Chapter 78: The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa
Chapter 78: The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa
The Land of Wind.
Battlefield Frontline.
As the Sand Ninja Village had chosen to launch an all-out offensive, nearly all of its ninjas were deployed on the frontline, leaving only a handful of ninjas and juniors to guard the rear of the village.
There were reasons for such a bold move. Firstly, the Land of Wind was situated in a desert environment with scarce resources, and ninjas unaccustomed to this terrain would be at a significant disadvantage.
Secondly, in terms of geography, the only village that could launch a sneak attack on the heartland of the Land of Wind was the Rock Ninja Village of the Earth Country. However, if the Rock Ninja Village were to commit a large force to such an attempt, the Cloud Ninja Village, ever watchful of their movements, would surely seize the opportunity to strike.
These advantages gave them the confidence to engage in a full-scale attack.
Inside the camp, in the central tent...
"Kazekage-sama, here is today's battle damage report... We've lost twenty-one ninjas, with forty-three severely wounded and one hundred and nine with minor injuries..."
A Jonin from the Sand Ninja Village handed a report to the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.
Rasa glanced at the report and placed it on the table, his voice grave as he said, "There's no need to alter the battle plan. We will continue with the original plan tomorrow."
"Yes."
The Jonin acknowledged and left the tent.
Apart from the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, the tent also housed the chief of staff, Ebizo, and several other high-ranking members of the Sand Ninja Village, including the elder Chiyo.
"Actually, before the attack on Yakura's side, it would be most appropriate to remain stationary and minimize casualties. But doing so might arouse suspicion in Konoha..." Ebizo said slowly, his eyes on the map spread out on the table.
Rasa nodded, "Indeed. To avoid alerting Konoha, we must maintain our offensive, even if it means incurring some losses. Once Yakura's mission is successfully accomplished, we can immediately turn the tide of the battle!"
The thousand-generation light, Koh, gave Rasa a deep look and said, "Let's hope it goes as planned."
Rasa noticed the subtle change in Koh's thousand-generation eyes but chose not to respond. Instead, he turned to Chiyo and said, "It's getting late, Elder Chiyo. You should get some rest. It would be best if you lead the attack tomorrow."
"...”
Chiyo didn't say anything more and left the tent.
As Rasa watched Chiyo's retreating figure, a fleeting glint flashed in his eyes.
Among all the Kage of the Five Great Ninja Villages throughout history, Rasa's strength was arguably the weakest. If it hadn't been for the untimely demise of the Third Kazekage, it was unlikely that he would have become the Fourth Kazekage.
Yet, despite taking on the role hastily and having far less control over the village and direct subordinates than his predecessor, Rasa had managed to solidify his position as the Fourth Kazekage!
And he had achieved this through cunning means. One of his strategies was to initiate an all-out war against Konoha, sparking the Third Great Ninja War.
His claims of seeking revenge for the Third Kazekage and demanding answers from Konoha were mere pretexts. Even the plunder of Konoha's resources was only a secondary goal.
His primary objective was to use the war to solidify his position as Kazekage, weaken opposing clans and high-ranking members who stood against him, and cultivate an elite force loyal only to him. That was his true agenda, and he cared little about casualties or even the outcome of the war.
Feng Ye's assessment of the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, was that he was a man similar to Danzo, and perhaps even more narrow-minded when it came to the bigger picture, as Danzo at least had the goal of unifying the ninja world.
What had Rasa done? He recklessly waged war against Konoha, depleting his village's strength to elevate his own power, status, and grip on the position of Kazekage.
Later, when Yakura rose to prominence during the war, becoming a celebrated hero and threatening Rasa's position, Rasa swiftly conspired with the Mist Ninja Village to assassinate him.
Throughout history, this Kazekage had never done anything truly beneficial for Sunagakure, and everything he did was to solidify his own power and position.
In a sense, Rasa's methods were indeed formidable. He started from the hasty succession as Kazekage and gradually developed to the point of having absolute power in Sunagakure. However, Feng Ye despised such scheming and manipulation of power.
The reason was simple.
It was like looking at the sky from the bottom of a well!
This world was not one of political manipulation but one where strength reigned supreme. In the face of powers like Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, engaging in petty schemes was laughable.
Chiyo and Ebizo were both aware of Rasa's true intentions but couldn't stop him because he held the upper hand and used legitimate strategies. He used the disappearance of the Third Kazekage as a reason to wage war on Konoha, and it was impossible to refute this. Moreover, the deep-rooted hatred between Sunagakure and Konoha had already garnered support from the entire village.
"Elder Ebizo, you should also get some rest."
Rasa turned to look at Ebizo, who was sitting there studying the map.
Ebizo reached out and felt around on the map before lifting his head. A worried expression appeared on his face as he said, "I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep. I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling about this."
"A bad feeling?"
Rasa furrowed his brows, shook his head, and said, "It's probably because you're too tired, Elder. You should get some rest. We'll need you to command the subsequent battlefield arrangements."
"Maybe."
Ebizo sighed and stood up, preparing to leave.
Just then, a figure rushed into the tent and knelt on one knee before Rasa, sounding anxious as he reported, "Wind Shadow, we've lost contact with the ambush team!"
The peaceful atmosphere in the tent suddenly changed.
Ebizo's heart skipped a beat as he exchanged a glance with Rasa.
Rasa's expression also changed slightly. Although the ambush team wasn't directly under his command, and he didn't care much about them, it was still unexpected news that caused him to react.
"When did you lose contact?!"
"At noon today."
The liaison ninja urgently reported, "According to the original plan, the ambush team should have contacted us at noon, but there was no message from them. The liaison team sent a message to try and contact them in the afternoon, but by evening, there was still no response. The latest news from the summoning beast is that... the liaison ninja on their team is dead!"
Ebizo's face turned grim.
His bad feeling had come true.
The liaison ninja held an important position within the ambush team and was protected at the center of the group. The death of the liaison ninja meant that the ambush team had encountered a significant problem!
"..."
Rasa's face also turned somewhat gloomy, but most of it was an act.
The ambush plan was Ebizo's decision, so if something went wrong, Ebizo would bear most of the blame. This would weaken his position, which was actually beneficial to Rasa.
"Wind Shadow, Elder, what should we do now?"
The liaison ninja asked anxiously, looking at Rasa and Ebizo.
Ebizo took a breath and said in a deep voice, "Don't panic. The ambush team has Leaf-Concealing Ancestral Insect with them, so even if they encounter something, they should be able to handle it. Their current situation is probably a dispersed state of lost contact... Send out a scout team to investigate the situation over there and re-establish contact with them!"
"We'll do that," Rasa nodded, agreeing with a deep voice.
The liaison ninja responded and quickly left the tent to convey the order.
(End of Chapter)
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