By the afternoon of the fifth day, they had finally reached their assigned border position. After marching day and night, even seasoned shinobi were beginning to feel the weight of exhaustion.
But now wasn't the time to rest.
Sunagakure couldn't afford the luxury of comfort. If they wanted the village to survive this sudden war, they had to give it everything they had.
In a world this chaotic, trust was rare. Even the once-mighty ally of Konoha—the Land of Whirlpools—had been wiped off the map.
Being a wandering shinobi might sound like freedom, but in reality? It was a death sentence.
No one took you in. No one trusted you. And even if someone did… you'd just be used as a tool.
Rasa didn't order the camp set up like the others. Instead, he stood still, brow furrowed slightly, letting the wind pass over him.
As the only shinobi in the village who had mastered the Magnet Release, and as the disciple of the Third Kazekage… he was now the last, best hope of Sunagakure.
He couldn't afford to slip up.
Especially here—this border between the Land of Birds and the Land of Rain—he couldn't afford the slightest lapse in vigilance.
And sure enough...
"…Something's wrong."
The moment they stepped into this unusually quiet patch of desert, Rasa had sensed it. His affinity for gold in the sand—part of his unique bloodline limit—gave him an innate awareness of every grain beneath his feet.
Something was hidden here.
"Lord Rasa…"
The other shinobi began to gather around him, noticing his silence and wary posture. They all scanned the dunes with cautious eyes.
But to the untrained eye, the desert looked as it always did—vast, dry, and lifeless.
Until—
"Explosive tags! Defensive formation!"
Rasa's voice snapped the tension like a whip.
While trying to use his Magnet Release to draw out some gold dust, he had accidentally uncovered a layer of explosive tags buried beneath the sand.
The moment the words left his mouth—
The other shinobi immediately sprang into action. Quick reflexes were essential to every ninja, and in a moment like this, every second counted.
Rasa didn't hesitate. He formed hand seals and slammed his palm to the ground.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Shield!"
A brilliant wave of gold surged from the sand, rising like a gleaming tidal wall to protect the nearby shinobi.
Those outside its range responded just as fast.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Rampart!"
Multiple walls of stone erupted to block the coming blast.
Rasa glanced at the swirling gold around him and sighed.
"…Well, at least I found some more gold."
Of course, the raw sand-gold was mixed with impurities. It would have to be refined before it was worth anything. While the unprocessed ore still had some buyers, it was far less valuable.
Magnet Release could draw out metallic particles, not just gold—but that didn't mean everything you collected was useful.
This whole dazzling pile… didn't have a very high gold content.
At the moment, Rasa wasn't yet running the "gold-mining economy" that would define his time as the Fourth Kazekage. He hadn't recruited shinobi to help him refine the gold either.
But once he took over and faced the harsh reality of Sunagakure's constant financial crisis, that's when he would begin his fateful journey as a relentless gold prospector.
That was the old Rasa, though. Maybe things could be different now.
Maybe.
Because in the end… it still all came down to money.
The explosions had subsided. Rasa manipulated the gold dust again, sweeping it aside to reveal the aftermath.
Most of the shinobi were injured, but thanks to his quick response, the damage wasn't too serious. Everyone could still stand. Kunai in hand, they turned to face their attackers—eyes burning with tension and anger.
"…Grass shinobi?"
Rasa narrowed his eyes.
From the dust, a squad of enemy ninja emerged—headbands marked with the wave-like symbol of Kusagakure.
"Already waiting in ambush?"
Or had they been preparing for this ever since the Third Kazekage went missing?
Trying to take Sunagakure's place among the Five Great Nations?
Rasa scoffed and shook his head.
So Kusagakure thought that by aligning with Konoha, they could act however they pleased?
"Everyone, hold your positions!"
He gave the order in a low voice. Until they knew more, no one was to move recklessly. He still didn't know if this was just Kusagakure acting alone—or if Konoha was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Either way, the implications were serious.
And the fact that the enemy had dared to spring their ambush with nothing but a wave of explosive tags… that meant they weren't bluffing.
Rasa knew Kusagakure wouldn't send an idiot to command a border ambush
They must have something they believed could crush Sunagakure's vanguard—despite the fact that most of Rasa's squad consisted of experienced jōnin and chūnin.
"If the situation goes south, immediately arrange for a retreat!"
He had to give his comrades a heads-up like a man; otherwise, if he just fled directly, wouldn't that be humiliating?
However, no sooner had he spoken…
Rustle—
More figures leapt from the sand. They weren't wearing Kusagakure headbands.
"…Iwagakure?!"
Rasa's expression hardened.
Why is Iwagakure working with Kusagakure?
Didn't Kusagakure fear retaliation from Konoha for cozying up to another Great Nation?
From the Iwa ranks, a senior jōnin stepped forward, clearly the commander. He frowned at Rasa, studying him carefully.
"…Rasa. The Third Kazekage's disciple."
He paused, as if considering something.
"Our intel said he'd lost his mind after the Third's disappearance… That he was mentally unstable."
"And yet here he is, leading a unit?"
Was the intelligence wrong?
Or… had Sunagakure truly run so low on manpower that even the unstable were being deployed as commanders?
But none of that mattered now.
As the shinobi sent by the Tsuchikage to gather intel…
This is all the confirmation I need.
Soon, Iwagakure would use this as justification to send their forces through Kusagakure and strike Sunagakure directly.
Kumogakure wasn't the only one eyeing the vulnerable Sand Village.
Iwagakure wanted a piece, too.
"Attack!"
Now came the real test.
Just how strong was the Third Kazekage's prized student?
Rasa's eyes widened.
"Wait, what—?!"
The Iwa shinobi all charged at once, without warning.
What the hell?!
You think I'm crazy, so you attack me to check if the rumors are true?!
How is that fair?!
He whipped around to his own squad, expression deadly serious.
"The village's future is in your hands! Run—now!"
"Lord Rasa!!"
The Suna shinobi were stunned by the sudden declaration—some even tearful—but just as one tried to respond…
Shhhwmp—
A wave of golden dust surged from beneath Rasa's feet and rocketed him away across the battlefield.
Nope!
They've got dozens more fighters than we do! There's no winning this fight!
Without a second thought, Rasa bailed.
He'd already left the command of the unit to another shinobi—uh… what was his name again? Whoever he was, Rasa was sure the guy would do great!
"After him!"
The Iwa commander barked out the order. Their entire unit immediately turned and gave chase.
Meanwhile, back with the Suna unit—
They stood frozen, mouths slightly open.
"…Uh. What now?"
Every pair of eyes slowly turned to the jōnin Rasa had left in charge—his impromptu replacement.
"…Mōmu?" one of them asked.
Wrapped in a desert scarf, Mōmu stood motionless, trying to process the chaos around him.
He glanced at the confused Grass shinobi—also looking stunned now that the Iwa force had run off—and thought:
Can we actually win this?
They had slightly more people, sure. But they lacked high-level jōnin. A direct fight would still cost them heavily.
After a long pause, he clenched his jaw and made his decision.
"…We're retreating."
His voice was firm.
He had remembered Rasa's expression—the moment he chose to distract the enemy and buy them time.
Lord Rasa… he's trying to preserve the strength of the village.
He took the risk alone so the rest of us could survive.
In that moment—
Mōmu felt pure respect.
Lord Rasa… what a great shinobi of the Sand.