After returning to Sunagakure, Rasa immediately found several Sunagakure shinobi with Fire Release chakra natures and handed them the Fire Release: Heavenly Prison technique.
He also specially established a new department called the Supervision Department.
Using Fire Release: Heavenly Prison, they could control prisoners.
Unable to use chakra and unable to move too far from the caster, those prisoners would be completely restrained.
With fewer people, Sunagakure could manage more captives.
The prisoners' value could be brought out to an even greater degree.
Very soon, under the Supervision Department's operation, the several hundred Kirigakure prisoners were brought to the mining area.
From this point onward, their days of eating, sleeping, then eating again were gone forever.
They had gained freedom.
But they had also gained work.
Twelve hours a day.
Aside from eating and necessary rest, they had almost no free time.
Rasa arranged this for two reasons.
First, he wanted them to create greater value for Sunagakure.
Second, he wanted these people to hate Kirigakure even more.
The more miserable their lives became, the more dissatisfied they would be with Kirigakure.
They would hate Kirigakure for launching that revenge attack against Sunagakure when the war had clearly already ended.
They would hate Kirigakure for abandoning them instead of rescuing them as prisoners.
"Why?"
"Has Mizukage-sama already forgotten us?"
"Has he already given up on us?"
"We fought for the village too. We made plenty of contributions as shinobi."
"When will the village send people for us?"
A Kirigakure shinobi swung a hoe, his face full of pain.
This was far too exhausting.
Twelve hours a day was already hard enough, let alone mining.
Sunagakure shinobi watched them at all times. They did not get even a moment to slack off.
They had fallen into life as laborers, while their former enemies stood above them.
The difference between them was like clouds and mud.
Such a contrast made these Kirigakure shinobi feel terrible.
"No one is coming."
The Kirigakure shinobi opposite him snorted coldly.
"If the village were coming, they would have come long ago. There's no way they would wait until now. Since they still haven't come, it means they never will."
"We've already been abandoned."
"In the village's eyes, we're no longer worth saving."
The previous Kirigakure shinobi was furious.
"Why won't they save us? Are we not part of the village? We gave so much for the village!"
"What other reason could there be? The village thinks it isn't worth it. You're dissatisfied? What can you do about it?"
"Damn it. For a village like that, we were loyal enough to risk our lives to protect its interests. Looking back now, we were truly foolish."
"If I could be given another chance, I would never be loyal to the village again."
"Kirigakure is terrible."
"Compared to Sunagakure, it's far worse."
At this moment, these Kirigakure shinobi developed an intense envy toward Sunagakure's shinobi.
An older Kirigakure shinobi said, "Actually, it isn't that Kirigakure is worse than Sunagakure. It's that our Mizukage is worse than their Kazekage."
"In this generation, Sunagakure produced a good Kazekage."
"Rasa truly is someone remarkable."
"Yagura Karatachi is far inferior to Rasa."
Rasa looked through the discussions collected by the Supervision Department's shinobi and raised his brow slightly.
He knew that what this Kirigakure shinobi said was the truth.
A village was large.
But often, those who decided a village's atmosphere were only a small number of people.
Without him, Sunagakure's situation would have been far worse than it was now.
Pakura would have died, and Sunagakure would have suffered a crushing defeat.
At this point, many of Sunagakure's villagers would probably have struggled just to maintain basic living conditions.
A figure arrived at the Kazekage Building.
"Kazekage-sama."
"Ebizo, sit."
"Kazekage-sama, did you call me for something?"
"It concerns Kirigakure."
Rasa said, "Kirigakure has gone too far."
"The peace agreement had already been settled, yet they suddenly stabbed us in the back. They didn't even give us an apology and simply pushed everything onto the already dead Elder Genji."
"And now, they completely ignore the hundreds of Kirigakure shinobi we captured."
"As if the matter has already passed."
"Ridiculous."
Ebizo nodded.
"Kirigakure has indeed gone too far. Something like this is unprecedented in the entire shinobi world. They broke faith. If war breaks out again in the future, which village would dare trust them?"
"Kirigakure set a terrible precedent."
Rasa said, "That is why we must make Kirigakure pay a price."
"Kazekage-sama, what do you intend to do?"
Rasa pondered for a moment.
"Sunagakure is extremely busy right now. Inside the village, we need to recuperate and rebuild. Outside the village, the Sun Disc needs to be constructed."
"And Kirigakure is too far from Sunagakure."
"Launching an attack there would be difficult."
"That may be why Kirigakure feels so fearless."
"Therefore, we need a method that does not require us to send too many people, yet can still inflict a heavy blow on Kirigakure."
Ebizo instantly understood what Rasa meant.
"Kazekage-sama, you want to create a rumor?"
"Actually, this may not count as a rumor."
Rasa said, "Ebizo, don't you think the collapse of Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen was far too sudden?"
"Fuguki Suikazan suddenly defected, and the crime Kirigakure gave him was trading with Sunagakure. But you and I both know very well that no such thing happened."
"Otherwise, Fuguki Suikazan would be in Sunagakure right now."
"Akebino Jinin and the other three received information about Maki. Sending one person should have been enough, but instead, four of them went together to surround him. And they moved so slowly, as though someone had deliberately delayed them."
"After those people ran into trouble, who benefited the most?"
Ebizo's pupils shrank.
"Kazekage-sama, you mean… all of this was actually designed by Yagura Karatachi?"
Rasa nodded.
"Exactly. I think the possibility is very high."
"In the past, Yagura Karatachi was not especially famous in Kirigakure. No matter how the position of Mizukage was rotated, it should never have fallen to him. Yet the one sitting in that position now is him."
"If you say there was no problem behind that, I don't believe it."
"Since there is a problem here, we will help the Land of Water and the people of Kirigakure raise that question."
"It will definitely affect Kirigakure to some extent."
"And force Kirigakure to pay a certain price."
"I'll leave this matter to you, Ebizo."
Ebizo nodded heavily.
"Yes, Kazekage-sama!"
[Ding!]
[The rumor you spread—"The evil schemer Yagura Karatachi, the betrayed Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and the ignorant villagers of Kirigakure"—has begun spreading.]
[Remaining Activation Points: 1. After activation, the rumor's persuasive effect will increase, and its spread will generate points.]
[Activate this rumor?]
"Activate!"