As the morning light swept across the land, the upheaval that had taken place overnight in Gorin City spread throughout the shinobi world.
The closest to receive the news was Sunagakure.
Sitting in the Kazekage's office, Rasa had not slept the entire night.
Ever since Ryosuke had left, he had been waiting. Whenever subordinates came in to report, sometimes he sat with furrowed brows, muttering quietly to himself, and other times he stared off into the distance with a rare smile on his face.
Many thought Rasa was cracking under the pressure of work, that his mind was fraying. They advised him to put work aside for a while and rest.
But Rasa knew he wasn't mad.
He was waiting for a result.
A result he had waited his entire life for.
When the intelligence officers stationed in Gorin City sent the message back, Rasa slammed his hand hard against the desk and burst out in unrestrained laughter.
After a whole day of anxiety, his eyes were bloodshot, a frightening sight to those who looked at him.
But Rasa felt better than he ever had before.
Ten minutes later, Rasa called an emergency meeting. In front of all the jōnin and village advisors, he finally voiced the decision he had kept buried in his heart for so long, "I am going to lead Sunagakure to pledge allegiance under Ryosuke."
The room erupted instantly.
Some frowned deeply in thought, some jumped up and shouted, while others, those who had already caught wind of what happened in Gorin City last night, looked at Rasa with meaningful expressions.
After three minutes of uproar, the first question came.
"I heard Ryosuke has an ability, to write commands directly into people's minds… Lord Kazekage, forgive my bluntness, but have you ever met Ryosuke in private?"
"I have."
"Then, Lord Kazekage, this decision of yours… is it truly from your own will? Or have you… already fallen under Ryosuke's genjutsu?"
Rasa swept his gaze slowly across the room, meeting the questioning eyes one by one.
To say he was under genjutsu was the polite way of putting it. The harsher truth was, they thought Rasa had gone insane.
Sunagakure, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, ancient, with secret techniques and powerful shinobi.
Even among the Five, its raw battle strength might only rank below Kumogakure and Konohagakure. Not to mention compared to small villages like Takigakure or Yugakure.
So why abandon stability to submit to Ryosuke?
There aren't many fools among shinobi. With everything Ryosuke had done, he was already hated by countless global conglomerates and bureaucratic clans. He might be dazzling now, but how many powerful shinobi had there been throughout history?
Close by, Hanzo of the Salamander. Further back, Hashirama Senju. Even further, the Sage of Six Paths.
Each one ridiculously strong. Yet in the end, all of them died.
The conglomerates and bureaucrats, they've replaced one another time and again, but as long as "humans" exist, they will continue to exist.
And now, at such a crucial moment, to abandon the Land of Wind and side with Ryosuke?
Why?
Rasa wasn't eloquent. He couldn't pick apart every worry in the room and convince each man one by one.
He only spoke with the simplest, rawest words, "Do you really think the Land of Wind treats us as people?"
The room fell silent.
Before anyone could speak, Rasa continued, "The Wind Daimyō keeps cutting our military budget for every reason he can find. The amount a rich man spends to buy a zoo equals half our yearly military funding."
"Kumogakure is expanding its army. We're panning gold to sell for money."
"Konoha plots and schemes. We're making puppets to sell for money."
"Kirigakure drowns in the Bloody Mist. We're making scrolls to sell for money."
"Iwagakure hides and builds its strength. And we..."
Rasa slammed his fist on the table.
"...are still figuring out how the hell to make money!"
Money. Money. Money.
The shinobi of Sunagakure looked at one another.
They knew Rasa wasn't wrong. More than once, while shinobi from other villages thought about how to rest after missions, how to grow stronger, they were thinking about how to secure the final payment, or upsell clients with "extra services."
Somewhere during his words, much of the doubt in their eyes began to fade. Even those leaning back in their chairs slowly sat forward.
Rasa threw a stack of printed reports on the table.
They were about the current state of the Land of Water and Kirigakure, about the purpose of the Sky Ninja Army, and about the condition of Gorin City.
The first part showed the benefits of following Ryosuke.
The second showed that retreat was no longer an option.
The conglomerates had begun searching for alternatives to the "shinobi village system." Once they found one, Sunagakure would be swept into history's trash heap, forgotten by all.
Rasa's voice dropped low and heavy, "We are not betraying the Land of Wind, the Land of Wind betrayed us! They don't see us as people. To them, we're just dogs they can toss a single bone to and watch us gnaw it for days!"
"We need a leader. Someone visionary and strong enough to crush every enemy in our path. And right now..."
Rasa pointed toward the direction of Gorin City.
"He has arrived."
"Ryosuke turns invaders into corpses, makes those who looked down on us lie dead at our feet."
"He will lead us to victory."
"Now… tell me."
Rasa rose, slammed both hands down on the table, "Do you want to be people, or dogs?"
The room fell into heavy silence. One by one, they picked up the reports and read every word with solemn faces.
———
[Three Hours Later]
Sunagakure announced its secession from the Land of Wind and its allegiance to Ryosuke's faction.
———
Four days later, Sunagakure's support forces, led by Rasa, arrived in Gorin City.
The city was still in shambles, its rules and bureaucracy shattered. Countless problems awaited. Since they had chosen this faction, Sunagakure would not hesitate to work,
After all, from top to bottom, they were some of the most skilled laborers in the shinobi world.
But upon arrival, Rasa found the city far better off than expected. Every two or three streets stood a small, makeshift relief station.
Facilities and workshops tied to daily survival were stumbling back into operation, food, drinking water, sewage management, all being restored bit by bit.
Rasa glanced back at the long caravan of wagons they had brought. They'd carried a great deal of supplies, but it seemed they wouldn't be needed.
But that was, all in all, a good thing.
In the streets, cloaked figures patrolled on duty, calling themselves the "Rat Unit."
Rasa asked one of them where Ryosuke was. Expecting to hear "the governor's mansion," he was surprised when a boyish "little rat," no older than fifteen or sixteen, answered, "The governor's mansion? That place is better suited to house the wounded. Boss Ryosuke is resting at one of the city workshops. If you're heading there, I can guide you."
"Thank you."
Rasa led the caravan to the workshop.
Inside an empty factory hall, they finally found Ryosuke, surrounded by some familiar faces, Sasuke, Rei, Kakashi, and Iwamine.
Rasa was just about to smile and greet them when he suddenly noticed a man standing opposite.
A man wearing the formal robes of the Land of Wind.
Face full of arrogance.
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