The Duke of Zhou Spat Out His Food, and All Under Heaven Turned Their Hearts to Him

The desert sands were like snow, the sun setting over the dunes.

At dusk, Rasa and Pakura walked side by side, returning to Sunagakure beneath the slanting rays of the setting sun, chatting idly.

Roshi, their captive, was receiving VVIP treatment. He was unconscious, every joint restrained, and was being carried along inside a Gold Dust Coffin.

This was one of the few times of day when the people of Sunagakure could relax. The sky had yet to darken, the temperature was just right, and those who had finished dinner early strolled through the streets, chatting and passing the time.

Rasa and Pakura stood out as they returned from outside the village. After all, they were the two most outstanding young people in the village.

Not long ago, word had spread that Rasa had easily defeated Pakura and become a Kage Level fighter. Pakura had tacitly confirmed the story.

But today, the two of them had returned to the village together, chatting and laughing. No one could tell that their relationship was tense. If anything, they looked more like a couple.

Pakura did most of the talking, and Rasa chimed in now and then. There weren't many female ninja, and Pakura was strong but not very bright. She had a few followers, but not many friends.

The Golden Warrior had finally let down her guard after Rasa coaxed her along, chatting with him as a friend.

Something was up!

Among the crowd, Yashamaru, out for a stroll through the streets, immediately became alert. He shoved through the people and darted over to Rasa.

"Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law!" he called, waving.

Rasa slapped Yashamaru on the back of the head, then chided him with a smile. "Act your age. You're already a Chunin."

"Heh heh."

Yashamaru scratched his head, deliberately squeezed Pakura aside, and followed behind Rasa. "Did you just finish a mission, Brother-in-law? Why did you come back with this woman?"

It was impossible not to care. His brother-in-law and sister were a perfect match, so why was Pakura butting in?

Pakura glared at Yashamaru. Since Rasa was standing right there, she didn't start a fight. Instead, she silently moved to the other side and absently stroked the Iron Butterfly in her hair.

"We ran into each other along the way, so we came back together," Rasa replied casually.

His face didn't redden, and his heart didn't skip a beat. His brother-in-law had caught him flirting, but he felt not a shred of guilt. As long as his skin was thick enough, embarrassment couldn't catch up to him.

"Oh, I see."

Yashamaru glanced at Pakura on the other side. She was strong, and every bit as beautiful as his sister. She'd be a formidable rival to his sister.

But it was fine. His sister had been here first, so she would definitely be the one on top.

He glanced at the coffin behind Rasa again, tapped it a couple of times to hear what was inside, then felt around it curiously. "Brother-in-law, what's in there?"

"A gift for the village."

"A coffin? Isn't that bad luck? Did one of the village elders pass away?"

"Take a closer look at the person lying inside."

Rasa smiled and opened the coffin lid. Yashamaru leaned over and peered inside.

There was a red-haired, red-bearded man who had passed out. Other than that, there was nothing particularly unusual about him.

"Who is he?" Yashamaru asked again, unable to understand what made this man worthy of being a gift to the village.

"His name is Roshi. He's the Four-Tails Jinchuriki of the Land of Earth. In other words, a Tailed Beast is sealed inside him!"

Pakura answered before Rasa could. She raised an eyebrow. She hadn't defeated Roshi herself, but she'd at least been there on the sidelines—right in the special VIP seats.

"Hiss!"

Yashamaru hurriedly backed away, then stared at the coffin again, stunned and disbelieving.

Jinchūriki were among the strongest fighters in every village. As long as the person serving as their vessel wasn't useless, they could wield at least enough power to rival a village's Kage.

They had overwhelming strength, enormous amounts of chakra, and far greater defensive and healing abilities than ordinary ninja. Their ultimate attacks could flatten a small mountain!

That made defeating a Jinchūriki especially difficult. Even an ordinary Kage Level fighter couldn't do it, because when a Jinchūriki entered Perfect Form Tailed Beast Transformation, they were equivalent to a Tailed Beast.

There were only a handful of people in the Shinobi World today who could defeat a Tailed Beast. The Third Raikage had subdued the Eight-Tails through sheer strength, even severing one of its horns.

Long ago, the Third Kazekage had also used the properties of Iron Sand to suppress the One-Tail. It wasn't exactly a fair victory, so he only half counted.

Ōnoki, the Tsuchikage, possessed Dust Release, the most powerful offensive Kekkei Tōta in the Shinobi World. He had the strength to suppress a Tailed Beast and had done so before.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage, was at the height of his strength and mastered all five chakra natures. He was known as the strongest Hokage. Though there was no record of him suppressing a Tailed Beast, no one would doubt his strength.

After all, Konohagakure had the Nine-Tails, which was stronger than all the other eight combined. If it went berserk, it was more terrifying than all the other Tailed Beasts put together.

Yashamaru was beside himself with excitement. He forced himself to calm down, then asked in a trembling voice, "Brother-in-law, how did you defeat the Jinchūriki?

"Did you beat him before he transformed into a Tailed Beast?"

Yes, that had to be it. His brother-in-law was strong, and his Kekkei Genkai had evolved, giving him an overwhelming advantage against people. But a Tailed Beast was a giant monster.

The Four-Tails wasn't like the One-Tail, which was countered by the Iron Sand and Gold Dust techniques of the Kazekage line.

"Hmph."

