Kapitel 237: Ch237. Rasa's dethroning 1

Two months have passed since Pakura and Rei met with the Wind Daimyo. The man was incredibly busy with his duties and as such, the issue regarding Rasa was put on hold. Partly, that was to make Rasa relax while everything was subtly prepared in the shadows, and partly to give the Wind Daimyo enough time to finish most of his impending duties so he would have time to go to Sunagakure for this special occasion.

That's why Rasa was currently quietly seething and sweating bullets while sitting in his Kazekage seat in the council room of Sunagakure as the Wind Daimyo sat in his own designated place, smugly smirking at the man.

It was only four hours prior that the Daimyo unexpectedly arrived at Sunagakure and instantly called for a council meeting. After two months of nothing happening, Rasa really didn't expect the Daimyo to pull out the issue with Pakura. At least, not like this. Not in front of the entire village council. Rasa didn't have any doubt about what would be discussed in the meeting. The green-haired woman sitting next to the Daimyo in the seat of the guest of honor was all he needed to understand his position and the crisis approaching. It clearly made him incredibly nervous as his mind started going through various laws and regulations that could pull him through the damning situation. After all, there must be some useful loophole somewhere, right?

The unfortunate Rasa had no idea what really awaited him.

The Sunagakure's council was very reminiscent of the one in Konoha. As in Konoha, there were three parts. As in Konoha, there were clan heads and elders. Unlike in Konoha, however, there was no civilian side, and the third part was solely made up of accomplished ninjas of renown from Sunagakure.

No wealthy civilians having a say in the laws of the village meant there were not as many willing investors as in Konoha, hoping to gain power in the village's council. On the other hand, it also meant less friction in the council. Ninjas understood ninjas and knew what they needed. There was far less politicking than in Konoha since there was no need to keep civilians happy. This created a quite efficient council and honestly, Rei was utterly convinced that was the only reason the village didn't crumble yet under Rasa's horrendous administration.

As the last member of the council took his seat, the Daimyo slowly stood up in a regal manner and spoke, "Since we are all gathered, let's start this meeting. ANBU, please seal the room." He ordered his own loyal ninja guards around him instantly going on guard, staring at the ninja-filled room in case somebody got some bright idea.

Wind Daimyo's ninja guards were not previous ninjas from Sunagakure. Instead, they were taken from orphanages at a young age and trained with the full weight of all resources the Daimyo put into them, excepting nothing but total loyalty and service to him and his family. To be honest, even Pakura, the one who hated the idea of taking kids from orphanages and manipulating them, had to admit the Wind Daimyo at the very least provided a good life for the orphans that would otherwise most likely die before reaching adulthood.

Little did the ninjas, Daimyo, and his guards knew. The biggest threat to their continued existence was currently sitting next to the most important man in the room in the form of a lithe green-haired woman and an aristocratic-looking blond-haired man who aloofly looked at the proceedings with a small expectant smirk.

'Two SS-rank rogue ninjas in the room, sitting right next to the most important person in the country, and nobody is the wiser.' Rei stifled a chuckle at the thought. 'Making these black cloaks for obscuring our identity as the members of Yozora was the best thing I could have come up with! Damn, I am a genius!' He mentally patted his back.

The door was sealed and the council room quieted. The tension in the air was almost palpable as the older members of the council stared either incomprehensibly or in disbelief at Pakura while the newer ones tried to think up a reason for their older counterparts unveiled interest in the girl next to the Daimyo. It was a curious sight for the Daimyo. Especially since he expected more old coots to be sitting behind the council table. To find so many clans changed leadership in recent years... it was indeed curious, to say the least.

Nevertheless, the Daimyo was not there to gawk at the many unknown faces and wonder when the political landscape in his hidden village changed so much. He had a duty, a very satisfying one at that! "I am sure many of you wonder why I left my seat in the Wind Capital and came all the way to Sunagakure without forewarning you about my arrival." He started, instantly catching the rapt attention of everybody in the room.

