Rasa, Who Values Love and Loyalty

Shinobi God--Hashirama Senju Chakra Experience Card (Two Stars): Ten seconds!

This was the only two-star item he had obtained in twenty-two pulls, and judging from its description, it seemed to be an exceptionally rare two-star item.

It was truly hard to come by.

After cursing the Trash Gacha Pool in his heart, Rasa looked at the desert before him, which had already returned to calm.

The Stone Ninja... had all been dealt with by him.

As expected of the Shinobi God~

The moment the Chakra flooded into him, he could feel his entire body filled with power and energy. He trembled uncontrollably, then let out a satisfied, "Mmh~," sound.

There was only one word for it!

Awesome!

The only regret was that after those ten seconds passed, the feeling of emptiness... still had not faded. He only wanted to light a cigarette, sit at the head of his bed, and admire tonight's moon through the window.

And such a huge amount of Gold Sand... had all vanished just like that!

What a pity!

Rasa's current Chakra simply could not gather that much Gold Sand, so he could not even go on a wild spending spree.

Rasa helplessly shook his head inwardly and stamped on the sand beneath his feet. Seeing no reaction, he breathed a sigh of relief. "It should be fine now!"

After such a terrifying sandstorm, it was probably impossible for anyone to have survived.

The Shinobi God's Chakra reserves were truly terrifying!

As for now...

Rasa looked at the pitch-black night around him, furrowing his brows slightly as he pondered. "I'll rest for now. Tomorrow morning, I'll..."

Continue panning for gold!

As for Sunagakure... Wouldn't those bastards come looking for him?

They had left him to deal with all those Stone Ninja alone. If he had not had the Potion and happened to draw a decent card, he would probably have been finished by now.

"What a bunch of heartless people. You've really broken my heart!"

No matter what, he was publicly known as the Disciple of the Third Kazekage, yet they had not even shown him the slightest concern.

So he might as well honestly rely on himself, spending money to become stronger.

Besides, at this stage...

Rasa felt it was better for him not to show up. After all, the Stone Ninja had pursued him under the watch of the Grass Ninja. If he appeared on the battlefield now, he would surely draw the attention of Iwagakure.

Although if he worked hard to stand out during this period, as the Disciple of the Third Kazekage, he would surely ascend to the position of Fourth Kazekage.

But...

Why become the village head of this impoverished backwater called Sunagakure?

It had no money, no manpower, and sandstorms every day. He would even have to work hard panning for gold to earn money and support the entire village...

It was simply too exhausting!

So why not honestly hide and divert Iwagakure's attention?

It wasn't that he was afraid!

Really. He was the Disciple of the Third Kazekage, after all. It was just one Tsuchikage, Raikage, and Hokage... Who, who... who would be afraid?

The end of Year 42.

The war had continued for nearly two months. The war in the north against Kumogakure was growing increasingly fierce, and due to the limited number of Ninja, Sunagakure was gradually falling into a passive position. Almost every Ninja the village could send out had already been dispatched. Even children who had only recently started attending school... were met by teachers with bloodshot eyes and smiles of satisfaction at the corners of their mouths. "Child, you have tremendous talent as a Ninja. After review, the higher-ups have decided to let you graduate early and become an honorable Ninja, so you can shine and contribute to the village!"

And then...

They were sent to the battlefield.

Everyone knew that these children, who had been so excited that they could not sleep all night after receiving their Genin forehead protectors, would have predictable results once they reached the battlefield... Only a pitiful few would probably survive!

Moreover, even if these kids went to the battlefield, they would not be very useful. If they survived, perhaps they could become excellent Ninja under the guidance of their seniors, but most of them... were merely treated as cannon fodder.

When faced with despair, they could only pour out the strength of the entire village in hopes of achieving victory.

And at this moment...

After resisting another wave of Kumogakure's invasion, Chiyo sat wearily inside the temporary command center. When she saw the news from another battlefield in her hand, her eyes widened, and she froze completely. A moment later, she slammed her hand on the table. "Rasa... that boy Rasa actually sacrificed himself?!"

"???" After Ebizo heard his sister's words, he froze as well. He stared at Chiyo in disbelief. "You mean... something happened to Rasa?"

"That's right!" Chiyo nodded, anger and helplessness in her eyes. Finally, she sighed in sorrow and shook her head. "Two months ago, just after Rasa led his troops to the battlefield, they were ambushed by the Stone Ninja and the Grass Ninja. In order to preserve as much of our fighting strength as possible, he... sigh~ After appointing Moomu as the temporary commander, Rasa lured all the Stone Ninja away by himself. From that moment onward, he... never returned!"

"Th-this... this..." Ebizo was so furious after hearing Chiyo's words that he did not know what to say. He paced angrily around the temporary command center. "This is outrageous, absolutely outrageous! How dare a mere Kusagakure invade our Sunagakure?" After saying that, he sighed helplessly and shook his head with emotion. "Rasa... he truly lived up to the title of Disciple of the Third Kazekage!"

He valued love and loyalty. After an accident befell the Third Hokage, he had gotten drunk alone and suffered a mental blow. Yet when other villages invaded, he had still chosen to stand up, protecting his comrades and preserving Sunagakure's fighting strength!

"If he's still alive... perhaps he could become the Fourth Kazekage and protect Sunagakure!"

"What use is there in saying that now?"

Chiyo crushed the slip of paper in her hand, furrowing her brows slightly as she sank into thought.

"This matter must not be widely publicized."

The Third Kazekage's accident had already had a major impact. If something had now happened to Rasa as well... the blow to Sunagakure was easy to imagine.

"Understood!"

Ebizo nodded, then swept his stern gaze over the other Jonin nearby. After they all nodded seriously in promise, he looked back at Chiyo.

"Then... how is the situation over there?"

"...Not good either!" Chiyo was silent for a moment before shaking her head helplessly. "Most of the village's reinforcements have been sent here. Facing the cooperation between Kusagakure and Iwagakure, they're about to collapse. They hope to receive reinforcements."

Sunagakure...

Had ultimately fallen into a disadvantageous position.

And at this moment.

A young man with short brown hair stood atop a sandcastle formed from piled-up sand not far away. Looking ahead, he furrowed his brows slightly and muttered, "That's not right~. Shouldn't the main battlefield be over at Kumogakure?"

Why did the battle line here look as if it were about to collapse?!