Realizing they'd been played, the Rock ninja were furious, hurling shuriken, kunai, and explosive tags with reckless abandon.
They suspected the Third Kazekage's disciple might be mentally compromised, unable to refine chakra properly, resulting in this stuttering, frame-lagging behavior.
So…
If they didn't take this chance to eliminate this Sand ninja and crush the Hidden Sand Village's morale, when would they?
Especially since Rasa held a potion that rapidly restored chakra. No matter how you looked at it, this guy had to be taken down—or at least captured!
"Charge! Everyone, charge!" the Rock ninja commander roared, directing his subordinates with a crazed edge, likely humiliated from being toyed with by Rasa for so long.
Think about it… entrusted by the Third Tsuchikage with the critical task of probing the Land of Wind's strength, only to stumble upon the mysteriously missing Third Kazekage's disciple—the supposedly unhinged, mentally broken Rasa. If not now, when would they strike?
But…
Who could've imagined?
So many Rock ninja, outwitted by a supposed lunatic.
The commander had a sinking feeling that when he returned to the village, his peers would mock him relentlessly, and this embarrassment would linger for years.
So, he had to take out this young powerhouse of the Hidden Sand Village!
The Rock ninja surveyed the scene…
They had the advantage. Rasa was just a twenty-something kid, while they had ten Jonin and fifteen Chunin. No question—crush him!
As for Rasa…
Looking at what he'd just drawn from the system, he breathed a sigh of relief but also felt helpless. [I need the perfect moment to use this!]
…
Late in the 41st year of Konoha's founding.
It was the end of the year, with a new one approaching.
The Third Kazekage's inexplicable disappearance—without warning or trace—plunged the Hidden Sand Village into a state of vulnerable tension.
While the village sent most of its ninja to search for him, the other ninja villages learned of the Kazekage's absence and the Land of Wind's Daimyo consistently cutting funding, weakening the Hidden Sand Village and reducing its ninja numbers.
So…
This was a juicy target!
A five great ninja village-level prize. If they didn't take a bite now, when would they?
When news spread that the Hidden Cloud Village had preemptively assembled a ninja army to raid the Land of Wind's borders, the other villages quickly reacted, preparing for war. After all, the Hidden Cloud, led by the Third Raikage, had already stormed the border before anyone else could respond. Who would believe they hadn't planned this invasion in advance?
The leaders of the other villages knew clearly: if their guesses were correct, the Hidden Cloud Village had big ambitions!
Meanwhile…
To stop the Hidden Cloud from advancing further, Ebizo and Chiyo took most of the village's fighting force, rushing to the border under attack as fast as possible.
Though spies in the Land of Lightning had detected unusual activity, no one expected the Hidden Cloud Village to move so swiftly!
They couldn't afford a single mistake. One misstep, and the Hidden Sand Village—one of the five great ninja villages—could be destroyed.
To protect their village, their comrades, their families, and their friends, the Sand ninja heading to confront the Hidden Cloud were prepared to sacrifice everything.
Their only regret…
At such a critical moment, there was still no news of the Kazekage. If he were alive and appeared before them, even if the Land of Wind's Daimyo withheld war funds, rewards, or village support, they believed that as long as their Kage was present, the Hidden Sand Village would be fine.
That was…
The role of a Kage!
Every ninja trusted, respected, admired, and revered him—a pillar of the village, a spiritual leader for all.
"What happened to Lord Kazekage? How could he vanish without a trace?" Ebizo, covered in sand, frowned in frustration as he hurried along, speaking to his equally serious sister. "Could it really be the Hokage and the Sannin acting together?"
"To make Lord Third disappear without a sound, even the Sage of the Six Paths and his three disciples couldn't do it—not unless Lord Kazekage was trapped in a barrier set by the Hidden Leaf," Chiyo sighed, shaking her head helplessly. "After so long, with so many Sand ninja sent out, there's still no news. I fear Lord Kazekage is likely gone for good. Of course, the Hidden Cloud Village is also suspect. To prepare an army and invade the Land of Wind's border so quickly… it suggests they were ready to start a war. So, it's possible they targeted Lord Kazekage to weaken our village… But what's the point of saying this now?"
"…Sister, you know what I mean," Ebizo said after a pause, his cloudy eyes tinged with worry. "Sasori's disappearance… it happened at the same time as Lord Kazekage's."
Because of the Kazekage's vanishing, the disappearance of his nephew—Chiyo's grandson, Sasori—seemed less significant.
"We've asked others to search for him too, but… still no word."
Silence fell.
Chiyo's eyes glimmered with worry. After all, Sasori was her only grandson, her son's only child.
Sasori was immensely talented, destined to become a pillar of the Hidden Sand Village. But if their fears were true…
[My precious grandson!]
Her eyes welled up, and she felt the urge to cry. As a grandmother, she didn't want to admit her grandson might have met with misfortune, but… the situation forced her to entertain dark thoughts.
[Sasori… he must have sacrificed himself to protect Lord Kazekage. It has to be! That boy… like his father, he loved the Hidden Sand Village so much!]
"Sister…" Ebizo hesitated, seeing Chiyo's reddened eyes.
"It's nothing, just the Land of Wind's sand getting to me," Chiyo said with a self-deprecating smile, shaking her head. "No matter how long I live here, I'll never get used to it!"
Why did the Hidden Sand Village have to endure such a harsh environment?!
Why did the Hidden Leaf get to occupy such fertile land?
After all…
[The God of Shinobi… has been dead for years!]
"Let's not talk about this anymore. We—"
But before she could finish, Chiyo's expression changed, and she shouted, "Enemy attack!"
(End of Chapter)