The Shift in the Focus of the Work

Year 43 of Konoha, summer.

After Kumogakure boldly declared war on Konoha, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure, the Great Shinobi War unfolded in full swing.

Iwagakure also seemed to have been preparing for this for a long time. After the Grass Ninja were driven to the point of not wanting to enter the battlefield, they began shifting the focus of the war, directing it toward the conflict between Konoha and Kumogakure.

As for Sunagakure... it was just as it was!

Whether intentionally or otherwise, the major ninja villages seemed to have chosen the Land of Wind as the battlefield. The moment the war erupted, the various ninja forces gathered in the deserts of the Land of Wind!

Although the Ninja of Sunagakure, the village of the Land of Wind, were extremely dissatisfied with the shameless actions of these villages, what could they say now...?

Aside from swallowing their broken teeth, what else could they do?

A weak village had no diplomacy!

Now, aside from doing their best to ensure that Sunagakure survived this war... they could only endure the rest for the time being.

That same year's autumn, Kirigakure crossed the sea and formally declared war on Konoha. During that time, it also repeatedly harassed the troops Sunagakure had stationed along the border, intending to start a war with Sunagakure. Yet for some unknown reason... despite the repeated harassment, it never actually engaged Sunagakure in a large-scale conflict.

It seemed... Kirigakure must have some plan of its own!

With all Five Great Ninja Villages entering the fray, one could say that... more than half of the entire shinobi world's forces had now joined this war.

And at this time...

The battlefield on Kumogakure's side.

After experiencing yet another fierce battle, Rasa lay down on the desert, exhausted in both body and mind. How long had it been since he last gone gold panning?!

Every time he came down from the battlefield, he did not want to do anything at all. He only wanted to lie down and rest properly, so during this period... his strength had stopped increasing.

As for looting corpses... this battlefield was ultimately different from the one near Ame-Kusagakure.

Every ninja village had its own rules. Here, rummaging through the corpses of enemy villages was simply impossible. Once a battle ended, specialized Ninja would begin collecting the bodies, leaving him no time to loot them.

Although he, Rasa, dared to loot corpses while fighting over at Kusagakure... he could not do that here.

It was simply too dangerous!

If he dared to act so recklessly, the slightest carelessness could easily drive that group of Kumogakure Ninja, who were filled with a certain philosophical spirit, into a frenzy.

They were a bunch of ruthless men who dared to fight with their upper bodies bare!

Especially their Third Raikage. Though he was said to be... crude and hot-tempered toward outsiders, in reality, he was supposedly a kind and gentle old grandfather... It was best to take that with a grain of salt!

In the future, he would dare to lead a large force alone deep into the rear of Iwagakure's territory and then... fight ten thousand Ninja by himself. No matter how one looked at it, he did not seem like someone who would be easy to reason with.

If they discovered that he actually dared to desecrate corpses in front of their Kumogakure Ninja... there was no need to say more.

The next day, the Raikage would definitely lead a large force to secretly infiltrate the rear of Sunagakure's territory and do something major!

"Rasa, you really are here."

Just as Rasa was letting his imagination run wild while resting, Chiyo and Ebizo walked over with solemn expressions.

After sweeping their eyes over the surroundings, they put on serious expressions. "Perfect timing. We have something to discuss with you!"

"???"

Rasa looked at Chiyo and Ebizo in confusion.

Perhaps because he aspired to become the Fourth Kazekage, the two elder advisers had been coming to him, intentionally or otherwise, to discuss military affairs and ask for his opinion.

They were probably also trying to build his reputation~

But...

It was almost nighttime. What did they want with him?

Were they planning a surprise attack on Kumogakure?

"My sister and I are planning to find an opportunity to infiltrate the rear of Kumogakure." Ebizo stepped forward and said solemnly, "We'll see if we can threaten Kumogakure and divert their attention."

"..."

They really were planning a surprise attack!

