Rasa typically traveled with a squad of ANBU, and since he was heading to meet the Daimyo, he didn't anticipate any trouble within the Land of Wind.
The negotiations with Keikou Trading had been conducted under strict secrecy, and it was impossible for the Daimyo's court to have received any intelligence on the matter so quickly. Rasa intended to resolve his meeting with the Daimyo swiftly and return to finalize the alliance agreement with the Keikou Patriarch.
However, as he crossed the vast desert, four figures suddenly appeared in his path.
They wore matching black cloaks adorned with red clouds, and their forehead protectors bore the markings of different villages—each one scratched through, marking them as rogue ninja.
"An eight Hundred million-ryo bounty… I won't hold back," Kakuzu muttered, wasting no time in preparing for battle.
Facing one of the Five Kage, he immediately summoned four of his Earth Grudge Fear masks, aiming to finish the Fourth Kazekage as quickly as possible.
"Rogue ninja, huh?" Rasa's expression remained cold. "I don't know who's paying you, but the Land of Wind isn't a place for rats like you."
His ANBU guards instantly moved in front of him, standing in defensive formation.
Kakuzu smirked and cast off his cloak. "Let's see if you're still talking big in a few minutes…"
"Wait, Kakuzu-san," Kisame Hoshigaki interrupted, stepping forward with his massive Samehada blade resting on his shoulder. He grinned, shark-like teeth glinting. "Let me test the Fourth Kazekage's strength first."
He turned toward Kakuzu and chuckled. "Isn't this my initiation trial? The title of 'Kazekage' should be enough of a test, don't you think?"
Raiga Kurosuki scoffed. "Cocky little bastard. We're fighting the Fourth Kazekage in the middle of the desert, and you think you can take him alone? You're in for a world of hurt."
He was already looking forward to mocking Kisame when he inevitably got crushed.
"Let him go first, Kakuzu," Konan interjected.
Since Kisame had volunteered, it was the perfect opportunity to evaluate the new recruit's strength.
"Hmph," Kakuzu snorted. "Just don't embarrass us. If you lose, it's our reputation on the line."
Seeing how lightly the rogue ninja were taking him, Rasa's gaze darkened with fury.
"Stand down!" he ordered his ANBU before bringing his hands together in a seal.
Chakra surged through his body.
Boom!
The ground trembled violently. In mere moments, a tidal wave of shimmering gold erupted from the desert floor—Rasa's signature Magnet Release: Gold Dust.
Manipulating the magnetic properties of the desert, he summoned an enormous sea of gold dust, reshaping the battlefield to his advantage.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Funeral!"
Rasa's voice was icy as the golden waves surged forward, towering seven or eight meters high, threatening to swallow the four Akatsuki members whole.
Even Raiga, who had initially been unimpressed, felt his breath hitch.
"No wonder he's a Kage…"
Kisame, however, simply grinned wider.
"Gold dust, huh? Not exactly my element, but—"
With a flick of his wrist, he tossed Samehada into the air and quickly formed hand seals.
"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Shockwave!"
A massive torrent of water burst from Kisame's mouth, cascading across the desert in an overwhelming flood.
Using Water Release in a dry desert should have been a tactical disadvantage—but Kisame was no ordinary shinobi.
His chakra output was simply monstrous.
Whoooosh!
The sound of rushing waves filled the air as the desert was instantly transformed.
A massive tidal wave surged forward, crashing into Rasa's golden tsunami with equal force.
Raiga's jaw dropped.
"Are you kidding me?! That much chakra? This is broken!"
The sheer volume of water was staggering—far beyond what any ordinary ninja could produce.
"How the hell was this guy a subordinate back in the Mist? He's already stronger than Fuguki Suikazan ever was!"
Even Kakuzu gave an approving grunt. "Hmph. Looks like I won't need to step in. Just don't forget—the Kazekage's head belongs to me."
Kisame continued to flood the area until several kilometers of desert had been turned into a massive lake.
Meanwhile, Rasa's gold dust, now soaked and weighed down by water, lost its mobility and sank beneath the waves.
Magnet Release was useless in water, and once the gold dust was drenched, it became incredibly difficult to control.
Rasa and his ANBU leapt onto the surface of the water, momentarily stunned.
One of the ANBU gasped in recognition.
"That man… I remember now! That's Kisame Hoshigaki, the rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist! He recently defected after a failed attempt to assassinate the Daimyo of the Land of Water!"
One of the remaining Sand ANBU gritted his teeth. "To be able to use a Water Release jutsu of that scale in a desert… his chakra reserves are insane! We need to assist the Kazekage!"
Just as they were about to move, a sudden bolt of lightning streaked across the battlefield, striking the water's surface and instantly electrifying the surrounding area.
A vast conductive field formed, effectively separating the ANBU from Rasa.
