Unlike the calm of the previous days, the Kazekage Building was steeped in oppressive tension that night. The conference chamber stood empty of warmth, its usual desert heat replaced by a chilling solemnity that crept into every corner.
At least, that was how Rasa felt.
More than a dozen Elders sat in silence, their gazes fixed on him. The pressure was suffocating, like needles pricking his skin without pause. Strangely enough, even when he had faced Hayashi on the battlefield, the fear had not felt this sharp.
But Rasa knew exactly why he had been summoned.
As a front-line commander, his unit had nearly been annihilated within the Land of Wind. Two fortresses had fallen one after another under his watch. From the Elders' perspective, it would have been absurd not to hold him accountable.
"Why are the losses on the front lines so severe?"
The question cut through the silence, aimed squarely at him.
Rasa straightened slightly and responded without hesitation. "The primary cause was the fall of Yunlu Canyon. Before the battle, I strongly advised Senior Shinra to deploy half of the stationed ninja to reinforce that location."
His tone hardened. "Unfortunately, he ignored my recommendation and brought only one hundred and fifty men. That decision directly led to the disastrous defeat."
At moments like this, shifting blame was not cowardice but survival. The dead could shoulder responsibility far more easily than the living.
"You were the battlefield commander," an elderly man with pale hair and a long beard snapped. "Even after Yunlu Canyon fell, your forces were still comparable to Konoha's. If you had simply held the fortress, your unit would not have been wiped out."
The old man glared at Rasa as if he were a spy planted by Konoha itself.
Rasa clenched his remaining fist in frustration. Did they think he had wanted to lose? If he had been commanding legends like the Sannin, Sakumo, or the Yellow Flash, would the outcome have been the same?
These Elders had not set foot on a battlefield for decades. Their minds were still trapped in memories of the First Great Ninja War, when Sunagakure had overwhelmed Konoha with sheer force.
Wake up. This was not Sunagakure Year Ten. This was Year Thirty-Five.
While Rasa simmered in silent indignation, the Elders began arguing among themselves.
"I told you long ago that the two thousand ninja should have been split into four divisions to provide mutual support. Even in defeat, the losses would not have been so catastrophic."
"Nonsense. That would only have allowed Konoha to pick us off one by one. The real problem was the fortress layout. If my plan had been followed, they would never have breached the walls."
The room descended into chaos.
Only then did Rasa fully grasp the true extent of the situation. Many of these Elders had bypassed him entirely, issuing direct orders to their clan ninja through private correspondence.
The reality on the front lines had looked something like this:
A messenger delivers a letter from a clan head.
A captain reads it and sighs.
The order demands that a defensive position be moved forward fifteen meters.
There is a waterlogged pit ahead.
The order is carried out anyway.
Each Elder fancied themselves a seasoned tactician, yet in practice, they were nothing more than obsessive micromanagers issuing absurd commands from afar.
Eventually, the arguments subsided. The pale-haired Elder turned back to Rasa, pointing an accusing finger.
"So many ninja died. As the commander, why did you retreat?"
Cold, sharpened gazes converged on him.
Rasa suppressed the urge to laugh bitterly. He wondered whether that Elder's grandson had been among the fallen. Otherwise, the relentless hostility made little sense.
"I did not retreat," Rasa said stiffly. "I fought until the very end."
"If that were true, you would not be standing here."
Rasa's lips parted slightly, fury flashing through his eyes. His arm had been severed in battle, and yet survival itself was being treated as a crime.
"Enough," a cold voice interjected.
The Third Kazekage rose from his seat at last. "Rasa lost his arm in combat and was only saved due to Pakura's intervention. There is nothing further to question on that matter."
A middle-aged man with short hair crossed his arms and snorted. "Pakura does deserve credit. She was no match for Konoha's Yellow Flash, yet she escaped alive. But Rasa is different. Losing an arm does not erase the scale of his defeat as a commander."
The Third Kazekage's gaze turned icy. The speaker was Pakura's father. If nothing changed, Scorch Release Pakura would be Rasa's greatest rival for the position of Fourth Kazekage.
"Rasa bears responsibility," the Third Kazekage replied calmly, "but as he stated, the primary fault lies with Shinra. More importantly, the battlefield urgently needs manpower. Orochimaru's forces have already breached two fortresses. Rasa's Magnet Release surpasses even my own and remains invaluable. This matter will be set aside for now."
"How does that satisfy the public?" someone demanded. "What of the families who lost their loved ones?"
"In war, people die," Chiyo said quietly, finally lifting her head. "Rasa must be punished. Strip him of his command and assign him to the Vanguard Unit. Let him fight on the main battlefield against Konoha."
Her words sent murmurs rippling through the chamber.
During the Second Great Ninja War, Chiyo had once mobilized troops by force to avenge her son Iwakura, ultimately bearing responsibility in place of the Third Kazekage. He had used that opportunity to strip her of most of her authority, leaving her with only an Elder's seat.
Now, her sudden support for Rasa suggested an unspoken understanding.
"Seconded," Ebizo said immediately.
One by one, clans aligned with the Third Kazekage voiced their agreement. Though it still fell short of a clear majority, the balance had shifted.
At that moment, the Third Kazekage stood once more. "After this war ends, I intend to step down and pass the mantle of Kazekage to the younger generation. For that reason, I ask that we stand united."
The chamber erupted in shock.
The Elders had long opposed him in hopes of forcing his resignation. Now, he had placed the future of the Fourth Kazekage on the table as leverage.
With that declaration, Rasa's punishment was swiftly reduced. Even the white-bearded Elder and Pakura's father fell silent.
Outwardly, the Third Kazekage remained composed. Inwardly, he sneered.
If Sunagakure lost the war, his position would be untenable regardless. But if they won, then with the prestige of victory behind him, the timing of the next Kazekage's election would still be his decision.
Short-sighted fools.
On the battlefield, there would be countless opportunities to settle accounts.