[TL/N: New Book -
Anime Group Chat in a Doomsday World!]
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Although it was clear to everyone that Rasa's actions resembled Orochimaru's obvious intentions, Hiruzen couldn't afford to let his guard down.
The colossal beast battling Shukaku in the distance struck a familiar chord with him.
Wasn't that the same summoned creature Gaara had unveiled during the Chūnin Exam finals? Only now, its size had expanded to nearly a hundred times what it was back then.
But as Hiruzen observed the ferocious clash between the two titans, a bead of cold sweat trickled down his temple.
When had Sunagakure acquired such a devastating war machine?
A creature as powerful as a tailed beast but still obedient to its master's command—it was nothing short of terrifying. If such a monstrosity appeared on a battlefield, it could very well determine the outcome of an entire war.
Hiruzen made up his mind then and there. He would limit Konoha's missions in the Land of Wind for the foreseeable future, aiming to avoid any unnecessary conflicts.
And this was precisely what Rasa intended.
As the audience of onlookers swelled, Rasa allowed a faint smile to cross his lips. He secretly massaged Gaara, who was commanding the battle:
"Gaara, that's enough. It's time to return to Sunagakure!"
On hearing the command, Gaara, standing atop the colossal Tyrantrum, turned his gaze to Rasa. Upon noticing Hiruzen standing nearby, Gaara quickly understood the message.
He nodded, then raised his arm again, his fingers forming a blade-like gesture as he touched the Pokémon bracelet on his wrist.
"If that's the case, let's finish this once and for all!"
"Tyrantrum, bond evolution!"
A radiant, multicolored light enveloped the towering Tyrantrum, its glow divine and overpowering.
A wave of oppressive energy swept across the battlefield, akin to the descent of a world-ending demon king.
In the Pokémon world, the Tyrantrum was renowned as a symbol of brutality and savagery.
And Gaara's heart, hardened by blood and battle, resonated perfectly with the creature's primal instincts.
Now, enhanced by the dual forces of Dynamax evolution and bond evolution, the Tyrantrum's dormant ferocity was fully awakened.
A thick mane of crimson hair sprouted from the crown of its head, its posture shifted upright, and its eyes burned with an icy intensity.
The fusion of rock and dragon energy coursing through Gaara only amplified his aggressive aura.
Man and beast, perfectly synchronized, turned their gaze to Shukaku.
Their combined presence bore down upon the one-tailed beast like an unyielding mountain.
"It's over," Gaara murmured with a sinister grin.
Shukaku, despite its immense power, was not as fearsome as some might think. Even in its natural habitat, the desert, its capabilities were equivalent to a peak Kage-level ninja, around level 80. Compared to the titanic might of super Kage-level entities, Shukaku was but a minor player.
Its true strength lay in its ability to turn its entire body into sand, rendering most physical and elemental attacks useless. It was an advantage akin to the immunity of those with logia devil fruits.
Its sole vulnerability? The sealing techniques designed specifically for tailed beasts.
Fortunately for Gaara, he wielded an exceptionally potent sealing technique—but not one native to this world. It originated from the magical realm of Fairy Tail.
The technique was called Take Over Magic, a power that allowed the user to assimilate the essence and abilities of monsters or creatures. Depending on the user's mastery, this magic could manifest as either "partial take over," absorbing specific features of the target, or "full-body take over," where the user entirely merged with the target's essence.
Rasa, determined to equip his son with an unparalleled edge, had procured this magic for Gaara at an exorbitant cost—10,000 dimensional trading points.
Combined with the life essence Gaara had received earlier to enhance his physical resilience, this provided an ironclad guarantee of a successful absorption.
This show of dedication from Rasa had been pivotal in earning Gaara's trust, convincing him that his father, who had once pushed him into despair, now genuinely sought to prepare him as Kazekage.
The battle raged on.
The Tyrantrum, embodying destructive might, clamped its massive jaws onto Shukaku's shoulder.
Sand erupted in all directions, but the beast's sandy composition rendered the bite harmless.
Yet the attack wasn't entirely fruitless. A surge of dark energy flowed from Tyrantrum's fangs into Shukaku, wreaking havoc on its mind.
"What… what's happening!?"
For the first time, Shukaku felt an alien sensation coursing through its being—fear.
For a creature that had defied all, even the heavens and earth, this was an utterly incomprehensible experience.
Sensing an opportunity, Gaara issued another command.
"Tyrantrum, now!"
Tyrantrum let out a thunderous roar as a massive rock materialized above it, like a meteor summoned from the heavens.
With devastating precision, the stone spear hurtled toward Shukaku, piercing its abdomen and pinning it to the ground.
"Damn it!"
At that moment, Shukaku, pinned to the ground, finally realized something was amiss.
As one of the world's mightiest creatures, the tailed beasts had long abandoned their instinct to fear any adversary. Why should they? Even if killed, they would inevitably resurrect. In their eyes, there was nothing in the world to truly fear.
