The Third Kazekage was dead, Sasori had defected, Pakura had been captured, and Chiyo had been drawn away by Sakumo Hatake. Sunagakure was now in an embarrassing situation where there was hardly anyone capable of leading.
In these circumstances, Rasa had no choice but to personally lead the force.
Even Konoha would struggle under such conditions; no matter how many shinobi a village might have, it's tough to find people capable of leading after so many casualties or deployments. That was why the power of individuals capable of leadership mattered in a war.
After the Third Shinobi War in the original timeline, Konoha's strength had plummeted, and they were bullied by others. Why was that? It was simply because there were few left who could take charge. Some had died, some had left in despair, others refused to fall into the vortex of politics, some defected, and some were never given the chance to rise.
For all sorts of reasons, Konoha lost most of its strength. Sure, individual strength rarely changes the outcome of a war unless it's absolute power, but whether or not there is someone capable to lead can make all the difference to a group of shinobi. That was why Rasa himself was now heading to the battlefield.
"You can't leave the village!" Ebizo instinctively wanted to stop him, but when he met Rasa's resolute gaze, he swallowed his words. After a long silence, Ebizo let out a bitter laugh. "I understand. I will take care of things at the camp. I'll leave the battlefield to you."
Rasa didn't say anything grand or heroic. He didn't think he had the right to do so. Without another word, he left the command post.
"This is such a mess!!" muttered Sarutobi Shiji, clearly exasperated.
All eyes were on Takuya, but he seemed utterly unconcerned, which was a headache for Shiji. Even when Sunagakure scouts approached and gathered intel, Takuya made no move to deal with them. He let them watch and deliver their findings back.
What on earth is he planning?
If given a choice, Shiji swore to himself he'd rather die than accept Nara Shikashige's suggestion again. Following Takuya was likely to kill him—not from an enemy attack, but from sheer frustration.
It had gone from an ambush to an outright, open attack. As he stared at the tiny silhouettes forming on the distant horizon, Shiji made up his mind: if he made it back, he would definitely lodge a strong complaint against Takuya.
This man is impossible to rely on!
To top it off, Kushina had enthusiastically agreed to take on the Sunagakure forces by herself. Takuya actually wanted her, the Jinchuriki, to go solo against the enemy. How could one even describe this absurdity?
The Hokage was always trying to keep the Jinchuriki safely within the village, and yet here was Takuya, sending her alone into battle. Shiji couldn't find the words to describe his feelings.
"Finally, they're here. I'm really curious who's leading them," Takuya remarked casually, glancing at Pakura. She kept a cold expression, remaining silent.
Shiji was frustrated, and Pakura wasn't much better. This was the last thing she wanted to see.
As for who was leading the Sunagakure forces, it hardly needed guessing—it had to be Rasa. Chiyo despised Sakumo Hatake and would inevitably pursue him whenever he showed up. Besides, Sakumo had the larger force and required her presence to balance the scales.
With Chiyo gone and Ebizo handling the camp, Rasa was the only remaining capable commander left, even if he was the person Chiyo despised the most.
Suddenly, Pakura's eyelid twitched, and she turned sharply to face Takuya. "Your target is Rasa, isn't it?"
She had found Takuya's tactics too absurd to even complain about. Like Shiji, she thought he was just making things up as he went along. But now she saw the real reason: Takuya's target was Rasa.
To end this war that Sunagakure had started, there were two paths: either defeat Sunagakure decisively, breaking their will to fight and forcing them to surrender, or take out their key leadership.
The Third Kazekage was dead, Pakura captured, Sasori had defected—Rasa was the only remaining leader in the mid-generation of Sunagakure. If Takuya could capture Rasa, then Chiyo and Ebizo would have no choice but to pull back. They wouldn't risk the village's future on a gamble.
They didn't have enough time to train another suitable leader. Both were getting old, and no one knew when accidents might happen. If the new leader wasn't ready when such a thing occurred, Sunagakure would truly be finished.
Given the choice between an uncertain victory and trading for the village's future, Chiyo would choose Rasa without hesitation.
Takuya Yagami is the one person in Konoha who should never be underestimated!
Now Pakura was also beginning to worry.
The Konoha shinobi following Takuya were stunned. They had thought, like Pakura, that Takuya was just fooling around. But now—this was brilliant!
"If the opportunity arises, I won't mind taking him down," Takuya said, smiling at Pakura. The sunshine-like smile made her shiver.
Even the Third Kazekage couldn't stop Takuya—what chance did Rasa have? Pakura had witnessed the Kazekage's death with her own eyes. She knew there was no way Rasa could match Takuya.
"I'll give you a chance: if you pledge loyalty to us, I'll spare Rasa and protect Sunagakure's future."
Are you a devil?! Pakura's pupils shrank.
As she watched the approaching enemy force, Takuya continued, "I know someone like you would never easily defect, even if the war ends. So I'll help make the choice for you."
"Lucky for us—it's Rasa." As the enemies drew nearer, Takuya's smile widened, while Pakura felt her heart sink.
"Kushina, it's up to you now."
"Got it!" Although nervous, Kushina wouldn't allow herself to back down. She knew that defeating Sunagakure meant not only helping Tsunade, but also herself.
Konoha had to win this war, and win it decisively.
"Takuya, I'm going in." Kushina didn't look back as she charged toward the enemy.
Worried, Shiji asked, "Lord Takuya, shouldn't we provide some assistance?"
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