The iron sand left behind by the Third Kazekage spread across the sky like a canopy, pressing down on everyone's hearts like dark storm clouds.
Looking at the man standing tall beneath those black clouds, the guests present felt a chill crawl up their spines to their necks.
The name Sakukata Rinjin wasn't widely known among the general public.
But among the high-ranking officials of the Five Great Nations, this name was thunderous.
Born in Konoha, he had once used the alias Shimura Dantan—a man known for his unreasonable and domineering behavior.
He'd once used the Multi-Size Technique to throw tantrums in Iwagakure, rolling around on the ground and nearly driving Ōnoki to his death.
According to certain unreliable intelligence reports, this man had once fought fiercely with a mysterious figure in Kirigakure, destroying half the village.
Simply put, this was someone who enjoyed causing chaos in other people's villages.
While everyone was staring at Rinjin, in the center of the crowd's clearing, Danzō disguised as Karza was about to slip away.
The next second, a large hand wrapped in gray mist pressed down on his shoulder.
At the same time, a low shout rang out.
"Flying Thunder God Mutual Instantaneous Revolving Technique!"
Whoosh~
The world spun around.
From an outside perspective, Karza's figure inexplicably blurred for an instant.
The next second, Rinjin's main body and Danzō had switched places.
Rinjin, now disguised as Karza, had completed this sleight of hand right under everyone's noses.
The identity of Karza couldn't be discarded yet—at least not now. At least not until the power transfer was complete. Only then would this identity lose its value.
On the other side, having accomplished his intended purpose, Rinjin exchanged a glance with his shadow clone before controlling the iron sand to descend.
Just then, the clan leader of the Sand Clan hurriedly approached, rubbing his hands with an ingratiating smile plastered across his face.
"Lord Rinjin, may I ask... is that technique of yours Magnet Release?"
If it were just the name Rinjin, he wouldn't dare be certain—after all, the man had a family name.
But!
If he was both named Rinjin and possessed such a unique Magnet Release, then this daimyo's background was worth serious consideration.
After all, the Third Kazekage's son was also named Rinjin. And the reason the Third Kazekage was called the strongest Kazekage was inseparable from his Iron Sand Technique.
Faced with this question, Rinjin didn't answer. He only stared at the old man with a half-smile.
Seeing this, the elder immediately covered his mouth, his eyes warily scanning the surroundings before whispering with a smile:
"Lord Daimyo, this old fool spoke out of turn. This isn't the place for such talk. How about we go to my home for some tea?"
At this moment, how could he still care about Rasa or Karza...
The person before him was the genuine Daimyo of the Land of Rain!
You had to know—sixty percent of the Land of Wind's food imports and water resources were controlled by this powerful figure. Most importantly, this Lord Daimyo's Magnet Release...
If he could claim kinship, wouldn't he be able to walk sideways through the village?
Enthusiastically pulling Rinjin's shadow clone along, the old clan leader didn't hesitate to abandon everyone else and head home to brew tea.
Clearly, the old clan leader wasn't the only one with good judgment. Which of Sunagakure's high-ranking officials wasn't shrewd? To put it bluntly, these guys were hollow even in their eyelashes.
However, they couldn't claim any connection to this Daimyo of the Land of Rain. Plus, since this was currently the Fourth Kazekage's daughter's birthday celebration, leaving now would easily offend Rasa to death.
On the platform, Rasa frowned, his thoughts racing.
The fake chef suddenly appeared, interrupting his identification of Karza. Then he did nothing, said nothing, and just left like that...
What was he thinking?
Suddenly, Rasa was startled. As if realizing something, he abruptly looked toward Karza in the center of the crowd.
He saw Karza raising his wine glass toward him in a gesture, with a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
That smile was practically equivalent to mockery.
Seeing this, Rasa clenched his teeth.
Although he couldn't guess what exactly had happened, his instincts told him: That Karza who had given him endless headaches was back!
Damn it! This guy definitely had connections with the Hidden Rain Village!
Just as Rasa found himself in a difficult position, his wife Karura beside him suddenly spoke in a low voice.
"Rasa, the scent of sand on Karza has changed. He's been replaced!"
Hearing this, Rasa's heart instantly sank to the bottom. He instinctively asked, "Do you know who's behind this?"
"Can't confirm. It happened in an instant." Karura shook her head.
"This is troublesome." Rasa muttered to himself.
What should have been a sure thing had gone wrong, and he found himself in a dilemma. If Karza was someone else in disguise, then everyone would be happy and he could take over the Municipal Department.
But if Karza was real, then his authority would suffer a tremendous blow. Before, these high-ranking officials would sneak around in the shadows laughing at him, but now they'd be suppressing laughter right to his face.
Losing face twice in a row within a year—he'd definitely become the most disgraceful Kazekage, bar none.
Below, Rinjin glanced calmly at Rasa on the platform.
No matter what Rasa chose, he was definitely going to suffer this humiliation. However, Rinjin still decided to give Rasa a chance.
Not because of any family relationship, but simply because he was afraid this guy might become desperate.
"Ahem..." Clearing his throat, Rinjin spoke in a deep voice.
"Everyone, stop looking at me with such wary eyes. When the Fourth said I was an undercover agent in disguise, he was mainly taking advantage of today's joyous occasion to play a joke with everyone.
The purpose was to warn everyone to protect your own safety and not give spies from other villages any opportunities..."
Pausing, Rinjin looked meaningfully at Rasa.
"Am I right, Fourth Lord...?"
Hearing this, everyone turned to look at Rasa.
Seeing this, Rasa gritted his teeth and forced a smile onto his face. Then he nodded:
"Uncle Karza is absolutely right!"
Smart kid~
Muttering to himself, Rinjin turned his gaze away from him and beckoned to Kubo nearby.
"Mr. Kubo, please come over."
Hearing this, Kubo, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, immediately trotted over to Rinjin.
"Lord Karza, what are your orders?"
"Nothing much. Notify the Eighteen Seats that all Eighteen Seats meetings are suspended until my retirement. Each department of the Municipal Department should focus on their duties and stop thinking about making money all the time.
Oh, and I've been feeling unwell lately and need to rest for a while, so let Yōhei temporarily take over my work. Also, help me reclaim the shares and technology of all the factories under the Municipal Department's name."
After speaking, Rinjin ignored Kubo's increasingly wide pupils, placed his wine glass in his hands, and turned to leave the venue.
The next second, the crowd who had been secretly listening to their conversation was dumbfounded.
What did Karza mean by this? Was he going on strike?
However, the three high-ranking officials at the front of the crowd felt cold sweat crawl up their backs again.
They knew: That old fox Karza was about to make his move against them!
After all, the ones who had obstructed the newspaper proposal implementation were the three of them.
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