That sudden voice made Kakashi's body tense up instinctively.
Who was that?!
Reinforcements… for the Fourth Kazekage?!
If that were true, things were about to get even worse. Rasa alone was already difficult enough—if another high-level enemy joined, the balance would tip dangerously.
Kakashi's expression darkened, and his left eye glowed faintly with the Sharingan as he prepared for the worst.
Across from him, Rasa paused mid-attack, recognizing the voice. A familiar smirk curved on his lips.
"So… you're here?" he said, eyes lifting. "Looks like you finished up on your end."
Then, turning to Kakashi, he added with clear satisfaction:
"Zeldris."
Zeldris?!
Kakashi's heart skipped a beat. That name hit him like a thunderclap.
No way… not him…
His hands lowered slightly. The Earth-Style wall he'd created began to sink back into the ground. Slowly, his eyes scanned the battlefield—
—and then they rose.
High above, a figure floated effortlessly in the sky, cloaked in black. The robes rippled slightly in the air, revealing a face Kakashi hadn't seen in years—but could never forget.
It really is him…
Zeldris.
Kakashi's mind reeled. Why would he be here…?
More importantly—how the hell was he flying?!
Zeldris descended slowly, hovering just above the ground like it was the most natural thing in the world. He looked down at Kakashi with a faint, amused smile.
"Yo," he said calmly. "Long time no see… Kakashi."
There was no mockery in his tone, but no warmth either.
Kakashi, usually composed, stood frozen in disbelief. Even his breathing faltered.
Why is he with them?!
Does he only care about power and profit now…?
No—that's not it. That guy… he's flying…!
Kakashi's instincts screamed at him. This was no ordinary ninjutsu. Zeldris hadn't just grown stronger—he'd changed.
From beside him, Rasa chuckled.
"Oh, right. You used to be from Konoha too, didn't you?" he said to Zeldris. Then, addressing Kakashi with a sly grin:
"Looks like you two were comrades once. That must sting, huh? Watching an old friend return—only to tear down his own village?"
Kakashi's fists clenched. "Zeldris!" he barked, voice trembling with disbelief and rising emotion. "Why are you siding with Sunagakure?!"
"This village was your home!"
His voice cracked, not from weakness—but from sheer shock and frustration.
"Why… why would you do this?!"
Zeldris blinked, genuinely surprised. Kakashi—stoic, composed Kakashi—was shaking. He hadn't expected that.
Rasa chuckled again. "Save your breath," he said. "The Zeldris you knew is gone. He's not your ally. Not anymore."
"He's the leader of Shadow now."
Kakashi's eyes widened.
Shadow…?
That name struck a nerve. A notorious mercenary organization whispered about in every corner of the shinobi world—cold, ruthless, efficient.
And Zeldris… was its leader?
Kakashi's gaze snapped back to him, now filled with something between dread and disbelief.
Zeldris, however, remained unbothered. He looked at Kakashi plainly, then spoke with chilling calm.
"Like the Kazekage said—save your speeches."
"Konoha…" he said, letting the name hang in the air, "means nothing to me now."
His tone didn't change, but his words cut like blades.
"I fight for what matters to me. This job? Just that—a job. Sunagakure pays, I deliver. Simple."
Kakashi was still reeling when Rasa spoke again, voice brimming with cruel satisfaction.
"I told you already, Kakashi."
"This invasion? We planned it perfectly. You don't stand a chance."
"And more importantly…"
His face darkened, his next words striking like lightning.
"Your Hokage… is dead."
The world stopped for Kakashi in that moment.
"W-what?" he whispered, voice hoarse. "Don't joke about that…"
"That's the Third Hokage! The strongest of them all!"
But doubt was already taking root in his heart.
Could it really be…?
Zeldris watched him silently, unreadable as ever.
And Kakashi, clutching at his last shred of hope, suddenly found himself unsure.
Is Lord Third… truly gone?
Before Kakashi could fully process the situation, Rasa's voice rang out again, calm but heavy with implications.
"When I arrived… your Third Hokage was already fighting Zeldris."
He paused, then added, "And there was someone else too."
Rasa's gaze narrowed slightly as he said the name.
"Orochimaru. One of the Sannin. His most prized disciple."
The words hit like a thunderclap.
Kakashi's breath caught in his throat. For a moment, his entire body went rigid. Slowly—stiffly—he turned to look at Zeldris, standing silently beside him.
If Rasa was telling the truth, then Zeldris being here now could only mean one thing…
Kakashi didn't dare finish the thought. His instincts screamed at him, but he forced the rising dread down and clenched his fists.
Staring Zeldris down, Kakashi gritted his teeth and growled, "Zeldris… you bastard. You actually—"
His voice cracked.
"—killed Lord Hokage?!"
Zeldris didn't flinch. He didn't even react. His expression remained blank, indifferent, as though the accusation didn't even deserve acknowledgment.
The calm in his eyes sent a chill down Kakashi's spine. He knew the truth. He didn't need a confession. The silence said it all.
Kakashi's eyes sharpened. He knew he didn't stand a chance against both Rasa and Zeldris, but that wasn't the point. Not now.
He had to hold them off.
Just long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
Just long enough to protect the village.
