Chapter 4 — Convincing Rasa
Bare-chested and completely at ease despite the desert night air, Seiki stood alongside Jiraiya and Baki outside Rasa's residence. The wind of Sunagakure carried fine grains of sand across the wooden walkway, brushing softly against their feet like whispers of the desert itself.
Jiraiya leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Seiki… did you really withstand the Wind Blade without injury?"
His tone carried genuine concern beneath its casual surface.
"Impossible," Seiki replied calmly. "Baki-san held back. The Wind Blade looks like a deadly jutsu, but when it hit me, it didn't hurt at all—soft like a spring breeze."
As he spoke, Seiki cast Baki a cold, icy smile. "Right?"
Baki stiffened.
He nodded awkwardly, though inwardly he felt as though he had swallowed sand.
Bloodshot tears of frustration welled up in his mind.
My Wind Blade is precise—one strike per target! It has cut down enemies on the battlefield in a single breath! And yet this boy speaks of it as if it were nothing…
He stole a glance at Seiki's bare torso. Not even a scratch.
He's not even close to being human…
Jiraiya scratched his cheek, skepticism written plainly on his face.
"The destructive power of Wind Release is no joke. Even a body tempered through countless battles can't completely ignore that kind of jutsu." He glanced meaningfully at Baki. "Looks like you really didn't go all out."
Yet despite the teasing tone, his gratitude was sincere.
"Thank you, Baki-san. If anything had happened to Seiki, I wouldn't even know how to explain it to Hiruzen-sensei…"
Baki blinked.
Are all of Konoha's Sannin this… easygoing? he wondered.
He exhaled quietly.
"Besides, taking your head as redemption, Sunagakure would be in deep trouble. You may not realize it, but my master holds grudges for a very long time."
Baki suddenly bowed sharply at a perfect ninety-degree angle.
"I apologize for acting rashly earlier. I was too impulsive!"
Jiraiya stared, stunned.
"Are Sunagakure's ninja are this humble?"
Seiki watched the scene with a flicker of thoughtfulness.
After all, Baki nearly ruined the outcome of the Fourth Great Ninja War… If I hadn't unlocked the Superman template in time, I'd already be dead.
Before anyone could speak further—
"Baki. Lift your head. Don't forget who you are."
A deep, magnetic voice cut through the night air.
All three turned.
A man in black shinobi attire stood several paces away. His short brown hair shifted in the wind. His face was stern but not yet marked by the dark circles that would later define it. In this moment, he appeared almost ordinary—if not for the commanding presence radiating from him.
Rasa.
Seiki's eyes sharpened.
The future Fourth Kazekage.
Should I capture him… or cooperate with him?
Rasa studied Seiki just as intently. There was something unsettling about the boy—calm beyond reason, fearless before authority.
Silence stretched between them.
Seiki broke it first.
"Rasa-san. Only by working with us can you capture the one responsible for the Third Kazekage's disappearance. For both Sunagakure and yourself, this must be the highest priority."
Rasa's gaze did not waver.
"True," he admitted quietly. "If I prove the Third Kazekage is dead and capture the rogue ninja Sasori, it strengthens my claim to the title without opposition."
His eyes narrowed.
"But why should I trust you?"
Seiki met his gaze without hesitation.
"Because you have no other choice."
The desert wind seemed to still.
Facing Rasa's formidable presence, Seiki stood straight, unyielding. Not a trace of fear flickered in his eyes.
Jiraiya subtly shifted his stance, ready to intervene at the slightest hostile movement. After what had happened earlier, he would not allow Sarutobi Seiki to be placed in danger again.
And then—
BANG!
A window slid open.
"Honey!" a woman's voice shouted groggily from inside. "Did you leave me in the middle of the night just to stand outside chatting with strangers?!"
The air froze.
Even the wind seemed to pause.
Cold sweat trickled down Rasa's temple.
For several seconds, no one spoke.
Then—
"Pfft—hahaha!"
Seiki burst into laughter, unable to contain himself. Jiraiya quickly followed, clutching his stomach.
Even Baki's lips trembled dangerously.
Rasa's face turned crimson.
"Ahem." He straightened immediately, forcing his voice back into dignified calm. "As expected of the Third Hokage's grandson… Very well. I will cooperate with you—for now."
