Even as Rasa poured more chakra into his technique…
His efforts sank like a stone in the sea.
He couldn't even reshape the gold dust.
"What did you do?" Rasa couldn't help but ask.
He'd anticipated his move might be blocked, but not this eerie scene.
It was as if his opponent controlled the gold dust too—with far greater power!
But…
Was that possible?
As Rasa spoke, the other ninja realized this wasn't their Kazekage's doing.
All eyes turned to Shen Mo.
"What's going on?" someone blurted out.
Ninjutsu could be learned, but Rasa's gold dust control stemmed from his Bloodline Limit.
No one else in the world could do it!
Shen Mo maintained his smile, as if nothing could alter his expression.
Looking at Rasa, he said slowly, "Don't believe me? Understandable. Most rulers react like you. So, let me make my identity clearer."
Shen Mo raised his hand slowly.
Rasa stepped back, hands ready to form seals.
Sand surged behind him, poised for defensive ninjutsu.
Behind Shen Mo, sand rose, swirling in the sky.
"Magnet Release, as expected!" Rasa's eyes locked on Shen Mo. "How did you—"
His words cut off.
Rasa's eyes widened, shock overtaking even a Kazekage's composure.
Because…
Behind Shen Mo, the boundless sand sea turned into a true ocean—roaring, surging, rushing skyward, blotting out the sun, more terrifying than the worst sandstorm.
Compared to this…
Shukaku's rampages were like an ugly duckling splashing in a pond.
"What… what is this…" Rasa's hands, poised for seals, dropped limply. He stared up, murmuring at the apocalyptic scene.
A series of thuds followed.
Hidden Sand ninja fell to their knees, gazing up in despair.
Even civilians behind, in the village, collapsed, clinging to each other helplessly.
Facing this cataclysmic display…
Kazekage, ninja, or civilian—all were equally powerless.
Shen Mo held his raised hand, his robes and hair fluttering in the telekinetic wake, while the endless sand sea twisted into a colossal sand dragon, its head alone nearly half the size of Hidden Sand Village.
Everyone…
Stared up at this monstrous entity, capable of effortless destruction.
Their future was no longer theirs to control.
Shen Mo's heart stirred with excitement.
Not from power.
But because his venture, at this moment, truly began.
"No need to fear or tremble," Shen Mo's voice rang clear in every ear. "This merely proves our identity. We are merchants traveling countless worlds, seeking not wealth nor conquest, but to witness the nobility of fate."
"The nobility… of fate?" Rasa echoed instinctively.
Faced with such unimaginable power, disbelief was impossible.
But what was the nobility of fate?
"Fate should be noble, not unchangeable, not sinking into despair," Shen Mo said, lowering his hand. With the motion, the sand dragon descended, forming a vast, winding dune.
With his current telekinesis…
Creating such a dragon, even if just for show, was taxing.
Seeing Rasa convinced and awestruck, he didn't need to maintain the spectacle.
Shen Mo looked at Rasa, whose spirit was shaken.
After a moment, he added, "In Konoha, I met your son, Gaara."
"…"
Rasa's body trembled.
Gaara.
That name was his nightmare.
Torn between his flesh and blood and his duty to the village, he'd dreamt countless times of Gaara destroying it, everyone blaming him for creating such a monster.
"His heart carries endless confusion from a lost sense of purpose, pain from rejecting fate, and… a yearning for redemption," Shen Mo said, stepping through the void to Rasa, his deep gaze fixed on him. "I want to know what kind of fate drives a father, not cold-hearted, to seek his child's death."
Rasa's fists clenched, his body shaking.
His inner pain, laid bare by Shen Mo.
He shut his eyes.
To keep the tears from falling.
Sometimes, Rasa felt fate was cruel—his wife's death, his child's suffering, the village's decline. Each day, facing his life, he longed for escape.
Shen Mo saw his heart.
And felt a pang of empathy.
Naruto sold chakra for money, indirectly tapping the Nine-Tails.
But Rasa's earnings—every bit dug from the earth with his chakra and strength—went to the village. He was like those ordinary souls crushed by money, family, and society.
Relentlessly draining himself.
Until one day, he'd collapse without warning.
But—
"Unchangeable fates are different the moment we arrive," Shen Mo said, his smile fading, his firm voice reaching all present. "With unwillingness to accept fate and resolve to change it, you can seize that chance from me."
He tapped Rasa's forehead with his staff.
Transmitting can information to his mind.
Rasa's eyes widened.
He felt the sudden influx of knowledge.
Cans from other worlds—open them, and gain anything desired, be it power or miracles.
Was this real?
His first instinct was doubt, but he recalled that godlike power.
A force not of this world.
Rasa's eyes…
Gradually lit up.
Shen Mo knew it was done. He glanced at Ikaros, as if to say:
This is client recruitment.