The sudden arrival of new orders forced Rasa to halt his original plans.
Judging by the urgency of the messenger, this was clearly a priority mission.
Given the current state of the Hidden Mist, any "priority mission" would almost certainly revolve around the Hidden Sand. Their entire command structure was currently obsessed with one thing: crushing the Sand Village as quickly as possible.
"I thought I'd lost my chance to gather Mist intelligence, but it seems the intel has come knocking on my door."
Rasa controlled his avatar, Gengetsu Hozuki, and fell in line with the squad.
The captain, preoccupied with the new directives, no longer had the energy to bully him.
Gradually, other units merged with theirs until the group swelled to over forty ninja.
Ahead, a large sand dune rose from the desert floor.
A figure stepped out from behind it.
Rasa's pupils constricted slightly.
"Fuguki Suikazan."
"Looks like the Mist is making a major move. For Fuguki himself to lead the team... that man is as insidious as they come."
The Sand and Mist had been at war for years. Both villages had accumulated mountains of intelligence on one another.
Just as the Mist hated Pakura to the bone, the Sand had their own list of most-hated Mist ninja.
Fuguki Suikazan was right at the top.
He was cunning, treacherous, and possessed a dark intelligence that had cost the Sand dearly in blood. Among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Fuguki was easily the one the Sand wanted dead the most.
Rasa's gaze shifted to the massive, bandaged weapon slung across Fuguki's back—Samehada, the Shark Skin.
"That sword... is excellent."
Setting aside its combat capabilities, Samehada possessed a unique property that made it incredibly effective against Tailed Beasts.
And the Sand had a serious Tailed Beast problem.
Currently, the One-Tails, Shukaku, was still sealed within the priest Bunpuku. Gaara hadn't been born yet. Relations between Shukaku and the village were hostile at best, with the beast having rampaged several times already.
"If I could get my hands on Samehada, Shukaku would no longer pose a threat to the village."
"I could even use Samehada to turn Shukaku into a high-capacity, sustainable chakra generator. The utility would be endless. Even if I just used that chakra to transport water, the value to the Sand would be immeasurable."
"With water, the oases would expand. The desert would recede."
"The soil would become fertile, and our resources would multiply."
Fuguki Suikazan looked over the gathered crowd, his expression grave.
"Listen up. Today's operation is critical. It will determine the pace at which we crush the Hidden Sand."
"Juzo, Jinin, and I have been preparing for this for a long time."
Rasa's internal expression turned serious.
He had initially assumed this was just a standard special ops mission.
But with four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen mobilized simultaneously? This was no ordinary raid. Who in the entire Sand Village warranted this level of force?
The answer was obvious.
Rasa's eyes flickered.
"It's either a surprise attack on the village itself, or they are targeting the one commander in the Sand army the Mist fears most."
"But we're too far from the village for a raid to be practical. That leaves only one option: This is an assassination operation targeting Pakura."
Fuguki continued speaking.
"For this mission, I need ten men for a suicide squad. Who is willing to step forward?"
"Regardless of who you are, the village will not forget your sacrifice. You will be heroes of the Mist. Your names will be recorded in the village archives forever."
"The Mizukage himself will preside over your funeral."
"And your families will receive a massive pension from the village."
A suicide squad. A mission with zero chance of survival.
Mere patriotic rhetoric wasn't enough; they needed financial incentives. Even for Mist ninja, who weren't exactly known for fearing death, the price had to be right.
Rasa, controlling Gengetsu, raised his hand high in the air.
Fuguki glanced in Rasa's direction, his eyebrows raising slightly.
"A member of the Hozuki clan?"
But his surprise was fleeting.
Fuguki didn't stop "Gengetsu Hozuki" from volunteering to die.
He looked at the ten men who had raised their hands.
"You ten, you're in."
"Wait for my signal and follow the plan. Our target is the Sand's Pakura. She has slaughtered too many of our kin. It is very likely that your friends, partners, or family members have died at her hands."
"I expect you to give everything you have."
"Killing Pakura will be a massive victory for the Mist."
"When the Mist wins, we all benefit."
"You will be the greatest heroes of the war!"
The ten suicide soldiers looked determined, resolution burning in their eyes.
"Rest assured, Lord Fuguki. We will complete the mission!"
"The Mist will prevail!"
"Pakura must die!"
Rasa blended into the suicide squad, making sure to look unremarkable.
The group moved out, heading toward a known water source nearby.
Before long, a figure appeared in the distance, moving to intercept them.
It was a Sand ninja.
Fuguki didn't seem surprised by the appearance of the enemy. In fact, it seemed he had come here specifically to meet him. The two didn't fight; they stood close and began to talk.
Rasa narrowed his eyes.
"A traitor..."
"No wonder Fuguki seemed so confident."
"He found a rat inside the Sand. Someone willing to sell Pakura out."
"You can defend against a thousand enemies, but it's hard to defend against one of your own."
Rasa stared hard at the Sand ninja, burning the traitor's face into his memory.
Soon, the conversation ended.
Fuguki turned back to the suicide squad.
"Hide here and wait for my command!"
"The signal is sand. The moment I throw sand into the air, you charge."
The ten men exchanged glances and nodded in unison.
"Yes, Lord Fuguki!"
Time ticked by, agonizingly slow.
The scorching sun beat down mercilessly. The sand absorbed the heat until it was hot enough to cook meat. There wasn't a breath of wind. Sweat poured off the men, dripping onto the baking earth.
Psychologically, Rasa could handle it.
But this body—Gengetsu Hozuki's body—wasn't adapting well to the extreme environment.
The other nine soldiers were in the same boat.
At this point, they were almost wishing for death just to escape the heat.
Finally.
A handful of yellow sand was flung into the air by Fuguki.
"Charge!"
Rasa reacted instantly.
While the other suicide troops were still bracing themselves, Rasa controlled Gengetsu to sprint out from cover first.
The moment he broke cover, he screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing across the dunes with fanatical intensity.
"BWAHAHAHAHA!"
"Pakura of the Sand! Today is the day you die!"
"Lord Fuguki, Lord Juzo, and Lord Jinin have set an inescapable trap for you right here! I, Gengetsu Hozuki, have come to take your head!"
"KILL HER!!!"
Hidden behind the sand dune, Fuguki Suikazan froze when he heard Gengetsu's screaming.
His face went from surprised to pitch black in a split second.
"Is this Gengetsu kid fucking retarded?"