The Sunagakure army rolled forward like an unstoppable wave, crushing everything in its path.
After years of grinding war against Kirigakure, most Sand ninja had grown sick of fighting. But this was different. With overwhelming superiority on their side, the exhaustion vanished. Excitement took its place.
"Kill them all!"
"A tiny village like Grass dares to provoke Sunagakure? They're asking to die!"
"They chose death. Let's give it to them!"
"Destroy them!"
Grass ninja could only retreat, step after step, their lines collapsing the moment contact was made.
The Grass Village leader screamed at the advancing army.
"What the hell do you want, Sunagakure? Are you trying to start another great war?!"
No one answered. The assault only grew more ferocious.
…
…
"Lord Kazekage."
An intelligence ninja stepped into the tower.
Rasa gave a slight nod. "How's it going?"
"Reporting, sir. Under Lady Pakura's command, our forces have achieved total dominance. Grass Village is falling apart. They're even weaker than Kirigakure was."
That was expected. Even at its lowest, Kirigakure was still one of the Five Great Villages. Grass Village was just a minor one. After surviving so many wars and still keeping its seat among the Five, the gap between great and small villages was obvious. The Uzumaki clan had special blood and even married into Konoha, yet they never made the top five. Hanzō, the so-called demigod of the ninja world, never lifted Amegakure that high either. Grass Village didn't stand a chance.
"What about the other villages' reactions?"
"Only a few minor villages are grumbling. The rest are staying quiet—even Konoha and Iwagakure, even though their influence reaches Grass Village."
Rasa nodded. "Then keep pushing. Grass Village needs to pay the full price. Let the entire ninja world see—Sunagakure always repays its debts. We hold grudges, and we settle them."
The ninja bowed deeply. "Yes, Lord Kazekage."
Rasa glanced out the window. Sunagakure was heading in the right direction. Kirigakure was no longer a threat. Minor villages were irrelevant. Even Konoha, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure would struggle to pressure them now. And inside the still-growing Akatsuki, he already had a piece on the board.
Once the Sun Disk was finished, Sunagakure's power would keep rising.
"But it's still not enough."
Rasa looked up at the evening sky. The moon was faintly visible behind the clouds.
"Forget Ōtsutsuki Kaguya for a moment—there are other Ōtsutsuki out there. Only an Ōtsutsuki can stand against another Ōtsutsuki."
The next day, fresh intelligence landed on Rasa's desk. Not about the front lines, but about Konoha.
They had fully blamed the Uchiha clan for Rin Nohara's death. Every detail was laid out clearly—reasons, specific Uchiha members involved, the genjutsu they supposedly used to control the Mist Anbu, why they picked that particular team. Names, times, locations… everything spelled out like a firsthand witness had confessed it all. More detailed than any recording could manage.
The investigator listed at the bottom: Shimura Danzo.
Rasa raised an eyebrow.
"Konoha and Danzo really know how to fake things properly. If I didn't already know this was Uchiha Madara's plan, I might've believed it myself."
"Looks like my forged suicide note actually worked. Otherwise Danzo wouldn't have needed to fabricate evidence."
Danzo didn't care about outside pressure. Only internal pressure from Konoha's leadership could force him to go this far.
"Too bad the note didn't spread widely. Someone suppressed it, or I would've gotten a lot more points from it."
"Whoever could pressure Danzo and then bury the note has to be at the very top of Konoha. Hiruzen Sarutobi…"
Rasa's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Still, Uchiha Obito did his part. He's feeding me plenty of points. I've already hit three thousand."
"Time for another guaranteed draw. And with the extra thousand, I can stir things up with the Uchiha clan. After Danzo dumped Rin's death on them, they're definitely pissed."
Rasa focused.
An invisible wheel began to spin.
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained an F-rank item: one tael of gold.]
...
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained a C-rank item: One-Person Ambition Inflation Card (Kirigakure Jonin version).]
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained a C-rank item: One-Day Loyalty Visualization Card.]
...
[Congratulations, Host. You have triggered the pity system and obtained an A-rank item: Summoning Beast Summon Card (Strong Endurance Type).]
Rasa's eyes lit up. Two brand-new items had appeared this time.
[One-Person Ambition Inflation Card]
[Six random ninja options will appear. The host may choose one. After use, that ninja's ambition will greatly expand.]
[One-Day Loyalty Visualization Card]
[After use, the host gains 12 hours of loyalty visualization. Every person within the host's line of sight will have their loyalty toward the host displayed as a number.]
Rasa quickly analyzed them.
"This Ambition Inflation Card is clearly built for causing trouble. If I used it on Danzo, he'd probably start plotting to kill Hiruzen and take the Hokage seat immediately. Too bad it's locked to Kirigakure. Still, with what I know about the Mist and our current relationship, using it on one of their jonin should bring solid benefits for Sunagakure."
"As for the One-Day Loyalty Visualization Card… it's similar to the Heart Sound Effect Card I got before, but different. The sound card only worked when someone spoke in their head. This one shows loyalty numbers no matter what, though I won't hear their actual thoughts. Both have their strengths. Both are good."
Rasa's gaze shifted to the final reward. He frowned slightly.
"But what exactly does 'Strong Endurance Type' mean for a summoning beast?"