The next second, an invisible wheel spun.
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained an F-rank item: one tael of gold.]
...
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained a B-rank item: One-Day Dream Modification Card (Uchiha Obito specified version).]
...
[Congratulations, Host. You have triggered the pity system and obtained an A-rank item: S-rank Ninjutsu (Ground Surface Cracking).]
"Uchiha Obito specified version?"
Rasa raised an eyebrow.
He'd pulled the One-Day Dream Modification Card before—more than once—but never with that extra note. Usually it just gave him a list of names to pick from after use. When it worked, the results were solid. That card was exactly how he'd turned Kisame Hoshigaki against the Mist.
"Does 'Uchiha Obito specified version' mean this dream card can only be used on Obito Uchiha?"
Rasa thought it over.
In his eyes, Obito was no saint. But he had to admit the kid had real talent and power. The trauma of watching Rin Nohara die had pushed him straight from two-tomoe Sharingan to Mangekyō. Meanwhile Sasuke only unlocked a single tomoe after the Uchiha massacre night, and Izumi Uchiha had gone straight to three tomoe during the Nine-Tails attack.
Obito's Mangekyō ability was also nasty—almost impossible to pin down without prior intel.
"Craft a dream for Obito Uchiha…"
"Making him defect to Sunagakure and become my personal attack dog? Not realistic. It wouldn't work and might even backfire."
"A dream only sticks if the target actually believes it."
"Who does Obito believe in more than anyone?"
"Rin Nohara."
"Only Rin. Obito would believe anything if it came from her."
"Maybe I can use him to spread fresh rumors about Rin's death, pump up the heat, and farm more points for the third draw."
"But what kind of dream would make Obito actually want to do that?"
Rasa kept reading.
"S-rank Ninjutsu: Ground Surface Cracking."
"Another one straight from Crocodile."
[Ground Surface Cracking]
[Causes the entire earth to crack and dry out. Any trees or buildings on the surface lose all moisture and wither.]
The jutsu reminded him of another one.
Hashirama Senju. The First Hokage. Perfect Wood Release. His wood clones could manhandle the Nine-Tails. Hashirama's Wood Style was on another level compared to Ōnoki's stone puppets or even Kimimaro's or Gaara's techniques.
One of Hashirama's strongest moves was Tree World Arrival—creating a massive forest that restricted enemies and boosted his own side.
"Ground Surface Cracking looks like the perfect counter."
Rasa pictured it.
Hashirama drops Tree World Arrival and turns barren ground into a thick forest. Rasa hits it with Ground Surface Cracking. The land splits open, the trees lose every drop of water, dry out, and collapse.
"Hashirama creates. I destroy. Creation costs way more chakra. Destruction is cheap."
"Of course, even with this jutsu my current strength isn't enough to beat a living Hashirama. But my Ōtsutsuki bloodline is still growing. Once it hits twenty percent I'll be able to take him. That's only eighteen more rumors away. I've already cleared two and a half."
Rasa also saw another use.
"Before a real fight I can crack the ground and turn the whole area into desert. My sand soldiers will get a massive buff."
Magnet Release could do something similar, but it was slow and chakra-heavy. This jutsu was instant and efficient.
"Would this work on White Zetsu too? Are they technically trees? And what about the God Tree itself?"
A short while later Rasa snapped out of it and went back to paperwork.
The Sun Disk project was moving steadily forward, but it was a long-term job. Just studying the blueprints was a massive undertaking, and that was with Chiyo's help. Any other village would take twice as long.
Near evening the files were finally cleared.
Four things sat on Rasa's desk.
First: how to handle the Mist Village.
They'd already surrendered, yet Elder Genshi still pulled that suicide-bomb stunt. Even though Yagura quickly blamed it all on Genshi and called Mist the real victims, Rasa didn't buy a word of it. Mist had to pay.
Even if the Ninja World Big Events Weekly had faked the casualty numbers, the intent was real. If Rasa hadn't known in advance through Hoshigaki Goki's body and the Byakugan, Mist would've done serious damage.
"Make them come apologize. Make them pay compensation. If they don't show up in the Land of Wind, then every Mist prisoner becomes unpaid labor. The worst, dirtiest, most exhausting jobs go to them. Sixteen hours a day. Not one ryo."
Second: the next headline for the Ninja World Big Events Weekly.
And once The Basilisk Scroll finished, what story should run next to keep readers hooked? That needed serious thought.