In Sunagakure, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, was half-leaning back, drinking with the Sand's senior leadership.
For the Sand, nothing beat good alcohol.
And that was exactly why Konoha had managed to bury an agent there for thirty years.
Sake was Sunagakure's weakness.
Tonight was a big night—because starting today, the entire village would finally become a single, unified block.
Rasa had stabilized Sunagakure after the chaos caused by the Third Kazekage's disappearance.
That was absolutely worth celebrating.
"Congratulations, Kazekage-sama!"
"Congratulations, Kazekage-sama!"
Rasa smiled. "Enough congratulations. This was everyone's effort."
Then he asked, "How's Konoha doing? I heard they have a new Fourth Hokage… and he's young?"
"Yes, Kazekage-sama. But Konoha has been quiet lately—no troop movement. They were just hit by Madara Uchiha and took major damage."
Rasa nodded. "Good. Then we deploy as soon as possible—tomorrow."
Then he asked again, "When does Pakura arrive?"
"Kazekage-sama, Pakura will arrive tomorrow."
Rasa nodded. "When she does, we raid Konoha and hit them before they can react. That Fourth Hokage is said to be strong, but we'll have reinforcements."
"And the Third Raikage will move too—because his son is still a hostage in Konoha."
"This time, Sunagakure will force Konoha to compromise again, push into the Land of Fire, and seize fertile territory."
"Kazekage-sama is wise!"
"Kazekage-sama is mighty!"
Glasses rose all around.
…
At the same time, a thousand Konoha shinobi were already being mobilized.
This was Hiruzen's arrangement.
No matter what Hiruzen personally thought, he felt Kazu taking just Minato and Sakumo into Sunagakure was far too reckless.
Ambition was good—but underestimating the enemy got you killed.
Hiruzen decided it was time for an experienced old man to act.
With a thousand shinobi, even if Kazu somehow got overwhelmed, he could still be pulled out alive.
Konoha's Hokage could not die in another village.
If that happened, Konoha would lose face—and lose control.
But Hiruzen didn't realize that besides Sunagakure, Kumogakure and Iwagakure were also watching Konoha like wolves.
Especially Kumogakure: the Third Raikage had already crossed the border again and was creeping toward Konoha.
And right now, Hiruzen had sent a thousand critical troops away from the village…
…
Meanwhile, Sunagakure's outer sentries began to sense something wrong.
Something felt… off.
Like there were fewer patrols than there should be.
Sunagakure had tens of thousands of shinobi ready to respond at any moment.
The outer ring alone had over five hundred guards—any abnormality should have triggered an immediate alert to the inner forces.
But the perimeter guards were disappearing.
The remaining patrols started whispering to each other, uneasy.
"This is weird… where did everyone go?"
"No idea. New assignment?"
"No way. Even if it's a mission, it wouldn't look like this. Unless it's—"
Before he could finish—
Roots and vines erupted from the sand and yanked an entire five-man squad into quicksand without warning.
Kazu blinked once.
Wood Release works in sand too…?
So Hashirama really was the "God of Shinobi."
Just like Tobirama's Water Release—so strong he could create water where there shouldn't be any—
Hashirama's Wood Release could bloom in places that had no business growing anything at all.
Like the desert.
And just like that, Kazu brought Sakumo and Minato straight into Sunagakure.
Sakumo and Minato were still stunned.
That actually worked?
Minato watched Kazu's back and thought, almost unconsciously:
This must be the difference between me and him.
Kazu dared to imagine things Minato wouldn't even consider—and then he actually did them.
That was why he could become Hokage.
Along the way, Sakumo and Minato noticed something else:
Sunagakure's shinobi were drinking everywhere.
Toasting in circles.
Laughing.
Completely unaware that three enemies had walked into their village.
Even Kazu was a little surprised.
There had to be over ten thousand shinobi in Sunagakure.
And yet the entire village was acting like there was no threat at all.
Kazu focused for a moment and found Rasa immediately.
He was in a large central building—where the chakra presence was the densest.
And inside that same place… Kazu sensed something else.
A tailed beast.
Shukaku… the One-Tail.
Gaara wasn't born yet.
So if Kazu remembered right, the jinchūriki right now should be a monk—Bunpuku.
"Looks like Sunagakure is confident," Kazu said lightly.
Then—he was spotted.
"Hey! You three—who the hell are you?"
Sakumo and Minato tensed instantly, glancing toward Kazu.
Kazu nodded once.
"Let's kill."
The man who spoke dropped before his brain even caught up.
Sakumo and Minato moved at the same time.
"Enemy attack!"
"Enemy attack!!"
"Enemy attack!!!"
The shouting ripped through the village like an alarm bell.
In an instant, all of Sunagakure detonated into chaos.
A terrifying pressure rose across the entire village.
Rumble—!
It was like the Sand itself exploded.
"Wood Release: Birth of a Sea of Trees!"
With Sunagakure at its center, the ground erupted violently.
It had been desert—now roots and vines burst upward and transformed everything into a dense, tropical forest.
Desert turning into forest made the chakra cost spike—easily double.
But Kazu had Hashirama's absurd reserves, plus the Strength of a Hundred Seal. Even doubled consumption still meant nothing to him.
