Maybe it was because they'd been played for so long~
The Rock ninja were getting frantic, recklessly charging at him.
As for Rasa… he was refining gold dust to fund his system while dodging flying kunai, shuriken, explosive tags, and ninjutsu. Perhaps because he hadn't used any ninjutsu since his desperate escape began, these guys assumed…
[He can't use ninjutsu?]
Otherwise, he couldn't fathom what gave them the guts to abandon defense and go all-in!
The Fourth Kazekage's ability to seal the One-Tail into the Black Cauldron showed Rasa's strength wasn't weak, but now… he was both Rasa and not Rasa.
Ninja were called ninja because they were full of unpredictability!
Rasa sighed inwardly, glancing at the crazed Rock ninja who'd ditched their defenses. [Should I… wait a bit longer?]
With that thought, he ignored them, looking at the darkening night sky and muttering, "Looks like… I'll be pulling an all-nighter panning gold."
After all, these seemingly unhinged Rock ninja weren't letting up on this "lunatic" anytime soon!
…
"Cloud ninja?!"
Chiyo stared at the ninja lying on the ground, wearing the Hidden Cloud Village's distinctive headband, her brow furrowing. Her aged face was etched with exhaustion.
"I didn't expect their vanguard to have penetrated the Land of Wind so deeply."
"What do we do now?" Ebizo asked, his brows heavy with unresolvable worry. He sighed, watching the Sand ninja collecting the bodies, and shook his head.
"We're already short on ninja. If this continues… ugh~"
"No matter," Chiyo said. "Have you forgotten what I used to do? Numbers aren't everything!"
"Puppetry?"
"Poison!!!" Chiyo snapped, glaring at her unserious brother before turning to the weary Sand ninja with a serious expression.
"We need to retreat. We can't stay here long!"
And Ebizo was right… the Hidden Sand Village's puppet techniques were renowned across the ninja world!
White Secret Technique: Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets!!!
She had once taken down an entire fortress with that puppet arsenal.
What a pity—her grandson, who'd sacrificed himself for the Hidden Sand Village, couldn't inherit her White Secret Technique. It might… fade into obscurity.
"Erase all traces around us. We retreat now and need to scout a new campsite!" Chiyo ordered.
After all, the battlefield…
Was in the Land of Wind!
…
"The battlefield is in the Land of Wind!" Momu said, gazing at the moon in the night sky, feeling the cold evening breeze. He sighed, murmuring, "I wonder how Lord Rasa is doing."
The Land of Wind had precious little greenery—so little that even the Hidden Sand Village only had a tiny lake.
Years ago, there were fish in that lake, but as the sandstorms grew and the water dwindled, most Sand ninja knew… if the village didn't find a solution, in decades or centuries, the Hidden Sand Village might vanish.
Just like the legendary ancient kingdom of Loulan… buried in the desert!
"Lord Rasa, as the Kazekage's disciple and the village's only master of Magnet Release!" a nearby Sand ninja said, also staring at the sky, his face resolute. "He's the hope of our entire village. He'll be fine."
But inwardly, he felt helpless. As one of the five great ninja villages, they'd lost in previous wars, yet they could proudly say, [We dared to challenge the top ninja village—do you?] Now, even a minor village like the Hidden Grass dared to attack them.
"Lord Kazekage… did something really happen to him?" the ninja asked.
"…"
Momu fell silent. He knew… deep down, everyone understood. If Lord Kazekage were alive, he wouldn't stand by and watch other villages invade.
Because…
He was the village's Kage!
After a moment, Momu turned to the Sand ninja, disheartened by the Kazekage's absence and Rasa's uncertain fate, leaderless and low-spirited.
Taking a deep breath, he stood, his eyes blazing with determination.
"We can't be like this! Lord Rasa drew the Rock ninja away to preserve our strength for the coming battles and protect the Hidden Sand Village. How can we be so downcast?!"
He shouted to all the Sand ninja.
"Even if we die, we'll make these opportunistic villages know the Hidden Sand Village isn't to be trifled with!"
Raising his right fist, he spoke with conviction.
"We absolutely can't let Lord Rasa down!"
"That's right! We won't let Lord Rasa down!"
"We Sand ninja have never been afraid. It's just a war—we've never won one!"
"Shut up!"
"…"
Seeing the Sand ninja fired up again, Momu felt a surge of relief. [At least… we Sand ninja haven't given up!] Looking at the bright moon, he felt as if Lord Rasa were watching them, his gaze like moonlight, illuminating their lost eyes.
The corners of his mouth curved into a slight smile.
"Lord Rasa… we absolutely won't let you down!"
Watch us from above!
…
"Achoo, achoo~"
The night was getting chilly~
Rasa wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but he kept feeling like someone was talking about him.
"Could it be Karura thinking of me back in the village?"
The thought warmed his heart.
Heh~
Someone out there was waiting for him!
Pulling his clothes tighter, he couldn't deny—the desert's day-night temperature swings were brutal, especially at year's end. The Land of Wind's nights… were freezing.
The cold wind made his gold-panning hands tremble.
Forming hand seals was tough!
The Rock ninja weren't faring much better. After their relentless attacks, they were panting too. But they'd made some gains—at least Rasa had used up his precious blue potions. As for the red ones… he looked at the last bottle in his hand…
Rasa sighed inwardly, then chugged it.
"No wonder they're the Rock ninja vanguard—so tenacious!"
Even with all his defenses, he'd taken significant injuries. Panning gold and defending was exhausting.
And…
"Where's the Sand ninja backup? Looks like I'll have to use it."
"We need to retreat!" the Rock ninja commander said, his face grim as he stared into the night, his voice low. "We can't stay in the Land of Wind too long!"
After fighting this long, nearby Sand ninja must have gotten word by now!
And, honestly…
No wonder he was the Third Kazekage's direct disciple—so slippery! Though his chakra refinement seemed off, causing his ninjutsu to stutter, his timing was impeccable, blocking nearly everything. And his vitality was unreal—despite all those injuries, he was still standing?!
Looking at Rasa, covered in blood scabs within his gold dust barrier, the commander felt a grudging respect. [Refusing to fall through sheer willpower? What a fearsome opponent!]
But…
Just as that respect surfaced—
His expression changed, as did the other Rock ninja's, their eyes wide with disbelief as they saw the sand beneath them writhing.
"Retreat!" the commander shouted.
But… it was too late!
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Grand Burial!"
A cold voice, accompanied by a terrifying roar, echoed through the dark, frigid desert!
(End of Chapter)