This was the responsibility the Third had carried until his final breath—and now it was his to bear.
Even in the face of overwhelming odds.
Even if it meant dying.
'A ninja must remain calm. Always.'
He repeated the words to himself like a mantra.
Rasa had revealed more than he realized. In addition to Sunagakure and Zeldris, there was now an even more dangerous element in play—Orochimaru. Another S-rank traitor. A monster in his own right.
The situation was beyond dire.
If it had just been Rasa, there might've been a way. But Zeldris?
Even before he left Konoha, his strength had eclipsed Kakashi's.
And now, after all these years… who knew how strong he'd become?
Kakashi's gut twisted with the realization. There was no plan. No strategy that would realistically win this fight.
As Kakashi's mind raced, Rasa casually turned to Zeldris.
"By the way, where's Orochimaru?"
His voice held a note of curiosity, but also suspicion.
"Don't tell me… he already ran off?"
Rasa narrowed his eyes. "That bastard never cared about alliances. If the Hokage is dead, then his objective is complete. He's probably already slipped away."
There was a flash of irritation in his expression, but it passed quickly. He exhaled, regaining his composure.
No matter.
Zeldris was still here—and he was more than enough.
With a force like that on their side, this invasion was practically a done deal.
Soon, Konoha would fall.
And the rise of Sunagakure—his village—would begin.
The Fourth Kazekage smiled faintly to himself, imagining it. The glory. The power. The redemption of the Sand.
But then something tugged at him—a question.
He turned back to Zeldris, his brow furrowed slightly.
"Wait… if Orochimaru's already retreated, then why are you still here?"
He paused, then tilted his head.
"Don't tell me… he asked you to assist us?"
Zeldris's lips curled into a faint, eerie smile.
Rasa blinked, confused. "What is it? Do you have some other mission?"
Zeldris lifted his head slightly, his eyes cold and distant.
"Yes," he said flatly. "I do."
Rasa tensed.
"I'm here to bring this war to an end."
The words sent a jolt through Kakashi. He narrowed his eyes and immediately raised his guard.
'Is he going to attack…?'
'What does he mean, bring it to an end?!'
Even Kakashi couldn't decipher Zeldris's intent. But Rasa, mistaking the statement for allegiance, brightened.
"Excellent," he said, laughing lightly. "Then I'll leave it to you."
He stepped back slightly, as if handing over the stage.
"As long as Konoha falls… everything else can be forgiven."
But Zeldris didn't respond.
His eyes glinted coldly.
And then—his hands slowly rose, a strange pressure swirling around them.
White energy condensed into a gleaming mask of force, humming with power.
Buzz…!
Kakashi's eyes widened in disbelief.
'What… is that?'
There was no trace of chakra.
No hand seals. No buildup.
Just raw, unfamiliar power.
'What kind of technique is this?!'
He stared, heart pounding. Zeldris had changed. Radically. The gap between them was no longer just wide—it was unbridgeable.
Rasa, on the other hand, chuckled.
"That technique again?"
"Careful not to destroy everything," he said casually. "I plan to make this place Sunagakure's new outpost."
But those words—meant as a joke—made Kakashi freeze.
'Wait…'
'Is he saying… that Zeldris was responsible for the earlier destruction?!'
The image burned itself into Kakashi's mind—
That massive white sphere of light, tearing through the skies, obliterating everything in its path. A vision of Konoha nearly leveled in a single instant.
His breath caught.Cold sweat poured down his face.His legs trembled slightly, as if his body instinctively understood something his mind refused to accept.
Zeldris was no ordinary threat. He was devastation in human form.
And then—suddenly—movement!
Boom!
With no warning, Zeldris turned and drove a white-glowing fist directly into Rasa's side.
"?!"
The blast of air from the strike howled across the battlefield.Rasa's eyes went wide, his body freezing as the shock hit him before the pain did.
Why?!
His mind screamed, his voice trailing into a strangled gasp.
"Zeldris, you—!"
But he never got to finish.
Zeldris's punch struck like thunder.
A crack echoed through the air like shattered glass—
Click.
White fractures exploded across the battlefield, racing outward like lightning across the earth.
The ground beneath Rasa caved and splintered as if the entire village was being torn apart from the inside.
And then—
Boom!
Rasa's body smashed into the ground, dust and smoke erupting skyward.Shockwaves rolled out in all directions, shaking what remained of the village to its core.
Kakashi stood frozen.His sharingan spun, but his mind couldn't keep up with what he was seeing.
Zeldris… attacked Rasa?
Why?! Aren't they allies?!
The answer never came.Only more questions.
The tremors continued for several seconds before slowly dying out.
As the dust settled, Kakashi could finally see again—and the sight rooted him in place.
Rasa lay crumpled at the center of a shallow crater.Blood leaked from his mouth. His armor shattered. His body broken.
His eyes—wide open—stared into the void in front of him.Desperation. Confusion. Fear.
All etched into that final expression.
He rasped, barely audible:
"Y-you…"
And then, his head lolled to the side.
Silent. Still. Dead.
The Fourth Kazekage—Rasa—never got his answer.
He died not knowing why Zeldris turned on him.
But now, it no longer mattered.
Rasa… was gone.
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