"Don't interfere," Kakuzu's monotone voice rang out as a mask-like creature floated beside him, crackling with residual lightning. "Your lives aren't worth much, but if you stay put, I might let you live."
"Dammit!" The Sand ANBU refused to back down. Forming hand seals, one of them retaliated.
"Wind Release: Slicing Wind!"
A sharp gust of wind shot toward Kakuzu, aiming to exploit the elemental advantage against his Lightning Release.
Kakuzu merely scoffed. "Fool. If that's your choice, then just die already."
Without hesitation, another of his masked creatures opened its grotesque maw.
"Fire Release: Searing Migraine!"
A blazing inferno erupted from the creature's mouth, expanding into a ten-meter-wide fireball that effortlessly swallowed the incoming wind jutsu. The Sand ANBU barely managed to leap back in time to avoid being engulfed.
"I'll deal with the small fry," Kakuzu muttered. "And don't forget—the Kazekage's head is mine."
Tearing off his cloak, he released yet another masked entity from his body and charged straight toward the ANBU.
Konan, observing from a distance, paid little mind to the bounty itself, but she knew better than to ignore Kakuzu's obsession with his rewards. If she let Kisame take the kill, Kakuzu would undoubtedly cause problems—even if Pain himself were present.
"I should remind Kisame to leave the body intact… Kakuzu will throw a fit if he doesn't get that bounty."
Her gaze shifted back to the battle. Kisame was still overwhelming the Fourth Kazekage. The way things were going, this fight wouldn't last much longer.
Not far from the battlefield, Sasori stood hidden, monitoring the fight through a puppet's built-in surveillance system.
"So, my mission is to save one Sand ANBU from this mess? You really know how to give me trouble, don't you?" he muttered, speaking to Hyuga Mirai through his communicator.
The four Akatsuki members below were no joke. Even with his arsenal of seven modified puppets, the odds weren't great if he had to fight them all head-on.
"Relax," Mirai's voice came through. "Once Rasa's dead, they won't stick around. Besides, Sasori, your puppet mastery is unmatched—saving one person from them should be nothing for you."
Sasori snorted, but the praise did stroke his ego.
"Tch. I'm not doing this to save anyone. The Kazekage's Magnet Release will make for excellent materials."
Despite his words, the slight smirk on his lips didn't go unnoticed. He continued observing the battle.
Rasa was struggling.
His Magnet Release was being completely countered by Kisame's Water Release, and his Gold Dust had become so waterlogged that every attack drained his chakra multiple times faster than normal.
And the worst part? Kisame wasn't just using jutsu—he was pressuring Rasa with relentless physical attacks, forcing him into a purely defensive stance.
There was no escape.
Even if he somehow managed to retreat, Raiga and Konan were stationed just beyond the battlefield, ensuring his path was cut off.
He was in serious trouble.
"This is bad," Rasa realized.
But Kisame wasn't about to give him time to think.
The rogue Mist ninja pressed forward, alternating between massive waves of water and brutal swordplay, each strike threatening to cleave through Rasa's defenses.
Meanwhile, the Sand ANBU weren't faring much better.
In just a few minutes, two of them had already fallen. The remaining two were barely holding on.
Sasori, watching from his hidden vantage point, knew it was time to act.
"Almost there… but seriously, when is that damn space capsule research going to be done? It's so much more convenient than sealing scrolls."
Mirai's voice responded, amused. "Soon. I'm working on a new generation of nano-space capsules. You'll be the first to get one when they're ready. Anyway, I'll leave you to it."
With that, Mirai cut off the communication, fully trusting Sasori's abilities.
Back in the battlefield, Kakuzu took down yet another ANBU with his Earth Grudge Fear tendrils.
The only one left standing was the oldest of the group—his mask cracked, breathing ragged.
The ANBU spat blood, his voice filled with anger. "Damn you…!"
Kakuzu sneered. "You had your chance to live. Now, just die."
BOOM!
A sudden blinding energy beam tore through the air, shattering one of Kakuzu's masks instantly.
Kakuzu's eyes widened in shock.
"What?!"
A heartbeat later, he felt another attack coming and barely managed to dodge in time.
The beam grazed past him, leaving a deep two-meter crater in the ground.
"Who the hell—"
Before he could finish his thought, a blur of motion descended upon the battlefield.
A sleek, mechanical puppet swooped in at high speed, snatching up the last surviving Sand ANBU and retreating in a flash.
Sasori emerged from the shadows.
"Pathetic. Sand's standards must have dropped if four ANBU can't even handle a single rogue ninja."
He unceremoniously dropped the rescued ANBU to the ground.
The ANBU, catching his breath, stared in shock at Sasori's familiar red hair and cold, calculating gaze.
He barely whispered, "...Sasori..of the red sand?"
(End of Chapter)
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