Yes, the Hokage!

“Originally, the five great nations were wary of each other and none of them wanted to be the first to start a war, but one day… you suddenly disappeared.” Feng Lan shrugged. “You were recognized as the strongest Kazekage. No one in Sunagakure thought you could be killed by anyone, so they spent a lot of manpower, resources and energy searching everywhere, which led to a lack of defense. Therefore, it was Kumogakure, who loved to cause trouble, that launched the first war against Sunagakure. In the end, the flames of war spread to the entire ninja world, which led to the Third Shinobi World War.”

"So, the result is that Orochimaru killed the Third Kazekage, which led to the Third Shinobi World War?" Hashirama and Tobirama both glared at Orochimaru, who was sprawled on the ground.

"That shouldn't be it." Relying on her knowledge of the plot, Feng Lan insisted on acting as Jiraiya, the informant. "Personally, I think Orochimaru only collected some of the remains of the Third Kazekage afterward to activate the Impure World Reincarnation. For a Kage-level... especially such a powerful Kage-level expert, to be assassinated silently, it could only be someone from within the village, and that person must be in a high position."

"Hmm, it seems so." As a sensory ninja, Tobirama could clearly perceive the Third Kazekage's change in expression; the other's reaction was obviously correct as Fenglan had predicted.

Although he didn't know that Feng Lan was familiar with the plot, he guessed Feng Lan's intention and deliberately cooperated with him: "Did Sunagakure find the culprit in the end?"

“Not until now, because they still think the Third Kazekage has just disappeared.” Feng Lan shrugged. “To be honest, if I hadn’t seen the Third Kazekage’s Edo Tensei form, even I wouldn’t have been able to guess the truth.”

"Oh?" This is the advantage of having a smart partner. Tobirama's act was flawless. If it were Hashirama, his expression would definitely be affected and a bit exaggerated. "What truth? Tell me about it."

The two appeared to be talking to themselves, but in reality, every word they said was meant for the Third Kazekage.

"The reason is actually quite simple. As the village's strongest fighter, Shadow is very difficult to kill even if he is ambushed by his subordinates, especially if he dies silently without anyone noticing."

Feng Lan smiled and said, "Aside from powerful sealing techniques, the only other option in this situation is the poison that Sunagakure is best at."

“Toxins…” Tobirama chimed in at the opportune moment, “That’s certainly very possible.”

"Speaking of poisons, we must mention the puppet army unique to Sunagakure. Those puppets are poisoned from head to toe. Even a slight scratch is enough to draw blood and kill. I think the Third Kazekage was caught off guard by the poison and was assassinated without a sound."

This part isn't mentioned in the original work; it's just a possibility that Naruto fans came up with after discussion. However, Fenglan, using his sensory abilities to observe the Third Kazekage's expression, knows that the fans are probably right. (This plot isn't in the original work; it's my own creation.)

Next, Feng Lan began his blatant lies and deception. However, every word he uttered was a mix of truth and falsehood, making it difficult to distinguish between them, and something the Third Kazekage could never verify.

"During the Third Shinobi World War, when Konoha was cleaning up the battlefield, they discovered an interesting phenomenon: many of the puppets from Sunagakure bore a special red scorpion mark. After gathering a lot of information, it was finally confirmed that these puppets were all made by one person: Sasori, the genius puppeteer of Sunagakure."

"But ironically, this genius puppeteer didn't appear on the front lines. It's possible that Sunagakure was unwilling to directly commit such a talent to the war for fear of his demise, but now..."

Feng Lan glanced at the Third Kazekage with ill intent: "I suddenly have a bold guess."

"That's quite audacious," Tobirama sneered. "A genius puppeteer poisoned his own village's Kazekage, abducted his body, and became a rogue ninja, all without a single person in the entire village knowing, which even sparked the Fourth Shinobi World War..."

What are you talking about?

Hashirama scratched his head, realizing that Tobirama and Furan's charade had probably just sounded like "shush shush shush shush" to him.

The two did not answer, but instead exchanged meaningful glances with the Third Kazekage.

The Third Kazekage's reaction was quite amusing. Every time Feng Lan guessed a bit of the truth, his cheek would twitch, until in the end he was practically indistinguishable from Nicholas Zhao Si, the Asian dance king.

