bioinnovel Chapter 545 The Wrath of the Substitute
Chapter 545 The Wrath of the Substitute
The air in the top conference room of the Fengying Building grew increasingly heavy following Liemen's decisive command.
The phrase "I'll dig them out even if I have to dig three feet into the ground," carrying the oppressive aura of a Kage, struck the hearts of every ninja present.
However, this did not dispel the chill in their hearts; instead, it gave rise to a more direct confrontation.
"Lord Kazekage, please forgive my bluntness, but this action was far too reckless!"
Ebizo, the chief tactical advisor of Sunagakure and Chiyo's younger brother, finally broke his silence.
He stood up from his seat, his aged face full of worry.
"The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. Their ability to silently wipe out three of our elite patrols demonstrates a level of strength and tactic far beyond our conventional understanding. Under these circumstances, sending a large-scale search operation would be like adding fuel to the fire, only exacerbating our losses!"
His words were calm yet sharp, getting straight to the heart of the problem.
"This is clearly a trap! The enemy is lurking in the shadows, waiting for us to hand over more ninjas!"
"Ebizo! You're boosting others' morale while diminishing your own!"
An elder with tattoos on his face slammed his fist on the table, rising angrily to retort, "Are we just going to hide in this Kazekage Building out of fear and watch our village's ninjas disappear on our own soil?"
"The village is now in a state of panic! Rumors are flying everywhere! If we don't respond firmly, we'll collapse from within without the enemy even lifting a finger!"
The elder surveyed the crowd, raising his voice dramatically, "We must prove to everyone, and to that rat hiding in the gutter, with a victory, a relentless pursuit—that the fangs of Sunagakure are still sharp!"
"That's right! Blindly defending will only allow fear to spread!"
"We must take the initiative!"
Immediately, the meeting room erupted in heated debate, with radical elders vehemently advocating for immediate and brutal retaliation.
The moderate faction, led by Ebizo, insisted that the defenses should be tightened first, the situation should be investigated, and actions should not be taken rashly.
Liemen sat upright in the main seat, saying nothing, only tapping the table lightly with his fingers.
No one noticed that a strange darkness was quietly swirling deep within his dark yellow eyes.
"What a beautiful melody...fear, anger, and helplessness."
The Black Zetsu residing within him was greedily savoring the negative emotions permeating the room.
The more panicked you are, the more likely you are to make the wrong decisions.
Black Zetsu needs the Sand Village to take action and respond to Konoha's provocation in the most intense way.
Only by thoroughly muddying up this pool of water can it complete its own plan amidst the chaos.
Just as the two sides were locked in a dispute that was about to escalate into a farce.
That's enough.
An old, hoarse, yet undeniably penetrating female voice rang out.
The entire conference room fell silent instantly.
Everyone's gaze involuntarily turned to the old woman who had remained silent since the beginning of the meeting, as if she were in a meditative state.
Chiyo.
An advisor to Sunagakure, a living fossil of puppetry.
Slowly opening his cloudy eyes, he found no ripples, only a bottomless silence.
She didn't look at anyone, but fixed her gaze on the Third Kazekage Retsumon, who was sitting in the main seat.
"I support Lord Kazekage's decision."
One sentence left everyone present stunned.
Especially Ebizo, who stared at his sister in astonishment, completely unable to understand.
In his view, his sister was always more calm and rational than him, so how could she support such a risky plan at a time like this?
"elder sister……"
Chiyo ignored her brother's astonishment and continued to speak to Retsumon in her calm, unwavering tone: "However, I have conditions."
Liemen stopped tapping his fingers on the table and leaned forward slightly.
"Please speak, Advisor Chiyo."
"I must personally select the pursuit force for this mission."
Chiyo's voice was completely flat. "Moreover, I need the village's top puppeteers, including those who have retired to the sidelines and are now only responsible for research and maintenance."
These words caused another uproar among the crowd.
Mobilizing such a large number of top-tier puppeteers is almost equivalent to a total mobilization of the Sand Village's strongest attack force.
"Chiyo, this..."
One of the elders couldn't help but speak up, "They're just harassing us from the shadows, is it really necessary for us to... deploy such a large force?"
Chiyo finally shifted her gaze from Retsumon and slowly swept it over the elder who had asked the question.
What a gaze it was—cold, deathly still, as if it could freeze one's soul.
The young elder froze under the gaze and instinctively shut his mouth.
"The Ninja World War more than a decade ago."
Chiyo's voice echoed softly, as if it came from the distant past, "My son and my daughter-in-law died under the blades of Konoha ninjas during a pursuit mission."
The temperature in the conference room seemed to drop even further.
Everyone held their breath. This was Chiyo's deepest, most painful scar, and very few people dared to mention it in front of her.
"That ninja was very strong. The mission report said that he severed my son's most prized puppet strings in an instant, and then pierced the hearts of both my son and his wife with a single blow."
Chiyo narrated calmly, as if telling a story unrelated to herself.
"That ninja's stealth technique... coincidentally, it's very similar to this one."
She paused, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between her teeth.
His nickname is Konoha's White Fang.