The participation of the Allied Forces completely reversed the decline of the Daimyō's government in the Land of Lightning.
The aggressive advance of Kumogakure was forced to halt, and they shifted to relying on their strongholds for defensive counterattacks.
Their victory was cut short, while casualties continued to soar.
Many Kumogakure shinobi who were loyal to the Fourth Raikage began to wonder whether they should continue obeying the orders of the Ninja Committee.
In the face of such wavering morale, the Committee's method was simple.
Money.
The assets plundered from nobles were all turned into military funds. Every Kumogakure shinobi participating in battle saw their accounts increasing daily.
Watching their balances multiply several times over, the Kumogakure shinobi finally calmed down a little and focused on facing the Allied Forces before them.
As though in tacit coordination with Kumogakure, after pushing back their frontlines, the troops under Danzō suddenly declared a rest.
Worried about being backstabbed, Kisame and Gari also urgently ordered their frontline troops to halt.
There was no helping it—Danzō's reputation spoke for itself. For him, the word "betrayal" was no insult at all, but practically a compliment.
The shadow of the Third Great Ninja War had only just begun to disperse, and no faction could afford to have their forces suffer sudden losses.
After all, behind everyone's backs—except for Konoha's—stood Sunagakure, watching, waiting to pounce.
Perhaps it was from being suppressed for too long, but ever since Rasa realized from Takeshi that the Daimyō was nothing, his methods had grown bolder.
Plundering the Land of Wind was no longer enough to satisfy his greed. His gaze turned toward the fertile lands and rich mineral resources of the Land of Rivers.
Though according to the treaty, the benefits of the Land of Rivers belonged to Konoha, Rasa had his own approach.
He directly sent envoys to make contact with the Land of Rivers' daimyō—whether through threats or bribes, it didn't matter. While Konoha's main forces were tied up in the Allied campaign, he intended to seize the Land of Rivers for himself.
But could he really succeed?
"It actually saves me the trouble of finding an excuse."
Rasa's little maneuvers had not escaped the notice of Internal Affairs. This ally of his was skilled in betrayal—it wasn't the first time. From the very start of their cooperation, Takeshi had already anticipated such a situation.
"Although it's unfortunate, my dear ally, your mission is now complete."
Destroying the intelligence in his hand with Wind Release, Takeshi knew it was time to act.
...
Land of Wind, desolate dunes.
Several Sunagakure shinobi stood there, each one with the strength of a jōnin.
Alongside them was none other than the Fourth Kazekage himself—Rasa.
Frowning slightly as he looked at the figures in the distance, Rasa hadn't expected his little scheme to be exposed so quickly.
Nor had he expected Takeshi to personally meet him over this matter.
Recalling the strongly worded letter he had received, Rasa's expression soured.
In that letter, Takeshi's tone had treated him entirely as a junior—full of scolding, and even threatening to terminate their cooperation.
Rasa wanted to stab Konoha in the back, but the time wasn't ripe yet.
With no choice, he had softened his tone and agreed to Takeshi's request for a meeting.
"They're here."
Beside Rasa, Baki noticed the figures ahead and whispered a reminder.
"Mm."
Rasa responded, adjusted his expression, and forced out a smile.
"There are only two of them, but their chakra reserves are immense..." one Sunagakure shinobi quietly reminded their Kazekage.
"No matter."
Rasa hid his hands in his sleeves, clenching tightly.
This was the Land of Wind—endless yellow sand stretched all around. Here, he held the advantage of terrain.
In such a dry, waterless environment, Ice Release users were naturally disadvantaged.
Besides, he didn't believe Takeshi—who needed allies to accomplish his plans—would launch an attack now.
But when the two sides drew close enough for Rasa to clearly see Takeshi's refined features, sudden screams rang out, accompanied by the sound of liquid evaporating.
Without turning, Rasa relied on his battle instincts, shaping gold dust behind him into a massive embankment.
A loud crash followed, as though something heavy had smashed against the gold sand, sending up clouds of dust.
"Ice Release: Piercing Palace."
Takeshi's attack struck, impaling several Sunagakure shinobi who had rushed to assist, their bodies skewered and lifted high on ice spears.
"Wind Release: Wind Blade!"
Baki shunshined forward, closing the distance with Takeshi. Gathering wind chakra into a spiral blade, he hurled it at Takeshi.
"Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
Uchiha Hikari weaved hand signs, and a torrent of fire instantly engulfed Baki along with his pitiful wind blade.
"Leave him alive."
Takeshi's voice stopped him, and Uchiha Hikari reduced the intensity of his flames.
When the fire receded, Baki's charred body was exposed—only to crumble into sand and vanish.
A sand clone.
A common trick among Sunagakure jōnin.
Looking back toward Rasa, as expected, Baki's true body had already returned to his Kazekage's side, face full of wariness.
The smell of roasted flesh filled the air on the wind. Catching that familiar stench, Rasa's heart clenched as he released the golden sand barrier behind him.
"This feeling... so it really is you, Pakura."
Seeing the desiccated corpses of Sunagakure shinobi, Rasa knew it was the work of Scorch Release.
"You're alive? I see... Konoha must have saved you?"
Wary of Takeshi, Rasa couldn't understand why his opponent would choose to attack him now.
It didn't align with Konoha's interests.
It was utterly pointless.
"Heh... surprised, Rasa? Didn't expect me to get a chance for revenge, did you?"
Pakura's expression twisted upon seeing him. The once-beautiful face could now only be described as hideous.
Rasa's betrayal had struck her too deeply. If not for Takeshi repeatedly calming her with promises to take her to avenge herself on Rasa, Pakura would have long ago stormed Sunagakure on her own.
"Kazekage-sama, are you truly willing to throw everything away over the Land of Rivers? If I die, the Daimyō's office will only appoint another loyal puppet as Kazekage. That would hardly serve Konoha's interests, would it?"
Rasa drew a deep breath. In a one-on-one duel, he was confident he wouldn't die at Takeshi's hands.
But the current situation was three against two.
The girl beside Takeshi was clearly no weakling. From that earlier Fire Release alone, Rasa had judged Baki was no match for her.
"Pakura."
Takeshi ignored Rasa and called out to her.
"What, are you changing your mind?"
Pakura's eyes glinted dangerously.
"Do you need my help?"
In Rasa's hopeful gaze, Takeshi spoke words that crushed his last hope.
Damn brat—couldn't he at least give some sort of answer?
"Hmph. No need."
The moment Pakura finished speaking, a massive fireball shot straight toward Rasa.
"Kazekage-sama!"
Baki moved to help, but a surge of deadly danger prickled from behind him.
At some point, an ice spear had been formed, thrust out by Takeshi. It grazed past Baki's waist, tearing open his cloak.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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