Seven days passed in a flash.
"Boom!"
In the vast, endless desert, golden sand stretched as far as the eye could see.
The air was scorching hot and dry.
Accompanied by a deafening rumble, a tidal wave of sand and gold dust surged from two opposing directions in the distance. Like colliding tsunamis, the waves crashed into each other with immense force, sending towering sandstorms a hundred meters into the sky. The ground trembled violently beneath the impact.
In the aftermath of the collision, countless sand and gold-dust-formed arms shot into the air at blinding speeds, their movements nearly imperceptible to the naked eye. They twisted and clashed in midair, producing horrifying screeches as they shredded each other apart.
Then, like a storm, the sand and gold dust rained down from above.
But before they could even settle, an unseen force reshaped them into thousands of razor-sharp senbon. With a piercing whistle, they descended in a deadly downpour, transforming the desert into a sea of needles. The battlefield took on the terrifying visage of a hellish landscape.
At the fringes of this sand-and-gold battle, x, an elite Jōnin, swallowed hard. He watched in awe at the godlike spectacle before him, witnessing for the first time the terrifying power of a Kage.
As for why the Kazekage had suddenly mastered the Second Kazekage's sand-manipulation techniques, Baki was wise enough not to ask.
After nearly an hour, the grand clash finally subsided, and the desert returned to silence.
Amid the swirling sand, Rasa, standing atop a cloud of gold dust, descended gracefully to where Baki knelt in respect.
"Kazekage-sama!"
Rasa nodded, his voice devoid of emotion.
"How are the preparations?"
It wasn't an act—Rasa had always been cold and ruthless.
Even after transmigrating into this body, he couldn't entirely escape the influence of the original personality.
For the past seven days, he had dedicated himself to mastering this body's power. He hadn't even returned home—not even to see his newlywed wife, Karura, the tragic woman fated for misfortune in the original storyline.
But he had no choice.
The war with Konoha was imminent, and the pressure on him was immense.
Every moment, he was cross-referencing intelligence from the original timeline with his own memories, familiarizing himself with his abilities while simulating potential future battles. He needed to prepare for every possible scenario.
"The intelligence has been gathered. We've identified the wealth and key figures controlling the three major cities— Moriya, Monobe, and Daika —along with fourteen smaller towns. A swift strike will guarantee success."
"Good."
Rasa nodded in satisfaction.
"What about our available Jōnin and Chūnin forces?"
"As for Jōnin, Lady Pakura leads a team of 25, and Lord Mikawa commands 30. The Anbu has 28 operatives ready, awaiting your command. The total number of Chūnin stands at 325."
"And the Anbu deployment?"
"As per your orders, we've stationed 17 Anbu Jōnin, each leading an operation in a different city. With Elder Ebizō's sealing unit assisting, each city will have at least two Jōnin overseeing the attack. Moriya, Monobe, and Daika each have three commanding Jōnin assigned.
"As for Genin, excluding those still in the academy, we have a total of 2,325, divided into 17 battalions."
Hearing this, Rasa frowned.
It was clear—Sunagakure was truly suffering from a lack of talent.
Having a shortage of high-ranking ninja was one thing, but even their Genin numbers were lacking.
This wasn't even a wartime period—they had been in recovery for over a decade!
By the time the Fourth Great Ninja War came around, the Five Great Nations had been able to muster an 80,000-strong allied force. The other four villages must have had tens of thousands of ninja each at this stage.
He could only hope that, after this campaign, Sunagakure would secure enough funds and resources to expand its ninja ranks rapidly.
"You've done well."
His voice turned cold.
"Remember, all the funds we acquire from this operation must remain under Anbu's control. No one is allowed access without my direct authorization."
Baki nodded nervously.
"Understood, Kazekage-sama. But what about Elder Ebizō...?"
"Don't worry—he won't interfere."
Recalling the situation with Sasori and the fact that Elder Ebizō had already entrusted the village's Tailed Beast to the Kazekage, Baki nodded in understanding.
"Anything else?"
"Lady Pakura and Lord Mikawa wish to confirm the exact time of deployment. The spies from other villages have already begun noticing our movements. We won't be able to keep this hidden much longer."
"In that case, tell them—three days from now, at sunset, we strike."
"Yes, sir!"
As Baki vanished with a flicker, Rasa let out a long breath.
In three days, he would finally face the brutal reality of this ninja world.
Fortunately, he had now fully mastered his body's abilities—Magnet Release, Sand Manipulation, and the Shukaku Seal were all under his control. He was also growing accustomed to the ninja combat style.
However, after careful reflection, Rasa realized he still lacked a true trump card.
What counted as a trump card?
Take the current Kage as examples:
The Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure possessed Dust Release, a technique that could disintegrate anything. In the current ninja world, it was practically invincible—anyone struck by it was doomed.
The Third Raikage of Kumogakure had his Lightning Release Chakra Mode. Its speed rivaled the Flying Thunder God Technique, and his durability was so high that even Chidori couldn't pierce him. He was practically unbeatable in close combat.
As for the Third Hokage of Konoha—he was even more terrifying. Not only did he wield the powerful jutsu developed by the Second Hokage, but his Summon, King Enma, alone was enough to nullify Rasa's Shukaku Form.
Among the Five Kage, the only one as "pitiful" as Rasa was the Third Mizukage of Kirigakure.
One had Magnet Release, the other Boil Release.
Both were powerful, but compared to the others, they lacked overwhelming dominance.
Since Sunagakure was launching a surprise attack on the Land of Fire, even the Kazekage himself would be going to the frontlines. Konoha would never just sit back and do nothing.
Although Konoha's high-ranking forces were somewhat stretched thin, the Third Hokage remained in the village as a stabilizing force. If he personally entered the battlefield, Rasa had little confidence in defeating him.
He needed an edge.
At the very least, he couldn't afford to lose too miserably.
Unfortunately, Bunpuku's current state made extracting more Shukaku chakra impossible.
And with only three days left, he didn't have enough time to seek out other chakra sources—like Hoshigakure's Star or Rōran's Dragon Vein.
As the village's leader, he also couldn't just abandon his responsibilities.
So, after much thought, Rasa found only one option left—
Rasengan.
The signature jutsu of countless transmigrators—Rasa decided to give it a try.
Fortunately, the training method was well-documented in the manga. With the knowledge of previous transmigrators and his own Kage-level abilities, three days might just be enough.
More importantly, he had no other choice.
And so, three days flew by—
At last, Sunagakure's assault on the Land of Fire began.