Konoha Year 50.
The Hidden Sand Village was facing its darkest hour.
To the north, the Hidden Stone was kicking their ass.
To the east, they were absolutely no match for Konoha.
Even two-bit players like the Hidden Grass Village were bold enough to raid the Land of Wind's borders for scraps.
And the Hidden Mist had bypassed Konoha entirely to drag the Sand into a drawn-out war.
---
Hidden Sand Village. The Kazekage's Office.
"The situation is spiraling out of control. The Mist is squeezing us from the outside, and internally, it's a chaotic mess. I honestly don't know what to do."
"If only we could call a ceasefire with the Mist."
A cold snort cut through the air from across the room.
"Ceasefire? You think you can just ask for a truce? Have you seen the demands the Mist put on the table? How the hell are we supposed to agree to that?"
...
The noise pounded against Rasa's skull. He felt incredibly weak, and the arguing only made the headache worse.
Rasa? Since when is my name Rasa?
Oh. Right. I've been transmigrated.
Rasa rubbed his temples vigorously, trying to massage away the pain. He looked around the room.
Familiar figures came into focus.
Everyone present was a high-ranking official of the Hidden Sand.
The heads of the various clans, elders like Ebizo, and elite Jonin like Pakura.
There were also the geniuses of the younger generation—Yashamaru, Baki...
They were debating the disastrous internal and external threats facing the village.
External:
The Hidden Mist currently held the advantage on the battlefield. Hungry for spoils, they were demanding exorbitant reparations and imposing incredibly harsh conditions for a truce.
Meanwhile, ninja from other villages were camped out on the borders of the Land of Wind, waiting like vultures.
If the Sand didn't reach an agreement with the Mist soon, they would inevitably face a pincer attack from multiple sides.
Internal:
Years of being the underdog had shattered the confidence of the village shinobi.
The ambiguous attitude of the higher-ups was trickling down, affecting the rank and file.
To make matters worse, a nasty rumor had recently started circulating in the village.
The word was that in addition to demanding a massive payout, the Hidden Mist was demanding that the Sand hand over one of their war heroes. They wanted this hero delivered to the Mist to be slaughtered—a sacrifice to vent their anger.
And the rumor claimed the Kazekage had already agreed to it.
This had sparked fierce arguments everywhere, causing morale on the front lines to plummet even further.
Just then, Rasa noticed a semi-transparent panel hovering in front of his face. Only he could see it.
[Master Swindler System]
[—Step aside. It's time to start spreading rumors!]
[Name: Rasa]
[Identity: Fourth Kazekage]
[Ninjutsu: ???]
[Taijutsu: ???]
[Genjutsu: ???]
[Kekkei Genkai: ???]
[Remaining Activation Points: 1]
[Remaining Points: 0]
[—100 Points required for a Lucky Draw.]
[Fabricate rumors. Spend Activation Points to launch them. Once active, the rumor's persuasiveness increases. You earn points based on how far it spreads.]
[Maximum points per rumor: 10,000. Upon reaching 10,000 points, you gain 1 Activation Point.]
Earn points to get a lucky draw?
[DING!]
[Alert! You are under attack by a rumor: "The Domineering Mist, The Incompetent Kazekage, The Pitiable Pakura."]
[Newcomer Mission: To spread rumors, one must first know how to quash them.]
[Mission Reward: 100% Inheritance of Rasa's Original Power.]
Rasa's gaze instantly sharpened.
"Silence!"
The room went dead quiet. Everyone turned to look at Rasa, seated upon the Kazekage's throne.
Rasa spoke with palpable anger.
"Who is spreading this bullshit?"
"Slander! It is absolute, unadulterated slander! Selling out a comrade to end a war? I would never do such a thing. The thought hasn't even crossed my mind."
"It is an insult to every shinobi of the Sand. A peace bought with such a price is meaningless. Even if we obtained it, it would be worthless."
The expressions in the conference room shifted slightly at Rasa's declaration.
One figure stood up and addressed him.
"Then, Lord Kazekage, what is your plan?"
Rasa remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"The Hidden Mist has indeed gained the upper hand on the battlefield, but that doesn't mean we are destined to lose. As long as we unite, as long as our will is like a fortress, we can hold the line."
"I will absolutely not accept the Mist's harsh conditions."
Rasa paused, his eyes locking onto Pakura, who sat opposite him.
She wasn't particularly tall. She wore a standard combat outfit and had her hair tied in a bun, with distinct orange hair framing her face—a sharp contrast to the rest of her dark hair.
She radiated a capable, lethal aura.
An Elite Jonin of the Hidden Sand.
Possessor of the Scorch Style Kekkei Genkai.
A Hero of the Sand.
Single-handedly, she had slaughtered hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Mist ninja. The Hidden Mist hated her to their very core.
"Pakura."
Hearing her name, Pakura immediately looked at Rasa.
"Lord Kazekage."
Rasa continued, "You've probably guessed who the rumor refers to. It's you, isn't it?"
"This is a wedge the Mist is driving between us."
"We absolutely cannot fall for it."
"But regrettably, many in our village have already taken the bait. They fight over this lie, and it's dragging down the morale of our shinobi on the front lines."
Rasa looked pained, his voice heavy with emotion.
"We are all Sand shinobi, yet we are tearing each other apart because of the Mist's manipulation."
"There is zero trust in me as the Kazekage. There is zero trust in a village hero like Pakura."
"This internal strife is exactly why the Sand cannot defeat the Mist."
"It breaks my heart."
Rasa paused for effect.
"Things have reached a critical point. We must shatter this rumor to reunite the village. And to shatter this rumor quickly, there is only one way."
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Rasa, filled with anticipation.
"Pakura, marry me."
"This is the only way. If we are wed, the village will see there is no rift between us. No one will believe the rumors, and the Mist's conspiracy will be crushed!"
Rasa stood up.
Pakura froze.
She hadn't expected the conversation to go in this direction at all.
When she first heard the rumors, she hadn't really believed them.
A ninja village selling out its hero for peace? Could such a peace last?
How many hearts would turn cold because of it?
How much lasting damage would it do to the village?
But she never imagined Rasa would choose this method to break the rumor.
The problem was... Rasa was already married to Karura.
"Pakura, I know this is asking a lot of you, and I know it's a grievance. But everything—everything is for the sake of the village! As for Karura... I trust she will understand. She won't make things difficult for you. Are you willing?"
Pakura remained silent for a long time, her expression turning solemn.
Finally, she looked up at Rasa and nodded heavily.
"Lord Kazekage... I am willing."
[Mission Complete.]