The western front of the Land of Lightning.
"Fourth Raikage, what happened?"
Tsuchida hurried into the command tent, noticing Ay standing with a scroll in hand.
"Neji's reply," the Fourth Raikage said with a grin, waving the scroll lightly.
"Konoha has agreed to peace talks with Kumogakure. They're offering thirty percent of their mission quota for the next five years as war reparations."
Tsuchida froze in shock.
"Peace talks? Konoha initiated them?"
This was the first time Konoha had taken such a step, and the offer was surprisingly generous. The Land of Fire was vast and wealthy—thirty percent of its mission quota was an astronomical concession.
Could it be a trap?
Before Tsuchida could think further, a masked Kumogakure Anbu rushed inside and handed Ay another sealed message.
The Raikage opened it casually—but his expression instantly hardened.
"The Third Hokage is dead?"
"What?"
Tsuchida's eyes widened in disbelief.
Since the outbreak of war, Hiruzen Sarutobi had remained secure in the rear, protected by layers of elite shinobi. For him to die out of nowhere…
Ay continued reading and soon relaxed a little.
"Orochimaru. With his power and cunning, he had the capability."
He tossed the scroll to Tsuchida. After glancing through the details, Tsuchida exhaled in relief.
So it wasn't an external attack—Konoha was suffering internal conflict.
With the Hokage dead, they would be forced to elect a new leader and stabilize the village quickly. Peace with Kumogakure was the easiest path.
Surrounded by enemies on all sides, their forces stretched thin, Kumogakure had been under immense pressure. A temporary peace with Konoha was certainly welcome.
Even Sunagakure had grown bold enough to assault the Land of Lightning—Konoha withdrawing from the fray was a massive relief.
Ay picked up a pair of dumbbells and continued, "Also—Yugito and the Uchiha girl are leading the Hot Springs Country garrison to reinforce the western front. They should arrive soon."
Tsuchida frowned slightly.
"If the entire Hot Springs force is transferred here… who will defend against Sunagakure's army?"
Though Sunagakure was the weakest of the Five Great Villages, Rasa's puppet forces were formidable. A Kazekage would never flee without a fight. Rasa wasn't that type of man.
The Raikage smirked.
"Neji is handling the Sunagakure side. He's 'commanding' the enemy army."
Tsuchida blinked.
"What is he planning?"
Ay set down the dumbbell and answered slowly:
"A decapitation operation."
---
Land of Rivers Border — Mountain Region
In a remote mountainous area near the border of the Land of Lightning, six figures stood silently, gazing into the distance.
"Rasa only brought two aides with him," Sasori commented coldly. "He trusts you too much."
Neji glanced at him.
It was Sasori who had lured Rasa out, using secrets the Kazekage couldn't afford to ignore—especially the matter of the Third Kazekage's disappearance and Pakura's betrayal incident.
These were sins the public could never learn. If they were exposed, Rasa's prestige would collapse overnight.
Standing beside Neji, Pakura's eyes burned with long-suppressed hatred.
"Neji, I know I was supposed to take his life myself… but I want you to make the final move."
Neji nodded calmly.
"I have my own reasons. Ever since he marched his forces into the Land of Lightning, his fate was sealed."
Among the Five Kage, Rasa's personal strength ranked at the bottom. But his skill in internal affairs and mineral control allowed Sunagakure to flourish under his rule. In another world, he might have been a respectable leader.
But for Kumogakure's future, a weak ally was far more useful than an ambitious one.
Rasa had to die.
Uchiha Izumi suddenly spoke, her voice slightly trembling:
"Neji… if the Fourth Kazekage dies, will it really bring peace?"
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
Throughout recorded history, the shinobi world had never truly known peace.
Every shinobi dreamed of it, but no one could offer a real solution.
Neji looked at her quietly.
"No. Killing him won't bring peace. It will only plant seeds of hatred. One day, those seeds will sprout—and another war will follow. But that's a concern for the future."
"For now, once Rasa dies, the Sunagakure army will retreat. Sunagakure will become Kumogakure's obedient vassal—its loyal younger brother. They won't dare harbor other ambitions."
"So even if Rasa were a good man… I would still kill him."
His gaze sharpened.
"Izumi, you are a shinobi of Kumogakure. Your priority isn't an idealistic dream of peace—it's the interests of your village."
At that moment, Pakura suddenly straightened.
"He's here."