Sand-built houses flipped and collapsed instantly.
The shinobi who'd been drinking hadn't even processed what was happening before vines wrapped around their bodies.
A few jōnin who tried to escape through the rooftops were instantly hunted down by Konoha's White Fang and the Yellow Flash—blood sprayed across the sand.
Even Minato—who hated killing—showed no mercy once the fight truly began.
Because this was what being a shinobi meant.
"Flying Thunder God Technique!"
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Konoha Style: Assassination Technique!"
Blood burst across the night.
In moments, the jōnin trying to flee were cut down one by one by Sakumo and Minato.
The bound chūnin and genin shook like leaves.
What kind of monsters were these three?!
"Kazekage-sama—save us!!"
Then a roar boomed.
"WHO ARE YOU?!"
Rasa finally appeared.
At his side were Chiyo, Ebizō, and the One-Tail jinchūriki, Bunpuku.
Rasa's eyes were blazing with rage.
His people were dying in front of him—one after another.
A Sand ANBU beside him went pale and stammered, "Kazekage-sama… th-that's Kazu. The Fourth Hokage…"
"Fourth Hokage?!"
"Kazu?!"
Rasa's fury ignited.
"You—Hokage! Why are you slaughtering Sunagakure's people?!"
Kazu looked at him calmly.
"I am Kazuki—Kazu—Fourth Hokage of Konoha."
"And I'm here for one reason."
"To make Sunagakure submit to Konoha."
As he spoke, Kazu released the bound lower and mid-rank shinobi.
He'd already crossed a thousand kills by now.
The quota was met.
"Are you trying to start a war?!" Rasa snarled. "Aren't you afraid of stretching your forces too thin and leaving Konoha vulnerable?!"
Minato and Sakumo landed beside Kazu.
Kazu's tone stayed flat.
"Enough talking."
"Surrender… or die."
"Those are your only options."
Rasa's eyelids twitched.
He'd seen Kazu's Sea of Trees and understood what kind of monster he was facing.
But he had just become Kazekage—there was no way he could say the word "surrender" out loud.
If he did, Sunagakure would tear him apart for weakness.
So Rasa shouted, loud enough for the whole village to hear:
"Everyone! Attack! Take him down!"
Kazu smiled coldly.
"Then die."
"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Jutsu!"
Rasa's face changed instantly.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
A massive stone wall rose to block the Wood Dragon—
but it was paper-thin.
The Wood Dragon smashed through and snapped around Rasa's body.
Too fast.
No one reacted in time.
In the opening exchange…
Rasa lost.
Even he couldn't believe it.
He didn't even have time to "warm up" before he was caught.
"Gah—!"
Rasa screamed as the Wood Dragon bound him and dragged him up into the air in front of Kazu.
Chakra was being drained. His body went limp.
Only then did Rasa truly understand Kazu's terror.
One strike—overwhelming—unstoppable.
"Damn it!!"
"Lord Rasa!!"
"Kazekage-sama!!"
Sand shinobi watching from a distance exploded with rage and panic.
Their Kazekage… hung in the air like a dog on a chain.
Several elite jōnin rushed in—
only to be erased instantly by Sakumo and Minato.
Kazu's voice rang across the night sky.
"Your Kazekage is captured. He can't fight."
"Do you still want to throw yourselves at death?"
Morale collapsed.
The village shook with despair.
That was their Kazekage.
And he'd been taken in seconds.
Sunagakure was already spiraling—now it became chaos.
Rasa, shaking with fury, screamed, "Kazu… if this revenge isn't repaid, I'll die hating you!!"
He coughed up blood—then passed out.
Chiyo and Ebizō were furious and heartsick.
That was their Kazekage—one of the strongest in the village.
And he couldn't last even a single second.
Everyone was stunned.
Chiyo took a slow breath.
"Bunpuku."
Bunpuku hesitated. "Chiyo-sama… but Kazekage-sama—"
Chiyo gritted her teeth.
"For Sunagakure, Kazekage-sama will bear it."
"We will never submit to Konoha."
Ebizō added, "Only Shukaku can handle him now."
"But Shukaku is too hard to control," Bunpuku warned. "If we release him, the village itself could be destroyed—"
"Bunpuku, no more hesitation!" Chiyo snapped. "Our priority is to stop him. Release Shukaku first!"
Bunpuku fell silent, then finally exhaled.
"…Shukaku. Come out."
Kazu paused for a heartbeat—then laughed.
He'd already sensed the tailed beast chakra in Bunpuku.
"A One-Tail jinchūriki, huh?"
Bunpuku's eyes hardened.
"Fourth Hokage… leave Sunagakure. If you don't…"
"…I'll kill you, even if it costs me my life."
As he said it, Bunpuku's body swelled—
transforming into a massive tanuki.
Shukaku, the One-Tail.
Kazu's first thought was almost casual.
If I'm going back to Konoha, I should bring souvenirs… a proper 'gift,' right?
Why not seal Shukaku as a summon—or just capture it and bring it back as Konoha's tailed beast?
After all, Uzumaki Ashina—the Uzumaki clan patriarch—knew countless sealing techniques.