Chapter 8: It Must Be Like This
Once the Iwa-nin realized they'd been played, they flew into a rage.
Shuriken, kunai, explosive tags—
They hurled everything they had like madmen.
Especially now that they suspected this so-called disciple of the Third Kazekage had suffered some kind of mental trauma, causing him to refine chakra erratically—
Like a video feed stuck on lag, twitching and freezing every few seconds.
So…
If not now, then when?
If they didn't strike down this Suna shinobi and crush Sunagakure's morale while they had the chance, they'd be missing the perfect opportunity.
Especially since this guy clearly had some kind of medicine that let him recover chakra rapidly—whatever he was using, it was too dangerous to leave him be. Whether they captured or killed him, one thing was certain:
He could not be allowed to leave alive.
"Charge! Everyone, take him down!!"
The Iwa-nin commander had completely lost it, barking orders like a madman. He had been toyed with by Rasa for far too long, and now the frustration was boiling over.
Just think—he'd been entrusted by Lord Third Tsuchikage himself to probe the strength of the Land of Wind…
And by some wild stroke of luck, he'd stumbled upon the long-missing disciple of the Third Kazekage—Rasa. Rumor had it the kid had gone mad, suffered a mental breakdown or something.
If they didn't deal with him now, then when?
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined…
So many elite Iwa-nin would get played by a lunatic.
He could already see it—the mocking sneers from his peers when he returned to the village.
And this story? It would be retold for years to come.
No. That couldn't happen.
He had to erase this disgrace, here and now.
The young Suna shinobi standing before them had to be crushed. One of Sunagakure's most promising talents needed to die.
From the Iwa-nin's perspective, they had the clear advantage. After all, their opponent was barely in his twenties, still a greenhorn by their standards. On their side? Ten jōnin, fifteen chūnin—this was a force meant to flatten entire squads.
No need for strategy.
Just charge and overwhelm him.
---
And as for Rasa…
He looked down at what he had just drawn from the system.
A long breath of relief escaped his lips—
But his face remained full of resignation.
[Looks like I still need to find the right timing to use this…]
The End of Year 41 in the Konoha Calendar.
It was now the end of Year 41—soon, a new year would begin.
And yet, Sunagakure was in turmoil.
The Third Kazekage had mysteriously vanished without warning, without a trace. No clues, no messages. His disappearance plunged the entire village into a state of nervous vulnerability.
In response, Sunagakure dispatched the majority of its shinobi in a desperate search effort.
But the other villages had caught wind of more than just the Kazekage's disappearance.
They'd also learned that the Daimyō of the Land of Wind had been skimming off military aid funds for years, weakening Sunagakure's forces, reducing their numbers, and stretching their strength thin.
In other words…
This was prime hunting ground.
One of the Five Great Ninja Villages had a gaping vulnerability.
If you didn't bite now, when would you?
Once news broke that Kumogakure had already mobilized a shinobi army and launched a surprise attack on the Wind Country's borders, the rest of the villages scrambled to react.
Kumogakure, under the command of the Third Raikage, had stormed straight to the Wind Country frontier before anyone else had time to respond.
To think they weren't already prepared for war?
No one was buying that.
The truth was clear to the other Kage:
Kumogakure was aiming for something big.
Meanwhile, in the heart of the Wind Country…
To stop Kumo's advance, Elder Chiyo and Elder Ebizō took nearly all of Sunagakure's remaining combat-ready shinobi and rushed to the frontlines.
Though their spies in the Land of Lightning had picked up on strange military movements, no one had expected Kumo to move this quickly.
There could be no mistakes.
One slip-up, one miscalculation, and the entirety of Sunagakure might be reduced to rubble.
They were fighting not just for the village—
But for their comrades, families, and friends.
Everyone who marched out to intercept Kumogakure's forces knew one thing:
They might not come back.
And yet, their only regret…
Was that even at such a critical hour, there was still no word from the Kazekage.
If only he would appear before them—alive and well.
Even if the Daimyō refused to fund the war effort, cut off their salaries, or slashed development budgets—
As long as their Kage stood with them,
Sunagakure would never fall.
---
That… was the power of a Kage.
Every shinobi believed in him.
Respected him.
Followed him.
Worshipped him.
A Kage was the backbone of the entire village—
The spiritual leader of every ninja who wore the village's headband.
"What in the world happened to Lord Kazekage?"
"How could he disappear without a single trace?"
Ebizō's face was grim, coated in desert dust, as he questioned his sister while they sped across the desert.
"Could it really have been the Hokage… and the Sannin, working together?"
Chiyo frowned.
"To make the Third disappear without a sound… even if it was that so-called 'Professor of the Ninja World' and his three legendary students, it wouldn't be that easy."
"Unless…"
"Unless Lord Kazekage was caught in a trap—a barrier set up by Konoha."
She exhaled, her tone bitter.
"So much time has passed. We've sent out so many search teams, and still… nothing. I fear the worst."
She glanced toward the horizon.
"Of course, we can't rule out Kumogakure either. For them to mobilize an entire army so quickly—it's obvious they were preparing for war long in advance. It's possible…"
She didn't finish the thought.
"What's the point in guessing anymore?"
---
Ebizō paused.
"Sister, you know what I'm really thinking."
His murky old eyes flickered with concern.
"Sasori… went missing at the exact same time."
With the Kazekage's disappearance, the vanishing of her grandson—Sasori—had barely made a ripple.
"We've asked others to help in the search… but still nothing."
---
Chiyo fell silent.
Her eyes glistened with unspoken emotion.
That child—her only grandson—was her son's only legacy.
Sasori had always shown incredible talent.
He was destined to become one of the future pillars of Sunagakure.
And if he had truly disappeared alongside the Kazekage…
"My poor grandson…"
She could feel her throat tighten. Her eyes began to sting.
Even as a hardened shinobi… even as a grandmother who had seen war and death…
She couldn't stop her heart from fearing the worst.
"Sasori must have sacrificed himself to protect Lord Kazekage."
"That child… just like his father, he loved the village too much."
"Sister…" Ebizō hesitated, noticing her reddening eyes.
"It's nothing," Chiyo muttered, forcing a smile.
"Just the wind and dust… they get in your eyes out here."
She shook her head.
"No matter how long I live here, I still can't get used to this damned desert."
Why did Sunagakure have to survive in such harsh lands?
Why did Konoha get to flourish on fertile, green soil?
She clenched her fists.
"The God of Shinobi… is already dead."
"Enough talk," Chiyo began—
But before she could finish, h
er expression changed.
"Ambush!!" she shouted, voice sharp and loud.