The Snow Hidden Village team had no idea that they had already offended a certain attention seeker—someone who might forgive them even if they killed his father… but would never forgive being ignored.
That was his true enemy.
Naruto's fists trembled at his sides, his fingers curling tighter and tighter until his knuckles turned pale.
"…Just wait," he muttered under his breath, his voice low and hoarse. "I'll show you. I'll show all of you… believe it."
The casual "yeah… whatever" hit harder than any Rasengan to the ribs. It sank straight into his pride, twisted twice, and set it on fire.
"I'm. Not. Weak," he repeated again—louder this time, as if volume alone could rewrite reality.
But unfortunately for Naruto, this wasn't the anime. There was no emotional background music swelling in the air, no dramatic silence falling over the place. His loud, heartfelt words didn't freeze time or shake anyone's soul.
Reality was far less forgiving.
Karin was already laughing, clutching her stomach as she openly mocked Kimimaro, completely ignoring the loud blond fraud behind her as if he didn't even exist.
Naruto's jaw trembled.
"…SHE DID IT TOO," he whispered in horror. "SHE IGNORED ME TOO—WHY IS EVERYONE IGNORING ME TODAY?!"
Sasuke, still standing nearby, sighed deeply.
"You make it easy."
Naruto whirled on him.
"WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!"
"It means what it means."
"THAT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING!"
Sasuke shrugged.
"It means exactly that too."
Naruto let out a strangled noise.
Even Sakura, who had been silently praying for divine intervention to remove Naruto from the situation entirely, could only pinch the bridge of her nose.
"…Can we please go sit down before you get yourself killed?"
Naruto ignored her, which could be considered a miracle in itself.
His eyes were glued to the Snow Hidden team retreating toward the waiting area.
More specifically…
To Kimimaro's back.
Naruto ground his teeth so hard it was audible.
"I'm gonna fight him," he muttered.
Sasuke looked at him confused unable to understand his brain process.
"…What?"
Naruto clenched his fists tighter.
"I don't care if it's today, tomorrow, or next year... one day, I'm gonna fight him. And I'm gonna win it, dattebayo."
Sasuke stared at him for a long moment.
Then...
"…Hn."
Meanwhile, in the Snow Hidden group—
Karin suddenly smirked.
"Did you hear him?" she asked loudly, cupping her ear in exaggerated fashion. " 'I'M NOT WEAK!' Hahaha! He's so loud—does he think yelling makes his chakra stronger?"
"Noise does not increase strength," Haku added politely.
Karin grinned wider as she folded her arms across her chest.
"That's because Commander Bones ignored him."
Kimimaro simply closed his eyes as he leaned against the wall.
"…If someone poses no threat," he said simply, "there is no reason to acknowledge them."
Karin burst out again.
"Ohohoho—you hear that? Hear that, Blondie? Commander Bones said you're not even worth LOOKING at!"
Naruto's distant scream echoed from behind them:
"I CAN STILL HEAR YOU, YOU KNOW!!!"
Karin snorted. "Good. Then hear this too: stay mad."
Hinata covered her mouth briefly, but not out of concern for Naruto.
If anything, it was to hide the faint curve of amusement threatening to appear on her lips.
--
Far away, beyond the forests of the Land of Fire and the mountain ranges that divided nations...
Lay the endless golden expanse of the Land of Wind.
Sunagakure.
The wind howled endlessly across the desert, carrying grains of sand like whispers of the dead.
The village stood firm against the merciless environment, its walls weathered but unbroken—much like the shinobi who called it home.
And far beyond their awareness…
A certain mastermind behind the scenes had no idea that his students were breaking their victims—body and mind alike.
And even if he did know…
He would probably be proud as fuck.
--
Inside the Kazekage Building, the atmosphere was a lot quieter than the storm of wind outside.
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, sat at his desk going through paperwork with his usual calm expression… though a slight frown kept tugging at his eyebrows. Border reports, budget notes, complaints from the council — the usual headaches.
He flipped another page, signed it, and set it aside without looking up.
He didn't notice anything strange.
He didn't sense anything out of place.
He had absolutely no idea…
That someone was standing right behind him.
Obito Uchiha quietly flipped through the Kazekage's documents, skimming report after report with mild interest. He didn't disturb Rasa and did his best not to make a sound, simply standing there like an overly polite shadow that didn't belong.
Eventually, the novelty ran out.
Feeling bored, he calmly reached out and placed a hand on Rasa's shoulder, his voice low and casual as if they were old acquaintances.