In reality, as the Kazekage, Sasori's cunning, even if not as extreme as Tobirama's, was certainly considerable. However, Sasori was destined to be the Third Kazekage's greatest disgrace. Judging from the fact that he could poison him so silently, Sasori must have been highly valued by the Third Kazekage, perhaps even groomed to become the Fourth Kazekage. Who knew that the genius puppeteer, to whom he poured countless efforts and energy, seeing him as the village's future hope, would murder him and turn him into a human puppet!

Anyone would be unable to hold back in this situation, so in the anime's original storyline, the Third Kazekage's hatred for Sasori after being resurrected by Orochimaru was almost overflowing from the screen.

"You...you all guessed right." In the end, the Third Kazekage sighed, "The one who killed me was Sasori of the Red Sand."

"Hmm↓↑" Feng Lan let out a long, annoying snort, "Just as I thought."

"So what do you want now?"

The Third Kazekage was, after all, a man who had instigated the Second Shinobi World War. Although he was filled with grief and indignation, he still managed to control his emotions. After all, Feng Lan had mentioned that Sunagakure was still searching for him, which meant that even though Sunagakure's defenses were weak and they were attacked by Kumogakure and dragged into the Third Shinobi World War, Sunagakure had still managed to survive.

As long as the village exists, there is still hope.

“It’s very simple. I’d like to discuss a win-win deal with you.” Feng Lan maintained a smiling expression throughout the entire process, proving that he was very relaxed when facing the Third Kazekage, without any of the pressure he felt when facing Tobirama.

In short, it's all about control.

"Forgive my bluntness, but Sunagakure was already very poor, and it was severely weakened in the Third Shinobi World War, barely managing to survive. If it continues to waste time and effort on the matter of searching for the missing Third Kazekage, it will probably collapse sooner or later."

Upon hearing Feng Lan's words, the Third Kazekage's eyelids twitched. Sunagakure's biggest problem was its poverty! Even if Rasa could extract gold from the desert, the scarcity of resources couldn't be compensated for by money alone! If they were to waste time searching for a dead man they could never find, the gap between them and the other four great nations would only widen. Eventually, Konoha wouldn't even need to exert any effort; it would collapse on its own.

This is not an exaggeration. In fact, at the beginning of Naruto, Sunagakure was already at the point of collapse. Why would the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, an ally of Konoha, choose to cooperate with Orochimaru to destroy Konoha?

It was because at that time, most people in the Land of Wind did not seek help from Sunagakure, but instead turned to the powerful Konoha. Without any changes, Sunagakure would have been slowly and gradually destroyed.

Although it seems a bit clownish that Rasa was killed by Orochimaru before even appearing in the story, it was precisely because of his choice that the Third Hokage was killed, Tsunade succeeded him as the Fifth Hokage, and together with Gaara, who was also the Fifth Kazekage, they opened up a new future for the village.

Without that decisive action, Sunagakure might have truly perished.

Seeing that the other party was on the same page as him, Feng Lan became even more aggressive: "So your best choice now is to cooperate with me. Once I get what I want, I will tell Sunagakure the truth and let them put their manpower and resources to where they are needed."

"Madam, cough cough, I meant the Third Kazekage, you don't want to..."

Chapter 84 is, Wind Shadow

The Third Kazekage's expression at this moment was just like that of a wife in a certain movie, helpless and reluctant but also somewhat relieved (because he had no choice). Even though he knew that Feng Lan must have great ambitions, he could only keep comforting himself that it was for the sake of the village (the government).

Feng Lan and Tobirama exchanged a glance, knowing the time was right, and then said with a smile, "Third Kazekage, I don't have many conditions, just four."

"First, Sunagakure has publicly announced the termination of its investigation into your disappearance. The unified statement is that the Third Kazekage was killed by the rogue ninja Sasori during the Third Shinobi World War, and his body was stolen. The investigation is still ongoing. This statement was personally read by the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa."

This would not only embarrass Sunagakure, but also greatly weaken Chiyo and Ebizo's status within the village. It should be noted that after the death of the Third Kazekage, these two had been the backbone of the village. Chiyo was even responsible for sealing Shukaku inside Gaara. However, during Shippuden, these two old men simply gave up.

Feng Lan's move was to accelerate Chiyo and Ebizo's decline, leaving Sunagakure with no more skilled fighters, except for the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.

"Secondly, if Konoha and Kumogakure go to war soon, Sunagakure will have to openly side with Konoha and send troops to support them... You can rest assured that I will absolutely not let these troops actually be deployed to the battlefield, but they must exist."

