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Pat*eon : ilham20
Rasa had no intention of starting a full-scale war with the major villages. Not yet. The timing wasn't right. Instead, he focused on smaller targets. More resources meant more Sun Disks. More Sun Disks meant stronger defenses and more land that could actually support life.
A sudden knock broke the silence.
"Come in."
A young shinobi Rasa didn't recognize stepped into the Kazekage's office. No greeting. Just one flat sentence.
"I finished the interrogation."
Rasa raised an eyebrow. The man's eyes were dull, his posture off. Sasori had turned him into a temporary puppet.
"I understand. Where?"
"Same place as last time."
"When?"
"Tonight."
"Fine."
The young ninja left. A few minutes later his eyes cleared and confusion hit him hard.
"What the hell just happened? Why am I here?"
That evening, Rasa met Sasori at their usual spot.
Sasori pulled out a scroll. "This is everything I got from Yagura's mind. Water Mirror Technique, Mirror Still Water, and some other intel you'll want. I'm willing to trade."
"What kind of trade?"
"Take that thing out of my body."
"Not happening."
"Then give me Yagura's corpse. You don't need it anymore."
Rasa saw right through him. "You want to turn Yagura into a puppet, don't you? Former jinchuriki. Still has some Tailed Beast chakra in the body. Decent material."
"I'll give you the corpse," Rasa said after a pause. "But the intel you pulled from Yagura's head isn't enough. You're holding back—either Mist village secrets or his method for controlling Tailed Beast chakra."
Sasori stayed silent for a long moment.
"What else do you want?"
"The Third Kazekage's body. Give it back to Sunagakure."
Rasa's voice stayed calm. "I know you still hate him. You think he's the reason your parents died at the hands of Leaf shinobi. But I don't like the old man either. He was stubborn and old-fashioned. Still, ending a war isn't something one Kage can decide alone. Just like our war with the Mist. We couldn't end it whenever we wanted. We had to beat their army first. Peace doesn't come easy. If the Third had offered a ceasefire and the Leaf demanded we hand over Chiyo to die… would you have wanted that?"
Sasori fell into an even deeper silence.
Rasa continued. "If you want revenge, go after the Leaf. Kill Hiruzen Sarutobi."
Sasori looked up. "And if I say no?"
The hatred for the Third Kazekage still burned inside him, even after he'd already killed the man. His parents' deaths were a wound that never closed. Plus, the Third's body was excellent puppet material—same as Yagura's.
Rasa shrugged. "Then you don't get Yagura's corpse. And you don't get the intel either."
"You don't want the intel?"
"I don't need it. I probably know more about the Mist than you do. And as for controlling Tailed Beasts… Sunagakure doesn't need a perfect jinchuriki. I've got better uses for them."
Rasa's tone turned cold. "Choose, Sasori. The Third's body or Yagura's."
Sasori thought for a long time.
"Fine. You can have the Third's corpse."
He handed over two more scrolls.
"This one has the body. This one has the rest of the intel."
He hesitated, then added, "Someone approached me recently. They want me to join their organization. They call themselves Akatsuki. They say they want to change the world and need my power. I wasn't strong enough to refuse, so I joined. Those people are dangerous."
Rasa feigned surprise. "Who? Which village?"
Sasori shook his head. "Not from any village. Their names are Konan and Pain."
"How strong?"
"I don't know."
Rasa smiled. "Then stay with them. Feed me information when you can. I'll make it worth your while."
"Deal."
The trade went smoothly. Rasa returned to Sunagakure with three scrolls—one containing Water Mirror and other jutsu, one with the near-perfect jinchuriki method, and one holding the Third Kazekage's body. The Six-Tails was locked deep beneath the Sun Disk, suppressed by its power.
"I'll bury the old man when the time is right."
---
Konoha. Hokage Tower.
An ANBU rushed in, out of breath.
"Hokage-sama! Bad news!"
Hiruzen's mood soured instantly. Lately everything had gone to hell. The Nine-Tails rampage killed Minato and Kushina, ruined all his plans. Then the vicious rumor that he'd orchestrated Minato's death to keep the seat in the Sarutobi family. And people actually believed it.
"These idiots… these damn idiots!"
Now another ANBU with that tone meant more trouble.
"Hokage-sama, the latest issue of the Ninja World Big Events Weekly just dropped. It has an interview with Uchiha Yashiro. He gave his thoughts on the Nine-Tails attack and Lord Minato's death."
Hiruzen's face darkened. He didn't need to read it. He already knew what Yashiro would say. The real problem wasn't Yashiro. It was the newspaper. It was Sunagakure.
It was Rasa.
"Rasa, you little bastard!"