The war dragged on.
Although the frequency of battles had decreased due to various factors—especially the sweltering summer heat—Kusagakure and Iwagakure still sent waves of shinobi to test the defenses of Sunagakure's frontlines every few days.
The Suna shinobi had no choice but to respond.
Everyone knew what was really happening—
Kusa and Iwa were waiting. Waiting for the perfect moment—a decisive shift that could break the deadlock.
If that didn't come soon, they might be forced to retreat.
Mobilizing a full shinobi force through the harsh, resource-scarce Land of Wind? It was a logistical nightmare, even for the major villages.
Rasa understood this better than anyone.
It was only the summer of Year 42 in the Konoha Calendar. The Third Great Shinobi War… was just getting started.
Most of the other hidden villages hadn't even officially entered the fray yet.
The true war—the real nightmare—hadn't even begun.
This? This wasn't even the opening act.
"Will this ever end?"
Rasa let out a long sigh as he watched the latest wave of Kusa and Iwa shinobi retreat into the distance.
Sure, the current stalemate favored Sunagakure. But under this burning sun, running back and forth constantly was exhausting.
Still…
He was just complaining for the sake of it. If full-scale war broke out, it would be a catastrophe for Suna—already short on manpower, money, and leadership.
So this deadlock? It wasn't so bad.
After repelling yet another assault, Rasa returned to camp amidst cheers from the Suna forces.
His reputation had skyrocketed after this campaign. Rumors had already begun spreading throughout the village—how he'd stormed Kusagakure's forward camp, devastated their forces, fought both Kusa and Iwa shinobi like a one-man army, and walked away unscathed after "seven strikes in, seven strikes out."
At this rate, barring any disasters…
The title of Fourth Kazekage was already his.
"Is it over now?" Kana, standing among the Suna shinobi, breathed a soft sigh of relief when she saw Rasa return unharmed. A gentle smile spread across her face.
"I'm just glad everyone made it back safely."
Rasa waved her concern off with a relaxed gesture. "This standoff isn't going anywhere anytime soon."
"And as long as I'm here, nothing short of the Tsuchikage himself stepping in would cause trouble."
The Third Tsuchikage—Ōnoki of Both Scales—that old man was infamous for his stubbornness. If no other Kage were moving, Onoki wouldn't either.
Meanwhile, Sunagakure…
The Third Kazekage had died early.
And now…
Rasa suddenly remembered his little "performance" a few months ago in the Kusa camp.
Wait a minute—did I screw myself over by showing off too much?
But as the future Fourth Kazekage—and someone who needed everyone's help to keep feeding the gacha machine—how could Rasa ever show weakness?
He kept his composure, waved off the thought, and smiled confidently under the admiring eyes of his fellow Suna-nin.
"Don't worry. I'll protect Sunagakure with everything I have!"
"Lord Rasa!!"
The whole camp erupted in cheers.
Kana, watching Rasa with his usual unwavering confidence, felt her own unease begin to settle. She smiled warmly.
"Lord Rasa, the bathwater is ready."
"…Eh? Kana-sama, what about mine? I'm drenched in sweat over here and could really use a wash too~!"
The moment she spoke, the shinobi behind Rasa immediately burst into complaint.
"Yeah, me too! I've been working my butt off all day!"
"I'm not greedy—just enough water to wipe down would be a huge help."
"Me too! Me too!"
"Shut up!" barked Momu, Rasa's most shameless flunky. "Don't you realize how much effort Kana-sama puts in every day providing us with water? And you want her to waste chakra just so you can wash your sweaty backsides?"
He ignored the disappointed and embarrassed faces around him, then sidled up to Rasa with a grin.
"Lord Rasa, how about I join you for the bath? I give excellent back rubs, I swear."
"…"
Rasa looked at Momu flexing his biceps like a fool, rolled his eyes, and muttered, "Get lost."
I have never, and will never, bathe with another man!
Meanwhile, Kana stood quietly to the side, smiling with her lips pressed together as the scene played out.
Maybe… just maybe… I really can become part of Sunagakure.
Elsewhere, at the Sunagakure command center…
After receiving a report hand-delivered by a special courier, Chiyo and Ebizō—both worn from days of planning and battle fatigue—suddenly lit up in front of the confused senior jonin assembled.
"Yes!" Chiyo slammed her palm onto the table and laughed heartily. "As expected from the Third Kazekage's disciple! Rasa… he's proven himself worthy of that title."
"Rasa-sama?"
The other jonin at the war council looked around in surprise. Chiyo held up the letter with a triumphant grin, wrinkles deepening around her eyes.
"Chiyo-sama… has Rasa-sama…?"
Survived?
"It seems I underestimated him," Ebizō admitted with a rueful smile, shaking his head. "I never imagined Rasa had already become this powerful."
The shinobi in the room froze in stunned silence.
"Just recently, Rasa infiltrated Kusagakure's camp alone," Chiyo explained. "He inflicted heavy casualties on both Kusa and Iwa forces. Kusa still hasn't recovered."
She smirked, tone laced with cold amusement.
"That little village is finished."
And she wasn't done.
"The Iwa shinobi who tried to surround him? He eliminated them too—confirmed by his own words. With Rasa repelling multiple waves of Kusa and Iwa assaults, both enemy camps have gone quiet."
"In short—we've regained control of that front."
Of course… she was embellishing a little.
Kusa had taken a serious hit—they had it coming. That small village should've stayed in its lane instead of jumping into a war it wasn't ready for.
If Sunagakure weren't already weakened—without its Kazekage and stretched thin—they would've crushed Kusa outright and reminded them what it meant to challenge one of the Five Great Nations.
As for Iwa, losing a dozen jonin stung, but it wasn't enough to cripple them.
Chiyo had chosen her words carefully—not for the council's sake, but to reignite morale.
Sunagakure had spent days under pressure, losing comrades, struggling against exhaustion and despair. What they needed now… was a victory.
A symbolic, morale-boosting victory.
A Sunagakure victory.
"Send out the order—tonight, we rest. Tell logistics to break out the sake. We're celebrating Rasa's triumph!"
But…
Just as Ebizō stroked his beard and smiled, the room remained silent. None of the Suna shinobi cheered.
What the…? Aren't they happy we finally won something?
Before he could snap at them—
"Ebizō-sama… logistics has already run out of rations."
Most of the shinobi were surviving on military rations pill alone now. As for water…
Shinobi had been dispatched far afield to retrieve even small amounts.
One of the jonin gave a helpless smile and shook his head.
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