It was time to reassess.
Watching Rasa withdraw, Roshi turned and returned to the valley.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he felt it.
Eyes.
From every direction.
The respect that had always existed was still there—but now it burned hotter.
A Special Jōnin responsible for frontline command stepped forward, trying to keep his tone even.
"Lord Roshi… Sunagakure has temporarily retreated. What—what are our next orders?"
Roshi frowned slightly.
The battle plan hadn't changed. They had agreed on it before marching. Why the hesitation now?
He glanced around again, noticing the near-reverence in their expressions.
'Is it really that significant…?'
In the original timeline, Yamato's Wood Release hadn't triggered reactions like this.
Then again—
Two years ago, when he used Deep Forest Emergence… he had still been ANBU.
Not a visible symbol.
"Orders remain the same," Roshi replied calmly. "Establish the forward camp. Deploy warning barriers. Reinforce fortifications. Hold position and wait for reinforcements."
Now that they had secured a foothold, the real question lingered:
'Does Rasa have another card?'
Because the Sky Ninja alone were no longer enough.
Sunagakure Forward Command Tent
Rasa dismissed his attendants.
Silence settled in the tent. Only the faint crackle of the oil lamp remained.
After a long pause, he withdrew a uniquely shaped communication scroll. Chakra seeped into it, activating a concealed channel.
He waited.
Longer than expected.
Only when the camp had fallen completely quiet did a figure slip inside—a shape half black, half white, like a grotesque plant emerging from shadow.
"I want the Sky Ninja," Rasa said bluntly.
Black Zetsu tilted his head slightly. "Kazekage-sama… the Sky Ninja are already under your command. It's simply that… there aren't many left."
"They suffered heavy losses today."
"Their remaining forces," Zetsu continued smoothly, "may not serve you effectively in conventional battle. Perhaps it would be more advantageous to redirect them… into the Land of Fire."
His implication was clear.
Terror tactics.
Attack towns. Force chaos.
"No."
Rasa's rejection was immediate.
"That would be indiscriminate terrorism. It would unite the entire Ninja World against us."
Sunagakure sought resources—not annihilation.
They occupied the Land of Rivers to secure grain and stability. Not to guarantee their own starvation through global isolation.
"The Sky Ninja's limitations are obvious," Rasa continued coldly. "Their effective attack range is too short. They rely excessively on dive-bombing."
He looked directly at Zetsu.
"If they are to remain relevant, they must undergo comprehensive reform. Their flight technology, deployment doctrine, and equipment must be fully integrated into Sunagakure's military system."
His voice hardened.
"If your organization cannot provide that… or is unwilling to invest the necessary cost…"
"Then Sunagakure will consider peace negotiations with Konoha."
Zetsu's expression did not change—but the air grew heavier.
Rasa continued evenly:
"We have already secured the majority of this year's harvest from the Land of Rivers. Our baseline interests are protected."
"If we withdraw after negotiations, Sunagakure may endure hardship for a year or two."
He leaned forward slightly.
"But your organization will lose its operating ground entirely."
His gaze sharpened.
"Which is more valuable to you?"
"A crippled Sky Ninja force with damaged technology and no core personnel…"
"Or Sunagakure—still intact, still possessing full war potential?"
The Dragon Vein project required more time.
In the meantime, he intended to salvage what remained of the Sky Ninja—if possible.
Otherwise, they were expendable.
"Consider carefully," Rasa said quietly.
Because the next decision would determine whether this was a regional conflict—
Or the beginning of something far larger.
—
Chiyo personally boarded the Sky Ninja fleet.
At sea, the remnants of the Sky Ninja forces were anchored in formation—two large flagship vessels accompanied by three escort ships.
The two main ships functioned as floating launch platforms. Their decks were equipped with projection rails and reinforced runways from which the Sky Ninja could take off.
Standing among the unfamiliar machinery were Sunagakure shinobi, observing in silence.
Chiyo examined the equipment with a critical eye, speaking as though the Sky Ninja themselves did not exist.
"Using magnetism as the initial propulsion, then converting chakra into Wind Release mid-flight to sustain lift… creative," she remarked coolly. "But that also means the pilot's chakra is consumed almost entirely for flight stabilization."
Her gaze sharpened.
"They cannot perform proper ninjutsu once airborne."
"Their combat method relies entirely on external tools."
She picked up a mechanical kunai launcher and fired a test shot.
The projectile discharged rapidly—but the impact was unimpressive.
"Fast rate of fire," she noted, unimpressed. "But short effective range. Mechanical propulsion cannot match a skilled hand guiding senbon coated in poison."
She then lifted one of the wing apparatuses.
"This is their greatest asset—individual flight capability. Yet the load-bearing limit is pitiful. They cannot carry additional weaponry."
Her lips thinned.
"Everything requires modification. And that brat Rasa dares to rush me."
She clicked her tongue softly.
"Recklessly allying with unknown forces… and now pressing this old woman for miracles."
Sky Ninja. Dragon Veins.
So many things handed over "for free."
'Fourth Kazekage… have you truly calculated the price Sunagakure will eventually pay?'
Rasa had no time for doubt.
