"Ugh…" Rasa rubbed his sleepy eyes as he woke up.
He jumped off his bed. At six years old, not even a meter tall, he was already his master's capable assistant.
His master was a renowned potter in the village, producing ceramics that were both beautiful and durable.
Today was Rasa's day of apprenticeship graduation. If he could create a piece that satisfied his master, he would officially become independent.
Rasa quickly dressed, gathered his tools and materials, and went to the pottery workshop.
His master was observing the various ceramics on display.
Seeing Rasa enter, the master only spoke calmly: "Begin."
Brimming with confidence, Rasa set to work. Mixing clay, kneading, shaping the vessel, glazing, firing—it was all done in one smooth flow. His motions were like flowing water, practiced and precise.
The scene fast-forwarded as though on skip—several days later, Rasa handed his finished pottery piece to his master.
The master's face was shrouded in shadow. He examined the piece, then pushed it off the table.
Crack! The pottery hit the ground with a dull sound.
Rasa clenched his fists in excitement. Good! He passed the test!
But the master picked the pottery back up, set it on the second shelf, and pushed it down again.
Crack! Another dull sound—only the rim chipped this time, but the vessel didn't break.
Before Rasa could react, the master placed it on the third shelf and shoved it down.
Crash! This time, the pottery shattered into a pile of fragments.
"Failure. Redo it," the master said coldly.
Rasa's stomach twisted with grievance. What pottery could possibly survive such heights without breaking?
But his master's word was law. Rasa wiped his reddened eyes and started over.
Days later, he finished another piece, only for the master to toss it directly into the sky.
Crash! It shattered again.
"Failure. Redo it," came the same indifferent verdict.
Rasa had no choice but to continue.
Time skipped by in flashes—no matter how well he crafted, no matter how sturdy, the master always found ways to destroy it. Dropping it, hammering it, blasting it with jutsu… until it broke.
And always, the same words:
"Failure. Redo it."
In desperation, Rasa once made a solid, filled vessel. But the master simply threw it into the kiln.
Still: "Failure…"
"Why?!" Rasa finally collapsed, crying. "Why is it never good enough!?"
The master raised his head—his face slowly transforming into Rasa's own.
Meanwhile, little Rasa turned into another boy, with the word Ai ("Love") carved onto his forehead.
"Because I never believed in you," the master sneered. "No matter what you make, it's useless."
"Ahhh…" The younger Rasa—Gaara—fell to his knees in pain.
Rasa jolted awake, realizing he was still in the desert.
Across from him stood that Uchiha clansman.
"Genjutsu!?" Rasa's heart chilled. He had been pulled in instantly, without resistance.
Breaking free consumed massive chakra. His steps wavered unsteadily.
Not daring to meet the other's eyes, Rasa noticed the Uchiha's lips curl downward in disappointment.
Rasa slammed his palms onto the sand.
Magnet Release: Gold Dust Burial!
The desert sand, infused with his chakra, turned golden and flowed like liquid.
The ground collapsed, dragging his foe down.
Rasa poured chakra madly into the technique.
Sand compressed downward, layer upon layer—yet he could feel his opponent was unharmed.
Suddenly, golden skeletal ribs burst forth, rising into the sky.
Flesh wrapped over bone, chakra formed armor, and a massive blade appeared at its waist.
Violent chakra surged like a storm.
A golden Susanoo strode forth from the sand, godlike and unyielding.
Rasa leapt onto a floating platform of sand, unrolled a sealing scroll, and slapped his hand on it.
With a swish, torrents of golden sand cascaded like a waterfall from the sky.
Rasa clasped his hands. The airborne gold dust vibrated violently, then merged into a colossal cube, glimmering under the harsh sun.
With a sharp wave, Rasa hurled the cube down toward Susanoo.
Hmph! No matter who you are, you'll die today!
This cube was so dense that not even Shukaku could break it. Now he would crush this Uchiha beneath it!
Inside Susanoo, Uchiha Natsuki frowned. His system's "Tsukuyomi" label had vanished.
His illusion had been poor—despite channeling extra ocular power, it hadn't lasted long.
As expected, he had no real talent in genjutsu. Unlike Itachi, who could trap Izumi in a Tsukuyomi lasting a lifetime.
If soft methods failed—then hard ones it would be!
Natsuki drew Susanoo's blade, flooding it with chakra and ocular power.
The weapon hummed, vibrating with lethal intent.
With a roar, Susanoo swung. A ghostly aura shimmered along the blade's edge as it struck.
The golden cube split apart like tofu, cleaved cleanly in two.
The halves crashed to the ground, raising massive clouds of dust.
Rasa's pupils shrank in disbelief.
It had been cut!? How could anything be so sharp!?
The gold cube's density was unrivaled. Normally, foes could only dodge—but today it had been bisected outright!
"That golden Susanoo… you're Uchiha Natsuki!" Rasa cried.
"Are you trying to provoke a war!?"
His face darkened. The power of the Mangekyō Sharingan was infamous—he had already heard how Killer B couldn't withstand even a single blow.
Natsuki gave no reply. His Susanoo simply raised its sword once more.
With a thunderous stomp, Susanoo charged, scattering sand in a storm.
Rasa's sand platform moved sluggishly; the distance between them closed rapidly.
With a furious motion, Rasa summoned back the scattered halves of the golden cube, exploding them into countless fragments that soared into the sky.
Magnet Release: Gold Dust Shower!
"Ahhhh!"
The glittering storm rained down, pelting Susanoo's armor relentlessly.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The golden rain chipped away its armor, piece by piece. But inside, Natsuki remained completely unharmed.
Exhaling slowly, he flared his ocular power again. With Uzumaki chakra fueling him, Susanoo swiftly regenerated its armor to full.
"Haa… haa…" Rasa panted heavily.
His chakra reserves were already shallow. After the genjutsu ambush, after the cube was broken, after expending so much on the gold dust storm—he was nearly empty.
Seeing Susanoo striding forward, unbroken, Rasa's face twisted in despair.
How could he possibly fight this!?
---
There are 155 chapters on patreon today.
patreon.com/dzeref887