My Journey as Fourth Kazekage

Seven days slipped away in an instant.

Boom!

Across the expansive desert, yellow sand blanketed the earth. The air was searing hot, dry, and stifling.

With a deafening roar, the ground trembled. In the distance, like a massive tsunami, clouds of sand and gold surged from two opposite directions. They collided with a force so violent that it sent towering waves of sand spiraling hundreds of meters into the air. The earth beneath seemed to quiver under the immense pressure.

After the collision, countless arms—crafted from sand and gold—shot upward at blinding speed, moving so fast that the human eye could barely follow. They spiraled into the sky, twisting and contorting as they crashed into each other with a bone-chilling screech.

The grains of sand and gold then transformed into a torrential downpour, raining down from the heavens.

But as they fell, something strange happened. Halfway down, the sand and gold particles, under the influence of an unseen force, morphed into sharp, needle-like objects. They rained down like fine, deadly droplets, whistling as they cut through the air, their piercing sound almost unbearable. What had once been a vast, endless desert was now a nightmarish sea of needles, each one capable of cutting through flesh and bone—a sight so horrifying it felt like an unholy landscape, a living hell.

At the outer edge of this violent clash of sand and gold, Baki, an elite Jonin, swallowed nervously. He stood frozen in disbelief, his eyes wide with awe as he witnessed the terrifying power of the Kazekage's control. It was his first time witnessing such a force in action.

He dared not ask how the Kazekage had come to master the sand control technique, originally developed by the Second Kazekage. The answer seemed unnecessary, for some questions were better left unspoken.

Nearly an hour later, the monumental battle came to an end. The desert, once a battleground, returned to a tranquil stillness.

Amidst the vast expanse of yellow sand, Rasa, standing tall upon a swirling cloud of sand and gold, descended gracefully. He approached Baki with his presence commanding and cold.

Upon seeing him, Baki immediately knelt in a respectful salute.

"Kazekage-sama!"

Rasa gave a slight nod, his gaze as piercing as ever.

"How is the preparation progressing?"

It wasn't intentional cruelty on Rasa's part; it was simply his nature. Cold. Calculating. Merciless.

The Rasa who had crossed over into this new life had not been immune to the lingering influence of his former memories.

In the past seven days, the weight of the impending war with Konoha had consumed him entirely. He hadn't even returned home to see his newlywed wife, Karura—whom he had left behind in the original timeline. There had been no time for personal matters. The pressure was simply overwhelming, and the looming conflict too urgent to ignore.

Every moment, Rasa immersed himself in the knowledge drawn from the original plot and his own memories. He worked tirelessly to familiarize himself with the full extent of his power while simulating potential battles that might unfold. In his mind, he anticipated every scenario, mentally preparing himself for any response needed, preparing for the inevitable war that loomed.

"The intelligence has been gathered. We've thoroughly investigated the wealth and actual controllers of the major nobles in the three large cities—Shumaru, Monobu, and Daika—along with fourteen other medium and small cities. We are ready to strike with absolute certainty."

"Mm."

Rasa nodded in approval, clearly satisfied with the progress. He shifted his focus, his voice sharp as he inquired, "What is the status of the ninjas?"

"Regarding the Jonin, based on our current count, Lady Pakura commands 25, Lord Ichikawa commands 30, and the Anbu have 28. They are all waiting for your orders, Kazekage-sama. As for the Chunin, we have a total of 325."

Rasa considered the information carefully. "How is the Anbu arranged?"

"According to your plan, we've assigned 17 Jonin to lead separate teams, each responsible for overseeing one city. Additionally, in coordination with Elder Chiyo's sealing team, each city will have at least two Jonin. Shumaru, Monobu, and Daika will each be reinforced with three Jonin. As for the Genin, aside from those still enrolled in the ninja school, we have a total of 2,325, organized into seventeen large teams."

Rasa's expression darkened as he absorbed the details. The numbers were troubling. The lack of Jonin was particularly alarming, and the number of Genin was surprisingly low as well.

It was clear that Sunagakure was struggling to maintain a sufficient pool of skilled ninjas. This was not a time of war, but a period of fragile recovery after more than a decade of hardship. In the aftermath of the Fourth Shinobi World War, when the Five Great Nations had united to field an army of 80,000 ninjas, the other countries had at least been able to mobilize thousands of ninjas during the rebuilding period. But Sunagakure was still far behind.

