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  "We checked his residence, but he's gone. Vanished. What do we do?"

  "Once Baki and his men are captured, or Kosaka is rescued, Elder Ebizo will—reappear."

  Yasuke sighed. If he were in Chiyo and Ebizo's position, he'd likely do the same. Sunagakure couldn't afford to lose Baki's fa. Even with Rasa's final orders and the Kazekage seal, they couldn't simply—discard such a powerful force. But they also couldn't let a traitor seize trol.

  If, uhese circumstances, he could bypass the Kazekage Tower's defenses and locate Ebizing him to Chiyo—it would prove that even a missing-nin had more influehaing Kazekage. Then, perhaps—Baki deserved the title.

  If one fa had to be sacrificed, it would be the weaker one.

  This was Chiyo's challeo both sides.

  The Konoha Military Police Force was tasked with finding Kosaka Kaoru.

  The Anbu, under Yasuke's and, surrounded Baki's residence.

  But Baki and the Thirty-Two had already relocated to a remote outpost near Sunagakure's border, their ninja setting traps and defenses.

  "What are you all so afraid of?!" Baki roared, his face torted with rage. He smmed his fist oable. "Surrender and face the Kazekage Tower's judgment! ht! Failure is rebellion! Success is revolution!"

  "We uand that! But what do we do now?! The vilge is crawling with Anbu and Military Police. And Chiyo wants us to—find Ebizo? We'll be captured the momeep outside. I shouldn't have e," one of the ninja pined.

  "I didn't recruit you for your—optimism!" Baki snarled. "I chose you for your influence!"

  "Now, use the outpost's unication system. tact everyone you know. Mobilize the border patrol units! Show those Anbu and Military Police who truly trols Sunagakure! Capturing Ebizo is sedary. Seizing trol of the military is our priority! They're ninja. They'll follow whoever wins. Don't you uand?!"

  Silence fell over the outpost.

  "Mobilize the border patrol units? What if Iwagakure or Konoha attacks? Sunagakure will be destroyed!"

  "We'll either die tonight, or celebrate tomorrow at the Kazekage Tower. Choose."

  Many of the ninja hesitated. They'd joined for—personal gain, not to bee traitors.

  Mobilizing the border patrol units—it was a gamble, with Sunagakure's fate hanging in the bance.

  This was—madness.

  Kankuro closed the door and, without hesitation, activated the outpost's unication system. "First Divisiourn to the vilge immediately! Suppress the rebellion! That's an order! I'll take responsibility!"

  His decisive a spurred the others. "Third Division! Fifth Divisiourn to Sunagakure! Now!"

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  Kazekage Tower.

  "Yasuke! It's—bad! The First, Third, and Fifth Divisions—they're returning to the vilge without authorization! They'll be here within the hour!"

  "What?!" Yasuke shot to his feet, his eyes wide with disbelief.

  He could uand Baki's ambition, his prab, even the assassination. But this—mobilizing the border patrol units? He was willing to risk Sunagakure's safety to bee Kazekage.

  "What do we do? They've abaheir posts. We 't reach them. They might—side with Baki and attack the Kazekage Tower."

  "Mobilize our forces! Recall the units uhe Kazekage Tower's direand!"

  But Yasuke raised a hand. "They've already moved the border patrols. We 't do the same. We—represent the Kazekage. We have a duty to protect the vilge."

  "So we just—let Baki bee Kazekage?"

  "No." Yasuke's eyes hardened with resolve. "Evacuate the area around the Kazekage Tower. Now."

  "Evacuate? Should we—mobilize the vilgers? Tell them that Sunagakure is in dahat if we don't stop these traitors, our vilge will be destroyed?"

  "No. Evacuate. All of you. Find a safe location. Sunagakure 't afford to lose—you as well."

  His subordinate's eyes widened in realization. "You're—"

  "Silehis—stays between us. If someone has to be the scapegoat—it will be me. But Rasa's final orders—I will carry them out. I won't let Baki seize trol."

