A Move

"Enemy attack!"

Kusagakure quickly reacted as well. As a minor ninja village that had managed to establish ties with Konohagakure, the strength of its forces was still quite impressive.

At the very least, they now dared to offend Sunagakure, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages.

Without wasting words, after quietly infiltrating Kusagakure's temporary camp, Rasa hid his body beneath the desert.

His gold mining during this period had not only granted him quite a few attribute bonuses but had also greatly strengthened his control over Chakra. At the very least, he could now temporarily create a passage beneath the desert.

Moreover, with his increased stamina, mental strength, and Chakra reserves, his ninjutsu had also become considerably stronger.

Perhaps in the future, he would be able to unleash Magnet Shield: Gold Sand Fortress Technique directly across the desert, just as Yamato could use Wood Release: Four-Pillar House Technique in the outskirts. Then he would no longer need to carry a tent whenever he went out.

Of course...

This was not the time to think about how to use ninjutsu to make life more convenient.

After infiltrating the ground beneath Kusagakure's camp, Rasa began following his original plan. He controlled his Chakra and then tried his best to follow the arrangement of the tents in Kusagakure's camp. Then...

It didn't take long.

A gigantic, rolling sand cone suddenly burst from beneath them and shot straight into the sky!

The effect was excellent. Although his Chakra could not cover the entire Kusagakure camp, it was still enough to make the Grass Ninja suffer!

They were just a bunch of weaklings, mostly Chunin and Genin. The number of Jonin in a minor village could never compare to that of one of the Five Great Ninja Villages.

If that village were not backed by Konoha and Iwagakure, their mere Kusagakure would have been crushed by Sunagakure long ago.

"Damn! Magnet Release?!"

After seeing the golden light reflecting under the moon, the Kusagakure ninja understood who their enemy was. They quickly reacted and used their own ninjutsu to resist.

But...

Wasn't this guy dead?!

He looked at the figure standing proudly atop a platform built from Gold Sand, its faint golden glow radiating beneath the moonlight.

Rasa turned his face slightly, revealing a handsome, refreshing face that also carried the marks of hardship. He cast a sidelong glance at the unusually round moon that night, his eyes filled with endless weariness and sorrow.

Yet no one paid him any attention!

Seeing how many casualties their village had suffered in a single accident, what else was there to say?

One word!

Kill!

Dozens of Grass Ninja charged forward like madmen.

And.

"Don't be afraid, it's only one person! We can do this!"

"Iwagakure is not far away. With this much commotion, they'll definitely come to support us soon."

"Kill him, that lunatic! We absolutely have to show him that our Kusagakure isn't to be bullied!"

"Send the wounded to the medical ninja! That woman is there too, so they definitely won't be in danger!"

They charged forward while angrily shouting encouragement to their companions.

But.

Since Rasa had dared to make his move this time, how could he have failed to prepare?

He sighed inwardly as he looked at another precious card on the interface. This time, one minute?

Crocodile: Devil Fruit Sand-Sand Fruit ability user, equipped with Elementalization and Desert Sunflower. Weakness: afraid of water; damage is doubled when struck by Water-type attacks.

Desert Sunflower: Controls the movement of water veins beneath the sand dunes, thereby controlling the dunes and forming quicksand that devours living beings and buries enemies alive. It is called "Sand Coffin Without a Tombstone"!

What a terrifying skill~

Without hesitation, Rasa used it directly. He even gave up all resistance. With Elementalization... he simply did not believe that this group of Grass Ninja could injure him.

Besides, this was the desert!

It was his home turf!

Rasa extended both hands toward the surface of the desert and shouted, "Desert Sunflower!"

As soon as his words fell, the entire desert began to writhe incessantly, producing a terrifying rustling sound. Before long...

The area where Kusagakure's camp stood caved inward, forming a huge bowl-shaped depression.

Just as Kusagakure was still in shock...

"Damn it, what's wrong with you? Wushe, what's wrong with you?"

"Lanlong, you... you..."

"Damn it, why have you dried up?!"

Countless Grass Ninja discovered that the companions beside them had suddenly become shriveled and motionless. Some had even... turned directly into mummies!

They were instantly filled with horror and fear.

"Get out of that pit! Get out of that pit now!"

The Grass Ninja who noticed something was wrong immediately shouted for their companions to leave the huge, cauldron-like pit.

"What a terrifying ninjutsu! It must be a forbidden technique, a forbidden technique we've never heard of!"

Prompted by their companions, the Grass Ninja trapped in the enormous pit quickly reacted. They used ninjutsu to escape and, incidentally, launched attacks at Rasa, who stood on the Gold Sand platform not far away.

"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"

"Earth Release: Fissure Earth Turning Palm!"

"Earth Release: Earth Flow Severance!"

"..."

Truly worthy of being a ninja village renowned for researching the ninjutsu of other nations and learning from them.

They were basically all using ninjutsu from other ninja villages.

Rasa did not hide. His time was limited, and he could not waste it like this. With the Sand-Sand Fruit's influence over the desert, he could feel that his control over sand had also been greatly strengthened. It moved as easily as his own limbs, as if the entire desert had become a part of his body.

"Bang~"

"Is that a Clone Technique?!"

Seeing Rasa turn into a pile of sand and dust beneath their attacks, the Grass Ninja's expressions changed at once. They were about to quickly retreat and evade the attack when...

"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Funeral!"

"Magnet Release: Gold Dust!"

"Magnet Release..."

Rasa had already formed his hand seals and rapidly unleashed his ninjutsu.

And at this moment...

Such a vast cloud of sand and dust blocked out the sky and moon. The Stone Ninja and the Sand Ninja stationed in the distance noticed it as well.

Especially when they saw the glittering golden grains of sand, many of their hearts leaped, and a guess immediately surfaced in their minds.

Rasa (Lord Rasa)?!

After all, throughout the entire village, Rasa was the only ninja who currently possessed Magnet Release: Gold Dust!

At this thought, the Sand Ninja became extremely excited. They quickly organized the ninjas who could still move and prepared to welcome Lord Rasa. After all, from this scene... it was obvious at a glance that Lord Rasa had attacked Kusagakure's temporary camp. If they did not act now, when would they?

Especially Moomu...

Ever since Lord Rasa had resolutely chosen to lure the Stone Ninja away alone, leaving him to serve as acting commander and lead the Sand Ninja in protecting the Land of Wind, the pressure weighing on him had been immense.

Especially when he had to face companions who dwindled in number every day, as well as those children who had only just arrived on the battlefield and immediately experienced the cruelty between war and ninja.

Who knew... that every night, he would raise his head alone to gaze at the moon and silently shed tears?

Damn it, he finally didn't have to serve as this blasted commander anymore.