"What?"
Genjiro shot to his feet.
He had not even begun the investigation yet, and Fuguki Suikazan had already rebelled?
Then what was there left to investigate?
It proved one thing without question—
Fuguki Suikazan absolutely had a problem.
"Lord Genjiro, Fuguki Suikazan and his wife, Nishikiyama Chō, have fought their way out. The shinobi assigned to monitor them have already been killed. Lord Jinin Akebino is now leading the pursuit."
Genjiro's expression turned ugly.
"I never expected this. Truly never."
"That bastard Suikazan really did betray the village—really did sell out Kirigakure."
"Unforgivable!"
"As a member of Kirigakure, to do something like this... his crime deserves no pardon."
"Fuguki Suikazan must die!"
At Genjiro's command, even more Kirigakure shinobi were sent in pursuit.
Only after a while did Genjiro notice Hoshigaki Kisame still standing there, not having left yet.
"Hoshigaki Kisame."
"Yes, Lord Genjiro."
"There's nothing more. You may go."
"Yes, Lord Genjiro."
Kisame stepped out of the tent, his eyes carrying a trace of confusion.
"Did Lord Suikazan... really betray the village?"
The next day, Rasa received news of Fuguki Suikazan's defection.
Kirigakure had dispatched Zabuza Momochi's predecessor? No—Biwako? Actually, no: they had sent Jūzō Biwa leading a team to hunt him down, but there were no results yet.
Within the Sunagakure army, the shinobi who heard the news all showed delight.
"Dogs biting dogs!"
"Neither Fuguki Suikazan nor Kirigakure are good people!"
"But why did Suikazan defect? Because the offensive failed?"
One Sunagakure shinobi, who knew a bit more of the details, answered,
"Apparently, it's because Kirigakure believes Fuguki Suikazan leaked intelligence to us, causing several of their operations to fail. They wanted to kill him."
"So he had no choice but to flee."
Another Sunagakure shinobi frowned.
"Fuguki Suikazan leaked intelligence to Sunagakure?"
"Would he really be that kind-hearted?"
"Countless Sunagakure shinobi have died at his hands. How could he possibly work with us?"
"Their operations failed because they're incompetent!"
But Pakura had the same doubt.
"Husband, did Fuguki Suikazan really sell intelligence to us? That last ambush did seem a little strange. That Kirigakure shinobi came charging out so directly."
Rasa looked at Pakura.
"No such thing."
He did not say the second half aloud—
Because that strange Kirigakure shinobi had been me. My 'foolish' wife.
"Still, Fuguki Suikazan's defection is good news for Sunagakure."
A smile appeared on Rasa's face.
Originally, he had only intended to use a Dream Card to force Fuguki Suikazan to defect.
He had not expected an extra gain as well.
Jinin Akebino had been cut down and badly wounded.
Jūzō Biwa had been ordered to lead the pursuit against Fuguki Suikazan.
Three members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had disappeared from the front in one stroke.
That left only two for now—
Hozuki Yunwu and Kushimaru Kuriarare.
Rasa guessed that before long, Kirigakure would likely send Raiga Kurosuki and Jinpachi Munashi as reinforcements.
But this time, the Kirigakure army had also lost close to a thousand shinobi.
And with Yata Crow assisting the Sunagakure army, the gap in strength between the two sides was no longer as wide as before.
If previously it had been seven to three, then now it was closer to six to four.
"And this still isn't over."
Rasa still had one card left in his hand.
[One-Day Ninja Experience Card (Kirigakure Genin Version)]
"Pakura, you've worked hard."
Rasa kissed Pakura lightly on the forehead, pulled back the blanket, and changed into his clothes.
"If anything happens, notify the village immediately. I can ride Yata Crow here for support at any time."
Pakura nodded.
"Understood, Husband."
Pakura watched him leave. Then she walked out of the tent herself.
Compared to yesterday, she looked much more refreshed.
Partly because Kirigakure's operation had failed.
And partly, perhaps, because a reunion after time apart always felt like a new wedding.
Some Sunagakure shinobi had started talking about Yata Crow.
"So that's Kazekage-sama's summoning beast. It's huge!"
"I heard the Kirigakure army suffered terribly at Yata Crow's hands."
"Thank goodness for Kazekage-sama. Otherwise, Kirigakure's plan would've succeeded, and half of us might be dead already."
"We're too weak. If we were stronger, Kazekage-sama wouldn't have needed to come to the front lines himself."
"In this war, Kazekage-sama is the only Kage who has to come to the front. The Tsuchikage, Mizukage, and Hokage haven't. Even the Fourth Raikage only fought on the front before he inherited the title."
"We really are disappointing."
After returning to Sunagakure, the first person Rasa sought out was Ebizo.
"Kazekage-sama."
Ebizo entered the Kazekage's office.
"How is the investigation into the Akayama Clan going?"
"Reporting to Kazekage-sama, it is still underway. So far, we have identified six members of the Akayama Clan as being connected to that matter, but we are not yet certain whether there are more."
Ebizo paused, then asked,
"Kazekage-sama, did something happen?"
"I went to the front lines. I just returned."
Ebizo froze for a moment.
"That giant bird... was it your summoning beast, Kazekage-sama?"
"That's right."
Rasa nodded.
"This is my summon, Yata Crow. It excels at long-distance flight, so even while I remain stationed in Sunagakure, I can still support the front lines."
"It was precisely because my support arrived in time that the Kirigakure army's offensive ended in failure."
"This time, Kirigakure shinobi infiltrated the rear of the Sunagakure army without a sound and launched a surprise attack on Pakura and the others. If no traitor assisted them, I find that hard to believe."
Ebizo's expression turned grave.
"Kazekage-sama, I will complete the investigation into the Akayama Clan as quickly as possible."
Rasa gave him a deadline.
"I want results within half a month."
Given Kirigakure's current situation, it was unlikely they could launch another major operation against Sunagakure within the next half month.
They needed time to recover from this failure.
That was why Rasa gave Ebizo only half a month.
"Understood."
Ebizo nodded.
Then Rasa asked,
"By the way, what has the Uchiha Clan been doing recently?"
"They fought a small-scale battle with Konoha shinobi. Konoha lost several dozen shinobi, while only a few Uchiha died. Their individual strength really is impressive."
Ebizo sighed as he spoke.
"If only Sunagakure had such a powerful shinobi clan. Konoha has one, yet doesn't treasure it. Though of course, when a clan like that rebels, the damage to the village is also tremendous."
Two days later, after Rasa finished the work he had already accumulated and even completed the next day's work in advance, he returned home.
Once the sky had gone completely dark, Rasa went up to the study on the third floor.
He took out an experience card.
"Name: Kaguya Mirror."
"Gender: Male."
"Age: 60."
Rasa narrowed his eyes slightly.
"The Hozuki Clan has already declined. This time, let's test the waters with the Kaguya Clan instead."
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/Inkveil_