"So it's those two..."
One month later, at the border of the Land of Wind.
The main forces of Iwagakure and Sunagakure converged here.
The representative sent from Iwagakure looked past Rasa's side, gazing at the two brats standing in the rear, his eyes fixed on Yubi and Sasori.
Because having two such young boys standing among the management of the Sunagakure unit was still a bit abrupt.
"That... is Yubi."
Mountain Hero, who was following the representative, took a deep breath and stared at Yubi, uncontrollable killing intent flashing in his eyes.
"..."
Kitsuchi, the son of the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki, sized up Yubi, withdrew his gaze, and said nothing.
He walked straight toward Rasa, who was approaching the two of them.
Finally, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the two met face-to-face and performed a symbolic handshake.
This also represented the official end of the flames of war between Iwagakure and Sunagakure.
The two sides reached a so-called peace agreement.
However, both sides knew clearly that this 'peace' was only temporary... both Villages had their own reasons for the armistice.
The grievances between them could not be erased so easily.
"Congratulations to Sunagakure for the emergence of two promising rising stars... I didn't expect that besides Konoha, your Sunagakure would also be so skilled at cultivating newcomers."
"If it were during the outbreak of the Ninja World War, this Yubi and Sasori might have grown even faster... In the future, it's not impossible for them to become the 'pillars' of your Sunagakure..."
Kitsuchi stared at Rasa and laughed heartily; it seemed like a compliment, but if one thought about it carefully, it was somewhat thought-provoking.
Kitsuchi and Rasa were of similar age and had clashed many times, so they had some understanding of each other.
Hearing this, Rasa gave Kitsuchi a calm glance and then... turned back to join his ranks.
He led the main Sunagakure force away.
After 'communication' between the Kazekage and the Tsuchikage, the two Villages eventually reached an intention for an armistice based on the situation at the front lines.
Sunagakure sent Rasa as their representative, and on Iwagakure's side, it was naturally Kitsuchi.
Until the moment the war ended, after a series of defeats, Iwagakure ultimately lacked the courage to launch a general offensive and risk even greater casualties to fight Sunagakure to the death.
Without excessive procedures or so-called ceremonies, the two armies that had been frequently clashing since the beginning of the Ninja World War finally saw the curtain fall on this day.
This was actually much faster than Sunagakure had anticipated... because facing Sunagakure's military strength, Iwagakure had always held the advantage. If they didn't have a certain advantage, Iwagakure wouldn't have declared their intent to annex some of the Land of Wind's territory, frequently pressuring Sunagakure, nor would they have sat securely by just stationing one main force in the Land of Birds.
But... after Yubi and Sasori joined, especially with the ninja tool Yubi had obtained, the battlefield situation immediately took a sharp turn for the worse, forcing Iwagakure to stop.
Rasa knew very well that Kitsuchi's praise for Sasori and Yubi was a psychological tactic against him.
Because upon returning to the front lines this time, he clearly noticed that everyone in the entire unit held extreme conviction and respect for Yubi and Sasori, even though they were just two brats... Not only did their performance on the battlefield win over the Village's Ninjas, but their reform and training of the unit personnel were also plain for all to see.
This already indicated... that the two of them had gained enough prestige within this team.
The people in this unit were mostly young faces... they were originally the soldiers he commanded, but now they had instead become the 'prestige Foundation' for Sasori and Yubi in the Village.
The younger generation of Sunagakure undoubtedly determined the future direction of the Village, and after returning to the Village, these Ninjas would also communicate with each other, relaying stories of battlefield exploits. In this way, Sasori and Yubi's military achievements would also become known to more of the older generation.
This gave Rasa a faint sense of crisis.
Although in terms of military merit, his status as the number one of the new generation was unshakable.
Furthermore, he, Yubi, and Sasori weren't exactly from the same generation... but the speed at which these two little guys were rising was a bit beyond expectations.
Before he arrived, because the unit had already received word in advance that they were to cease fire with Iwagakure, Shimizu, who was the Overall Commander at the time, had specially promoted Yubi and Sasori in the final period, making Yubi the Vice Captain of the Medical Corps and Sasori the Vice Captain of the Puppeteer Unit.
