Originally, Rasa had been planning to capture the commander of the Iwagakure unit. But that fat bastard was way too gutsy—he charged straight to the frontlines, flanked by dozens of elite Iwa-nin. Trying to nab him alive wasn't going to happen easily.
As for the Kusagakure commander—he was charging forward too, sticking close to the Iwa commander like some kind of backup dancer.
In short, both those key targets were temporarily off the table.
What if he tried to grab one, only to screw up and expose himself? Then he'd just be a sheep in the tiger's den, surrounded by enemies on all sides.
And the rest of the enemy shinobi? Low-rank grunts. Capturing them was practically useless. In fact, in the shinobi world, if you dared capture someone, there was a good chance they'd go full martyr mode and start screaming:
"Fire the cannon! FIRE, YOU COWARD! KILL ME! SHOW ME YOU'RE A MAN!"
What then? He'd just end up with some garbage-tier hostage and motivate the enemy into fighting to the death. What a great deal that would be.
So…
The walking medicine pouch—Karin's mom, that is!
Better to snatch her from this hellhole of a village than leave her behind for these Kusagakure brutes to chew on. She could be useful—for Karura's recovery, if nothing else.
Besides, maybe the Grass shinobi would actually care about the woman they were using as their top-tier medical supply box. Who knew? They might even come running to negotiate.
But wow—he really hadn't expected this.
Kusagakure, a supposed ally of Konoha with historical ties to the Uzumaki clan… was using an Uzumaki like a damn tool.
Rasa glanced at the furious Grass-nin charging toward him, then at the Iwa-nin watching from the sidelines. They weren't jumping in yet—of course not. Iwagakure was one of the Five Great Nations. Why would they take orders from Kusagakure?
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Spire Array!"
As soon as he spoke, a forest of golden spears erupted from the sand in front of him, jagged like bamboo shoots. Several Grass-nin were skewered instantly.
And then—chaos.
The Grass-nin began launching jutsu left and right, weaving hand seals like mad. Most of their techniques? Copied from other villages.
"Damn, what's your problem?!" Mōmu—the guy whose brain was probably made of sand—started shouting again. "Rasa-sama just stole one of your women, and you're this pissed? What, was she your village chief's secret crush?"
"Mōmu, shut it!" another Suna-nin growled. "Lady Karura is still waiting back in the village!"
"Exactly! Rasa-sama, this is messed up. You should just… kill her. Otherwise, Lady Karura will be mad!"
"…You guys…" Rasa muttered, expression deadpan as he stared at the serious, morally upright shinobi earnestly advising him to kill the girl. Please, I beg you. Stop talking.
I'm not that kind of man!
While fighting off the incoming Grass-nin with Magnet Release, Rasa glanced at the trembling, red-haired Uzumaki girl beside him. Feeling the chakra slipping from his system, he took a breath, leaned over, and whispered:
"Bite me—no, I mean, lend me chakra. I'll get you out of here. You can come to Sunagakure. I'll give you shelter. You'll be free. No one will treat you like a walking medical pack. If you want to leave, you can. But if you stay, you'll be safe."
I mean it. I never lie.
"…Medical pack?" the girl murmured in confusion. Her gaze drifted to the faint bite marks already covering her wrist. Her voice was soft and almost numb. "You… really mean that?"
She didn't trust ninja—not anymore.
When she first came to Kusagakure, they said the same things.
But in the end, wandering shinobi… never got recognized. Never belonged.
"I swear it. On the name of the Fourth Kazekage."
"You're… the Fourth Kazekage?"
"Close enough. It's just a matter of time."
After all—who else could take the role? Only him or Pakura. And she clearly didn't want it.
He had Magnet Release.
That alone could feed the entire village.
"…"
The girl fell silent, staring at this young man—clearly a few years older than her—with that calm, serious face. When he'd grabbed her earlier, she hadn't even been able to resist.
What choice did she have now?
Wordlessly, she extended her slender, pale wrist toward his mouth.
Rasa stared at the delicate arm covered in jagged bite marks, found a slightly clean spot, and bit down.
Meanwhile…
Kusa-nin had closed in. Iwa-nin had engaged the rest of the Suna forces. The black desert night was now ablaze with shouts, explosions, and blood-curdling screams. Dust storms raged, turning the battlefield into hell.
As the surge of chakra rushed into him, Rasa's fingers blurred through hand signs. His pupils dilated with intensity. The girl whimpered softly beside him—not from pain, but exhaustion—but he didn't have time for sympathy.
This… was the only way.
"Magnet Release: Imperial Gold Dust Funeral!"
The moment he spoke, the ground beneath them began to writhe.
Iwa-nin immediately recognized the danger and started retreating from the affected zone.
But Rasa wasn't done.
"Again!" he roared, voice hoarse, face pale.
The girl, shaking but determined, bit her lip and extended her wrist once more.
She… had nothing left.
"Magnet Release: Imperial Gold Dust Funeral!"
A second wave of massive destruction erupted—this one even larger than the first.
Truly, this girl had carried Kusagakure's entire medical system on her back.
The massive flow of Uzumaki chakra surged through him. It was something no ordinary shinobi could handle—every person's chakra was unique, like a signature. This wasn't a tailed beast's pure, neutral chakra. It was wild. Branded. Volatile.
Even the Ōtsutsuki clan needed specialized means—like the God Tree—to extract and process chakra like this.
Rasa's body was a mess. Blood seeped from his pores. His veins bulged grotesquely.
But the damage was done.
Kusa and Iwa were thrown into chaos, scrambling to defend themselves. The blast radius even caught some of the Suna forces.
"Fall back!" Rasa shouted to Mōmu.
"Rasa-sama—!"
"Now! Retreat!"
"…Retreat!" Mōmu finally roared, heart clenched.
He remembered it so clearly…
That evening, when Rasa had walked away alone—shoulders straight—to draw off the enemy and save them all.
Rasa-sama… truly, a shinobi worthy of respect.
As for Rasa—
He looked down at the girl now slumped weakly in the sand. His gaze softened.
One more bite… Hang in there. If I pull a healing item from the gacha, you'll be the first to get it.
He pulled a red and blue potion from his pouch—items he'd gotten from a lucky draw over the past two months—and shoved them into her hands.
"Drink. After one more time… we're leaving."
He couldn't top-up the gacha in the middle of battle. This was the best he could do.
The girl said nothing. Blankly, she uncorked the red bottle and drank it down. After a moment, her eyes widened.
This stuff… really works!
She took the blue one. Then, her pale hand rose once more.
Final time.
"Magnet Release: Imperial Gold Dust Funeral!"
As the colossal technique roared to life, Rasa didn't even wait for the enemy to respond.
He picked up the nearly-unconscious girl, activated the sealing mark he'd placed on Mōmu earlier, and teleported away—just before the Kusa and Iwa shinobi could close in.
With a calm smile, he glanced back one last time.
"See you around, Iwa. Kusa."
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin