Seeing that Chiyo and Ebizo, the two veteran powerhouses of Sunagakure, had no intention of stepping in, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, became even more determined to get rid of Sasori of the Red Sand.
After this matter was settled, he would have to continue stripping power from the two senior advisors and train a new group of elders under his own control.
"Yo ho ho! So in the end, you still need force to settle things?"
Brook glanced at the tense scene before him, then looked toward Rasa with open amusement.
"Rasa, is Bunpuku, the One Tailed Beast's Jinchuriki, dead yet? If not, bring him out."
Brook suddenly found himself wanting to do something as well.
Gaara, that little premature brat, was probably not even a year old yet. He was only nine months older than Naruto.
Brook remembered that in the original story, before his death, Bunpuku had written the characters for "heart" and "receive" and left them on Gaara's forehead, forming the character for "love." At that time, Gaara had already been four or five years old.
Bunpuku and Shukaku had a surprisingly good relationship. Bunpuku's calm heart even earned Shukaku's respect, saying he possessed qualities close to those of the Sage of Six Paths. Bunpuku had also hoped that Gaara could one day live peacefully with Shukaku.
Hearing Brook speak, Rasa's expression turned even colder.
"You're Brook? The man Sasori serves?"
He stared intently at the mysterious powerhouse, trying to match the name to the rumors in his memory.
Then Ebizo's face changed drastically.
"Brook? Could he be that new God of Shinobi? The one who captured the Third Tsuchikage and the Fourth Mizukage, and even severed one of the Fourth Raikage's arms?"
Ebizo's voice rose sharply, filled with disbelief.
"The ruthless monster who crushed the three great nations of Earth, Lightning, and Water... he came to Sunagakure too?!"
Chiyo was shocked as well.
"What?! It's him?!"
The Sand shinobi who had been surrounding Brook and the others immediately swallowed hard and retreated several steps, fear spreading across their faces.
Brook was no ordinary enemy. He was the peerless killing god who had slaughtered one or two thousand shinobi in Iwagakure by himself and forced the Hidden Stone Village to sue for peace.
Sunagakure could not even withstand Iwagakure on its own. How could they possibly stand against someone who had crushed Iwagakure itself?
Even Rasa broke out in cold sweat.
He had seen the strength of the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, and the Fourth Raikage, A, with his own eyes. If even those two monsters had fallen to Brook, what right did he have to resist?
Brook floated slightly higher, then said calmly, as though he were announcing something trivial.
"If you don't want Sunagakure to suffer heavy casualties, then stand down and watch obediently. This is a duel between Sasori of the Red Sand, Pakura, and Rasa."
He looked around at the Sand shinobi and spoke even more bluntly.
"Wasn't Rasa willing to sacrifice Pakura for the village's interests? Then, for the sake of Sunagakure's stability, he can also step forward and settle matters personally."
"Sasori has already declared that he will become the Fifth Kazekage. Pakura will become the Queen of the Land of Wind. You can choose to fight to the death for Rasa, or you can choose to trust Sasori and Pakura."
Then Brook released his Conqueror's Haki and soul pressure.
The invisible force swept across the area like a storm, making the Sand shinobi shudder instinctively. The weaker ones nearly collapsed on the spot.
Brook sighed inwardly.
In the end, I still have to step in myself if I want this resistance crushed quickly.
If it had only been Sasori and Pakura, they never would have been able to suppress the entire Sand Village.
The moment Brook finished speaking, even the Anbu of Sunagakure began to waver.
Should they really keep following the Fourth Kazekage when faced with a monster like this?
The elders of Sunagakure began whispering urgently among themselves. After a tense exchange of glances between Rasa and Sasori, they decisively moved toward Chiyo and Ebizo.
"Lady Chiyo," one of the elders said quickly, "you should decide this matter."
Not one of them wanted to be the one who openly betrayed the Kazekage, so they shamelessly pushed the responsibility onto Chiyo, knowing full well that her relationship with Rasa had already fractured because of Sasori.
Ebizo's face darkened.
"Sister, Sunagakure has no chance of winning against Brook."
He lowered his voice, but his tone was grim.
"These old foxes are pushing all the blame onto us."
Still, if Sasori really could become the Fifth Kazekage, then the risk might be worth it.
As for whether the Land of Wind and Sunagakure would remain independent in the future, that was impossible to say. After all, both Sasori and Pakura were clearly acting under Brook's orders.
And Brook was from Konoha, from the Land of Fire.
Chiyo's expression became even more conflicted.
She had never imagined that one day the decision of who would become Kazekage would fall into her hands like this.
After a long silence, she finally looked at Rasa.
"Rasa," she said slowly, "for the sake of Sunagakure, give up your position as the Fourth Kazekage."
"I will persuade Sasori and Pakura to spare your life. In exchange, I will give you my seat as senior advisor."
She had no better choice.
Between her grandson, the village, Rasa, and her own reputation, she could only choose her grandson and the village. Even if it meant carrying the infamy of betraying the Kazekage, she had no alternative.
Rasa's face twisted with fury.
"You... all of you...!"
"You really want Sunagakure to become Konoha's dog?"
"Even Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi, could not force Sunagakure to submit. And now you want to bow your heads to Brook?"
He could not accept such an outcome.
"Good."
Brook's tone remained indifferent.
"Since you've all made your choice, then step back and leave them the battlefield."
He wanted Sasori and Pakura to establish their authority. Only then would it be easier to take control of Sunagakure and the Land of Wind afterward.
And as for him, he was going to look for Shukaku.
But before Brook even had to search, an Anbu shinobi had already brought over the old monk Bunpuku and placed him at Rasa's side.
Rasa was actually preparing to make a desperate final gamble with the tailed beast.
To Brook, that was even better. It saved him the trouble of looking for Shukaku himself.
"Master Bunpuku," Rasa said urgently, "please help stop this intruder!"
The old monk had not even had time to understand the situation before Chiyo also shouted from behind, urging him not to assist Rasa.
Bunpuku, kind by nature, was completely stunned.
The elders and the Kazekage had actually turned against each other. As the Jinchuriki, whose side was he supposed to stand on?
Then Rasa made his choice for him.
Without warning, he violently tore open the seal holding the One Tail inside Bunpuku.
Bunpuku had no time to react.
With a deafening roar, a massive sandy brown monster erupted into the battlefield, its body covered in black cursed patterns. It looked like a grotesque mix between a raccoon and a cat.
The full form of the One Tail, Shukaku, appeared.
The instant it materialized, it let out a furious roar and unleashed a powerful Wind Release air bullet, attacking everyone in sight without distinction.
------------
Shukaku was furious.
Rasa had violently torn open the seal, and that reckless act had caused Bunpuku's life force to plummet at terrifying speed. At this rate, the old monk might not last much longer.
Although Shukaku had spent countless years sealed away and had more than enough resentment bottled up inside him, he still wanted that kind old man, Bunpuku, the one who reminded him a little of the Sage of Six Paths, to die peacefully of old age.
Now that he had been forcibly dragged out in this way, his anger had only grown even more violent.
"Shukaku! The enemy is over there, you stupid beast!"
Rasa's face darkened as he watched the rampaging tailed beast. Even now, Sunagakure still could not truly tame this savage monster.
As Shukaku roared and lashed out wildly, the Sand ninja immediately scattered in panic. Meanwhile, Brook hovered in the air and watched with amusement as Rasa and Shukaku turned on each other like rabid dogs.
In the blink of an eye, dozens of the shinobi who had remained loyal to Rasa were crushed or blown apart by Shukaku's attacks.
Sasori and Pakura also retreated to a safer distance, choosing to watch the chaos unfold.
Neither of them had expected that after releasing the tailed beast, Rasa would be the first one attacked. The whole thing was almost funny.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust!"
Rasa's misfortunes only kept piling up.
With a furious roar, he poured his highly condensed chakra into the ground, rapidly forming hand seals as he unleashed his Magnet Release. A vast sea of glittering gold dust erupted from the earth like a tidal wave and crashed toward Shukaku.
In a single overwhelming motion, the gold sand engulfed the One Tail and forcefully pinned him down.
Rasa was clearly experienced when it came to suppressing a berserk Shukaku.
Brook's eyes lit up at once.
What incredible wealth control.
That ability was practically the Naruto world's version of the Gold Gold Fruit. It was definitely worth taking.
The Third Kazekage's Magnet Release controlled iron. The Fourth Kazekage's Magnet Release controlled gold.
Iron sand was harder and more lethal in direct combat, but gold sand could be turned into real money. It also looked much grander and far more luxurious when used.
Rasa's plan was obvious. He intended to suppress Shukaku once more and shove him back into Bunpuku's already failing body. If that failed, he would seal the One Tail back into the Black Teapot.
Ever since the First Kazekage had purchased Shukaku from Hashirama Senju, the beast had been stored inside that special vessel until a suitable Jinchuriki could be found.
Brook laughed lightly and disappeared.
"Hey, leave the One Tail to me."
In the next instant, he appeared beside Rasa and casually unleashed Shinra Tensei, blasting the Kazekage away before the man could react.
Sasori and Pakura immediately seized the opening and rushed after Rasa, launching a fierce attack the moment he was thrown back.
Brook did not spare them another glance. He shattered Rasa's gold dust suppression and released the enraged Shukaku once more.
The One Tail was just about to unleash another violent attack when his eyes suddenly met a pair of Rinnegan.
Before Shukaku could even react, the beast's pupils transformed into rippling purple rings.
Then he froze.
The Sand elders and shinobi stared at the scene in shock. The tailed beast they regarded as a walking disaster had become as docile as a toy under Brook's gaze.
Without wasting time, Brook used the Adamantine Sealing Chains to force Shukaku back into Bunpuku's body. Then, carrying the old monk along with him, he used the Flying Thunder God Technique and vanished from the battlefield, returning straight to Sasori's hideout.
The moment he arrived, Brook summoned the Gedo Statue once more.
He looked at the frail old monk with detached calm. There was no real pity in his heart. Bunpuku had not had much time left anyway.
"Sealing Technique: Nine Phantom Dragons Seal!"
Nine huge chakra dragons surged from the mouth of the Gedo Statue and instantly dragged the One Tail out of Bunpuku's body before swallowing Shukaku whole.
At the same time, Brook also fed the remaining Yin Half of the Nine Tails into the Demonic Statue.
With the power of the Six Paths, the Tenseigan, the Rinnegan, and the preliminary divine body he had formed after devouring the Southern Underworld God's remains, Brook no longer needed the Yin Nine Tails as some kind of chakra battery.
As the Gedo Statue opened its grotesque eyes and released an even heavier pressure, it became clear that only three more tailed beasts were needed before the Ten Tails would be complete.
As for the Yang Half of Kurama still inside Naruto, that could be dealt with later.
Brook casually stuffed Bunpuku's soul back into his body and replenished him with a bit of Yang Release life force, reviving him. Still, the old man likely only had a few years left at most.
He had not even lived long enough to carve that famous character for "love" onto Gaara's forehead.
Now that the One Tail had been taken from him, Bunpuku probably would not have another chance to get close to Gaara at all.
Gaara's fate had been completely rewritten.
After dismissing the Gedo Statue, Brook disappeared once more and returned to Sunagakure.
On the battlefield, Sasori clearly had no intention of showing mercy. He had joined forces with Pakura and was pressing Rasa harder and harder.
The loyal shinobi under Rasa had also entered the fray, barely holding Pakura back.
Meanwhile, Chiyo and the other elders were still arguing over whether they should intervene and suppress both sides.
After all, both factions were important to Sunagakure. They did not want to lose either.
Sasori and Pakura had Brook, the God of Shinobi, standing behind them. They were not people the village could afford to offend.
But Rasa's Magnet Release, with its ability to produce gold dust, was just as indispensable. To Sunagakure, that was not just a bloodline limit. It was an income source.
"Lady Chiyo, please save Rasa if you can. He lost his head just now and dared to go against Lord Brook's will."
One elder's face was ugly, but he still forced himself to speak.
"If Rasa survives, we can still make him separate gold dust for the village. He can mint coins and cast gold bars if he has to."
They did not want to offend Brook, but they truly could not bear to lose Rasa's money making ability.
Rasa's children, Temari and Kankuro, had inherited no talent for Magnet Release at all. If Rasa died here, it would be a devastating blow to Sunagakure.
Seeing that neither Sasori nor Pakura had any intention of sparing lives, and that more and more Sand ninja were already falling, Chiyo finally grew anxious.
No matter what, those were still her village's people dying.
"Move!"
She clenched her teeth and gave the order.
"Capture the shinobi causing trouble and lock them up. I will personally stop Rasa, Sasori, and Pakura!"
Since she had already chosen this path, she might as well walk it all the way to the end.
"White Secret Technique: The Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets!"
Chiyo unfurled her scroll and summoned the ten masterpieces created by Monzaemon Chikamatsu, the ancestor of puppetry itself. Then she rushed straight into the battlefield, forcing her way between the three.
The Third Kazekage puppet's Magnet Release: Iron Sand and Rasa's Magnet Release: Gold Dust collided again and again. Their techniques came from the same source, yet each had its own style and characteristics.
But Sasori's side was far more dangerous.
While the Third Kazekage puppet clashed with Rasa head on, Hiruko constantly launched volleys of poisoned senbon and hidden stingers from every angle, forcing Rasa to defend against attacks from both sides at once.
If Rasa failed to block even a single one of those poisoned projectiles with his gold dust, then even as Kazekage, he would die from Sasori's poison all the same.
.....
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