Rasa looked speechlessly at the serious Ebizo in front of him. He sighed helplessly inwardly and was just about to say something to stop him...

Although Sunagakure was at a disadvantage in the war, there was no need to seek death at a time like this.

Did they really think infiltrating the enemy's rear was that easy?!

However, before he could speak...

"Don't try to dissuade this old man and my sister." Ebizo shook his head directly and said gravely, "I think you understand as well as anyone that if this drags on, Sunagakure will lose sooner or later."

After all, the other ninja villages had support from their rear, while Sunagakure... could not even provide itself with enough food from the rear~

Insufficient food, inadequate funds, and a shortage of Ninja—all of these factors meant that Sunagakure had to end this war quickly. It could not afford to drag things out any longer!

"So we must divert Kumogakure's attention, and their declaration of war against Konoha and Iwagakure is our opportunity!"

"..."

Rasa fell silent. He knew that this was indeed the case!

Money!

War was a money-burning business!

And Sunagakure was currently short of money.

Of course... they were also short of talented people, water, and food. Sunagakure was lacking in everything!

A few days ago, he had specifically applied to Chiyo for a sum of funds to protect Sunagakure, only to be ruthlessly rejected.

As the war continued, food prices had gradually become more and more expensive. There were even cases where people had money but could not buy food.

The Sand Ninja who had gone to purchase food this time had been unable to buy any in the end and had no choice but to seek help from the Daimyo's Office.

But... even after they managed to buy food, the price was several times higher than the market rate.

Rasa did not know how much those stingy and greedy officials from the Daimyo's Office, who wanted the horses to run without giving them grass, had pocketed, but... food was truly expensive now!

And the fact that the village could not even fulfill his burning desire to spend money on protecting Sunagakure made it clear...

Just how poor Sunagakure was now!

So Ebizo was right.

If this dragged on, who knew what might happen to Sunagakure!

If they ran out of money and food... he truly could not imagine how this war could continue. Was he supposed to pan for gold while providing support?

But...

Rasa pondered for a moment, then raised his head with a grave expression and looked at Chiyo and Ebizo. "How... do you plan to do it?!"

"How do we plan to do it?" Chiyo narrowed her eyes and walked forward with a smile, saying calmly, "Of course, we'll use what Sunagakure does best."

"Play with puppets?"

"...Use poison!!!"

Late July, Year 43 of Konoha.

Rasa temporarily took over as supreme commander, while Chiyo and Ebizo would return to Sunagakure for the time being to handle affairs in the rear and ensure its stability.

"Is everyone here?"

Sitting in the main chair of the conference room, Rasa looked at the Sand Ninja before him. Some had headscarves wrapped around their heads to block the sand, while others had bandages wrapped around their bodies to varying degrees.

"I assume you've all received the message conveyed by the Sand Ninja who went to notify you."

"Adviser Chiyo and Adviser Ebizo..." A Sand Ninja hesitated before asking, "Why are they returning to the village at such a critical moment?"

Could something have happened in the village?

"To achieve victory in the war and provide our frontline with a stable rear," Rasa said with a smile as he looked at them. "Adviser Chiyo and the others have no choice but to temporarily hand the front line over to us. We must hold the border defenses firmly during this period!"

That was more or less the idea. As for the battle plan to infiltrate the rear... there was no need to say too much with so many people around.

As soon as he finished speaking...

"Understood, Lord Rasa!"

All the Sand Ninja tensed their expressions and answered loudly.

"We will strictly carry out every order issued by Lord Rasa."

"Is that so?"

He had been waiting a long time to hear those words!

When Rasa heard this, his eyes narrowed slightly. With a smile on his face, he swept his gaze over the surrounding Sand Ninja and nodded.

"Since that's the case... then for the time being, let's shift everyone's focus of work to... panning for gold!"

"???"

What did Lord Rasa just say?!

The Sand Ninja all stared blankly at the smiling Lord Rasa before them.

Panning for gold?!