Invading Sunagakure

Time passed,

and the next night arrived.

In the distant Land of Wind, in Sunagakure.

A servant suddenly burst into the Kazekage's living quarters and hurriedly called out:

"S-sorry to disturb you, Lord Kazekage!"

"The Anbu squad tasked with investigating the Uchiha of the Leaf Village has returned! They're waiting for you in your office!"

"...Oh? They're back?"

As Kazekage Rasa heard this, all traces of sleepiness vanished.

He stood up and headed straight for the door, his voice tinged with excitement.

"Come on! Let's go hear their report!"

Whether the Uchiha clan of the Leaf Village had truly been wiped out was a matter of great importance. It had even affected Sunagakure's entire plan for rising to power.

Naturally, Rasa wanted to hear the details from them himself!

A short while later,

Rasa met the two returning Anbu squads outside his office.

"Lord Kazekage!"

"Lord Fourth!"

All the Anbu members immediately bowed to him, their faces all bearing a hint of joy.

Seeing this, Kazekage Rasa felt a surge of delight.

But outwardly, he smiled patiently and said:

"Thank you for your efforts, everyone."

"How did your intelligence-gathering mission in the Leaf Village go?"

As soon as he finished speaking, an Anbu squad leader stepped forward, lowered his head slightly, and spoke, struggling to contain his excitement.

"Reporting to Lord Kazekage, it's good news!"

"Everything in that report about the Leaf Village... was true!"

"The Uchiha of the Leaf Village really were wiped out by the rogue ninja Itachi Uchiha around two weeks ago!"

"However, the Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had already ordered that the matter be kept strictly confidential!"

"So, as of now, not a single country or hidden village has learned of this major piece of intelligence—"

"Except for us, Sunagakure!"

By the time the Anbu Captain finished speaking, his excitement was plain to see.

Intelligence that no other hidden village knew, and that only Sunagakure possessed—

What did that mean?

It meant an overwhelming intelligence advantage!

As long as Sunagakure made good use of it, it could accomplish great things!

Rasa's face immediately broke into an excited smile. His eyes lit up.

"Excellent! Excellent!"

"We haven't let our expectations down! Hahaha!"

For the first time, Kazekage Rasa let out a loud laugh he could barely contain, his eyes sparkling like stars.

"Since that's the case,"

"the Leaf Village's decline is now inevitable!"

"Next, as long as we successfully take Amegakure, we'll be able to rise to power and ultimately become the strongest hidden village!"

When he reached the words "strongest hidden village,"

Rasa's voice rose sharply!

The Sunagakure Anbu gathered there were all swept up in excitement, their blood boiling.

At that moment,

it seemed the Will of Wind in everyone's heart was stirring.

But just then, Kazekage Rasa sensed something was off. He paused, frowning.

Wait...

Something wasn't right.

By rights, the distance from Sunagakure to Amegakure should be much shorter than the distance from Sunagakure to the Leaf Village.

But so much time had already passed.

The Anbu squads sent to the Leaf Village had already returned safely. So why hadn't there been any word from the three squads sent to investigate Amegakure?

Had something gone wrong...

That didn't make sense.

Even if they had run into enemies, someone should have been able to escape...

Rasa's expression darkened as he carefully considered the possibilities.

But just then,

all of a sudden...

A tremendous explosion rang out beyond Sunagakure—

Boom!!

It sounded like mountains collapsing and the earth splitting, deafening everyone!

The ground throughout Sunagakure seemed to tremble with it!

Everyone present immediately turned pale!

And at that moment,

a Sunagakure ninja suddenly rushed over, his face deathly pale and his eyes wide with terror as he shouted:

"B-bad news, Lord Kazekage!"

"Someone has invaded Sunagakure!"

"—?"

"W-what?"

"An invasion?"

Kazekage Rasa's pupils contracted, and his mind went blank.

But in the very next instant, he snapped back to his senses. His expression darkened as he turned to the Sunagakure ninja and barked:

"Who are the enemies?

Where did they come from, and how many are there?"

At his shout, the messenger flinched, then answered with a grim expression:

"W-we haven't seen the enemy clearly yet!"

"But judging by their clothes, they seem to be from Amegakure in the Land of Rain. So far... we've only spotted one person, and we don't know who they are..."

"..."

At those words, the scene fell silent.

Not only Kazekage Rasa, but all the Sunagakure Anbu beside him were stunned.

What was going on...

Had Sunagakure, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, really been invaded by... a Rain Ninja from a small country?

And there was only one of them...!

This was absurd!

In that moment, Kazekage Rasa's expression turned darker than ever, and he said angrily:

"...Hmph!"

"Well, well, Amegakure!"

"You think you have a little strength, and now you dare attack Sunagakure without permission?"

"Have they gotten so arrogant that they've forgotten how strong we are?"

As soon as he finished speaking, chakra surged around Rasa. He quickly turned toward the Anbu in front of him and ordered sharply:

"All Anbu, move out at once!"

"Quickly find every enemy hiding nearby and wipe them all out!"

"No, wait."

"Don't kill them all. Remember to leave one alive!"

"I want to see... why a mere Rain Ninja dares to act so brazenly!"

Kazekage Rasa spoke with a dark expression, his anger plain in his eyes.

Although Sunagakure was indeed growing weaker by the day, it was still one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

No matter how weak it became, it would not tolerate being slighted by a hidden village from some small country!

That was the pride of Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage!

"Yes!"

The Sunagakure Anbu answered in unison, their expressions grave.

Seeing how angry Lord Kazekage was, they naturally didn't dare slack off.

A short while later,

two Anbu squads, fourteen members in all, sprang into action and raced toward the source of the explosion outside.

Rasa narrowed his eyes slightly and murmured coldly:

"Could it be..."

"That 'demigod' of Amegakure, Hanzo of the Salamander, isn't dead after all..."

"Hmph. It seems that once this invasion is over, it'll be about time to formally declare war on Amegakure."

A cold glint flickered in Rasa's eyes.

Now that the Uchiha clan of the Leaf Village had definitely been wiped out,

Sunagakure no longer needed to worry about anything else.

All that remained was a mere Amegakure and an aging Hanzo. They were nothing to fear.

Once they successfully took the Land of Rain,

it would be time for Sunagakure in the Land of Wind to rise to power!