"Those Sand shinobi have lost it! They're completely insane!"
"Killing enemies and dragging their bodies—what are they even doing?"
"Maybe… gathering intel?"
"Intel, my foot! They're even grabbing genin. What kind of intel could a genin have? And last time, I saw them… strip one!"
"That's horrifying!"
"Desecrating corpses… tsk tsk. Who knew the Sand shinobi had such hobbies?"
"Haven't you noticed? The ones they're targeting are mostly our Kusagakure shinobi!"
"…"
A heavy silence fell over the Kusagakure shinobi, their eyes wide as they exchanged stunned glances.
Moments later…
"They dare—how dare they! This is too much!"
The Kusagakure shinobi roared in fury.
"We'll make Sunagakure pay for this!"
Meanwhile, on the other side…
After making a tidy profit, Rasa felt his spirits lift, the gloom of recent days fading. Of course, he knew the principle of not hogging all the spoils. If he kept sending his shinobi to risk their lives and then claimed all the loot, soon enough, no one would team up with him!
So, after sorting today's haul, Rasa divided it into ten equal shares. Nine he kept for himself, and the final share… was for his shinobi.
Sure, each person only got a dozen or so ryō, but… they were thrilled to get anything at all!
As for why he took so much?
"I'm only taking what's rightfully mine," Rasa declared, his face brimming with righteousness as he faced his Sand shinobi.
"The rest… it's all for the village, to rebuild Sunagakure. I, Rasa, swear I won't pocket a single ryō from the organization!"
I, Rasa, always keep my word!
Gazing at the gacha interface, where he could now afford over eighty pulls, his heart swelled with satisfaction. [This feels amazing!]
Then, looking at the Sand shinobi gazing at him with admiration, he gave a fake cough, shaking his head solemnly. "This money's already in my ninja pouch. Don't worry—it's safe with me. I, Rasa, swear on the late Third Kazekage's name!"
[Please, trust me. Everything I do is for Sunagakure!]
His gacha spending… was all to gain the power to protect the village!
…
Konoha Year 43, spring.
For some reason, the war at Kusagakure's border had calmed down. The Kusagakure shinobi no longer dared to taunt or skirmish recklessly at the frontline.
As for Iwagakure… oddly, they were more aggressive, always dragging Kusagakure into battle. But Kusagakure firmly refused their invitations.
According to reports from Sand shinobi scouts, Kusagakure and Iwagakure had fallen out, their once-friendly alliance now strained.
The scouts described it as…
["I got beaten up, and you didn't help! Are we even allies?"]
Kusagakure was furious that they bore the brunt of Sunagakure's relentless assaults.
And Iwagakure?
They claimed ignorance.
Rasa didn't care about their squabbles. After all… nothing was easier than taking money from Kusagakure.
Discovering that a minor village like Kusagakure was richer than Sunagakure, one of the five great ninja villages, sparked outrage among the Sand shinobi.
From the days of the First Kazekage, who boldly demanded money and land in front of the Shinobi God himself, it was clear: Sand shinobi couldn't stand others being wealthier. This was… the Will of the Sand, passed down from the First Kazekage!
Without thick skin, how could they survive in this desert?
That's why, in the past two Great Shinobi Wars, Sunagakure had eagerly provoked Konoha. Who could blame them? Konoha had more missions, more money, more talent, and… greater strength.
If not them, who else would you fight?
So, when they realized beating up Kusagakure brought in more ryō than their missions, what was there to debate?
Just keep pounding them!
To maximize profits, Rasa even started… taking still-living Kusagakure shinobi and holding nightly auctions at the border!
It was clear Kusagakure was livid, but… they were powerless.
Iwagakure, for whatever reason, ignored them entirely. At this point, the alliance between Kusagakure and Iwagakure was effectively broken.
As for Iwagakure…
Rasa didn't dare treat them with such humiliating tactics. As one of the five great ninja villages, Iwagakure wasn't some poor, broken village like Sunagakure.
They could field ten thousand shinobi to corner the Third Raikage—imagine their numbers!
Of course, that hadn't happened yet. Maybe Kumogakure exaggerated the numbers later to save face for the Third Raikage?
For now… bullying the weak and fearing the strong was Sunagakure's guiding principle!
What choice did they have? The village was poor, understaffed, and lacked strength.
Kusagakure, meddling in this mess for no reason… had suffered catastrophic losses.
Eventually, no matter how much Rasa taunted at the border, Kusagakure stopped responding.
This left Sunagakure with nearly half a month of no income, their per capita earnings plummeting, and the shinobi growing restless, hurling insults at Kusagakure…
["No money? Then why fight?"]
["You don't even care about your own shinobi? Kusagakure's nothing special!"]
["Come mine gold in Sunagakure! We may be poor, but our village is full of gold!"]
Needless to say…
Kusagakure's reputation… stank.
---
By late spring of Konoha Year 43, summer loomed again.
This year's rains were scarcer than last year's, disappointing shinobi hoping for a proper bath on rainy days. They had to rely on the half-trained medical ninja, Uzumaki Kanna, to conjure some water for washing their faces.
Of course…
Today, Rasa and most of the Sand shinobi officers were gathered in the command tent, meeting with a shinobi fresh from Advisor Chiyo's front. There was no time for baths.
"Rasa-sama!"
The travel-worn shinobi, face caked with sand and exhaustion, bowed respectfully to Rasa.
Rasa's status had changed since crushing Kusagakure and Iwagakure forces.
The Fourth Kazekage!
Barring surprises, Rasa-sama would be the Fourth Kazekage.
Thus, as Sand shinobi, they held him in high esteem.
"Hm!" Rasa nodded, eyeing the shinobi who hadn't rested before summoning him. Frowning slightly, he asked, "What orders from Advisor Chiyo?"
Had they lost?
Or… been crushed by Kumogakure?
But just as Rasa spoke…
The shinobi dropped to one knee, head bowed, and said respectfully, "Advisor Chiyo orders Rasa-sama… to hand over duties here and head to the Kumogakure front immediately!"
(End of Chapter)