"What incredible speed! What tremendous force!"
Yashamaru exclaimed sincerely, looking at Rasa with admiration. He knew what he was talking about.
Simply manipulating a few pieces of iron might not look nearly as impressive as controlling waves of Gold Dust, but from a shinobi's perspective, this way of fighting was far deadlier.
According to Newton's second law, an object's acceleration is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass. Its acceleration points in the same direction as the net force.
In other words, force is proportional to the rate of change of an object's momentum. This is also known as the impulse-momentum theorem.
That meant the faster something moved, the greater its momentum.
Manipulating iron consumed far less energy than controlling a massive quantity of Gold Dust. Thanks to its speed, it far surpassed Gold Dust in both lethality and accuracy.
In the silence, a sudden clap of thunder. In a world in turmoil, the sole purpose of ninjutsu was to kill. Rasa was now far deadlier than before.
Rasa smiled faintly, unruffled by praise or blame. He crooked a finger, and the various pieces of iron embedded in the stone pillars broke the sound barrier as they retraced their paths, each returning to its original position.
One hundred and fifty meters, all within his range of control.
That move had stunned Yashamaru all over again. His control range was actually that far!
What did this mean? It meant Rasa would become a true weapon of war, mowing down the weak like grass!
Who could say they didn't carry a few kunai and shuriken whenever they went out?
You could be eating a Military Ration Pill and humming a tune, then suddenly lose your head. Who could you even complain to about that?
A few days ago, Chiyo had called him one of the elite among the Jonin. Rasa did a quick estimate. By now, he ought to qualify as a quasi-Kage, right?
His methods were limited, he had no resistance to genjutsu, and his chakra reserves weren't especially large. Just now, manipulating those heavier pieces of iron had cost him more than ten percent of his chakra.
There was still plenty of room for improvement in the short term.
Just as Rasa was considering how to develop his abilities next, a burst of arguing suddenly snapped him back to the present. He turned toward the direction of the voices.
His brother-in-law Yashamaru was confronting the busty, brainless Pakura. Beside them stood a gentle-looking woman with golden, chin-length hair.
"What are you doing here?
"My brother-in-law is developing a new jutsu. Are you trying to spy on him and find a weakness so you can beat him when the chance comes?
"Let me tell you, that's impossible. My brother-in-law's new jutsu has no weaknesses!"
Yashamaru barked at Pakura like an excitable little dog, showing promise as Rasa's number-one fan!
Pakura flushed slightly and defended herself. "What do you mean, 'training'? He's just copying Lord Kazekage's jutsu.
"I happened to run into your sister and came here with her to get some fresh air!"
"Is that true, Sis?" Yashamaru turned to ask Karura.
Karura gave Pakura a knowing glance, then smiled and nodded. "Mm."
The young couple hadn't seen each other for several days and had missed one another. Karura had been thinking of visiting her boyfriend, and it was true that she'd run into Pakura along the way.
But Pakura had only followed after hearing that Rasa was developing a new jutsu. She had indeed been hoping to get a look at it.
"It's nothing. Everyone knows that Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi, was powerful. They also know his power came from Wood Release.
"Yet even so, how many people have been able to defeat Hashirama Senju?
"Not a single one."
Rasa waved a hand nonchalantly. Only then did Yashamaru let it go, though he still watched Pakura warily.
Cliques existed everywhere. Even among fellow Sunagakure shinobi, there were different factions.
Rasa and Pakura were both outstanding members of the younger generation, and each had their supporters, though Pakura had fewer.
Yashamaru, naturally, supported his brother-in-law.
Rasa looked at Karura. She was beautiful and graceful, with a gentle nature. By any measure, she was the perfect wife, matching the preferences of most people back home.
"You're here," Rasa said softly. He couldn't say he was passionately in love with her, but he was certainly going to marry her.
"Mm."
Karura nodded and looked up at Rasa's face. He seemed a little worn out after a few days apart. She asked quietly, "Yashamaru said you ran into some trouble. I just wanted to see how you were."
"It's not too bad. I can handle it."
In the original story, Sunagakure had managed to survive without being destroyed. There was no reason things would turn out worse with him in the picture.
Seeing the couple being so sweet with each other reminded Pakura of their argument in the Kazekage Office a few days earlier. Her irritation flared.
She gave Rasa a once-over, then curled her lip in a scornful sneer. "It's true that Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi, became invincible in the Shinobi World thanks to Wood Release.
"But comparing yourself to the God of Shinobi is a little too arrogant, don't you think?
"You're just a successor who inherited Lord Kazekage's legacy and is rehashing someone else's ideas."
The tension was palpable.
Rasa glanced sidelong at Pakura. "What do you want?"
Pakura thrust out her chest and met his gaze without flinching. "I want to fight you. I'll make you recognize your own strength, so you'll stop comparing yourself to the God of Shinobi and making a fool of yourself."
Just as Kirigakure shinobi idolized Tobirama Senju, everyone in the Shinobi World acknowledged Hashirama Senju's power.
Hiruzen Sarutobi being called the strongest Hokage was probably about as genuine as the Third Kazekage's claim to being the strongest. They were likely just praising each other.
"I have a clear understanding of my own strength. I won't overestimate myself, nor will I underestimate myself."
Rasa shook his head, then replied calmly, "Fine. I accept."
Pakura stared at him for a moment, then asked instinctively, "Accept what?"
"I accept your challenge."
At that, Pakura's temper flared even hotter. She was even more annoyed by Rasa's calm, overbearing tone.
Yashamaru looked at Rasa with four words written all over his face: A towering mountain, impossible to surpass!
My brother-in-law is amazing! When dealing with a woman who thinks she's better than everyone else just because she has a Kekkei Genkai, you have to crush her with an even more powerful presence!
Karura was a little surprised by the change in Rasa's personality. He seemed more confident than before.
But considering the major event Yashamaru had mentioned, the change wasn't surprising. People were fickle, and everyone had to grow up eventually.
They were all wanderers of the shinobi world. There was no need for such formalities as waiting for a full moon to duel at Forbidden City Peak. Karura and Yashamaru withdrew a considerable distance to watch.
Karura wrapped one arm around the other and said anxiously, "Pakura is a Scorch Release ninja. I've heard she's one of the elite Jonin. I just hope nothing happens to your brother-in-law.
"If the fight gets too heated and either of them gets hurt, Lord Kazekage might punish them both."
She really was a wonderful woman.
Yashamaru, Rasa's number-one fan, thumped his chest confidently and reassured Karura, "Sis, you can put your mind at ease!
"My brother-in-law's gotten much stronger. He's no weaker than Lord Kazekage, and taking down that woman Pakura should be no problem.
"Instead, you should think about where the two of you want to go on a date after my brother-in-law beats her in two or three moves."
Please bookmark, vote, and support the novel!
Before you continue