Aside from Hashirama, even Tsunade in the room knew how ruthless this move was. It was essentially binding Sunagakure and Konoha together. In the future, when war breaks out again, whoever wants to attack Konoha will have to be wary of Sunagakure's move.

"Thirdly, I need a brief file on the puppet forces of Sunagakure that doesn't involve core secrets. Sasori wasn't recruited by Konoha after becoming a rogue ninja, so he'll most likely become Konoha's enemy. I need to be prepared in advance."

"Fourth, I need to get your iron sand."

"Iron Sand?" The Third Kazekage narrowed his eyes. "Without the Magnet Release bloodline limit, you can't use Iron Sand even if you have it."

"That's my business." Feng Lan smiled, without explaining in detail. He wouldn't tell the Third Kazekage that the ninja tools he commissioned the Takumi Ninja Village to make had a similar effect.

Before the other party could haggle, he continued, "If you can agree to these conditions, I can also offer you a discount. Not only will you be able to return to Sunagakure to meet the Fourth Kazekage, but I can also do the following."

"First, Konoha will not interfere in Sunagakure's internal affairs; second, as long as Sunagakure takes sides in future conflicts between Konoha and Kumogakure, Konoha will sign a five-year preferential trade agreement with Sunagakure, selling food and various supplies to Sunagakure at prices slightly lower than they are now; third, Konoha will not accept any requests from ninjas of the Land of Wind in the future, as those things will all belong to Sunagakure, as the saying goes, 'Don't let the good stuff go to outsiders.'"

When the Third Kazekage first heard Feng Lan's four demands, he was somewhat inclined to refuse, because they were quite harsh, especially the second one, which would make the entire ninja world think that Sunagakure was Konoha's little brother.

But after hearing the preferential terms offered by Feng Lan, he thought about it for a moment and felt that the requirements were acceptable.

This is also the most common diplomatic tactic of giving a sweet treat after a beating. The Third Kazekage had no reason not to know this, but the current situation of Sunagakure was so dire that the sweet treat offered by the other party seemed like a lifeline.

The most important of these benefits is the third one. You should know that Rasa later joined forces with Orochimaru to attack Konoha because all of his country's requests had been stolen. As the leader of the village, the Third Kazekage could not have been unaware of the danger. In fact, the country's requests had already been lost during his time, otherwise the Third Kazekage would not have started World War II.

As for Feng Lan, the most important thing for him was not the second point. To be honest, he didn't care whether Sunagakure was a subordinate of Konoha or not, and he didn't even care about Konoha.

His real demand, however, was the first point: to weaken the positions of Chiyo and Ebizo!

The fact that Sunagakure rented Shukaku shows that Sunagakure has interests involved with Konoha, and these interests are clearly on the side of the Third Hokage, which Fenglan has no way to get involved in.

As for those who have a vested interest in the Third Hokage, they are undoubtedly the old guys in the Sunagakure high command. Regardless of whether Chiyo and Ebizo are directly related to the Third Hokage, weakening them can help Rasa rise to power quickly.

Therefore, Fenglan's core goal is to enable the young Rasa to completely control Sunagakure, thereby cooperating with Minato and himself, completely abandoning the Third Hokage's side, in order to gain more power and profit from it.

If Rasa wanted to rent Shukaku to Konoha and make a large kickback for himself, his story to Minato would be completely different.

Compared to this, Konoha's status in the ninja world, information on puppets, and even the iron sand tools all pale in comparison.

He concealed this ambition very well, so much so that even Tobirama didn't notice it and even nodded in satisfaction. You know, even when he or his elder brother were in power, they didn't make Sunagakure directly become Konoha's subordinate.

The Third Kazekage was caught in a violent struggle, looking down at his cracked, impure hands, remaining silent for a long time.

He didn't want to agree. Agreeing to Fenglan's conditions meant that Sunagakure would have to publicly admit that their village's Kage was killed by a rogue ninja, that they would have to side with Konoha and become a laughingstock in the ninja world, and that they would have to hand over the sand iron to someone else... These were all extremely shameful and humiliating things.

But what if they don't agree?

Sunagakure will continue to expend enormous human and material resources searching for a dead man who will never be found; its defense will remain weak; the village will continue to be impoverished; and requests will continue to flow to Konoha... Sunagakure will be drained dry little by little in silence until it becomes a ruin whose name no one remembers.

