Shocking Secret! The Strongest Kazekage Has Vanished

Outside Kikyo Pass, Sunagakure's frontline headquarters.

Gale-force winds swept yellow sand through the night sky, lashing against the canvas tents with sharp crackling sounds.

The entire camp was brightly lit.

Countless Sunagakure ninja were rapidly assembling, the clashing of kunai and ninja blades rising and falling without pause.

Rasa descended from the sky atop a disk of Gold Dust, landing steadily in the open space at the center of headquarters.

Ignoring the reverent looks around him, he strode toward the command tent at the very heart of the camp.

The order to launch the general assault ahead of schedule had been issued by him overstepping his authority.

According to the original plan, the Sunagakure army was supposed to launch its surprise attack at dawn the next morning.

That was when people were physiologically at their most exhausted, and the Hidden Leaf's defenses would be at their weakest.

But the situation had changed.

Konoha's Third Outpost had already received intelligence that its supply line had been cut off.

That sinister viper Orochimaru would never sit still and wait to die.

If they delayed until dawn, the Hidden Leaf's reinforcements would definitely have reached Kikyo Pass.

At that point, Sunagakure would no longer be fighting a surprise battle, but a brutal siege.

Rasa lifted the heavy curtain and strode into the main tent.

The lighting inside was somewhat dim, and a massive tactical map lay in the middle.

Two elderly figures stood before the map.

Sunagakure's elders, Chiyo and Ebizo.

"Rasa, you changed the time of the general assault without authorization." Chiyo turned around, her clouded eyes fixed on Rasa.

There was no anger in her tone, only an oppressive calm.

Rasa walked to the map and dropped to one knee in a military salute.

"Lady Chiyo, the supply line has been successfully cut off. But there were some unexpected developments."

Rasa raised his head, met Chiyo's gaze, and truthfully reported what had happened during the encounter.

"A Hidden Leaf Genin escaped. My subordinate went after him, but was completely wiped out."

A sharp gleam flashed through Ebizo's clouded eyes.

"Your subordinate was an elite Chunin. How could a Hidden Leaf Genin possibly have killed him?"

"That is also why I decided to launch the general assault ahead of schedule." Rasa rose to his feet and walked beside the map.

"A charred crater ten meters in diameter was left at the scene. Its destructive power was astonishing."

"That was definitely not an ordinary Explosive Tag trap. The Hidden Leaf may possess some unknown high-powered ninja tool."

"The intelligence has already leaked, and Orochimaru is on guard. If we keep waiting, we will lose the initiative."

Rasa pressed both hands against the edge of the map, his eyes blazing as he looked at the two elders.

"Launch the general assault immediately. Before Orochimaru has time to gather his forces, tear apart their defenses!"

The tent fell into a brief silence.

Chiyo and Ebizo exchanged glances.

These two elders had struggled through the ninja world for decades and understood all too well how rapidly the situation on a battlefield could change.

Rasa's judgment was not wrong.

"You may all leave. Rasa stays." Chiyo waved to the other guards in the tent.

Several Sunagakure ANBU immediately withdrew without a sound, lowering the curtain behind them.

Only the three of them remained in the tent.

The atmosphere suddenly became exceedingly heavy.

Chiyo walked up to Rasa and heavily tapped the location of Konohagakure on the tactical map twice with her withered fingers.

"Rasa, you did the right thing. Sunagakure cannot afford to drag this war out."

Chiyo's voice was terribly hoarse, every word carrying crushing weight.

Rasa froze for a moment.

He had expected Chiyo to reprimand him for acting on his own initiative. He had not expected this reaction.

"Lady Chiyo, we have twice the Hidden Leaf's forces. Even if we fight them head-on, we can take Kikyo Pass."

"You are too young. You have no idea what the village is facing now." Chiyo shook her head.

She raised her head, her wrinkled face filled with exhaustion.

"Rasa, what I am about to tell you is currently Sunagakure's highest secret."

"Other than Ebizo and me, only a few of the village's higher-ups know."

Chiyo paused, then said each word slowly and clearly. "The Third Kazekage has vanished."

The words exploded beside Rasa's ears, leaving his head buzzing.

His eyes snapped wide open as he stared at the two elders in disbelief.

