"Rasa-sama, that red-haired woman…"
"Yes," Rasa replied, arms crossed, voice calm. "As I thought—she's from the Uzumaki clan."
"I knew it…" Momu blinked, recalling the massive jutsu Rasa had unleashed the previous night. He hesitated, then said, "But Rasa-sama… isn't this kind of bad timing? Lady Karura is still waiting for you back in the village."
And besides—wandering ninja? You couldn't trust them.
"Stop overthinking it." Rasa gave Momu a tired look. "Let me ask you something. Why do you think Sunagakure has remained so weak after all these years?"
"Money?"
"That's one reason, yes…" Rasa sighed and shook his head, clearly disappointed by Momu's answer. "But more than anything, we lack talent. Look at us. Other than me with my Magnet Release and Pakura with Scorch Release—what other kekkei genkai do we have?"
And worst of all…
His Magnet Release couldn't be inherited—it could only be artificially synthesized.
"None!" Morm admitted.
"Exactly. So now we've got a wandering kekkei genkai user—an Uzumaki, no less—alone in enemy territory. And you're suggesting we just let her go and hope she ends up in another village?" Rasa frowned, then patted Momu's shoulder like a disappointed mentor. "Comrade. Things are already tough. When did you forget the core value of Sunagakure—resourcefulness in hard times?"
"…You're right."
After a pause, Momu lowered his head in shame, sighing deeply. "Forgive me, Rasa-sama. I wasn't thinking."
The Uzumaki clan… They'd once stood as equals to the Senju and Uchiha. If not for that devastating war and the political games that followed, the Uzumaki might have become the strongest shinobi clan of them all.
Now, aside from the current Nine-Tails jinchūriki in Konoha, sightings of Uzumaki were practically unheard of.
And this one, alone and vulnerable?
She was a living treasure. Bring her back to Sunagakure, let her settle down, have a few children… and before long, her bloodline would become part of the village. And Sunagakure still had Shukaku, the One-Tail. The potential was enormous.
As Lord Rasa said, Sunagakure was starving for talent. Konoha churned out prodigies like a factory—each year producing several shinobi capable of carrying the village's future. But Sunagakure?
They had a small population to begin with. To get even one genius took pure luck.
"So then, Lord Rasa… What do you plan to do?"
"Bring her home," Rasa said, smiling faintly. "Let her experience what it means to have a family. To know that once you're in Sunagakure… you're one of us."
"A family, huh?" Momu paused, then nodded seriously. "Understood. But… about last night…"
"…Let's forget that ever happened," Rasa said, sighing. "And make sure the others keep their mouths shut. That method—absorbing life force from an Uzumaki—it's dangerous. If we keep doing it, it could drastically shorten her lifespan… maybe even render her infertile. If that happens, our whole plan goes up in smoke."
"That serious?!" Momu's eyes widened in shock. But then he nodded again, solemn. "Understood. I'll see to it personally."
"Thanks. And don't worry—Sunagakure won't fall. Not as long as I'm here."
As long as I can keep pulling from the gacha, there's nothing I can't do.
With that, Rasa turned away and stepped into the tent—leaving Momu frozen behind him, eyes filled with admiration, awe, and a glimmer of hope.
"Lord Rasa… truly worthy of being the disciple of the Third Kazekage…"
He would surpass his master one day.
They'd never forget it—the moment when they had been on the verge of annihilation, and Rasa stood alone, holding back the enemy with overwhelming strength and iron will. Just like before, when he'd drawn away the Iwa-nin on his own, protecting his comrades without hesitation—and lived.
Such terrifying strength.
Now, many of them were convinced:
Lord Rasa must have taken out those Iwa-nin himself.
Maybe… maybe he really can become the Fourth Kazekage and lead Sunagakure back to greatness.
Although…
…had Sunagakure ever truly been "great" to begin with?
The First Kazekage built the village through sheer tenacity and thick skin, carving out a home in the middle of a lifeless desert. The Second developed puppetry and sand manipulation, giving Sunagakure its foundation. The Third invented Magnet Release and gave the village an edge in battle.
But through all the wars, all they'd done was beat up a few minor villages. Greatness? Not really. And things only got worse as time went on.
Their coffers were nearly empty, and the Daimyō had stopped sending funds. Just keeping the village running was a struggle.
Momu sighed deeply.
"Sunagakure… a shinobi village born of sand."
Where a single bucket of water might be shared by ten households.
When would they finally rise above it all?
Meanwhile…
Inside the tent, Rasa looked down at the red-haired Uzumaki woman resting on the cot, her limbs wrapped in bandages beneath a white blanket. He let out a slow breath and shook his head.
Yes—the bandages were the [OK Healing Patches] he'd drawn from the gacha.
He'd used nearly all six rolls on her, handing them to female shinobi for application. Sunagakure may have had the highest single population among the Five Great Nations—none of the last three Kazekage had ever married—but they still had kunoichi. Med-nin, on the other hand…
Aside from the poison specialist Chiyo training a handful, they had almost none.
Back in the Second Shinobi World War, Tsunade had only just started pushing for dedicated medical ninja. But no one really listened until the war was over and the casualty numbers shocked the world.
By then, it was too late.
And training a med-nin? Cost way more than training a regular shinobi. Something a war-torn, defeated Sunagakure couldn't afford.
So the Third Kazekage had ordered Chiyo to train a small batch as a stopgap.
Rasa frowned slightly as he looked at the quiet red-haired woman lying there.
"Still not awake?"
He had no idea how he'd managed to carry her across half the desert last night. The Grass-nin had chased them like maniacs. The Iwa-nin, on the other hand… must've realized they couldn't win and pulled back early.
More than likely…
They were focused on the intelligence they'd gathered—and the Iwa-nin Rasa had buried in the sand. That information had to reach the Tsuchikage.
After all…
Rasa had shown his hand, and the sheer power of his jutsu would shake the battlefield.
Sure, it was temporary. But how could anyone be certain it wouldn't happen again?
In the end, it was just a bunch of exhausted Grass-nin chasing equally exhausted, wounded Suna-nin. No one could finish the fight.
What, were the Grass-nin gonna push into the heart of the Land of Wind?
That would be suicide.
Eventually, they realized they'd missed their window and gave up the chase.
Rasa sat down beside her and sank into thought.
Judging from how Iwa and Grass were acting… they weren't pulling out anytime soon.
So what about Kumogakure?
"What's the next move on the board…?"
Just then—
"Mmnn~…"
A soft moan came from the cot beside him.