"Namikaze Kirito…"
Rasa ground his teeth, calling out Namikaze Kirito's name one word at a time.
The humiliation from a few years ago had never left his mind. It had nearly made him unable to hold his head up in Sunagakure.
If not for Chiyo's help back then, he—the Fourth Kazekage—would have become the first Kazekage in history to be driven out of office.
After all, the leader of a village being captured alive…
And even allowing the enemy to freely enter his own village—
That was an indelible stain.
Once was already unbearable.
Yet after all these years, it was happening again—for the second time.
An absolute disgrace.
With so many shinobi watching, there was no need to think. By tomorrow, news of the Fourth Kazekage being captured again would spread throughout the entire ninja world.
And by then… whether he could even keep the title of Kazekage was uncertain.
How could he not hate Namikaze Kirito?
Compared to Rasa's hatred and humiliation, Namikaze Kirito looked almost cheerful.
As if meeting an old acquaintance, he stood beside Rasa, looking down at him.
"Rasa. Long time no see. Didn't expect we'd meet again like this."
"Namikaze Kirito," Rasa spat, forcing the words out, "what exactly do you want? You killed your own village's Third Hokage—are you planning to kill me too?"
"No, no, no."
Namikaze Kirito shook his head lightly.
"That old man, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was killed by Shimura Danzō. As for you… I don't plan to kill you right now."
"But—"
Rasa's eyes burned. "But what? Say it!"
Namikaze Kirito leaned closer, lowering his voice so that only the two of them could hear.
"I need you to help me with something."
"You'll return to Sunagakure and announce an alliance with Konoha. Konoha's ANBU will be allowed to enter your village openly."
"And your children will remain in Konoha."
"…Impossible!"
Rasa's pupils shrank violently.
He understood the meaning immediately. If he hadn't, he wouldn't deserve to be Kazekage.
An alliance?
Nice words.
In reality, it meant leaving his own children behind as hostages—and allowing Konoha's ANBU to infiltrate Sunagakure under the banner of cooperation.
The purpose was obvious.
Control.
Not just over him—but over the entire Sand Village.
"How could I ever agree to something like that?" Rasa growled. "If I did, I'd be nailed to the pillar of shame! A Kazekage who sold out his village—my name would rot for ten thousand years!"
"I'm telling you this clearly, Namikaze Kirito. As long as I live, I will never allow your scheme to succeed!"
Rasa refused without hesitation.
"I really like that defiant look of yours," Namikaze Kirito said calmly. "But I already expected this answer."
He smiled.
"So how about this instead?"
"I kill you first… and then erase Sunagakure entirely. Along with the whole Land of Wind."
"What do you think?"
"…!"
Rasa's blood ran cold.
He couldn't even speak.
Because he knew—Namikaze Kirito could do it.
Years ago, he had already been no match for him.
Now… Wood Style had appeared.
That monstrous power alone was enough to wipe Sand Village off the map.
If that technique were unleashed fully, Sunagakure wouldn't just lose—it would be annihilated.
Despair crept into Rasa's heart.
"…What exactly do you want to do with Sunagakure?" he asked hoarsely.
His tone had lost its earlier toughness.
If refusal meant destruction, then there was no choice but to consider the conditions.
"I don't need you to do anything," Namikaze Kirito replied. "I only need your cooperation."
"I intend to turn the entire ninja world into a single chessboard."
"…You want to unify the ninja world?"
Which village leader had never thought of that?
Everyone dreamed of it.
But no one had ever succeeded.
The Five Great Ninja Villages balanced each other too closely. Even the strongest could at most fight two villages at once. Any more, and manpower alone became impossible to sustain.
Add to that the death rate of jōnin—and the daimyō of each country would never permit it.
The daimyō controlled the economic lifelines of the villages.
Especially Sunagakure.
Without the Land of Wind's daimyō, Sand Village couldn't even survive—self-sufficiency was impossible.
But Namikaze Kirito didn't care about any of that.
He didn't care what the other villages thought.
And he cared even less about the orders of the daimyō.
The daimyō of the Land of Rice Fields had already become a puppet of Gensokyo.
Soon, the same would happen to the Land of Frost.
As long as his strength was sufficient, unifying the ninja world was inevitable.
Rasa was stunned by the sheer scale of that ambition.
After a long silence, he spoke again—calm, eerily so.
"You won't succeed."
"I will," Namikaze Kirito replied evenly. "The world has been divided for too long. Unification is inevitable."
"I'm just accelerating the process."
His voice wasn't forceful.
Yet that calm certainty made it feel undeniable.
The shinobi of Gensokyo watched him with eyes full of reverence and blind trust.
"…Hah."
Rasa exhaled slowly.
"I can agree to your conditions."
"But I will not declare my surrender to Konoha."
That was his final stubborn line.
"Yes," Namikaze Kirito nodded. "Of course. You don't need to surrender to Konoha."
"You only need to surrender to me."
"In return—if Sunagakure is attacked by any other village, I will personally help."
"…I understand."
At Namikaze Kirito's signal, Suigetsu released the restraints.
Rasa stood up slowly, brushing the creases from his Kazekage robes.
His eyes were empty.
As though he had seen everything.
As though he had lost everything.
"Gaara… Temari… Kankurō…" he murmured. "They are my children. They will remain in Konoha."
"I will speak to them myself."
With that, Rasa turned and walked away.
No one stopped him.
His back looked old—far older than before. The imposing presence of the Kazekage was gone, replaced by the figure of a man weighed down by defeat.
Meanwhile, under Namikaze Minato's command, Konoha's sealing team began preparations to seal the One-Tail, Shukaku.
Shukaku was already awake.
Yet it made no move.
Among the tailed beasts, it prided itself on being the smartest.
In the current situation, pretending to be unconscious was the best option—preserve dignity, avoid conflict, and get sealed safely.
For the first time in its existence…
Shukaku had never wanted to return to Gaara's body more than now.
After settling Rasa's matter, Namikaze Kirito turned and walked toward where his parents and his younger brother were waiting.
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