And Shimizu was his old subordinate.
Most of this Sunagakure army... were direct followers who supported him, including Shimizu.
But... Yubi and Sasori had already exerted a major influence within this unit... Returning to the camp, the members of the unit began packing their things, each with a face full of joy, preparing to return to the Village.
This kind of happiness... was far more exhilarating than winning a major battle.
It was from the heart.
Because many of them, for the longer-serving ones, hadn't been home in several years.
People like Yubi and Sasori had only joined temporarily after the Ninja World War had already been underway; they hadn't participated from start to finish.
And the term for such battlefield missions was that as long as the flames of war spread, they wouldn't end until the very last moment.
Now that the conflict with Iwagakure had subsided and the pressure on the border had sharply decreased... the Village would send new recruits for routine garrison duty, and these veterans could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Many even had red eyes, and tears flowed.
Those who haven't experienced the trial of the battlefield will never understand.
Some were lucky enough to survive, but even more had passed away.
When they came to the battlefield... everyone was full of drive, ready to make a name for themselves; when they went back, their only consolation was that they were still alive.
Yubi took the initiative to find Rasa and handed the ninja tool military music over to him.
He intended to use Rasa's hand to turn it over to the Village higher-ups.
By taking the initiative to hand over the item, he was undoubtedly making his stance clear.
That was... he had no intention of keeping this ninja tool for his own use.
Looking at Yubi's smiling face, Rasa's serious and cold demeanor softened slightly.
He did indeed feel a hint of threat from Yubi and Sasori... but seeing Yubi's personality, he felt the boy didn't have that many'schemes.' This boy was naturally optimistic, and though he was very smart, no matter how one looked at him... he didn't seem like a natural power-seeker.
To put it bluntly... he seemed to have no interest in power. Even if it could be a disguise, at least for now, the feeling he gave Rasa... was very good.
His view of Yubi remained the same as before; Yubi might become a 'trump card' for Sunagakure's future, but such a person was definitely not suited to be a leader.
If possible, it would be best to 'win over' Yubi to his side.
Compared to Yubi, what Rasa was actually more 'wary' of... was Sasori.
"The Village has received news... both you and Sasori have been put on the wanted list in the black market."
Rasa also tried to activate the ninja tool military music and found it useless.
He had already learned information about this ninja tool from Shimizu's mouth, so he was not disappointed.
He said to Yubi.
"The underground black market, huh..."
Yubi repeated.
It was an organization similar to the Bounty Station.
Previously, the names of him and Sasori were only known to a few.
But later... the number of people who have heard their names will likely increase.
Without thinking, those who could put them on the wanted list... were likely related to Iwagakure, perhaps even the Daimyō of the Land of Earth.
Although the conflicts between the Villages were temporarily set aside, various grudges and hatreds had not been resolved... on the surface, they didn't have to fight anymore, but that didn't mean they couldn't use other means to achieve their goals.
Even if they couldn't succeed... it was still good to annoy the opponent.
Previously, Shimizu and the others said that his and Sasori's nicknames would gradually become known to the Ninja World, also taking this part into consideration.
"Even if I weren't wanted, given Iwagakure's hatred for me... they would probably find a way to spread information about my abilities and Bloodline Limit to other Villages. Maybe... they could use the power of other Villages to take me out..." Yubi said with a relaxed smile.
It seemed as if he didn't feel any pressure.
Reasonably speaking, an ordinary person hearing this... would be more or less flustered or afraid.
Yubi, however, had none of that.
"You and Sasori are no longer ordinary Ninjas... if you want to grow up in the Ninja World, you must be prepared for this."
"The strong who can establish themselves in the Ninja World... are almost all targets of wanted lists. Everything is decided by strength; as long as you are strong enough, you can ignore these petty tricks."
"But... the two of you should still pay attention and be a bit careful."
Rasa pondered for a moment and spoke.
"Mm."
Yubi replied.