Rasa hoped that, after this operation, the influx of funds and resources would help Sunagakure rapidly expand its ninja ranks, allowing them to recover more swiftly.

"Mm, you've done well."

His praise was brief, but his tone turned colder as he continued, his voice taking on a hardened edge.

"Remember this—every single resource allocated for this operation must remain strictly under the control of the Anbu. No one, not even the elders, is allowed to approach it without my explicit orders."

Baki, standing before him, nodded nervously, his hands clasped before him.

"Understood, Kazekage-sama. But what about Elder Chiyo?"

"Don't worry," Rasa replied with a chilling calmness. "She won't interfere."

Baki recalled the past events involving Sasori and Elder Chiyo's role in handing over the tailed beast to the Kazekage. He nodded with a knowing look, his unease briefly forgotten.

"Is there anything else?"

"Lady Pakura and Lord Ichikawa have requested confirmation regarding the exact time of departure. The spies from other villages are beginning to catch wind of our movements. We can't keep this under wraps for much longer."

Rasa's eyes narrowed, calculating.

"In that case, tell them that the time to attack Konoha will be three days from now, at sunset."

"Understood!"

As Baki vanished in a blur of movement, Rasa exhaled deeply, a heavy weight pressing down on his chest. He knew this was only the beginning of something far greater, something that could alter the fate of the entire ninja world.

In just three days, Rasa would be thrust into the harsh and unforgiving reality of the ninja world. The battle that awaited him was bound to be brutal, but he had prepared himself as best he could.

Fortunately, he had already thoroughly familiarized himself with the power of his own body, mastering his Magnet Release, the sand control technique, and even the Shukaku Cursed Seal. Over the past few days, he had grown increasingly accustomed to ninja combat strategies as well. However, upon reflecting deeply on his current state, Rasa came to a stark realization: his secret techniques were still lacking.

But what exactly did he mean by "secret techniques"?

To understand his predicament, consider the five Kage, the leaders of the major ninja villages.

Take the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, for instance.

He possessed Dust Release, a technique capable of disintegrating anything it touched. This technique was nearly invincible in the current ninja world—if it landed, death was certain.

Then, there was the Third Raikage of Kumogakure, who wielded the Lightning Release Chakra Mode. This ability granted him speed that rivaled space-time ninjutsu, such as the Flying Thunder God technique. His defense was nearly impervious in close combat, making him a formidable force on the battlefield.

Meanwhile, the Third Hokage of Konoha was an even more terrifying figure. Not only had he mastered a variety of S-rank techniques created by the Second Hokage, but his summoning beast, the Monkey King: Enma, could easily counter Rasa's Shukaku Form. This made him an unparalleled adversary.

Among the five Kage, Rasa and the Third Mizukage of Kirigakure were the only ones whose techniques were not quite on the same level. Rasa wielded Magnet Release, and the Mizukage controlled Boil Release. While both abilities were powerful in their own right, they didn't hold the same destructive potential as the techniques of the other Kage.

Rasa knew that with Sunagakure's surprise attack on the Land of Fire now inevitable, he had no choice but to move forward. Konoha would not stand idly by; they would respond, and Rasa understood the danger of facing the legendary Third Hokage.

Although Konoha's high-level battle power appeared somewhat stretched, the presence of the Third Hokage in the village was a stabilizing force that could turn the tide in an instant. If he were to join the battle, Rasa wasn't confident in his ability to win.

In light of this, Rasa realized that he needed to find a way to increase his chances—at the very least, to avoid a humiliating defeat.

However, there was a significant problem: his current state made it impractical to draw more chakra from the Guardian Crane. With only three days left before the attack, Rasa knew there was no time to acquire more chakra from distant sources, like the meteorite from Star Village (Hoshigakure) or the Source of the Ryūmyaku (Dragon Veins) of Roran.

As the Kazekage, Rasa couldn't leave Sunagakure at such a critical juncture. The responsibility of leading his village weighed heavily on him.

After a long period of contemplation, Rasa realized that there was only one viable option left: the Rasengan.

This was a technique that every transmigrator was familiar with, and Rasa had already made the decision to try and master it. Fortunately, the detailed training method for the Rasengan was available in the manga, and with guidance from previous transmigrators, Rasa understood the technique better than most. Despite the short time available to him, Rasa believed that with his shadow-level strength and exam-level skill, he might be able to master the technique in just three days.

More importantly, he had no other choice.

And so, in the blink of an eye, the three days passed, and Sunagakure's surprise attack on the Land of Fire finally began.