Chapter 5 – Rasa's Decision
Back in the Kazekage's Office
A small group consisting of Rasa, Chiyo, and Ebizō sat in silence, reflecting on the information they had just heard from Miura.
He was the current head of Suna's torture and interrogation department. His work mainly involved obtaining and analyzing information from enemies, whether they were alive or not. He was also a direct disciple of Ebizō and responsible for the spy network in other countries, in short, someone trustworthy.
"Chiyo," Rasa suddenly spoke.
"Yes."
With a quick motion, Chiyo's right arm fired a dozen poisoned senbons (ninja needles) toward Miura.
Miura didn't even understand what had happened before he was hit. He looked at his attacker, then at Rasa, and finally at his master.
The poison quickly reached his heart, and in the blink of an eye, Miura was dead.
Looking at Miura's body, Chiyo lowered her arm and looked at her younger brother. Rasa also looked at the old man beside him. Both knew Miura was one of Ebizō's few remaining disciples, so they were somewhat concerned about his reaction. But after a few moments, all the old man did was sigh heavily as he sealed his student's body in a scroll.
"Ebizō," Rasa spoke suddenly, breaking the silence in the room, "Send a team to the base location. Bring back all the bodies and any information you find."
"Yes," Ebizō replied in a weary voice and left the room.
Seeing him leave, Rasa and Chiyo returned to silence. The loss of a ninja like Miura would undoubtedly be felt in the coming days, but he could not remain alive—not after learning about the existence of the baby with Senju blood.
"What do you think, Chiyo?" Rasa was the first to speak, breaking the silence between them.
"The existence of the baby is an extremely valuable asset. The woman survived the power of Hashirama's cells, so the baby's potential must be incredible." She paused for a moment before continuing, "And even if he can't awaken the Mokuton, he should still be at least Jonin-level, potentially even reaching the level of a Kage in the future."
Rasa agreed. The Senju lineage alone was incredibly valuable, one with the potential to awaken the Mokuton even more so...
"What should we do with him?" he asked suddenly. Although he was the Kazekage and held some resentment toward Chiyo, he decided to set his pride aside in this moment.
Rasa wasn't a fool. Did he have many issues? Yes. However, no one could deny that Rasa was skilled in politics.
As a disciple of the Third Kazekage, Rasa had been trained to be a successor.
However, due to the disappearance of the Third Kazekage and the subsequent outbreak of the Third Great Ninja War, Rasa ended up adopting a cruel and ruthless approach to handling matters.
This could be seen in his actions, such as sacrificing a Kage-level asset like Pakura at the end of the war or turning his unborn son into a Jinchuuriki. Actions undoubtedly ruthless, but in some way, justified.
Chiyo understood this nature of Rasa's, so she wasn't surprised by his question.
"Let me take care of him," she said after a bit of consideration.
Her response surprised Rasa a little, but not much. He quickly understood what Chiyo was aiming for.
"You want to make him a future ninja of Suna? An asset against the other villages?" he asked.
"More than that." Chiyo turned her gaze to Rasa. "I believe he could be the village's future."
"…"
"Currently, aside from you, the village has no top-tier ninja." Chiyo's voice was heavy. "Gaara is still an infant, I am old, Pakura is dead, and Sasori—"
She stopped suddenly, a hint of sadness passing through her eyes, but she quickly composed herself.
Rasa remained silent, thinking. Normally, he would raise the boy as a test subject and, when the time came, use him as a sperm donor to create a new Senju clan in Suna. But as Chiyo pointed out, at this moment, the village had no one other than himself as a top-tier force.
The war had ended recently, and at this moment, all villages were recovering.
Iwagakure had lost 10,000 ninjas in its attack on the Third Raikage and needed time to rebuild.
Kirigakure had returned to its isolated state, making information gathering difficult; however, it had still lost many ninjas in this war, including four of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.
Kumogakure had suffered the fewest troop losses, yet it was currently facing serious internal issues. After the death of the Third Raikage, the rise of his son A to the position of Fourth Raikage was causing some discontent among high-ranking ninjas.
Konoha, although it had suffered many losses, still had many elite ninjas at its disposal. Jiraiya, Tsunade (although she hadn't acted in the last war), Orochimaru, Minato… these names held considerable weight in the ninja world.
During this recovery period, everyone was training and preparing their new generation of ninjas for the next war.
Suna was no different, but they were undoubtedly at a much worse level.
Due to the constant defeats in the wars, the Daimyo and nobles of the Land of Wind were becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the village. The decrease in funds was just one aspect. The division of tasks with Konoha had become a real nuisance for Rasa. It was more than just affecting the village's funds; it directly impacted ninjas, from Genins to Jonins.
All this would have a major impact on the growth of the new generation, and frankly, apart from Gaara, no one had the potential to reach Kage-level.
With this in mind, Rasa made his decision.
"Very well. I'll leave this to you."
Chiyo nodded slightly and left the office. Moments later, Rasa felt his guards return to their positions and began to tend to the paperwork once more.
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**In the Middle of the Desert**
Ebizō and a group of 20 ninjas collided with a small group of masked ninjas.
Upon seeing Ebizō and the others, they tried to flee, but the old man was genuinely upset about his apprentice's death.
The battle between them was quick, and the masked ninjas were swiftly captured, but before they could be interrogated, they died.
'This…' Ebizō observed the scene with some surprise, but quickly something clicked within him. 'Root? So, they're Danzō's men?'
"Secure the bodies and move on. When we return to the village, I will personally check on this."
With the orders given, the group quickly continued on their way.
*****
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