"Strange. Why are those brutes so quiet today?"
"The Hidden Cloud usually doesn't miss a chance to harass our camp, even in their sleep."
In the Sand Shinobi camp, Chiyo and Ebizō performed their usual morning inspection. But as they walked the perimeter, the siblings couldn't help but share a look of profound surprise.
It was silent.
Last night, the Cloud-nin on the opposite ridge had been acting like rabid bulls, launching skirmishes with red-eyed intensity. Yet this morning, not a single report of an engagement had reached their desks. The desert air, usually thick with the tension of imminent battle, felt eerily still.
"Elders, Lord Kazekage requests your presence," Yashamaru announced, appearing suddenly from behind a cluster of tents. "He wishes to discuss an urgent development regarding the Hidden Cloud."
"The Cloud?"
"Urgent?"
Chiyo and Ebizō exchanged another glance. Whatever Rasa had to tell them was undoubtedly the cause of this unnatural silence.
"Elders! Marvelous news! Truly marvelous!"
As the siblings entered the command tent, they were greeted by the sound of Rasa's triumphant laughter. The young Fourth Kazekage was practically beaming.
"According to our spies, the Third Raikage engaged the 'Iron Fist' at the Fire Nation border and suffered a catastrophic defeat," Rasa announced, his eyes shining with a predatory light. "We don't know if he's dead, but the Cloud has already begun a full retreat. Their forces are being pulled back from every front to fortify the Land of Thunder. Even if that muscle-bound Raikage is still breathing, he's clearly too broken to continue the fight."
"The Raikage lost?" Chiyo murmured, her weathered face a mask of complex emotions.
"It seems that even in his twilight years, the Iron Fist's legend remains untarnished," Ebizō added.
They felt a flicker of relief at the Raikage's fall, but it was quickly overshadowed by a cold dread at the reminder of Ikki's terrifying power.
"Regardless of how it happened, this is the opportunity of a lifetime for the Hidden Sand," Rasa continued, his voice rising with ambition. "Without their Raikage, the Cloud has lost its spine. We can strike now and dismantle them. If we succeed, our people will never have to 'eat sand' again. We can finally reverse our resource scarcity and claim the wealth of the Land of Thunder. The Hidden Leaf's monopoly on power ends today!"
Rasa's eyes burned with the fire of a man who saw his name being written in the history books. For generations, the Hidden Sand had been the "runt of the litter" among the Five Great Nations. It all went back to the Sengoku era, when Ikki had pulverized the First Kazekage and left their people to choke on the desert dust. Now, Rasa believed he could achieve what every Kazekage before him had failed to do.
He would conquer the Cloud first, then turn his gaze toward the Leaf.
The Elder's Warning
"Lord Ikki..." Chiyo's voice was calm, cutting through Rasa's feverish excitement. "We should be thoughtful here, Lord Kazekage. The man is a variable we cannot ignore."
"Ikki Shinomiya is not a Konoha ninja, nor is he a subordinate of Hiruzen Sarutobi," Rasa snapped, his brow furrowing in irritation. "He only moved to protect the Senju bloodline. Our target is the Land of Thunder, not the Land of Fire. He has no reason to interfere with us!"
Rasa looked at Chiyo with mounting dissatisfaction. He was young, newly appointed as the Fourth Kazekage, and flush with the arrogance that comes with early success. To him, Chiyo's caution didn't look like wisdom—it looked like the cowardice of a fading generation.
"Lord Kazekage, I believe my sister's concerns are grounded in reality," Ebizō interjected. "The Iron Fist's motivations are—"
"Enough! Am I the Kazekage, or are you two?" Rasa stood, his presence flared with the weight of his office. "An opportunity to bring glory to the Hidden Sand is staring us in the face, and instead of seizing it, you try to trip me at every turn. You siblings might have developed a taste for the desert's dust, but I have no intention of spending my life choking on it."
He didn't wait for a rebuttal. "Prepare for battle. The entire army marches within the hour. And Chiyo, Ebizō—do not forget who leads this village!"
He stormed out of the tent without a backward glance.
"Sister... what has gotten into him?" Ebizō asked, his voice low with anger. "Does he forget that it was our support that placed that hat on his head?"
"Let it go," Chiyo sighed, patting her brother's shoulder. "He is the Kazekage now, not us. Perhaps we truly have grown too old to recognize a 'golden opportunity' when we see one."
But her heart was heavy with regret. She wondered if they had made a mistake in backing Rasa over someone more temperate, like Pakura.
In the world of the shinobi, speed is the ultimate currency. Rasa knew that if he wanted to capitalize on the Cloud's weakness, he had to move before they could reorganize or before the Leaf could intervene.
Less than thirty minutes after his argument with the Elders, the entire Sand Shinobi vanguard had decamped. Rasa led them with relentless drive, pushing the army across the border of the Land of Wind and toward the Land of Rain.
But as the Great Sand Army reached the frontier, Rasa's frantic pace came to a grinding halt.
There, standing exactly on the border of the Land of Rain, was a single, burly figure. He stood like a mountain peak, his frame so massive he seemed to hold up the very sky. He wasn't wearing armor or carrying a weapon; he simply stood there in a tailored black suit, his arms crossed over his chest, blocking the road to the future Rasa had envisioned.
Ikki Shinomiya was waiting for them.
A/N: For this week, every 100 Powerstones will get ya'll an extra chapter! Thank you!