Naruto: Veigar the Ninja

As Regan led his forces away, Veigar had no idea what schemes lay hidden behind the man's actions.

"Fools. They probably won't even realize how they died once they hit the battlefield."

Veigar muttered coldly in his heart, his gaze locked on Regan's retreating figure.

Minato, looking somewhat uneasy, voiced his concern:

"Orochimaru-sama… are we really going to let this happen?"

Although Regan had been pushing hard for an aggressive advance, Minato, who deeply cared for Konoha, couldn't help but question the decision.

Tsunade responded with a cold sneer:

"I didn't give him permission to go."

"Honestly, I don't want to see him anymore."

There was no mistaking the disgust in her tone. Tsunade clearly hoped Regan wouldn't come back from the battlefield alive.

All the while, Veigar remained silent in the corner, coldly watching the heated debate unfold in the command tent.

It wasn't his time to speak, not unless Orochimaru asked for his opinion.

Besides, he harbored no fondness for the Shimura clan. If he were to offer input, he'd certainly be against them.

Orochimaru soon gave his next round of orders:

"Pass this down, get the supplies organized. I want everyone on standby."

"Even though I've agreed to Regan's proposed offensive, if anything goes wrong, we can't just sit and watch."

"Tell the medical corps to rest while they can. They'll have wounded to deal with soon."

The Konoha jōnin in the command post responded in unison:

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama!"

Waving his hand dismissively, Orochimaru added:

"Go make your preparations."

"Veigar, you stay."

Then, turning to Tsunade, his tone softened:

"Tsunade, get some rest too."

Despite everything, he still cared deeply for his longtime comrade, the brash teammate he'd grown up with.

"Alright, I'm heading out."

Tsunade stood up and yawned as she spoke. After two sleepless days and nights, fatigue weighed heavily on her. She slowly made her way out of the tent to rest.

Once Tsunade had left, Orochimaru sat alone at the head of the table, turning to Veigar.

"Veigar. What's your take on all this?"

...

Land of Rivers, Sunagakure Command Post.

"Kazekage-sama, you're here."

Chiyo and Ebizō rose from their seats inside the main tent as the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, stepped in, accompanied by the priest Bunpuku.

"Advisor Chiyo. Elder Ebizō."

"You've both worked hard."

Though Rasa had recently ascended to the title of Fourth Kazekage, he showed no airs before the elder statesmen of Sunagakure. He addressed them respectfully.

Seated at the head of the room, Rasa's brown hair, rare among his people, seemed even more unkempt due to lack of rest. Since becoming Kazekage, he'd barely slept, and the long journey here hadn't helped.

"Advisor Chiyo, any movements from Konoha these past two days?"

Chiyo shook her head and replied:

"No significant changes. Though Dōzan's night raid failed, it did inflict considerable losses on Konoha."

"Lately, we've seen a number of new faces on Konoha's front lines, likely reinforcements have arrived."

Rasa's expression turned solemn.

"Dōzan, huh…"

Dōzan had been one of Sunagakure's veteran elite jōnin. His death was a real loss to the village.

"Reinforcements from Konoha…"

Rasa lowered his gaze in contemplation.

"Are we monitoring their movements closely?"

He looked at Chiyo and Ebizō as he asked quietly.

Ebizō answered with confidence:

"Yes, Kazekage-sama. We've already deployed scouts to keep close watch."

"Should Konoha take any action, we'll know immediately."

Rasa met their eyes and said firmly:

"Good. In this situation, where we lack clear intel and can't predict Konoha's next move, I'll have to rely on you both even more."

"That said… if I had to guess, Konoha is preparing to make a move soon. I just can't yet discern what that move will be."

Chiyo and Ebizō nodded.

"Understood. We'll stay alert."

Rasa continued:

"Our goal isn't to defeat Konoha outright. What we're after is the Land of Fire's resources, enough spoils to tip the scales in our favor."

"Once Kumogakure and Iwagakure declare war, Konoha will be under far more pressure."

"That's when we strike. That's when we take the opportunity to invade Konoha."

He didn't voice it, but deep down, Rasa knew they couldn't hope to push deep into Konoha's heartland.

On paper, Konoha currently had five known Kage-level combatants: Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, and the three legendary Sannin, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru.

That overwhelming strength, plus their victory in the Second Great Ninja War, was what had secured Konoha's title as the First Great Ninja Village.

"We understand, Kazekage-sama," Chiyo replied softly.

She knew that, given Sunagakure's current military and strategic limitations, defeating Konoha outright was unrealistic, unless some external force put Konoha under enough strain.

The command tent fell into a heavy silence.

To Rasa, this war had deeper meaning: it was a chance to build his own legacy, to solidify his position through merit. But the truth was that pressure from Kumogakure and a fragile alliance with Iwagakure had forced his hand.

If they could defeat Konoha, great.

If they lost… well, Sunagakure could afford the loss.

He couldn't.

That's why he'd brought the village's elite, its best.

And as insurance, he'd even brought the One-Tail, Shukaku.

After weighing his options, Rasa issued his first order as the Fourth Kazekage at the Sunagakure front:

"Prepare for Konoha's counterattack. Keep the ambush squads in position."

"If Konoha moves first, we strike back, hard."

"Our supply units are to travel only at night. Prioritize scouting. We can't let the enemy get a read on us."

"In a word, stall."

"Don't give Konoha any hope of victory."

"As long as they can't locate our supply lines, we're in no rush. Let's wait until the other villages make their move. When they do, we'll carve a piece of Konoha for ourselves."

Ebizō nodded and added calmly:

"Konoha's held the top spot among the great villages for far too long. Naturally, they've drawn attention."

"Aside from the unpredictable Kirigakure, both Kumogakure and Iwagakure have long wanted to bring them down."

"We can't face Konoha alone, not with our resources."

"So I urge you, Kazekage-sama, apply pressure. Push the Raikage and Tsuchikage to act."

"Any further delay, and the situation might slip from our hands."

Ebizō, Sunagakure's brilliant strategist, remained as composed as ever, carefully orchestrating military deployments while laying bare the geopolitical stakes of the war.

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