He extended his hand.
Seiki clasped it firmly.
Is this the turning point of the Third Great Ninja War?
Jiraiya and Baki both sensed it—the subtle shift of history.
"But it's late," Rasa added stiffly. "Tomorrow, I will take you to Granny Chiyo."
Seiki nodded, then added mischievously, "Mm. Rasa-san, go in and sleep with your wife."
"I am not going sleep with my wife!"
The denial came too quickly.
From the window, Karuro waved happily. "Honey, just listen to this young man!"
Rasa froze again.
"…."
His ears turned red.
With a cough that fooled no one, he turned and walked back toward the door.
Baki finally lost the battle against his composure and laughed aloud.
"Baki," Rasa said without turning around, "what are you laughing at?"
A faint killing intent leaked from his voice.
Baki instantly stiffened.
"Nothing at all."
Jiraiya smiled knowingly.
"Hahaha… Sunagakure's people aren't as gloomy as I imagined."
"Of course," Rasa replied seriously, regaining his composure. "Only those forged by the sand can shine like pearls."
He opened the door gently.
"I'm home."
"Welcome back," Karuro replied warmly.
Watching Rasa disappear inside, Seiki's expression softened.
He suddenly thought of his own father in this life.
It's been so long since I've seen the face beneath his ANBU mask…
During six years of training away from the village, he had seen his father only once.
His father had never removed the mask.
He had asked just one question before leaving swiftly with the ANBU squad.
"Seiki… what is a village? What is a ninja? Think carefully."
At the time, Seiki could have answered immediately—he had countless philosophical responses ready.
But as he watched the masked figure disappear into the forest shadows, he made a decision.
He would discard the answers of his previous life.
He would find his own path in this world.
---
That night, Seiki and Jiraiya laid out simple bedding on the floor of Baki's modest home.
Even as an elite jonin, Baki's finances were limited. Sunagakure was not a wealthy village, and the desert offered little generosity.
"I'm sorry," Baki said sincerely. "Please make do for one night."
Jiraiya waved it off.
"No, no. Compared to sleeping under the open sky with the ground as a bed, this is practically heaven."
Seiki stretched lazily and flopped onto the bedding.
Baki watched him quietly.
Konoha's new generation can blend into Sunagakure for a whole year without detection…
"And yet," he murmured, "we still struggle to see our future clearly."
After a pause, he spoke again.
"Seiki. May I ask one final question?"
"Go ahead."
Seiki rested his hands behind his head, eyes closed.
"How do you hide your chakra?"
Baki had pondered this all day.
Seiki's reply was simple.
"I don't hide it."
He opened one eye.
"I naturally have no chakra."
The words struck Baki harder than any technique.
No chakra?
That overturned everything he understood about shinobi.
A ninja who does not rely on chakra…
He looked at Seiki anew.
With a mind this sharp… and a body that seems indestructible…
He will surely become a legend.
In the bathing room, Jiraiya paused when he overheard.
"Hiruzen-sensei…" he muttered quietly.
"I will help Seiki grow into someone who can stand on his own."
Within that young body lay power unlike anything he had felt before.
Perhaps… perhaps he is the child of prophecy?
---
The next morning, under a pale desert sun, Rasa and Baki led Seiki and Jiraiya along the Hurricane Sand Road toward the secluded residence of Granny Chiyo and Ebizo.
At the peak of the path stood a massive gate reinforced with iron and wood, weathered by decades of sandstorms.
Footsteps echoed.
Inside, Ebizo's sharp ears twitched.
"It seems someone is coming," he called toward his sister.
By a quiet pond, Granny Chiyo sat motionless, fishing rod resting lightly in her hands.
She did not respond.
Ebizo frowned.
"…Dead?"
Before he could finish—
Chiyo's body tipped forward, falling stiffly toward the water.
"Sister?!"
Just as she was about to splash in—
She snapped upright with surprising speed.
"Just kidding!"
She flashed a mischievous grin.
"Playing dead, haha!"
Ebizo's face twitched.
The visitors outside could only exchange uncertain looks.
The legendary puppet masters of Sunagakure…
…were certainly not what they expected.