"3128!"
Rasa's eyes brightened slightly.
"As expected of the Kaguya Clan. Truly good people."
"They launched an armed coup inside Kirigakure and relieved a huge amount of pressure on Sunagakure."
"And this public declaration of theirs gave a massive push to the spread of the rumors surrounding the Hyuga Clan. That's why my points have already gone past 3000."
"With 3000 points, I can do thirty draws."
"And with thirty draws, I can trigger the pity."
Rasa did not hesitate at all.
"Thirty draws. Begin!"
In the next instant, an invisible roulette wheel began to spin.
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained an F-rank item: One tael of gold.]
…
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained a B-rank item: Ninjutsu Scroll (Wind Release: Shuriken Technique).]
…
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained a B-rank item: One-Day Inner Voice Listening Card.]
…
[Congratulations, Host. You have triggered the pity reward and obtained an A-rank item: S-Rank Ninjutsu (Quicksand Shift).]
"One A-rank pity reward and two B-rank items. Not bad."
"Another one of Danzo's ninjutsu scrolls. At this rate, I'll probably collect all of his Wind Release techniques sooner or later. I already have four."
Rasa first looked toward the A-rank reward from the pity.
[S-Rank Ninjutsu (Quicksand Shift)]
[—By consuming a certain amount of chakra, you may rapidly move to the side of a sand soldier. The chakra cost varies depending on distance.]
"How fast is 'rapidly' exactly?"
A trace of anticipation appeared in Rasa's eyes.
"If it's rated S-rank, it shouldn't be anything mediocre."
"I'll test it in a bit."
Then he looked toward the new card.
"Earlier rewards included experience cards and dream cards. This time, I got an entirely new kind of card."
"I wonder what effect it has."
[One-Day Inner Voice Listening Card]
[—After use, you can hear the true inner thoughts of those around you. Duration: 12 hours.]
"I can hear the true thoughts of the people around me?"
"Doesn't that mean if I use this card and make a full round through Sunagakure, I can dig out every spy from the other shinobi villages hiding here?"
"That's absurdly useful."
"But why is it twelve hours?"
"Isn't a day supposed to be twenty-four?"
Rasa put away the card, then his figure flashed.
When he appeared again, he was already outside the village.
"Sand soldiers, manifest!"
The ground churned, and three sand soldiers formed in an instant.
Three chunin-level sand soldiers barely consumed any chakra at all.
"Go."
Rasa issued the command, sending them forward.
Soon, the three sand soldiers had each reached a different position.
Their distances from Rasa were far, near, and middle.
Rasa first looked at the closest one.
"Quicksand Shift!"
He felt a strange force descend upon him, as though his entire body had been lifted and carried.
In the next instant—
Rasa found himself already standing beside the sand soldier.
"So fast!"
He turned and looked back at where he had just been.
"This is much faster than the Body Flicker Technique I used before."
"And it doesn't consume much more chakra, either."
He then looked toward the second sand soldier.
"Quicksand Shift!"
In one instant, Rasa vanished from where he stood. In the next, he appeared beside the second sand soldier.
His eyes lit up.
"So fast!"
"The greater the distance, the more obvious the speed becomes. This doesn't even feel like rapid movement anymore—it feels like I was directly transferred from my last position to this one."
Rasa could not help thinking of a certain technique.
A Konoha technique.
The Flying Thunder God Technique.
This space-time ninjutsu, created by the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama, had shocked countless people the moment it appeared.
It was precisely with this technique, combined with his swordsmanship, that Senju Tobirama had slain Uchiha Izuna, Madara's younger brother, laying the foundation for the Senju Clan's victory.
And in Namikaze Minato's hands, the technique had been brought to its peak.
Minato had relied on it to earn the title of the Yellow Flash.
He could dart across the battlefield like a bolt of lightning, weaving in and out at terrifying speed.
Even when facing both the Fourth Raikage and Killer B together, he had not fallen behind.
He traveled the farthest, fought the most enemies, and handled the most work.
That was why, despite being one of Konoha's rising younger generation, Minato's prestige had soared wildly during the Third Great Ninja War, surpassing countless older veterans.
That rise had not come from strength alone.
It was also inseparable from Minato's sheer effort.
One man used like a whole squad.
"The Flying Thunder God is spatial transfer."
"Quicksand Shift is fast, but it's still a movement technique."
"They aren't the same."
"The only similarity is that both move to a marked target."
"Minato's markers are Flying Thunder God seals. Mine are sand soldiers."
"If we're talking purely about speed, Flying Thunder God is probably still faster."
"But my sand soldiers can move on their own, and I can create them out of nothing."
"That's an enormous advantage."
Rasa continued testing.
He created more sand soldiers.
His body flashed back and forth among them without pause.
Like a streak of yellow lightning.
"The appearance of Quicksand Shift has undoubtedly increased my strength by another large step."
"I wonder where I rank among the Kage now."
Rasa looked into the distance.
"The Third Mizukage definitely won't do."
"The Fourth Raikage probably isn't my opponent now either."
"The Raikage's main strengths are twofold. First, speed. He uses Lightning Release chakra stimulation to push his already heavily trained speed even further."
"But I have Quicksand Shift."
"Second, defense. A body tempered to the extreme, combined with Lightning Release Chakra Mode. At his peak, he even dares to clash head-on with Susanoo—though not at this point yet."
"But my abilities happen to be the kind that don't fear hard bones."
"Sand is best at overcoming hardness with softness."
"The Fourth Raikage's offense is strong too. His own physical might combines with Lightning Release to form tremendous impact force. A single punch can shatter stone."
"But an attack only counts if it lands."
"And I can fly."
Rasa withdrew his gaze.
The increase in his individual strength put him in a very good mood.
"I'll learn Wind Release: Shuriken Technique, then head back to the village and find a chance to use the Inner Voice card."
"I'll dig out some of those spies and infiltrators."
He took out the ninjutsu scroll, opened it, and studied it carefully.
Not long after—
"Wind Release: Shuriken Technique!"
A shuriken wrapped in dense Wind Release chakra flew out. When it landed, it sliced even stone apart with ease.
Back in the village—
"One-Day Inner Voice Listening Card, activate!"