Rasa glanced at the old man.
Under the current circumstances, he could still act unilaterally and force the order through.
But there was no need.
With the marriage to Pakura and the suppression of the Hongshan Clan, Sunagakure's internal situation had basically stabilized completely.
There was no need for Rasa to create conflict between upper and lower ranks by force.
"I've received news," Rasa said, "that a major upheaval has occurred inside Kirigakure. For us, it is an excellent opportunity."
"Fuguki Suikazan's defection alone naturally would not be enough for me to mobilize on this scale."
"What has happened inside Kirigakure is far more serious than that."
Everyone in the room was startled.
What could possibly be more serious in Kirigakure than Fuguki Suikazan defecting?
After all, during his defection, Fuguki had severely wounded Jinpachi Munashi and forced Kirigakure to dispatch Juzo Biwa in pursuit.
In one stroke, that had removed three members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen from the front.
"Kazekage-sama… is it true?"
Rasa nodded.
"It is."
But even then, many still hesitated.
"Kazekage-sama, can you tell us what happened?"
Rasa answered calmly.
"I have received word that the Kaguya Clan in Kirigakure has launched an armed coup. I do not yet know the exact outcome, but Kirigakure has undoubtedly suffered extremely heavy damage."
"After all, you all know the strength of the Kaguya Clan. They are far stronger than the Hongshan Clan ever was."
"And you also know the Third Mizukage. Personal combat ability is not his greatest strength as a Kage."
Eyes widened all around the room.
"The Kaguya Clan rebelled?"
"If that's true, then it really is an opportunity for Sunagakure."
"Kirigakure must be in total chaos internally."
"They'll definitely have to recall a large number of shinobi from the front."
"Just like Konoha did back then."
When the Uchiha had rebelled, Konoha had no choice but to recall the forces stationed at the border of the Land of Wind.
Even if the Kaguya Clan's rebellion had a somewhat smaller impact on Kirigakure than the Uchiha had on Konoha, it could not be by much.
After all, Kaguya were infamous for their madness.
Once they rebelled, there was no possibility of persuading them to surrender.
Even if they were losing and forced to flee, they would still throw themselves into battle a few more times before falling back.
And there was every chance they had caused even greater damage to Kirigakure than the Uchiha had caused to Konoha.
An opportunity like this—
If they let it slip, it would be an unforgivable waste.
Such opportunities did not come often.
Kirigakure had bullied Sunagakure for far too long.
Sunagakure absolutely could not afford to miss such a chance.
"Now then," Rasa said, rising slightly in tone, "who still has objections?"
No one spoke.
Rasa stood.
"Since no one opposes it, then it is decided."
"Today, we assemble a second shinobi army."
"Meeting adjourned."
Once Rasa's order was given, the entire village was thrown into motion.
The civilians noticed nothing unusual.
At this moment, they were still discussing the Hongshan Clan.
Most believed the official village narrative.
"The Hongshan Clan was disgusting. Selling out the village and even trying to kill Kazekage-sama to seize the title?"
"Good thing Kazekage-sama was strong enough. Otherwise, Sunagakure would've changed overnight."
"Kazekage-sama is a good man. The Hongshan Clan were practically beasts. If the Kazekage position had fallen into their hands, who knows what Sunagakure would've become."
"But I really didn't expect Kazekage-sama to be that strong."
"He's probably the strongest Kazekage in history, right?"
"Definitely. Who else could've done something like that?"
"One man against hundreds of Hongshan Clan shinobi…"
"And only the edge of his clothing got dirty. Too strong."
Only a small minority—those who already disliked Rasa to begin with—formed a few conspiracy theories in their hearts.
But as far as the village as a whole was concerned, it made no difference.
As for what had happened that night involving Uchiha Hanazuki, none of it spread among the civilians.
Rasa had only pretended to be courting Uchiha Hanazuki in order to lure the Hongshan Clan into taking the bait.
But the higher-ups in the village believed he had been plotting to obtain Uchiha blood.
It was a misunderstanding.
And it was exactly what Rasa wanted.
He had even less desire for these people to realize that the entire thing had been a trap he had deliberately arranged to draw the Hongshan Clan in.
Before long, the shinobi army assembled in formation in the desert outside Sunagakure.
Under the command of elite jonin, they marched toward the front line in orderly ranks, preparing a surprise attack against Kirigakure's forces.
Rasa stood high in the sky.
A cloud of gold dust carried him aloft.
Watching the army gather and depart, his eyes flickered faintly.
"This time, the advantage is with Sunagakure."
"Now let's see what results we can achieve."
Rasa withdrew his gaze and looked down at the village below.
Because so many shinobi had been drawn away, fewer than two thousand remained in the village now.
And a good number of those were still recovering from injuries.
It could be said that Sunagakure's defensive capability was now far weaker than before.
At a time like this, if an enemy shinobi army approached the village and launched a surprise attack, the damage would be immense.
But Rasa knew that would not happen.
The war between Konoha and Iwagakure had just reached its most heated stage.
And Kirigakure, because of the Kaguya Clan rebellion, would definitely be too preoccupied with its own affairs.
"Besides, Chiyo-senpai and I are both still here."
"With Sand Soldier Manifestation, my strength has increased sharply."
"And when it truly comes to the village's life or death, Chiyo-senpai will still act."
"Sunagakure only looks vulnerable."
Rasa returned to the Kazekage Building and continued handling documents.
By the time he was close to finishing, night had nearly fallen.
He stood and glanced at the system panel.
[Name: Rasa]
[Identity: Fourth Kazekage]
[Ninjutsu: Sand Soldier Manifestation, etc.]
[Taijutsu: Basic Taijutsu]
[Genjutsu: None]
[Bloodline Limit: Magnet Release - Gold Dust]
[Remaining Activations: 0]
[Remaining Points: 226]
Rasa calculated silently.
"From the start until now, I've already drawn more than seventy times—almost eighty."
"In other words, the rumor about Uchiha Kagami is nearly at its point cap."
"So next… what kind of rumor should I create?"
"One that benefits Sunagakure…"
"And one that can bring in points relatively quickly."
Rasa sank into thought.
The first things that entered his mind were still Konoha and Kirigakure.
One was openly hostile to Sunagakure.
The other had not yet entered direct war with Sunagakure again, but relations were poor—and more importantly, Konoha had far too many dirty secrets.
And across the shinobi world, Konoha drew the most attention.
Anything involving Konoha would naturally attract wider discussion.
"I need to think carefully about this."
"Right… after the next batch of draws, I'll basically hit one hundred."
"I wonder whether there'll be some special reward."
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