"It seems you've got quite a lot to deal with," Obito remarked. "But I hope you're ready… because I get the feeling you still have a lot more to face in the future."
Rasa, who had been fully absorbed in his work, felt a chill run down the back of his neck the instant that unfamiliar hand settled on his shoulder. He knew he was alone in the office. No one had come in. Worse—he hadn't sensed anyone.
His expression changed immediately.
He tried to move, to react, to do anything—but his body refused to respond.
Lowering his gaze, he saw it clearly.
Black curse markings coiled around the arm resting on the desk, the one still holding the document.
His heart went cold.
To be immobilized without even realizing it… and he didn't even know who was standing behind him. If he died like this… it would be an unbelievable disgrace to the village and to his name as Kazekage.
"Relax… why are you acting so scared?" the voice behind him continued, tone almost amused. "It's not like I'm going to kill you."
A faint breath of relief escaped Rasa's chest. An assassin with an agenda meant there was room to negotiate, to bargain—maybe even survive.
"...Well," the voice added lazily, "not me exactly."
Rasa's expression froze.
He tried desperately to gather his chakra, but it wouldn't respond. His body wouldn't move. Even his mouth refused to open.
Obito, who had zero interest in Rasa himself—nor in his two shit inner monologues—stepped in front of him, Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan spinning as his eyes stared straight into the Kazekage's.
The moment Rasa saw those eyes, he finally understood who was behind this.
But it didn't matter anymore.
He was already trapped in a genjutsu.
"Sigh… it's really unfair, isn't it?" Obito said softly. "Having so much power to decide the fate of an entire village and its people… only to end up being controlled by a single illusion in the end."
Even he didn't seem sure whether he was mocking Rasa—or just laughing at the joke the world had become.
--
Knock, knock.
"Come in."
"Lord Kazekage." Ebizo stepped into the office after hearing the reply, nodding his head respectfully.
"You're here, Ebizō-san. There was something important I wanted to discuss with you," Rasa said, lowering the reports in his hands and gesturing toward him.
"Yes, Kazekage-sama." Ebizo walked forward and accepted the documents, reading through them carefully without skipping a single line.
But the more he read, the more his expression tightened—his eyes narrowing slightly as suspicion began to cloud his face.
"...Kazekage-sama, this is…?" Ebizo finally spoke, his aged face filled with worry.
"I won't beat around the bush, Ebizo-san." Rasa leaned back slightly, fingers tapping the desk.
"As you can see, there have been suspicious activities near the village. The chakra signatures are quite high. Normal shinobi are not to engage."
He paused, giving Ebizo a moment to fully digest the information.
"...I will personally lead a team to survey the area," Rasa continued, his tone firm. "During that time, the village is to be placed on high alert. Of course, to avoid causing unnecessary unrest, it's best this is done discreetly—at least until we're more certain of the situation."
"But isn't that too dangerous, Kazekage-sama!?" Ebizo's expression grew even more strained. "How can we allow you to take on such a risky task personally? We should first—"
"It's precisely because it's dangerous that I intend to act personally," Rasa cut him off, voice steady and confident. "The more we delay, the more the situation may shift to our disadvantage. And don't forget—I am the Kazekage. This is my territory."
His tone made it clear: in the Land of Wind, surrounded by endless sand, there were very few who could challenge him.
"But—"
"Enough." Rasa's gaze sharpened. "Do as I say and protect the village in my absence. Ebizo, don't make me repeat myself."
"...As you wish, Kazekage-sama." Ebizo exhaled quietly, bowed deeply, and left the office, already preparing to carry out the orders he'd been given.
The Kazekage's office fell silent.
Rasa remained seated for a moment, then slowly turned his gaze toward the window, his expression unreadable.
––
Several hours later...
The howling wind was the only sound for miles.
Sand stretched endlessly in every direction, dunes rising and falling like waves on a golden sea. The sky above was clear and merciless, the sun hanging overhead like a watchful eye.
A squad of Sunagakure shinobi stood atop one of the higher dunes, cloaks fluttering in the wind.
Their flak jackets were already dusted in sand, goggles pulled low, faces serious.
At the very front stood Rasa.
The Fourth Kazekage surveyed the surroundings calmly, his cloak billowing behind him, eyes narrowed as they swept across the barren landscape.
"This is the place?" he asked without looking back.
The leading jōnin immediately stepped forward, bowing his head respectfully.
"Yes, Kazekage-sama. This is where the abnormal chakra signatures were detected," he reported. "The sensory team confirmed it multiple times. The readings were… not ordinary."
Rasa nodded slowly.
