Chapter 5: The Great Sand Shinobi
By the afternoon of the fifth day, they had finally reached the designated border. After traveling day and night without rest, even the hardened shinobi were starting to show signs of fatigue.
But…
The situation in the Hidden Sand Village left no room for even the slightest relaxation. In this sudden and chaotic war, if they wanted their village to survive, they had to give everything they had—even if it meant their lives.
In times like these, no one could be trusted. Even the once-mighty ally, the Land of Whirlpools, had been wiped out—didn't it?
A wandering shinobi had it the worst: no shelter, no trust. And even if by chance they were taken in, they were treated as nothing more than disposable tools.
Unlike the others, Rasa didn't begin setting up camp. His brows furrowed slightly as he felt the wind currents around them. As the Third Kazekage's disciple—and the only one in the village who had mastered the Magnetic Release—he was, without a doubt...
…the hope of the entire Hidden Sand Village.
And with that title came strength. Especially now, stationed at a border shared with the Land of Birds and the Land of Rain, he couldn't afford even a shred of carelessness.
Besides...
"Something's not right."
The moment he stepped into this eerily quiet desert, Rasa sensed it. With his ability to detect gold in the sand—a rare gift indeed—no fluctuation in the desert's terrain could escape his eyes.
"Lord Rasa…"
The other shinobi noticed Rasa's silence and the deepening crease between his brows. They immediately tightened formation, standing around him with weapons drawn and eyes sharp, scanning the desert.
But… all they could see was endless sand.
Until—
"Explosive tags! Take cover!"
Rasa had pinpointed the anomaly. While using his Magnetic Release to scout for gold on the side, he had discovered a minefield of explosive tags buried beneath the sands.
As his warning rang out, the others reacted instantly—lightning-fast reflexes were a shinobi's bread and butter, after all.
Rasa's hands flew into motion.
"Magnetic Release: Gold Dust Shield!"
A gleaming tide of golden sand surged up from the desert, forming a towering wall that protected the nearby shinobi.
Those outside the range quickly responded as well.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Rampart!"
A second wave of defense rose up as defensive jutsu were cast across the area.
Rasa let out a sigh, glancing at the shimmering gold dust around him. He muttered, half to himself, "Well now, did I just strike another gold vein?"
Unfortunately, the dust was raw ore—impure and in need of refinement before it could be sold. Of course, there were buyers for unrefined sand-gold too, though the value was significantly lower.
The Magnetic Release didn't just attract gold, but all metallic elements. So while the glittering mass looked impressive, the actual gold content wasn't much.
At this point in time, Rasa hadn't yet turned to gold panning as a means of sustaining the village. That wouldn't come until later—when he became the Fourth Kazekage, and faced the harsh reality of Sand's constant financial crisis…
Then, he would embark on a path with no return: the path of the gold miner.
But that was a future version of him. For now? Maybe… maybe it was already starting.
After the explosion's impact faded, Rasa manipulated the gold dust, revealing the aftermath. Most of the shinobi were injured, but thanks to the early warning, they were still combat-capable—gripping their kunai, eyes full of rage and vigilance.
And then… they saw them.
"Grass Shinobi?"
Rasa's eyes narrowed at the sudden appearance of enemy ninja—forehead protectors marked with wave-like lines, the symbol of the Hidden Grass Village.
"They had an ambush ready already?"
Or maybe…
They had started planning the moment word got out that the Third Kazekage had gone missing?
[Trying to replace the Hidden Sand Village in the Five Great Shinobi Nations?]
Rasa scoffed and shook his head.
These guys seriously thought that just because they'd allied with the Leaf, they could do whatever they wanted?
"Defensive formation!" he barked to his comrades.
They couldn't act recklessly—not until they understood whether this was Grass acting alone, or if Konoha was pulling the strings. That intelligence was crucial.
And besides… no commander would be foolish enough to show themselves right after a single wave of explosive tags.
There had to be more. They clearly believed they had some kind of advantage over the Sand. Especially since this squad was no joke—full of elite jōnin and chūnin from the village's vanguard unit.
"Something's off. Get a messenger out. Evac, now!"
He had to at least give the order, like a true leader. Otherwise, if he ran first, wouldn't that look pathetic?
But just as the words left his mouth—
Shff! Shff!
More enemy shinobi leapt from the surrounding dunes—this time wearing different forehead protectors.
"Iwagakure?!"
Rasa's expression hardened, heart sinking as he looked at the fresh wave of attackers.
[Why is Iwa working with Grass?]
Weren't they afraid of Konoha's retaliation for teaming up?
Then one of them stepped forward—a jōnin, likely the Iwa commander. He scrutinized Rasa and muttered:
"The Third Kazekage's disciple… Rasa. According to intel, he suffered mental trauma from his master's disappearance. Supposedly unstable. And yet… here he is, leading a squad?"
Was the intel wrong?
Or had the Sand really fallen so far they had no one else to send?
Either way—it didn't matter. The mission from the Tsuchikage was clear: gather intel.
[This much is more than enough.]
Soon, Iwagakure would use the Grass Village as a stepping stone. The main force would march directly into the Hidden Sand.
They weren't the only ones circling like vultures—Kumogakure had its eyes on the chaos too. But Iwa? They were hungry.
"Attack."
Time to test how much strength the so-called disciple of the Third Kazekage really had left.
And then, as if in slow motion, Rasa watched the wave of Iwa shinobi charging straight at him.
"???"
What was this? Did they think he was crazy or something—and wanted to confirm with their fists?
That's just bullying!
Rasa quickly turned to the nearest sand shinobi, his tone deadly serious: "The future of the village is in your hands. Get out of here. Now!"
"Lord Rasa!"
The shinobi was so moved by the sudden declaration he almost burst into tears—but before he could say anything—
Whoosh!
A massive wave of gold dust surged beneath Rasa, sweeping him off his feet and propelling him far into the distance.
[Nope. Too many of them. I am not fighting this.]
Rasa didn't look back. He had already handed off leadership to—uh… what was his name again?
Well, whoever it was—he believed in him!
Meanwhile…
"After him!"
The Iwa commander didn't hesitate. With a single wave of his hand, his squad took off in hot pursuit.
Back at the battlefield, the remaining Sand shinobi stared blankly after their vanished commander.
"…Momu, what do we do now?"
A moment of silence passed before all eyes turned to the temporary commander—Momu, the one Rasa had entrusted.
"…Huh?" Momu blinked, then looked at the enemy Grass shinobi—who were just as stunned by the Iwa betrayal.
[Can we take them?]
It was just the Grass Village, after all.
They might've had more numbers here, but they were light on jōnin…
Still, a direct clash would lead to serious casualties.
After a long pause, Momu narrowed his eyes at the enemy. Then, with a deep breath and a firm voice, he declared:
"Retreat!"
At that moment, he remembered the look on Lord Rasa's face—the determination, the courage as he charged off to distract the enemy alone.
[Lord Rasa… chose to protect the core strength of the village by sacrificing himself!]
And just like that…
He was filled with awe.
What a truly great Sand Shinobi Lord Rasa was!