Everybody present knew the Daimyo didn't travel for no reason. He couldn't afford to as even the shitty and selfish Daimyo like the Water one actually had to rule if he wanted to stay in power. While privileged, Daimyos had many responsibilities and prolonged travel simply couldn't fit into their schedule. It was obvious the man was not here for a leisure visit or a vacation.

Suddenly, the stares on Pakura intensified as the elders' eyes widened in sudden realization. When their facts suddenly clicked together. It was a simple deduction... really.

Everybody knew Daimyo hated Rasa and wanted to get rid of him.

The Daimyo sat in front of them, in the Suna Council, smiling like a loon as if his Christmas came far too soon for the happiness of others.

And the woman sitting next to the Daimyo was one of the Suna's past heroes who was supposed to be dead because of a diplomatic mission to the Kirigakure she was made to take... on Rasa's orders.

The Daimyo gestured at Pakura, "I am sure most of you already know her. This is Pakura, the hero of the Third War. The same kunoichi who was supposed to be dead..." He pleasantly added before gleefully turning towards Rasa who looked like a dear in the headlights, "right, Rasa?"

'Oh, shit...' The members of the council suddenly had to resist an incredible urge to groan as even the youngest and the least experienced of them was hit with the full weight of what the Wind Daimyo was insinuating.

Their day suddenly got a whole lot more interesting.

And troublesome.

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Kapitel 238: Ch238. Rasa's dethroning 2

"Mikumi-sama, you... aren't saying what I think you are saying, are you?" Asked Ebizo, one of the two Elders while Chiyo instantly stopped dozing off.

This was serious. Kazekage breaking the few laws that still apply to him? Distasteful. Worse yet, the Kazekage being discovered breaking the few laws that still apply to him? Disaster! That was an unmitigated shitstorm for the Sunagakure. From this point, anything from a complete overhaul of the higher-ups of Suna to a small manageable civil unrest could happen, depending on what the Daimyo and council will agree upon. It was honestly in the wind.

Though... from the way the Wind Daimyo looked and what was discussed, it was obvious the Kazekage hat would most likely find a new owner today.

'Stupid boy,' Chiyo glanced at Rasa with a disappointed tired gaze before focusing back on the Daimyo and the supposed Pakura, 'now, the only thing is to find out what route will the Daimyo chose to go about this.' She inwardly sighed, from the top of her head capable of naming five strategies that would have a chance at removing Rasa from his seat in this situation. 'Let's see if I can somehow mitigate this disaster.'

"Daimyo-sama," Chiyo's raspy old voice calmly rang through the council room, something that didn't happen for so long, the heads of the council members snapped in her direction, "How are we to be certain the woman next to you is really Pakura?" She eyed the green-haired girl with a shrewd gleam. "We all know there are many ways one can be impersonated and that's not counting all the special bloodlines or Jutsus we have no idea about. The woman next to you looks twenty-five at the height of her prime and we all know for a fact, Pakura would be around thirty-three if she was alive. For a civilian, the difference between these eight years is not so discernible but for a ninja, it is the difference between desert and sand playground." She slowly voiced her thoughts in a heavy manner, causing many doubts to flow through the room while Rasa gained a hopeful glint but stayed silent, knowing his input could simply worsen things and the Daimyo visibly faltered. Chiyo only looked as if she was putting a lot of effort into not falling asleep as she continued, "Are you sure you were not deceived, Daimyo-sama?"

The various clan heads seemed very intrigued and clearly wanted an answer or proof of Pakura's identity. The Daimyo himself knew Pakura is who she says she is. In the past two months, they met a few times and he could honestly say she changed very little personality-wise. But he simply could not prove her identity, causing him to furrow his eyebrows and frown at Chiyo who stayed stoic.

Chiyo didn't really like Rasa all that much. She quite disliked him and that was also the reason why she often fell asleep during the council meetings. She always found him a worthless leader so there was no reason to add to the senility levels in the room by staying awake. If she didn't care for Sunagakure so much, she would have retired a long time ago anyway. It's just that her position granted her a way to prevent at least some disasters aimed at Sunagakure. Like now, for example. The best way to take the wind from the Daimyo's sails was to discredit Pakura and establish doubts about her identity. Without a proper justification, there is nothing the Daimyo could do, no matter if he was de facto the ruler of their nation. At least, not where it concerned the shinobi affairs.