  Yasuke, alone, clutg the Kazekage seal, bypassed the guards aered a hidden chamber.

  An old monk sat meditating.

  "Bunpuku."

  The monk looked up.

  "This is the Kazekage seal. I need you. Sunagakure needs you."

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  An hour ter, Yasuke stood alone before the Kazekage Tower, fag Baki, the Thirty-Two, and—thousands of ninja.

  Baki, his face a mask of triumph, looked down at the white-cd Yasuke.

  "Alone? Where are your—mert friends? Your Anbu? Your Military Police? They've abandoned you, haven't they?"

  "You should have joined me—Yasuke."

  "So? You still don't have Chiyo's signature. You mobilized the border patrols without authorization. This is—rebellion."

  "I've already won." Baki gnced around at his assembled forces. "Once I trol the Kazekage Tower, I'll find Ebizo and—persuade him to—sign the warrant."

  "You're not ruthless enough, Yasuke. You should have recalled the border patrols. Then I'd be the one defying the heavens."

  "It seems—the Anbu and the Military Police aren't on your side. So—will you surrender?"

  "Otherwise…" Baki poi him. "…tonight's traitor will be you."

  "Is that so?" Yasuke smiled, a strange, almost—serene smile.

  Suddenly, the ground trembled. In the distance…

  The Oail, Shukaku, materialized, its massive form t over the vilge, a dark blue chakra gathering in its mouth.

  Baki stared in horror. "The Tailed Beast?! Yasuke, are you mad?! You 't unleash that!"

  A siailed Beast Bomb would obliterate half of Sunagakure.

  Even if he survived…

  He'd be left with nothing but ruins and the vilgers' wrath.

  "You fool! Have you sidered the sequehere won't be a Sunagakure! I should have let the Akatsuki hahis!" Baki's earlier fidence had evaporated.

  Yasuke's gamble had pushed him to the brink.

  The border patrol ninja, seeing Shukaku, panicked, on the verge of—desertion.

  "There's only one way to stop this," Yasuke said calmly. "Release Kosaka Kaoru. And surrender. All of you. Face the vilge's judgment."

  "Surrender? After all this—you think I'd give up?!" Baki roared. "Then—unleash it!"

  "Ten, nine…" Yasuke raised his hand.

  "Three, two…"

  Suddenly, Shukaku's transformation dissipated.

  Ebizo, leading Bunpuku, emerged from the shadows. He shook his head at Yasuke.

  A triumphant smile spread across Baki's face.

  He'd won.

  He would be the Fifth Kazekage.

  "Failure is rebellion. Success is revolution!"

  "Seize Yasuke! Take the Kazekage Tower!"

  The Thirty-Two, their faces beaming, marched towards the tower.

  On Sunagakure's streets, a few vilgers watched the unfoldis, their faces etched with—fusion.

  History was beiten. And they, caught in its current, were powerless.

  …

  …

  Konoha – Hokage's Office.

  "Sunagakure—it's ging," Gojo Kaigetsu said, taking a sip of tea.

  He and Minato held Anbu intel reports detailing the events in Sunagakure.

  "They recalled the border patrols—to attack the Kazekage Tower. To force Chiyo and Ebizo to—legitimize their coup. That ōnoki—he's too cautious. With a little more—initiative, he could have taken half of the Land of Wind."

  "It seems—we know who the Kazekage will be."

  Baki's assion was iable. The recall of the border patrols had forced Chiyo and Ebizo's hand. They'd had to choose a side. And Baki—he was the stro.

  His appoi was already en route to the Daimyo, awaiting approval.

  Soon, Sunagakure would return to its—warm ways.

  The brief peace Rasa had fed with Konoha would crumble.

  Minato, his face grim, set the report down. "Sunagakure's situation is—unstable. Perhaps we should recall our personnel and Elder Mitokado."

  Time for an emergency evacuation.

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