He Would Have to Wait for a Legal Notice from Konoha

His brow was furrowed with an intractable worry.

Fortunately, it was Rasa. If it had been his son Gaara, he would never have been able to hide all that worry—Gaara didn't have any eyebrows.

Rasa didn't spare anyone else a glance. He walked straight up to Pakura and asked bluntly, "Did you run into Lord Kazekage on your way back?"

"No. Why?"

Pakura was completely at a loss.

"Nothing."

Rasa brushed off the question about the Kazekage. Only then did he notice Daishi's corpse on the ground, and he looked surprised. "Daishi? What's he doing here? Who killed him?"

"He killed himself."

"You must be the famed Heavenly Flying Immortal Uchiha Jiang Feng, whose name has spread throughout the Ninja World."

Rasa looked Jiang Feng over a few more times. This young man really was just as the rumors described: the moment you met him, he gave you a feeling like a gentle spring breeze.

"That's me."

Jiang Feng nodded, then added, "You must be the Third Kazekage's disciple, the Magnet Release user Rasa."

"That's me."

Rasa nodded as well.

The two exchanged brief introductions, but neither rushed to make friends. There were more important things to deal with right now.

Rasa crouched beside the body and examined Daishi carefully. The knee still held traces of powerful Lightning Release chakra, along with an unfamiliar energy. Jiang Feng must have caused that.

But what had truly killed Daishi was the poison he had hidden in a back tooth.

"That's right. Daishi did die by taking poison."

Rasa nodded slightly, then raised another question. "But why would he take poison for no reason?"

"It wasn't for no reason. He failed to assassinate Pakura and me, so he killed himself out of guilt."

Assassinate Uchiha Jiang Feng and Pakura?

Rasa froze. He didn't quite understand what Jiang Feng was saying.

It was unlikely, but not impossible, that Daishi had tried to assassinate Jiang Feng. No one could guarantee that a veteran like Daishi wouldn't suddenly get carried away in a fit of passion.

But assassinate Pakura?

Everyone in Sunagakure knew that Daishi was Pakura's idol. They had been close, with Daishi as her senior.

Jiang Feng briefly recounted what had happened, then stressed, "He gave Pakura some rations first, and only afterward gave some to me. Perhaps, in his heart, killing Pakura mattered more than killing me."

"But why would he want to kill Pakura?"

That was right. Why would Daishi want to kill Pakura?

The Sunagakure and Konoha shinobi in the camp began arriving in dribs and drabs. They gathered nearby to watch and murmured among themselves, now and then turning their eyes toward Rasa, who had just arrived.

This was bad!

Rasa suddenly realized he had become the prime suspect.

He was now suspected of being the mastermind who had ordered Daishi to poison Pakura, and then to take his own life as soon as the plan failed.

"Everyone knows Daishi and Pakura were very close, while he and I didn't get along particularly well."

Jiang Feng nodded, and the Sunagakure shinobi nodded too.

"Everyone knows that although my teacher entrusted me with important responsibilities, I don't have the authority to issue orders directly to the Jonin."

Jiang Feng nodded, and the Sunagakure shinobi nodded too.

"So I wasn't the one who ordered Daishi to assassinate Pakura and you."

This time, Jiang Feng didn't nod. From the moment Rasa had arrived, ignored Daishi's body, and frantically questioned Pakura about the Kazekage's whereabouts, Jiang Feng had realized that Rasa was most likely not the mastermind.

He had already guessed who the real culprit was, but couldn't say it outright. After all, outsiders shouldn't interfere in a family's affairs. So he needed to guide Rasa toward figuring out the mastermind's identity himself.

Jiang Feng didn't nod, and neither did the Sunagakure shinobi.

Rasa's two arguments were certainly persuasive, but not persuasive enough.

Did Daishi's close relationship with Pakura mean he couldn't kill her?

Fratricide was hardly uncommon in the Ninja World. It was even possible that Daishi's friendship with Pakura, and his poor relationship with Rasa, had all been an act.

Did Rasa's lack of formal authority to issue orders to the Jonin mean he couldn't direct Daishi?

Jiang Feng didn't have the authority to issue orders to Konoha shinobi either, yet he could freely order around any Uchiha other than Fugaku. Besides, an order to assassinate a hero of one's own village would certainly have been given in secret.

Rasa's two arguments weren't enough to clear him of suspicion.

But the Sunagakure shinobi had another theory in mind, one that made Rasa look all but certain to be the mastermind: if Pakura died, Rasa would be the one to benefit most.

The factional struggles and internal divisions in Sunagakure were plain for anyone to see.

The village's upper ranks—led by the Kazekage, the Council of Elders, and Rasa—along with some of the villagers and shinobi, longed for peace and a chance to recover. Another group of villagers and lower- and middle-ranking shinobi, led by Pakura, wanted revenge and war.

One side thought the other was a bunch of brainless idiots. The other thought they were a bunch of cowards who hid behind their shells.

Which side was right?

No one knew.

But everyone knew that if Pakura died, Rasa would benefit most.

As the Kazekage's own disciple, he would be able to cement his position as the Kazekage's successor. And with Pakura gone, the warmongering faction would no longer be a serious threat. At the very least, it would no longer have a champion who could reach for the Kazekage's seat and embody its hopes.

People who weren't clever could hardly make good merchants. Pakura's subordinates were all smart people. They had already reached their own conclusion—and settled on it.

So they kept silent. When all was said and done, they still belonged to Rasa's faction.

Rasa was speechless. He wasn't one to wear his emotions openly. The Kazekage had always taught him that those in power had to learn to keep a straight face: the attitude you showed had to be the one you wanted others to see.

But now, even a blind man could see the grievance and helplessness on Rasa's face.

Everyone simply took it for an act.

"I absolutely did not order Daishi to assassinate you and Pakura!" Rasa said gravely.

Jiang Feng sighed softly and patted Rasa on the shoulder. "Whether you did or not doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that even your own people in Sunagakure think you did.

"Once I'm back in Konoha, I'll report this to the Hokage."

How dare Sunagakure try to assassinate a Konoha representative?

They'd better get ready for a legal notice from Konoha!

"So you ordered Senior Daishi to assassinate me?"

Pakura was shocked. She seemed to be a beat slower than everyone else; only now did she realize that Rasa might well be the mastermind behind the attempt on her life.

Sometimes, even if you didn't do something, everyone would insist that you had.

Jiang Feng had experienced that himself. According to storytellers, the money he'd lent his friends totaled more than the Land of Fire's annual GDP, and he'd killed so many Kumogakure Jonin that even Kumogakure didn't know it had that many.

That was what was happening to Rasa now. Everyone thought he stood to benefit the most, and he certainly had the motive to do such a thing. So in everyone's mind, Rasa was the one who had done it.

But Rasa knew he hadn't.

He hadn't yet reached the point where he had no choice but to eliminate Pakura, even though he had indeed considered it.