"I see…"
The wind blew harder for a moment, kicking up a faint veil of sand that briefly obscured his expression.
Another jōnin, a bit younger, took a step forward, his face lined with worry.
"Kazekage-sama," he began, voice worried, "with your permission, allow us to advance and investigate first. If it really is that dangerous, then—"
He clenched his fists.
"Then there's no need for you to take the risk yourself. We exist to protect the village—and to protect you. Please let us do our duty."
A murmur of agreement ran through the squad.
"Yeah…"
"That's right…"
"We can't let Kazekage-sama take point on a mission like this…"
Their words weren't empty flattery. In the way they stood, in the way they looked at Rasa's back—there was genuine loyalty.
For a moment, Rasa was silent.
The wind shrieked across the dunes, sand whispering around their ankles.
"…You're right," he said at last, voice calm.
Several of the shinobi relaxed slightly.
"Kazekage-sama—"
"That's why," Rasa continued, his tone not changing in the slightest, "I'll have you all… die here."
They didn't even have time to process the words.
The sand moved without warning.
The desert beneath their feet suddenly surged like a living thing—tsunamis of sand rising in an instant, coiling up around their legs, their waists, their arms.
"K–Kazekage-sama?!"
"W–Wait—what are you—?!"
The leading jōnin's eyes went wide as the sand crawled up his body, binding him in place.
"Sand Coffin," Rasa said quietly, extending one hand.
The particles glittered faintly within the swirling masses of sand—heavy, suffocating, inescapable.
One by one, the shinobi were engulfed.
Their bodies disappeared into towering pillars of sand, only their muffled screams leaking out.
"KA–KAZEKAGE-SAMA!!"
"WHY?!"
"WHAT DID WE DO?!"
"We—! We're loyal to the village—!!"
"PLEASE—!!"
The desert echoed with their voices, raw with confusion, fear, and betrayal.
Rasa's expression didn't change.
His hand slowly clenched into a fist.
The sand responded.
The towering pillars compressed violently, tightening in an instant.
CRACK.
The sickening sound of bones breaking echoed beneath the dunes.
Screams turned into choked gasps.
"St–… op… p–please…"
"We… didn't… do… any—"
CRACK.
The sounds were swallowed just as quickly as their bodies.
Moments later, the dunes were still again.
The sand settled back into place as if nothing had happened.
Rasa lowered his hand, his expression calm—completely unmoved by the fact that he had just slaughtered his own shinobi, men who had been fiercely loyal to both him and the village.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
The sound of slow, mocking applause echoed across the dunes.
At the same time, the illusion binding Rasa shattered.
His vision snapped back into focus—his mind fully his own again.
And only then did he realize what he had done.
His expression twisted, jaw clenching as he gritted his teeth and whipped his head toward the source of the applause.
There stood a man and… a woman?
Rasa wasn't entirely sure at first, but he knew one thing with absolute clarity:
The man was the one responsible for turning him into a butcher of his own men.
Even though Rasa was a cold-blooded leader who wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice his own shinobi if it benefited the village, killing them without reason—like this—still enraged him.
Especially the feeling of being manipulated like some puppet on strings.
"Hey, long time no see… Rasa, you bastard. How's it been?"
A familiar voice cut through his anger, and Rasa's eyes narrowed as he focused on the blurry figure he hadn't fully registered before.
The silhouette merged into someone he'd once sold out because he felt threatened by her existence.
Pakura of the Sand.
…No.
She was no longer a Sunagakure shinobi.
Pakura glanced at the expression on Rasa's face and felt a dark sense of satisfaction well up inside her.
Simply killing him would never be enough.
He had to taste despair first.
"Well, I've already set up a formation," Obito said casually from beside her. "He won't be able to run."
"…Thank you," Pakura replied softly.
"There's no need for that between us."
"I know… I just wanted to say it anyway."
"I see. It seems you're feeling extra emotional today," Obito mused. "I'm happy."
Rasa glared at the two bastards who were treating him like empty air and felt his anger spike even higher.
Then he laughed.
"Hahaha… Pakura. To think you'd dare show yourself before me, you traitor," he sneered. "And did you forget where you're standing? It's sand all around us. It's not me you've trapped—it's you who walked into my territory."
A confident smirk tugged at his lips.
"Foolish girl. You still haven't changed at all."
In his home ground, surrounded by endless sand, Rasa's confidence surged. No matter what had just happened, no matter how humiliating it was to be controlled for even a moment—he refused to believe he would lose here.
Being caught off guard once was one thing.
Letting it happen again?
Hmph.
He didn't believe in repeating the same mistake twice.
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