The war had begun.
The Hidden Cloud Village seized the opportunity to raid the Land of Wind's borders, catching the Daimyo—who had long slashed military funding—off guard. In a panic, he sent emissaries to the Hidden Sand Village to request aid.
In an instant, the atmosphere of war swept through the entire ninja village. Elder Chiyo and Elder Ebizo's efforts to conceal the brewing conflict shattered in that moment.
With the Third Kazekage missing, the village leaderless, and now war on the horizon, who wouldn't be rattled?
But as ninja, quickly adjusting their mindset was a fundamental skill.
The villagers could panic, but the ninja absolutely could not.
Though the Land of Wind's emissaries came, spoke a few hurried words, and left—leaving no money, no supplies, nothing—the ninja of the Hidden Sand Village, under the direction of Elders Chiyo and Ebizo, swiftly mobilized for the battlefield.
And yet… it had only been a week since that fateful meeting.
The village's hardships were no secret to the ninja. They had no manpower, no funds, but… no one wanted to become a rogue ninja!
The First Kazekage, thick-skinned as he was, had demanded land and money from the God of Shinobi during the first Five Kage Summit, holding the One-Tail as leverage. But his goal in founding the Hidden Sand Village was the same as others: peace in the ninja world.
The problem was that the Hidden Sand Village's land was utterly unforgiving, bleeding money every year, forcing the First Kazekage to be shameless.
If he hadn't been, everyone would've starved. What was a little shamelessness for the sake of the village?
The day after Chiyo and Ebizo departed, Rasa and Yekura, having received their orders, led the remaining Sand ninja to their respective battlefields.
Though Rasa had no desire to get caught up in the chaos of a Great Ninja War, in a world of turmoil, who could stay detached?
Not even humans—let alone toads, slugs, or snakes—could manage that.
Just look at the Uzumaki Clan's fate after the destruction of the Whirlpool Country.
As allies of the Hidden Leaf, the Leaf had promised that only one Uzumaki would be needed as the next Jinchuriki. As for the rest of their oaths? Sorry, who are you?
Non-village ninja were treated as spies, plain and simple.
The ninja world was that cruel. Leaving your village didn't mean you could just get a "green card" and be welcomed elsewhere.
And…
Karura was in the Hidden Sand Village. She would never leave, so Rasa had no choice but to keep spending money on his system.
[Why couldn't I have transmigrated to Naruto and Sasuke's era, or even Boruto's?]
In Naruto and Sasuke's time, he could've just napped on the Hokage Rock and been fine. In Boruto's era… with everyone's strength rivaling Naruto and Sasuke, what was there to fear?
The Otsutsuki Clan and the Kara Organization didn't need an outsider like him to deal with them.
Thinking back to the 100,000 ryō Yekura lent him last week… it was all she had. Everyone was struggling.
Even Yekura, an elite Jonin who diligently took missions, had only 100,000 ryō to her name. The other ninja's finances were even bleaker.
The Hidden Sand Village's mission income paled compared to the Hidden Rock, Hidden Cloud, or Hidden Leaf Villages. And to keep the village running, ninja had to turn over a hefty cut of their earnings after every mission.
Rasa sighed and shook his head. His original plan to pan gold in the desert to fund his system was now on hold due to the war.
Halfway to their destination, he parted ways with Yekura, each heading to their respective fronts.
"Lord Rasa, do you think the Hidden Rock Village will really invade our Hidden Sand Village?" a Sand ninja asked, interrupting Rasa's thoughts about how to make money.
Turning to the ninja, Rasa pondered for a moment, then nodded. "They will."
After all, this was a war that would engulf the entire ninja world. To prevent the Hidden Cloud Village from dominating, the other villages wouldn't sit idly by. In the end, it'd probably be a chaotic free-for-all where no one knew who was fighting whom.
Of course, knowing the Hidden Cloud's muscle-obsessed ninja, they'd keep pushing recklessly to show off their strength. If the Hidden Sand Village played it safe, the war would likely end with the top three ninja villages duking it out.
For now, the Hidden Sand Village just needed to stay stable, survive this chaotic period, and… help Rasa fund his system.
Rasa wasn't entirely clear on the details of the Third Great Ninja War, but he knew a few key events: Might Duy's Eight Gates performance slaughtering half the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Minato Namikaze earning his legendary status and securing the Hidden Leaf's victory, and Obito's tragic descent down a dark path.
As for the rest?
It was all a blur. How could he know every detail?
Rasa figured he just needed to manage his own little corner of the world, protect his wife, and raise his kids properly.
If he could get enough money, he might even stand as tall as the God of Shinobi, facing a Nine-Tails capable of fighting eight Tailed Beasts and declaring with authority, "Nine-Tails, your power is too great. For the sake of the ninja world's peace, I cannot let you roam free."
Then, with one of his 9,999 hands reaching out to grab the Nine-Tails by the neck, he'd bring it back to the village to build a better future together.
Who would dare say no then?
"So, everyone must be prepared!" Rasa said, looking at the ninja whose mood had darkened at his words. He sighed inwardly.
The Hidden Sand Village had taken hit after hit. It was…
Truly unlucky.
With the Third Kazekage gone, the Daimyo withholding funds, and even their current Lord Rasa acting like a different person, what could they do against the aggressive Hidden Cloud Village?
"Yes, sir!" the Sand ninja responded, their years of training kicking in as they stood tall and accepted the order.
To them, as long as Lord Rasa, Lady Yekura, Elder Chiyo, and Elder Ebizo were leading them, the Hidden Sand Village would never fall as long as a single Sand ninja remained.
[Lord Rasa… as the Third Kazekage's disciple, he might become the Fourth Kazekage and lead the Hidden Sand Village to rise again.]
Seeing their spirits lift, Rasa sighed inwardly and looked at the darkening sky. "Set up camp and rest! We must reach our destination tomorrow!"
The Hidden Cloud Village was coming in strong, clearly not just targeting a poor, struggling village like theirs.
"Station ninja to keep watch around the perimeter."
Meanwhile, back in the Hidden Sand Village…
After the main forces departed, the village would gradually send out more ninja—those already in the village or returning from missions.
Due to a lack of manpower and funds, the village couldn't train ninja on a large scale. Moreover, many ninja had been sent to investigate the Third Kazekage's disappearance, leading to leaked information and a shortage of defenders, leaving the village vulnerable to attack.
But as one of the five great ninja villages—and one bold enough to challenge the Hidden Leaf twice—the Hidden Sand Village, no matter how weakened, was still a tough nut to crack!
It just… couldn't afford to act recklessly anymore.
"Per Elder Chiyo's suggestion, to ensure the village has enough fighting strength, we must graduate a batch of students early and let them grow through the war," a Jonin said seriously, looking at the academy teachers, who seemed both helpless and angry. He sighed.
"So, we hope… you'll do your best. Select the most promising students to minimize casualties among the children."
(End of Chapter)
Translator's Note: Another MC with Main Character Syndrome~