Never mind Ōnoki, who was gearing up to take his lackeys to the Land of Lightning and give the Raikage a hard time.
Roshi had made up his mind too. He and Ōnoki were both hot-tempered, and they argued all the time. On many issues, their views were diametrically opposed.
In the past, Ōnoki had always used his status as Tsuchikage to shut him down. This time, Roshi was determined to do something about it and give Ōnoki a hard slap in the face.
"Where were you when you ran into that Luo Yongxin?" Roshi asked, fixing Mahiru with a piercing stare.
Mahiru knew what Roshi intended to do and was reluctant to answer. Jinchūriki usually needed the Kage's approval to carry out missions, so they had less freedom than ordinary shinobi.
"Come on, tell me!
Ōnoki has already approved my operation. What are you afraid of? Didn't you hear what he just said?
He wants me to investigate personally and show him the evidence."
Roshi pressed Mahiru again. He already had a rough idea where the special operations team had entered the Land of Wind, but getting the exact location would undoubtedly make things easier.
That had just been something he'd said in the heat of the moment!
Mahiru couldn't resist Roshi. After hesitating for a moment, he gave him the exact location. "About two hundred and twenty kilometers south of the border between the Land of Birds and the Land of Wind.
Please don't tell anyone I told you."
Roshi patted Mahiru on the shoulder and pulled him to his feet, reassuring him. "You don't trust me? Don't worry. This has nothing to do with you. It was all my idea.
And I found the location myself after scouting the area."
Mahiru breathed a sigh of relief. Roshi might have a fiery temper, but he always kept his word and was considerate enough not to do anything that would put everyone in a difficult position.
He opened his mouth, unsure what to say, then finally managed, "Luo Yongxin is very strong. If you run into him, be careful."
Roshi gave a dismissive laugh and replied boldly, "His Lightning Release is strong, sure.
But am I that weak? No matter how strong he is, can he be stronger than a Jinchūriki? Stronger than a Tailed Beast?"
Mahiru said nothing. A Jinchūriki in Complete Tailed Beast Transformation was a weapon of war. One Tailed Beast Bomb could blast apart a hill, and, most importantly, they had an enormous amount of chakra.
Thinking about it, Roshi probably was a little stronger than Luo Yongxin.
Several hours later, Ōnoki finally finished assembling his lackeys and led them off in a grand procession toward the Land of Lightning. That was how a decisive man got things done: swift and resolute.
Roshi took the opportunity to sneak out of the village. He was determined to uncover the truth behind the incident and prove his suspicions were right.
Meanwhile, Rasa had put in a full shift and managed to carve out a rough opening in the mountainside. The specific layout and interior design could wait for later.
A deep sense of satisfaction filled his heart. This would be the headquarters of the Celestial Group he planned to establish!
Having multiple aliases was essential to founding the Celestial Group. His position as Kazekage was all but assured, and in the future, he could use Sunagakure as a base to influence the entire Shinobi World.
The Celestial Group, meanwhile, would play the role of a troublemaker, a mere supporting act, stirring up as much chaos as possible.
Then he could imitate Chiang Kai-shek, micromanaging the map from behind the scenes. With himself playing both sides, the Shinobi World would be like a toy, there for him to play with.
One extra-large coffee was never as much as one large coffee and ten medium ones combined. Taking diminishing returns and the degree of control into account, the alias strategy was the safer option.
After returning to the Land of Wind, he took off his alias and dispelled the Transformation Technique. He completed the reconnaissance mission along the way, then headed toward Sunagakure.
A few minutes later, Rasa furrowed his brows. He sensed an unusual reaction in the magnetic field several hundred meters away.
Ever since developing the Microwave Radar, Rasa had gotten into the habit of keeping it active as he went about his daily business. It didn't take much energy, and it gave him an early warning. Why not use it?
Objects with different temperatures and structures returned different echo frequencies. Judging by the frequency of the signal he'd just received, there was only one target. It was probably a shinobi skilled in fire-based techniques.
Could it be Roshi? Had that guy really gotten lost?
Rasa grew uncertain and went on alert. Roshi could use the same Lava Release as the Four-Tails Son Goku—in other words, magma.
Fire and magma were fundamentally different, but Rasa still couldn't distinguish the microwaves they emitted. His Microwave Radar was still too crude.
A few minutes later, a swift, slender figure appeared in the distance, waving at Rasa as she ran toward him.
A dark green bun, orange bangs, a curvaceous figure, a lovely face the sandstorms seemed unwilling to mar, and her signature backless outfit.
Pakura, the Scorch Release user. Rasa lowered his guard. The microwaves from Scorch Release were similar to those from Fire Release, so he'd nearly hit a teammate.
Rasa had been deliberately flirting with Pakura around the village for some time, and she wasn't as cold toward him now as she used to be.
The atmosphere was a little awkward. Neither of them seemed to know what to say. Pakura just stood in front of Rasa, her fingers repeatedly brushing the Iron Butterfly in her hair.
Points +1... +1...
Rasa looked Pakura over and spoke first. "What are you doing here?"
Pakura put one hand on her hip, raised an eyebrow, and shot back, "What, are you the only one who can take a reconnaissance mission? I'm not allowed to come out on one?"
Sunagakure's environment made it hard to earn money any other way, so its shinobi relied heavily on missions for their income. Rasa was the exception.
There might not be a mine at Rasa's home, or a home in the mine, but if he wanted, the entire desert could become a gold mine. That was one of the reasons Elder Chiyo insisted on appointing him Kazekage.
At last, Magnet Release: Gold Dust could return to its original purpose. Even dozens of episodes wouldn't be enough to cover all the ways to get rich.
Rasa said nothing. He circled Pakura a few times, his gaze moving over her body as he silently appraised her.
Pakura was getting a little irritated—and a little uneasy—under his scrutiny. She turned to face him and continued, "Actually, Elder Chiyo sent me.
She said it was too risky for you to be alone. You've been gone from the village for so long, and you might have run into trouble, so she sent me to help."
"What good is one Elite Jōnin?" Rasa muttered.
He was here to cut people down. His target was Iwagakure's special operations team, and it had taken special methods to kill all the enemies in a single night.
Even another Kage Level fighter might need ten days or half a month to finish the job. First, they'd have to find the enemy, right?
He'd only been away for four or five days, and Chiyo had already sent reinforcements.
Chiyo was too sensitive.
Pakura frowned, displeased with Rasa's reaction. Before setting out on the mission, she'd been secretly pleased and had wondered how Rasa would react when he saw her.
She wasn't expecting him to welcome her with open arms like in the Warring States Period stories, but he could at least say something like, "With you by my side, I have nothing to fear." Did he really not need her at all?
"Do you really think so little of Elite Jōnin?" Pakura asked indignantly.
Rasa nodded. Wasn't an Elite Jōnin just a super-soldier?
You were an Elite Jōnin yourself just a month ago. You betrayed the working class. CNM.jpg
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