The sudden command forced Rasa to abandon his original plan.
From the urgency in the messenger's voice, this was clearly something important.
And with Kirigakure's current situation, any important mission would most likely have something to do with Sunagakure. Right now, Kirigakure was undoubtedly thinking only of how to crush Sunagakure as quickly as possible.
"I thought I'd already lost the chance to gather any intelligence from Kirigakure. Turns out the intelligence has come to me instead."
Rasa controlled Hozuki Gengetsu and followed the squad.
Even the captain no longer had the energy to target him on purpose.
Gradually, the number of shinobi in the group rose past forty.
Then a raised dune entered Rasa's field of view.
A figure stood atop it.
Rasa's pupils contracted slightly.
"Fuguki Suikazan."
"It looks like this operation really is something major if Fuguki Suikazan is leading it personally. That bastard is vicious."
Sunagakure and Kirigakure had been at war for years.
The two villages had accumulated enormous amounts of intelligence on one another.
Kirigakure hated Pakura to the bone.
And on Sunagakure's side, there were certain Kirigakure shinobi they despised above all others.
Fuguki Suikazan was one of them.
Cunning. Treacherous. Ruthlessly practical. And more than a little intelligent.
He had caused Sunagakure no small amount of damage. Among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, if there was one Kirigakure shinobi Sunagakure wanted dead most, Fuguki could rank first.
In the next moment, Rasa's gaze shifted to the massive Samehada strapped to Fuguki's back.
"That sword…"
Even setting aside its use as a weapon, Samehada had extraordinary effectiveness against tailed beasts.
And Sunagakure had problems of its own with a tailed beast.
Shukaku was still sealed inside Bunpuku's body. Gaara had not been born yet. At this point, the relationship between Shukaku and Sunagakure was deeply hostile, and the beast had already rampaged more than once.
"If Sunagakure could obtain Samehada, Shukaku would no longer pose such a threat."
"Maybe Samehada could even turn Shukaku into a massive, sustained source of chakra. The uses for that would be enormous. Just using it to transport water would already be of immense value to Sunagakure."
"With water, the oases would expand."
"The desert would shrink."
"The land of Sunagakure would grow more fertile, and its resource output would increase."
Fuguki swept his gaze across the gathered shinobi, his expression stern.
"This operation is extremely important. It concerns the very progress of our campaign to break Sunagakure."
"For this, Juzo, Jinin, and I have prepared for a long time."
Rasa's expression sharpened.
He had assumed this was merely a special operation.
But if four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were moving together, then it was no ordinary mission.
Who in all of Sunagakure was worth such an effort from Kirigakure?
The answer was obvious.
Rasa's eyes flickered.
"Either they're planning a strike against Sunagakure itself…"
"Or they're targeting the one shinobi in the Sand army that Kirigakure fears the most."
"But this position is far too far from Sunagakure for a village raid. So there's only one answer."
"This operation is aimed at Pakura."
Fuguki continued,
"This mission requires ten death volunteers. Who is willing to step forward and take on that duty?"
"No matter who it is, the village will never forget your sacrifice. You will be a hero of Kirigakure. Your names will be recorded forever in the village's book of merit."
"Mizukage-sama will personally preside over your funeral."
"Your families will receive generous compensation from the village."
A death volunteer was exactly what the name implied.
A mission one did not return from.
Emotion alone was not enough to motivate that sort of sacrifice.
There had to be reward as well.
Even for Kirigakure shinobi, who were not known for fearing death.
Rasa raised Hozuki Gengetsu's hand high.
Fuguki looked in his direction a little longer than usual, one brow twitching upward.
"A Hozuki?"
But that was all.
He did not stop "Hozuki Gengetsu" from stepping forward to die.
Instead, he looked at the ten who had volunteered.
"You ten."
"Listen carefully. Follow my orders exactly. Our target this time is Pakura of Sunagakure. She has killed too many of Kirigakure's people. Some of you may well have had comrades, friends, or relatives die at her hands."
"So I expect all of you to give everything you have."
"Killing Pakura will be a tremendous victory for Kirigakure."
"If Kirigakure wins this war, the rewards will be immense."
"And all of you will be the greatest contributors to that victory."
Determination appeared in the eyes of the ten death volunteers.
"Don't worry, Fuguki-sama. We'll complete the mission!"
"This battle belongs to Kirigakure!"
"Pakura will die!"
Rasa blended into the death squad, drawing no attention to himself.
The group moved toward a water source.
Before long, a figure appeared ahead and came to meet them.
A shinobi of Sunagakure.
Fuguki showed no surprise at his appearance.
In fact, this meeting had clearly been arranged in advance.
The two did not fight.
They talked.
Rasa narrowed his eyes.
"A traitor of Sunagakure?"
"No wonder Fuguki looked so confident."
"So this is it. He found a Sand traitor and plans to use him to sell Pakura out."
"No matter how careful you are, the hardest thing to guard against… is your own people."
Rasa fixed the man's face in his memory.
He would not forget it.
Before long, the exchange ended.
Fuguki turned to the ten volunteers.
"Hide here and wait. Move only when I give the signal."
"When I throw sand into the air, you attack at once."
The ten looked at one another, then answered in unison.
"Yes, Fuguki-sama!"
Time passed.
The blazing sun poured down in straight, merciless lines. The sand had absorbed enough heat to scald. There was not the slightest breeze. Sweat fell in heavy drops.
Mentally, Rasa could endure it.
But this body could not adapt well to such an environment.
The other nine death volunteers were in the same state.
Some of them even looked like they were beginning to hope they could just charge out sooner and die already.
At last—
Fuguki flung a handful of sand sharply into the air.
"Move!"
The instant it happened, Rasa sent Hozuki Gengetsu rushing out ahead of the others before they had even finished preparing.
The moment he charged out, he shouted with overwhelming force—
"Hahahahaha!"
"Pakura of Sunagakure—today you die!"
"Fuguki-sama, Juzo-sama, and Jinin-sama have already woven an inescapable net here! Today, I, Hozuki Gengetsu, will be the one to take your life!"
"Kill!"
Behind the dune, Fuguki froze when he heard "Hozuki Gengetsu's" voice.
Then his face darkened at once.
"What the hell is wrong with this Hozuki Gengetsu?"
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