third Kazekage was not the type to be 'threatened.'

"It's merely a dirty political transaction," the Third Kazekage said, unclear if he was explaining to Fūseki or to his confidants behind him.

"The Third Great Shinobi World War could break out at any moment. We must have a stable rear and a barely trustworthy ally."

"Sunagakure and Iwagakure are destined never to be allies. If we were to fight both Konoha and Iwagakure simultaneously, even the currently strengthened Sunagakure would not see a good outcome."

"If the Third Great Shinobi World War erupts, Konoha will, as expected, once again become the target of concentrated fire from other hidden villages. They too have a need to reduce pressure."

"The signing of this alliance treaty will benefit Sunagakure, Konoha, and us."

To be honest, if it weren't for the Land of Earth occupying a considerable area of the Land of Wind's territory during the Second Great Shinobi War, the best course of action would have been for Sunagakure and Iwagakure to ally and attack Konoha together.

After all, in terms of resource abundance, the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth combined couldn't compare to the Land of Fire.

Furthermore, Konoha had won too much in the First and Second Great Shinobi Wars. A hidden village capable of unifying the shinobi world was unwelcome by all other hidden villages.

Even if it harbored no such intentions.

But alas, the Land of Earth had encroached upon the Land of Wind's territory. Even if he wished to sign an alliance with Iwagakure, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind would not agree.

The impoverished Sunagakure could not yet do without the Daimyo's annual military funding.

"Lord Third, it's getting late. Should we rest first?" one of his confidants approached and asked.

The Third Kazekage looked up at the sky and nodded slightly. The five of them found a relatively flat stone area nearby and made it their resting spot for the night.

As the Kazekage, he naturally didn't need to concern himself with other chores. He sat quietly to rest, waiting for the others to sort things out.

He turned his head towards one of his entourage and beckoned, "Sasori, come here for a moment."

Sasori, a rising star of Sunagakure's younger generation, hailed as the hope of his peers, the successor to the Fourth Kazekage, a genius puppet master, known as 'Sasori of the Red Sand.'

He had many resounding titles. Although there was a suspicion that Elder Chiyo had fanned the flames, Sasori's own exceptional qualities were undeniable.

The Third Kazekage had observed him for some time. This child, whether in terms of aptitude or caliber, was the most outstanding among the younger generation.

Furthermore, Sasori's grandmother was Elder Chiyo, and his great-uncle was Ebizo—he was backed by Sunagakure's two great advisors.

Even he had to admit, no one was more suitable for the position of Fourth Kazekage than Sasori.

"Who do you think will be the first to initiate the Third Great Shinobi World War?" the Third Kazekage asked.

Bringing Sasori along was, in itself, part of his intention to cultivate him.

For a village Kage, apart from their own strength, the most important thing was their way of thinking.

Improving one's strength followed a traceable path, but changing one's mindset was more often a result of subtle, gradual influence.

"…Kumogakure," Sasori said after a moment of contemplation.

"Explain your reasoning," the Third Kazekage said noncommittally, prompting him further.

"Whether it's the Land of Lightning or Kumogakure, both are dominated by the hawk faction. Coupled with their defeat in the Second Great Shinobi World War and Kumogakure's continuous expansion of investment in ninja training in recent years," Sasori stated, "among the Five Great Hidden Villages, Kumogakure is the most likely to initiate the Third Great Shinobi World War."

"Your perspective is clear, and your insight is keen," the Third Kazekage affirmed. "But do not overlook Konoha."

"Hmm? Why is that?" Sasori was somewhat puzzled.

"Is it because Konoha was forced to fight in the First and Second Great Shinobi Wars that you subconsciously believe Konoha will not initiate the Third?" the Third Kazekage asked.

Sasori nodded slightly.

"Sasori, you must remember, never use past thinking to view a hidden village." This time, the Third Kazekage's tone was somewhat stern. "Neither the 'God of Shinobi' nor the 'Darkness of Shinobi' are individuals who rigidly adhere to convention."

"Put yourself in their shoes. If you were Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the Konoha you led successfully fought one against four, winning both the First and Second Great Shinobi Wars, with your strength and prestige reaching unprecedented heights."

"In such a volatile situation, there's a constant risk of being ganged up on by other hidden villages."

"If it were you, would you choose to defend rigidly? Or would you opt to take the offensive?"

The Third Kazekage stopped Sasori from speaking. "Think about it carefully tonight. Tell me your answer tomorrow."

Watching Sasori sink into thought, he nodded with satisfaction.

There was no standard answer to this question. Defending rigidly and taking the offensive could both be wrong, or both could be right.

The reason he asked this question was precisely to encourage Sasori to think more from a Kage's perspective.

From the viewpoint of a Konoha ninja, taking the offensive would be the best choice.

But for a Kage, it wasn't so simple.

A Kage needed to consider the village, the interests of the whole.