"How is that possible?! The Third was known as the strongest Kazekage in history. Who could make him vanish without a sound?!"

Rasa's breathing quickened.

The Third Kazekage was Sunagakure's stabilizing pillar.

That man who wielded Magnet Release Iron Sand possessed unfathomable strength.

In the entire ninja world, there were only a handful of people who could threaten the Third Kazekage's life.

Even if something had truly happened to him, there could not possibly have been no sign of battle at all.

"That is the truth." Ebizo sighed, his shriveled face full of sorrow.

"We secretly sent out a large number of ANBU to search for him. For a full half month, there has been neither sight of the living nor the dead."

Ebizo walked to Rasa's side and patted his shoulder.

"Not a hint of the Kazekage's disappearance can be allowed to leak. Otherwise, the entire village will collapse in an instant."

Rasa felt his limbs turn cold.

He finally understood why Sunagakure was launching an all-out war against the Hidden Leaf at this time, regardless of the cost.

This was not about seizing a few patches of fertile land at all.

It was to cover up the earth-shattering scandal of the Kazekage's disappearance!

Chiyo looked at the tactical map, her tone steeped in helplessness.

"The daimyo of the Land of Wind has been continuously cutting the village's military budget. The village's supplies are already stretched thin."

"Now the Kazekage has suddenly vanished, and everyone within the village is in turmoil. If the other great nations notice our weakness at a time like this..."

Chiyo did not continue, but Rasa completely understood what she meant.

That old fox Onoki of Iwagakure, along with those warlike maniacs from Kumogakure.

Once they learned that Sunagakure had lost its strongest combat power, they would definitely pounce without hesitation and tear Sunagakure to pieces!

"So we must strike first." Rasa took over from Chiyo, his voice cold as ice.

"Shift the conflict outward. As long as we defeat the Hidden Leaf on the battlefield and seize enough supplies."

"We can shut the daimyo up and stabilize the morale within the village."

Rasa clenched his fists.

That explained why Sunagakure had nearly mobilized its entire village for this battle at Kikyo Pass.

They had placed every last chip on this gambling table.

If they won, Sunagakure could survive this crisis and gain a chance to catch its breath.

If they lost, the entire Land of Wind would be doomed beyond redemption.

"There is more." A vicious glint flashed through Chiyo's clouded eyes.

"We must also display Sunagakure's might on the battlefield and show the other great nations our strength."

"Make them believe that the Third Kazekage is still directing matters from behind the scenes, so they will not dare move against us lightly."

Chiyo turned her head and stared hard at Rasa.

"Rasa, you are the most outstanding talent of the younger generation in the village. Your Magnet Release Gold Dust is a devastating weapon on the battlefield."

"In this war, you must earn glorious achievements."

"If the Third truly cannot return, the village will need a new hero to stabilize the situation."

Chiyo had made herself very clear.

As long as Rasa could lead Sunagakure to victory in this war, he would be the sole candidate for the Fourth Kazekage.

Rasa's heart began to pound wildly.

Power, status, the village's survival—every burden fell upon his shoulders at that moment.

Yet he did not retreat. Instead, he felt an intense surge of exhilaration.

"I understand." Rasa dropped to one knee, his voice ringing loud and clear.

"I will never let the village be destroyed by the Hidden Leaf. I will take Kikyo Pass!"

Chiyo nodded in satisfaction.

"Go. Command of the front line is entirely yours. Do not worry about casualty figures. I only want victory!"

Rasa rose to his feet and walked out of the command tent without looking back.

The howling wind outside still raged.

Rasa looked over the densely packed Sunagakure army before him and rapidly formed hand seals.

A vast quantity of Gold Dust poured from the gourd on his back, gathering into a massive disk in midair.

Rasa stepped onto the disk and rose into the sky.

Enhanced by chakra, his voice spread throughout the entire camp.

"Warriors of Sunagakure! The Hidden Leaf occupies the most fertile lands, yet leaves us struggling amid wind and sand!"

"Today, we will use the ninja blades in our hands to reclaim what belongs to us!"

"Entire army, advance! Flatten Kikyo Pass!"

Thunderous roars echoed through the night sky.

Thousands of Sunagakure ninja became streaks of shadow, sweeping toward the Hidden Leaf's defenses like a yellow torrent.