Rasa's Thoughts

Elsewhere!

Rasa and Chiyo, having returned to the Sunagakure forces, also began making preparations for the Allied Forces.

"Rasa, that Ōnoki fellow won't be easy to deal with! With command falling into his hands, there are far too many tricks he can pull. You must be careful!"

Standing beside Rasa, Chiyo warned the young Kage with a worried expression.

Having received the warning, Rasa stood silently to the side, looking down from above at the forces gradually gathering below, his expression dark.

"Don't worry, Elder Chiyo! At the very least, I still have the right to keep him in check, don't I?"

"You know Sunagakure's situation as well. If we do not join forces with the Rock Ninja, we may gain nothing by relying on our own strength alone."

"Even if I have to risk burying all two thousand of these ninja, I will take a vicious bite out of that fat piece of meat called Konoha! Sunagakure must not decline under my rule!"

At that moment, half of Rasa's savage face was hidden by sunlight. The remaining half merged with the shadows, becoming all the more terrifying.

"Rasa! You are gambling with the lives of all Sunagakure! Have you considered what will happen if you lose?"

Chiyo's already aged face gained a trace of anger. Her hands, hidden beneath her sleeves, clenched so tightly that not a hint of color remained in them, pale to a frightening degree.

"Lose?"

"How will we know who wins or loses if we do not gamble?"

"Besides, Elder Chiyo, does Sunagakure have any other opportunities left?"

Rasa suddenly looked at Chiyo, his eyes filled with madness.

That crazed look made Chiyo's expression stiffen, yet she could only stand rooted in place, her gaze evasive.

"The Daimyo's support has been decreasing year by year,