Far in the distance, Rasa stepped into view, accompanied by two trusted Sunagakure Anbu.
He paused, sensing something wrong. The terrain here was often targeted by Kumogakure ambushes. His aides immediately spread out defensively.
"There are enemies," Rasa muttered. He adjusted his hat and activated his jutsu.
"Secret Technique — Sand Eye."
Several figures emerged atop distant hills.
His two Anbu immediately moved forward—but Izumi struck first.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The massive fireball engulfed both figures—wooden fragments fell.
"Puppets," Pakura said. "Don't be fooled."
She flicked her wrist and stepped forward.
"I'll start."
Five scorching spheres spiraled behind her before bursting toward the Anbu.
Sasori paused mid-movement, stunned.
"Scorch Release…?"
Neji was also surprised.
Pakura had awakened a second kekkei genkai—Swift Release—and enhanced her original Scorch Release to a terrifying degree.
Two kekkei genkai users were practically guaranteed Kage-level strength.
Boom! Boom!
Rasa watched in shock through his Sand Eye as his two elite jōnin were instantly dried into mummified corpses.
Then his eyes shifted—landing on Neji.
His heart trembled.
Sasori had summoned him out here… and the sudden appearance of the infamous "Star of the Clouds" confirmed it.
This was an assassination trap.
Pakura closed in like a scorching meteor.
Rasa grimaced and raised his hand.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Wall!"
A massive golden barrier erupted from the earth—but Pakura leapt high, clearing it effortlessly.
"Scorch Release: Five-Ring Inferno!"
The fiery spheres smashed downward, scorching the very mountains.
To Rasa, however, the melted stone only produced more gold dust for him to exploit.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Wings!"
A glittering layer of dust formed wings behind him, lifting him high into the sky.
Pakura's speed was incredible, but she couldn't fly.
Rasa narrowed his eyes at her masked face.
"That chakra… familiar. Are you…?"
Pakura removed her mask and smiled coldly.
"Of course you recognize me. We trained together, remember? Even with new abilities, my chakra nature wouldn't fool you."
Rasa's face paled.
"Pakura… you're alive?"
Without another word, he unleashed his full strength.
Golden sand surged beneath the earth like a tidal wave.
Pakura launched a massive Scorch Release sphere—ten meters across—but Rasa countered with towering waves of gold dust.
The collision shook the landscape.
"His power is impressive," Neji commented. The battlefield was engulfed in a sea of golden dust stretching more than a kilometer.
"Rasa's Magnet Release surpasses the previous Kazekage's," Sasori said while summoning a winged puppet. "Pakura isn't his equal."
He leapt onto the puppet and soared toward the fight.
His interest wasn't in helping Pakura—it was in claiming Rasa's corpse for a new puppet masterpiece.
Neji turned to Hikari, who was calmly eating dango.
"Hikari, do you want to go?"
"Ten sticks of dango," she replied instantly, finishing the last bite.
Before Neji could respond, she vanished.
Her afterimage flickered so fast that only Samui and Izumi could barely track it.
Moments later, a colossal crimson Susanoo rose into the sky, tearing the golden dust sea apart.
Samui's jaw dropped.
"That little girl… is that strong?"
She suddenly questioned her entire career. She was just an elite jōnin—barely above average compared to monsters like these.
"Will I ever reach Kage level?"
Her hand trembled as it touched the back of her neck, where three tomoe marks had recently appeared.
Meanwhile, inside Susanoo, Hikari folded her arms, glaring down at Rasa as if he were an insect.
Rasa's hands shook.
"Mangekyō Sharingan… Susanoo?!"
He scrambled to defend—
"Sand Flow!"
The ground beneath Susanoo liquefied into sinking mud, trapping the colossal figure.
"Magnet Release: Prison Sand Burial!"
Mud turned to golden sand, forming a massive claw that dragged Susanoo underground—
—but with a thunderous roar, the crimson titan erupted upward, spreading its vast wings.
A perfect Susanoo.
"Ten sticks of dango were too cheap," Hikari murmured. "You're worth at least twenty."
She drew the giant katana and pointed it at the trembling Kazekage.
Rasa clenched his chakra desperately, forming a massive golden tetrahedral pyramid—forty meters tall—his strongest defensive construct.
But he was surrounded—from the sky, the ground, the cliffs.
Neji stepped forward at last, eyes sharpening.
The decapitation operation had reached its climax.
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