While the Wind Daimyo was frowning at the old hag who dared to question him, Pakura simply impassively raised an eyebrow at Chiyo... and that's when Chiyo knew she fucked up.

It was years before Chiyo last interacted with Pakura. Coupled with her advanced age, her memory wasn't the best so nobody could fault her for forgetting something about supposedly dead kunoichi. That eyebrow-raising, however... now that made Chiyo's mind experience flashback after flashback as dread filled her eyes when she realized...

'Shit! It's really Pakura! She is going to...!' Chiyo started to take a breath to stop the woman from...

"Elder Chiyo," Pakura's quiet, calm, and collected voice with a hint of amusement resounded through the room as a vicious gleam flashed through her eyes, "you once told me about how poisonously stabby you got with your first husband during one particularly intimate moment. The poor guy never woke up after that. At least his wealth fell into the hands of his mortified widow, right?" Pakura eye-smiled at the woman whose eyes bulged out while the jaws of the council members, hidden ANBU, and the Daimyo alongside his entourage dropped at the blatant accusation of kin slaying.

Pakura slowly turned her head towards Ebizo, "Elder Ebizo," Her lips stretched into a small mischievous smile as if she was going to reveal some naughty secret, "you killed your older brother when you were fifteen in order to become the heir of your clan. But hey! Unfortunate accidents happen all the time to the clumsy clan heirs, no?"

Ebizo's lips thinned but his facade held. The rest of the council, however, were now staring at him in utter disbelief. Especially the clan heads were torn between feeling disgust and wanting to demand proof he did not do what the green-haired woman insinuated. Killing a clan heir and stealing the heirship? There was no worse crime for these clan heads.

Despite the sudden and shocking revelation, Ebizo's secret had as much worth as Chiyo's. None whatsoever. These were things that happened long, long ago. Things nobody would go poking their nose into just because. Yes, they were important and well-guarded secrets but in the end, they were harmless in the grand scheme of things. At most, the Elders lost prestige. Nobody could persecute them for it. Not without proof that would be impossible to find after all these years. Then again... the Shinobi world worked a bit differently.

Pakura was quite satisfied as she turned her head yet again to the young man sitting to the right of Ebizo, her lips still in that infuriating small smile. "Karuen Koichi..." She hummed, "I don't really have anything on you since you are too young for me to know. Your father though." Trailing off, Pakura heightened the sense of dread in the young man who had no idea what kind of dirt the woman would pull on his family. "If my memory serves well, you are a bastard child of one of your father's mistresses from the red-light district since his wife is infertile. Your real mother was killed after giving birth and you were raised as a son of..."

"WE GET IT!" Chiyo loudly exclaimed before coughing a few times from the stress.

Koichi seemed totally bewildered by what the woman said about his circumstances of birth. Stiffening, he found himself being stared at by other council members and even the Daimyo. Only after a moment, it clicked for him. 'I... am not my mother's son?' His breath hitched, remembering all the praise heaped upon him and how his talent in clan Jutsu was just as high as his supposed mother. Needless to say, the world suddenly flipped upside down for the young clan head.

"That's enough. You are Pakura." Chiyo reluctantly admitted, her plan to discredit the woman utterly foiled. 'How could I forget she was one of the very few people with access to even the darkest secrets of our village?' She mentally questioned herself, realizing what this all meant in growing horror, 'She is a walking treasure trove of village secrets and we can't even persecute her for it as she is declared dead! Oh, hell...' Chiyo's shoulders slumped.

"Glad we cleared that up." The Daimyo chuckled at how Pakura resolved the situation. "Now... if nobody else has any questions, I think it's time for today's main agenda." He dramatically paused and everybody leaned forward in anticipation, "Pakura came to me with a request to sanction a Grudge Duel against Rasa Sabaku for the position of the Ruling Clan. The winner's family will become the new royal clan of Sunagakure."

The room descended into deafening silence.

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