Do Me a Favor

"There are Sand shinobi who die in battle, but no Kazekage who surrenders or is taken prisoner!"

Rasa let out a deep, fierce shout and charged at Dōmeki like lightning. Dust and sand filled the air in his wake, and the air burst apart! He had completely abandoned all his concerns and Ninjutsu. His only thought was to fight the boy to the death with the strength he had forged through countless trials!

"I wouldn't be so sure!" Dōmeki thought, but there was no trace of panic on his face. He even looked delighted.

Although he had always been engrossed in developing Ninjutsu, as a man, what Dōmeki loved most was a Taijutsu fight where every punch hit flesh!

Rumble!

Dust billowed across the sky as sand and stones flew. Fists met feet, high met low!

The fierce battle left a dazzling trail of afterimages across the desert. The two figures collided and separated again and again, the cracking sounds of their exchanges never ceasing.

As flesh and bone collided and fists met fists, Rasa gritted his teeth. The monstrous boy's strength left his whole body aching. In just an instant, he realized how exceptional the boy's talent for battle was, leaving him no choice but to devote all his strength and attention to the fight.

Then, in a daze, he seemed to hear the boy sigh in disappointment. "Is that all?"

"What?"

Rasa's heart jolted. A fierce gust rose, and a straight punch blasted through the air, heading directly for his face.

Rasa wanted to dodge, but he couldn't. The punch was so fast and so forceful that he had met very few people in his life capable of throwing one like it. At such close range, probably only a handful could have dodged it.

He could only watch as the fist smashed into his face. Rasa's mind went blank in an instant, and he nearly lost all awareness of his surroundings.

When he came to, he found himself airborne. The red-haired boy had tapped his toes lightly against the ground and passed over him. His right foot, charged with an enormous amount of Chakra, rose high and slammed down on Rasa's body like a battle-axe!

Bang!

A human-shaped crater exploded into the sand, cracks spreading out in every direction. A moment later, the surrounding quicksand filled it in again.

Pfft!

Lying faceup in the crater, Rasa spat out a mouthful of blood. The agony throughout his body told him that an unknown number of his bones had been broken.

Just then, the red-haired boy's face appeared above him, looking down. Rasa used every ounce of strength he had to gather his Chakra and force out a few words.

"Gold Dust Burial"

Before he could finish speaking, he heard chains rattling. Rasa abruptly looked down and saw several black chain patterns spreading across his body. The Chakra within him could not move at all.

His body floated up of its own accord, hanging limply in front of the red-haired boy.

"Sealing Jutsu!"

Rasa stared dejectedly at Dōmeki, his heart sinking to the bottom. As the village's current strongest fighter, what would become of it without him?

He thought of Lord Third, who had suddenly disappeared. The situation now was even more critical than it had been then. After all, he and Pakura had stepped up at the time, but now Sunagakure had no one to succeed its older generation, not even someone who could take his place and support the village.

What was more, he had fallen into the hands of that treacherous fellow Orochimaru, who also had a plan that would decide the village's future. Sunagakure might even fall beyond redemption!

Rasa suddenly raised his head and glared fiercely at the red-haired boy. "Although the village wronged you, you still came from Sunagakure. If you have even the slightest bond with it in your heart, please don't let Sunagakure-"

Dōmeki coldly cut the Fourth Kazekage off. "Sorry, Lord Orochimaru will decide Sunagakure's fate!"

"Shun-kun, I don't have any ill intentions toward Sunagakure!"

Just then, Orochimaru's chilling voice sounded beside them.

Dōmeki turned to see Orochimaru appear beside him with Kimimaro, wearing his familiar smile. Kimimaro nodded to the boy, signaling that his body was fine, then stood behind Orochimaru.

Rasa glared furiously at Orochimaru, his emotions in turmoil. The moment this man reached a cooperative agreement with Sunagakure, he had turned on his partner and captured its supreme leader, and he still dared to say he had no ill intentions toward Sunagakure?

Orochimaru paid no mind to Rasa's glare and spoke with an almost cheerful smile.

"After all, I still need Sunagakure to lend me a hand with my plan!"

Orochimaru ran his long tongue over Rasa's face, his smile growing deeper.

"However, I'm worried that Sunagakure's own little schemes will interfere with the plan, so I want to take the lead in carrying it out, and..."

"As the Fourth Kazekage!"

As soon as Orochimaru finished speaking, a small snake shot out of his mouth. In its mouth was an incomparably sharp sword—the Kusanagi Sword!

The sword, which could cut through almost anything, thrust toward Rasa's throat with a chilling air. Before it even reached him, he could feel a faint pain in his skin.

Rasa closed his eyes in despair. The images of countless people flashed through his mind, and finally...

"Karura, I'm coming to join you!"

Drip!

A crimson drop of blood fell onto the yellow sand and instantly soaked in, vanishing from sight.

But unexpectedly, Rasa's eyes flew open. To his astonishment, the sharp blade had merely cut his skin before stopping in front of him, unable to advance another inch!

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and looked at Dōmeki with a trace of surprise and inquiry. A moment later, he chuckled.

"Shun-kun, I didn't expect you to still be attached to Sunagakure. Come to think of it, this is the first time you've gone against my wishes!"

Dōmeki scratched his hair somewhat helplessly and gave Orochimaru an awkward smile. "Orochimaru, I hope you can do me a favor!"

"I once owed someone in Sunagakure a favor, so I'm asking you to spare Rasa's life. Let that settle the debt!"

"Besides, the Kazekage is already in your hands. Whether you take his life isn't that important anymore!"

"Oh?" Orochimaru looked Dōmeki up and down. He could understand the complicated feelings people in the Shinobi World had toward the villages they came from.

"Not being able to use the Kazekage's face will make things a little difficult," Orochimaru mused. "The old man isn't so easy to fool, after all!"

In the end, Orochimaru agreed to the boy's request and said with a smile:

"Very well. After all, this is the first time my dearest disciple has ever asked me for something!"

Dōmeki activated the Favor-Favor Fruit's ability-do me a favor. It was super effective!

Rasa's thoughts stirred, and he asked the boy:

"Who was that person?"

But all he got was a casual wave from the boy, whose back was turned to him!