Pakura lifted her chin and looked down at Yashamaru, one hand on her hip. "Rasa kept the Four-Tails Jinchūriki on the defensive the whole time!

"Even after he transformed into a Tailed Beast, Rasa subdued him with a single move. Don't underestimate people, kid."

He'd been subdued after transforming into a Tailed Beast!

Yashamaru froze on the spot. Defeating a Jinchūriki and defeating a Tailed Beast were completely different things.

The Third Kazekage could only bully the One-Tail with the Iron Sand Technique. Did that mean his brother-in-law was already stronger than Lord Kazekage?

The strongest man in Sunagakure, the Double Flower Red Pole!

Suddenly noticing something odd in Pakura's tone, Yashamaru clicked his tongue and said mockingly, "My brother-in-law defeated a Tailed Beast with his own strength. I should be proud of him as his brother-in-law, shouldn't I?

"What are you so proud of, woman?"

This was serious. She already had a sense of ownership. He had to tell his sister.

Pakura blushed furiously and stammered, "A powerful fighter who can defeat a Tailed Beast has appeared in the village.

"As a member of Sunagakure, isn't it only natural that I'd be proud?"

That made sense.

Yashamaru stopped pressing her. After warily glancing around, he leaned close to Rasa and asked in a low voice, "Brother-in-law, will the whole village be told about this?"

"Yes," Rasa said with a nod.

Until now, his predecessor and Pakura had been locked in a battle of mediocre fighters. They were both in their early twenties, and he was still only an Elite Jonin.

They were considered evenly matched, but Pakura was two years younger than Rasa. If she hadn't lacked political instincts, while his predecessor had the backing of the Third Kazekage, public opinion wouldn't have favored Rasa.

The Raikage's two sons, Hatake Sakumo of Konohagakure, and the Sannin had all been able to fight true Kage Level opponents by the time they reached Rasa's age.

They were considered near-Kage. Near-Kage fighters had obvious weaknesses in certain areas compared to true Kage Level fighters, but against ordinary ninja, there wasn't much difference.

Defeating Pakura some time ago clearly hadn't been enough. This time, he'd gone for something big. A Jinchūriki, a Tailed Beast—was that impressive enough?

Besides, revealing the news now would help strengthen the unity of the village's ninja. Once their morale improved, their fighting strength would rise by a couple of points without any extra effort.

The Land of Earth had just claimed its Jinchūriki had gone missing in the Land of Wind and sent a special forces squad to search for him. Then Rasa had knocked him out and brought him back.

It was a powerful response. Compromise wouldn't bring peace. If you wanted something, you had to win it with your own fists.

So, spreading the news would benefit Rasa in every way.

"Then, Brother-in-law, you don't mind if I tell people first?" Yashamaru asked eagerly.

"What, do you like being a messenger that much? If you do, go ahead." Rasa smiled.

With Rasa's permission, Yashamaru cheered and charged through the crowd toward the Kazekage Office.

As he ran, he shouted, "My brother-in-law Rasa defeated a Tailed Beast in Perfect Form and captured the Four-Tails Jinchūriki of the Land of Earth..."

He called out a few other rousing things, too.

The streets of Sunagakure erupted in an uproar. Defeating a Tailed Beast and capturing a Jinchūriki were things most people couldn't even dream of.

Sunagakure was vast and sparsely populated, with few ninja. Its small population made it difficult for true powerhouses to emerge, while even its specialty profession of puppeteering had too many limitations.

Decades of dwindling talent, isolation in a corner of the world, and defeat in the Second Shinobi World War—all sorts of reasons had left the people of Sunagakure hoping that a true powerhouse would emerge in their village.

Someone strong enough to lead them into battle and seize more resources.

Everyone in the street moved aside to make way for Rasa and Pakura, looking at Rasa as if he were the village's one and only hope.

They worshipped him.

Some of the older ninja even wept with joy, rushing about to spread the news and shouting that Sunagakure had a future!

A Kage Level fighter who could defeat Pakura and one who could suppress a Tailed Beast and capture a Jinchūriki were two entirely different things.

The latter could do far more to raise a village's morale.

Rasa played along, remaining composed despite the praise. He opened the coffin and used Gold Dust to lift Roshi up, showing everyone his achievement.

Points +1+1+1+1...

At last, Rasa had truly won over all of Sunagakure. Even Pakura's supporters had to admit that Rasa was better suited to become Kazekage.

Returning home in glory was like wearing brocade by night.

The Duke of Zhou spat out his food, and all under heaven turned their hearts to him!

Amid the cheers of the crowd, Rasa made his way to the Kazekage Office. Pakura had already quietly stepped aside.

Chiyo, who had heard the cheering and learned what happened from Yashamaru, stood in front of the office beside Ebizo, who was dressed as the Kazekage. She watched Rasa with deep satisfaction.

He was vigorous and spirited, and his strength had improved at an astonishing rate. Even if they let him succeed as Kazekage right now, it wouldn't cause any trouble.

"Thud!"

Rasa put Roshi back in the coffin and planted it heavily on the ground, making a loud noise. Then he calmly reported, "Reporting to you, Teacher, and Elder Chiyo.

"During a reconnaissance mission, I, Jonin Rasa, encountered Roshi, the Four-Tails Jinchūriki of the Land of Earth, who had infiltrated the Land of Wind with the intention of assassinating the Kazekage.

"Out of concern for my teacher's safety, I fought him and captured him."

First things first: pin a charge on him.

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