To live in humiliation, or to die with pride?

He closed his eyes, recalling the endless desert of the Land of Wind, where the sandstorms would bury everything… pride, humiliation, the sighs of the living, the resentment of the dead. In the end, only the survivors were victorious, only the surviving villages were real; everything else was nothing but a mirage.

Becoming a subordinate of Konoha is shameful, but if the internal strife continues, it could cost you your life.

“I can agree to your conditions,” he said slowly, his voice hoarse, “but Sunagakure has one additional request.”

"Please speak," Feng Lan nodded.

"You need to draft a formal document, sign it yourself, and have the Fourth Hokage affix his seal." The Third Kazekage looked directly at Feng Lan. "The document must state that the specific terms of the aforementioned trade agreement will be implemented within one month of Sunagakure siding with Konoha; during this period, Konoha may not delay, modify, or withdraw its commitment for any reason. If Konoha breaches the agreement, Sunagakure has the right to unilaterally withdraw from the alliance and publicly disclose what Feng Lan himself has done."

The thing he did clearly refers to the Impure World Reincarnation. As long as Rasa met the Impure World Third Hokage, he would naturally know that someone had used the Impure World Reincarnation. He didn't need to know exactly who used it, but this was obviously a handle against him.

So many people from Sunagakure have sacrificed themselves; they can't just get an empty promise. The information about the Edo Tensei is the key to ensuring Konoha keeps its word.

Feng Lan pondered for a few seconds, then nodded: "Okay, I'll draft the document tonight and show it to you tomorrow. If there are no problems, after it's signed, Lady Tsunade will be the witness, and then it will be sent back to Konoha by a ninja hawk for Minato to stamp."

“There’s one more thing,” the Third Kazekage added. “I need Rasa to come to me in person, not me in Sunagakure, but him in Amegakure. I need to personally hand this over to him and confirm that he is willing to take on this responsibility.”

“He’s the Fourth Kazekage now, he won’t leave the village easily.” Feng Lan’s eyes narrowed even more.

“I have my own way of getting him out,” the Third Kazekage said calmly. “As long as you get Orochimaru to lift all the restrictions on me.”

“Other restrictions can be lifted, but you cannot move, and Shisui must be present to monitor the entire process.” Fenglan put forward his conditions. Although the Third Kazekage could be resurrected using the Impure World Reincarnation technique even if he escaped, an uncontrollable Impure World Kage could cause enormous destruction in just a few minutes.

For example, a single Iron Sand Technique destroyed Amegakure, causing Nagato and others to become complete enemies of Konoha.

“Alright, as long as I regain control of my chakra, that will be enough. I will use the special summoning technique between Kazekage to contact him, and I believe I will receive a response soon. So…” The Third Kazekage extended his reanimated hand, “Shall we make a deal?”

Feng Lan wasn't afraid at all that the strongest Kazekage might suddenly turn on him, and shook hands with him with a smile: "Yes, Kazekage."

Chapter 85 Inuzuka Tetsu

"Hoo...cough cough!"

After leaving the room where the three shadows were temporarily staying, Feng Lan swayed, coughed a few times, and even spilled a few drops of blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Lord Fenglan!"

Shisui, who was standing outside the door as a guard, immediately helped him up with concern.

"It's nothing," Feng Lan waved her hand. "I'll be fine after a good night's sleep."

The fierce battle and the ensuing intrigue had exhausted his physical and mental strength to the extreme. Now, Feng Lan felt that everything in front of him was doubled, as if he had overused his Mangekyou Sharingan.

"You little rascal, you can really go all out sometimes." Tsunade, though maintaining a certain distance due to her hemophobia, was unusually gentle. "Go back and have Rin and Kabuto take a look at you..."

"Lord Fenglan! The Root organization..." Just then, Tiehuo ran over to report, but before he could finish speaking, he saw Shisui and Tsunade glaring at him fiercely, and he was speechless.

"What's going on with the Root organization?" Feng Lan raised an eyebrow. A bunch of guys who have already become rogue ninjas still want to cause trouble?

"This, this..." Tie Huo was under immense pressure and could barely speak.

"You two, don't scare him." Feng Lan scolded, making Shisui and Tsunade turn their heads away, before turning back to Tie Huo and asking, "Go on."

“There’s someone from the Root organization who claims to be from the Inuzuka clan and says he wants to see you.”