The scorching sun hung high, baking the devastated desert below until the air shimmered with distortion. Massive craters, crisscrossing rifts, scattered metal gravel, and crystallized ground—all bore silent witness to the intensity and terror of the battle that had just taken place.
Sayo knelt on one knee upon the slightly damaged shoulder armor of the "mirage," breathing heavily. Sweat mixed with the blood from the corner of his mouth, dripping onto the cold metal surface.
The powerful regenerative ability of his Pseudo-Sage Body was working hard to repair his internal injuries, but the shock and exhaustion caused by Rasa's overwhelming Gold Dust attacks were very real. The pocket body cultivation furnace grew slightly warm, accelerating the extraction of Natural Energy to convert into Chakra, replenishing his nearly drained Meridians.
Not far away in mid-air, the Fourth Kazekage Rasa hovered atop the slowly swirling Gold Dust, his expression equally solemn, his breathing no longer as steady as it had been at the start. The glow of the Gold Dust around him seemed to have dimmed slightly. He looked down at Sayo below, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
This intense battle, which had lasted for half a day, had far exceeded his expectations.
He had indeed held the upper hand, controlling the rhythm of the battle from beginning to end, with the absolute power and mass of his Gold Dust suppressing Sayo's iron sand and Ninjutsu. However, that giant puppet named "mirage" was incredibly troublesome with its agility, defensive capabilities, and endless array of attack methods (physical slashes, senbon, exploding tags, and even the occasional spewing of composite Wind and Fire Ninjutsu). It could always neutralize or interfere with his efforts in unexpected ways just as he was about to secure victory.
What alarmed him even more was Sayo himself. That seemingly endless stamina, that machine-like precision in Chakra control, that effortless and cleverly combined Wind and Earth composite Ninjutsu, and that terrifyingly resilient willpower! This was simply not the strength and foundation a thirteen-year-old boy should possess! Time and again, he had forced Sayo into a desperate situation, yet the boy would always rise again, struggling like the toughest thorn in the desert.
Take him down? Perhaps he could do it eventually. But Rasa knew clearly in his heart that it would inevitably come at a significant cost, perhaps even... mutual destruction. This was not the outcome he wanted.
"Stop," Rasa said as he slowly descended to the ground, the Gold Dust around him retracting to his side like a docile pet. His voice carried a trace of imperceptible hoarseness. "There is no point in continuing to fight."
Sayo raised his head, the Battle Intent burning in his black eyes subsiding slightly, but that stubbornness remained undiminished. He also controlled the "mirage" to slowly lower its altitude, its massive body landing on the sandy ground with a dull thud.
The two stared at each other across the scarred battlefield, the air filled with a heavy silence, broken only by the whimpering of the wind and sand sweeping over the rocks.
After a long while, Sayo took a deep breath, breaking the silence. His voice was somewhat low due to excessive exhaustion, yet exceptionally clear: "Lord Rasa, you have seen it. I have the strength to protect my convictions. Sunagakure should not rely on sacrificing comrades to buy a reprieve."
He paused, looking intently at Rasa, and spoke the words buried deep in his heart, words stemming from the great wisdom of his previous life: "If you seek peace through struggle, peace will survive; if you seek peace through compromise, peace will perish!"
This sentence was like a thunderclap, suddenly exploding in Rasa's ears, causing even the steady Gold Dust around him to ripple! He looked up sharply, staring at Sayo in disbelief.
This sentence was concise, yet contained a deafening power that struck straight to the essence! It tore away all hypocritical embellishments and helpless compromises, laying the cruelest and truest of truths bare before him! Was Sunagakure's current predicament, the humiliation at Kikyō Mountain, not the bitter fruit of compromise? Must they continue to make mistake after mistake?
Sayo did not stop. Watching the violent fluctuations in Rasa's eyes, he continued, his voice filled with unprecedented sincerity and a profound vision that transcended his age:
"Lord Rasa, I know the difficulties of the Village, and I know the pressure on your shoulders. But exchanging comrades for reparations is just drinking poison to quench thirst! If Kirigakure can force us to hand over Pakura today, they can force us to hand over more tomorrow! Konoha's reparations are crushing us, so we should be finding ways to stand up on our own, rather than relying on betraying comrades to appease another enemy!"
His words began to grow impassioned, carrying a vision that stirred the heart:
"My dream has never been just to build stronger war Puppets. I hope to use my knowledge, my Magnet Release, my Puppet Technique, and even Medical Ninjutsu to change the land beneath our feet!"
He spread his arms, pointing to the endless golden sea of sand around them: "Look at this vast desert! It traps us, but beneath it lies countless resources! My Magnet Release can explore and mine more efficiently! My Puppets can build and dig canals tirelessly! We can utilize wind energy and solar energy! I can attempt to use large-scale barriers and Puppet Systems to modify the local climate, lock in moisture, and expand the oasis little by little!"
"We can build unprecedented purification Puppets to extract groundwater, and in the future, even extract fresh water from the ocean! We can make crops grow in the desert, so that the Land of Wind is no longer just filled with yellow sand! When our homeland becomes prosperous, when we no longer struggle for the most basic survival resources, who would dare to look down on us? Who would still need to sacrifice comrades to exchange for those pitiful reparations?!"
Sayo's voice echoed in the desert, painting a near-mythical blueprint. This was not fantasy, but a grand, feasible vision born from combining the knowledge of his two lives, his profound understanding of Ninjutsu, and the ancient lore provided by Shukaku!
Rasa was completely stunned, standing rooted to the spot as if struck by lightning.
He had originally thought Sayo was just a young Genius who was gifted but overly idealistic and ignorant of reality. What he had been angry about was Sayo's challenge to authority and his ignorance of the "big picture."
But now, what had he heard?
What he heard was not just the persistence of hot-blooded passion, but a profound wisdom (that sentence about struggle and peace), a grand and majestic perspective, and a path... that seemed incredible, yet faintly glimmered with the light of feasibility, a path to true prosperity!
Compared to his own embarrassment of running around the desert panning for gold all day, struggling to scrape together reparations, the future Sayo described was how magnificent! This was the direction a true shadow of a Village should be thinking about and planning for!
Sacrifice Pakura? That was not just betrayal; it was more like giving up a huge treasure trove right in front of one's eyes just to pick up a sesame seed on the ground! His previous "consideration," in the face of Sayo's words, seemed so shortsighted and lowly!
A massive shock swept through Rasa's heart. He looked at Sayo's eyes, which were weary but shining with the light of wisdom and conviction, and for the first time, in a true sense, he viewed this thirteen-year-old boy as an equal, or even someone he needed to look up to in certain aspects.
A long time passed, a very long time.
The Gold Dust around Rasa completely calmed down and retracted into his body. He let out a long, long sigh of the turbid air that had been pent up in his chest, as if exhaling the struggles and pressure of the past few days along with it.
He did not look at Sayo again, but turned around and looked toward the direction of Hidden Sand Village, his gaze seemingly piercing through the endless sea of sand.
"Let's go back." His voice had returned to calm, but it carried an unprecedented weight and... a trace of imperceptible relief. "As for Pakura... I will reconsider."
After saying this, he spoke no more. His figure flashed, and he was the first to dash toward the direction of the Village.
Sayo watched Rasa's departing back, his tensed nerves finally relaxing, and a massive wave of exhaustion surged over his entire body. He knew he had won the gamble. At the very least, he had bought valuable time and possibility for what he firmly believed in.
He put away the "mirage," and with weary yet firm steps, walked step by step toward the direction of home. The desert wind was still dry, but Sayo felt as if he could smell a hint of fresh, hopeful air belonging to the future.