Once Konoha secured its foothold, it remained quiet for only a single day.
On the second day, probing assaults began.
That young man—Roshi—was not only bold in words.
He was bold in action.
The first wave of Konoha's attack was repelled. Several bodies lay before Sunagakure's lines as proof.
Rasa stepped forward, raising one hand.
Gold dust spread from beneath his feet like living liquid, flowing outward to blanket the terrain before Sunagakure's position.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Wind Release: Violent Whirlwind!"
Dozens of Wind Release shinobi formed seals simultaneously.
A violent gale erupted.
The wind lifted the gold dust into the air, and in moments, a massive golden sandstorm rose, swallowing the battlefield. It churned and spiraled, forming a dynamic, ever-moving barrier before the Sand front lines.
Elite warriors wielding giant Three-Star Fans advanced along the perimeter. With each sweeping motion, the golden storm expanded, spreading across more ground and tinting the land in ominous gold.
By the time Konoha's reconnaissance units reacted, the battlefield had transformed.
A Konoha chūnin cautiously threw a kunai.
The weapon entered the golden haze—and immediately lost stability. Its trajectory wobbled erratically before dropping harmlessly to the ground.
The golden mist did not constantly swirl.
Most of the time, it lay deceptively quiet upon the earth.
But the moment Konoha made any move, Sunagakure's Wind Release corps would stir the winds, turning the dormant dust into a raging storm once more.
Any shinobi who stepped into that zone found their movements hindered.
Metal weapons deviated wildly—sometimes even endangering their wielder.
And if someone attempted to push through forcefully, the omnipresent gold dust would instantly condense into spears or crushing restraints, striking from every direction.
For three consecutive days, Konoha's advance stalled before this barrier—an artificial battlefield sculpted by the combined power of Magnet Release and Wind Release.
Shikaku arrived at the forward line from the rear command post.
He narrowed his eyes at the golden expanse shimmering under the sunlight.
"The Fourth Kazekage," he murmured, "has engineered a battlefield entirely to his advantage."
"From this angle," Roshi said quietly, standing beside Shikaku as they observed the shimmering golden expanse, "it further confirms that Sunagakure is waiting for something."
The battlefield lay within the Land of Rivers. Konoha had only secured an advance camp.
In theory, Sunagakure could easily dispatch small mobile units to bypass the camp and harass the Land of Fire border repeatedly—especially now, with this defensive structure in place.
After all, the Land of Fire was Konoha's foundation. Defending their homeland would always take priority over operations in foreign territory.
And yet—
Rasa chose to stand still.
This seemingly passive posture only strengthened Roshi and Shikaku's earlier suspicions.
"Then we'll need a fiercer assault," Shikaku concluded, glancing sideways with faint amusement. "Tell me, Roshi—after displaying Wind Release, Earth Release, and Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence… do you have any other surprises?"
"I do," Roshi replied calmly. "I'm simply debating whether to continue using Wind Release."
He studied the golden barrier.
"If I use wind, it'll be difficult to clear the gold dust completely."
"Sunagakure's Wind Release corps is too large. Even if I generate opposing currents, we'll only create turbulence—not decisive displacement."
Shikaku nodded. Against coordinated Wind Release formations, ordinary Wind users would be ineffective. At present, only Roshi possessed the scale required to compete—and even that had limits.
"Then what's your choice?"
Roshi stepped forward.
"Let's try water."
He stopped at the edge of the gold dust's effective range.
Closing his eyes, he focused. Dark markings resurfaced around them as Sage Mode returned.
"Please step back, Shikaku-san."
Shikaku retreated over ten meters without hesitation. The Konoha shinobi behind him tightened their formation, breaths stilled, prepared for any counterstrike.
Roshi clasped his hands before his chest.
The air around him subtly shifted—growing heavy, bending inward. Light itself seemed to distort.
Then—
Moisture condensed.
Countless microscopic droplets gathered in the air, swirling rapidly around him. Within seconds, a massive rotating wall of water erupted outward, encircling him like a rising tide.
"Water Release: Water Colliding Wave!"
Sage Art version.
Roshi thrust his palms forward.
BOOM—!!!
The circular water wall shattered outward, transforming into a roaring wave over thirty meters high.
It surged forward like a released sea dragon, its thunderous roar shaking the battlefield as it crashed toward the golden sandstorm.
The golden mist, so meticulously constructed, evaporated before the overwhelming pressure—dispersing like fragile foam.
On the Sunagakure side, Rasa's eyes widened.
A Water Release of this magnitude… in this terrain?
Then instinct snapped him back.
Gold dust erupted beneath his feet, surging upward to form a massive defensive dam before his lines.
The colossal wave collided with it in a deafening crash. Water slammed against gold in a violent struggle, the current diverted and forced to spill toward lower ground.
But the damage was done.
The battlefield barrier Sunagakure had spent three days establishing lay in ruin. Gold dust clung heavily to the soaked earth, too saturated to rise again with ease.
"Attack!"
Shikaku's voice cut across the battlefield.
Konoha's forces surged forward, sandals splashing through muddy water.
The counteroffensive began.
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