But now...
For the first time, Shukaku felt something unfamiliar emanating from both Gaara and Tyrantrum.
It was the suffocating fear of death, a primal dread born from absolute despair.
Gaara, however, paid no heed to the turmoil in Shukaku's heart. He waved his arms, channeling the rock-elemental energy gained from his bond evolution. Gravel surged forth and coalesced into five massive stone peaks, which slammed down on Shukaku's limbs and tail, pinning him entirely.
The once-mighty tailed beast could now only move its head.
As Shukaku's terrified eyes widened, Gaara calmly stepped onto the gravel, rising above his immobilized prey. He raised his hands and pressed them downward with chilling decisiveness.
Instantly, a massive magic circle materialized beneath him, engulfing Shukaku within its glowing, intricate patterns.
"Take Over Magic... activate!"
Gaara's voice was cold and resolute, and the chakra within his body surged wildly, feeding into the magic circle's formation.
"What... what is this!?"
"Stop it! Stop it right now!"
For the first time in its existence, Shukaku felt the gnawing grip of fear take hold. Its instincts screamed danger, its beastly sixth sense warning it of impending doom.
This was no ordinary sealing technique.
The aura radiating from the magic circle carried the unmistakable scent of death.
But Gaara wasn't about to let such an opportunity slip by.
The enormous magic circle descended in an instant, making contact with Shukaku's body.
What followed was a surreal spectacle. It was as if Shukaku had crossed the threshold into another dimension. His immense body dissolved into the patterns of the magic circle, vanishing piece by piece.
In mere moments, the tailed beast was completely gone.
The magic circle then began to shrink, compressing into a glowing orb of concentrated energy. Brimming with power, it flew back toward Gaara, merging seamlessly into his body.
Receiving Magic was no trivial art.
If handled recklessly, the user risked being overwhelmed by the absorbed creature's will, transforming into a mindless beast.
But Gaara, fortified by his enhanced physical constitution and the insights gained from Rasa's painstaking efforts, bore the process with ease. The double layers of protection ensured he could perfectly integrate Shukaku's power into his own.
The forest, moments ago a battlefield, suddenly fell silent.
Even the gargantuan Tyrantrum reverted from its Gigantamax form to its original size, standing quietly beside Gaara.
The conflict was over.
Amidst the devastation of the forest, where the trees and ground bore the scars of a brutal clash, Rasa's figure emerged.
He approached Gaara, flanked by Temari, Kankurō, and a group of Konoha ninjas led by the Third Hokage, who had arrived uninvited.
"How did it go?" Rasa asked, his voice calm but laced with anticipation.
Although he already knew the outcome, his expression betrayed a flicker of excitement.
Gaara lifted his gaze to the gathering crowd. A trace of violence flashed in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.
In an instant, the familiar dark circles around his eyes returned, and he answered in an even tone:
"Everything went as planned."
"Good. Good," Rasa exclaimed, nodding with a broad smile.
He turned his attention to the Third Hokage, his peripheral vision catching the curiosity and unease in the older man's eyes. With a slight grin, Rasa added,
"I must apologize for causing such a spectacle, Third Hokage. Rest assured, an incident like this will never occur again."
His tone carried the weight of a solemn promise, but everyone present could sense the falseness of his words.
The ninjas—whether from Konoha or other villages who had come to spectate—shifted their focus toward Gaara.
Hiruzen's frown deepened.
Even with his vast knowledge and experience, he couldn't decipher the technique Gaara had just employed. It was unlike any ninjutsu or sealing technique he'd ever seen.
And why, Hiruzen wondered, would Rasa reveal Sunagakure's jinchūriki in such a public fashion? The act seemed almost deliberate.
Rasa stepped forward, his expression softening as his gaze settled on Gaara, who now seemed calm and composed.
He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Gaara had fully subdued Shukaku's will, transforming the tailed beast into a weapon of his own.
With a faint smile, Rasa clasped his hands together and offered an apologetic nod to the Third Hokage. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he turned on his heel, signaling for Gaara and the others to follow him.
The group departed swiftly, heading back toward Sunagakure.
Behind them, the Konoha ninjas and other observers stood frozen in place, their expressions a mix of shock and disbelief.
A tailed beast—a catastrophe-level threat—had been subdued so easily?
This wasn't the tale of rampaging, unstoppable destruction they had grown up hearing.
The reality they witnessed today was something altogether different... and far more unsettling.
...
...
Three Days Later
Rasa and his party, relying on the exceptional endurance and speed of ninja foot travel, finally arrived at the borders of the Land of Wind.
However, instead of heading directly to Sunagakure, they made a detour to the capital of the Land of Wind. Their goal was clear—to purchase seeds and supplies necessary to initiate a new era of large-scale agriculture in the desert village.
For Rasa, this detour wasn't just about logistics; it was part of a broader strategy. During their journey, he carefully observed Konoha's delegation and confirmed that neither Konoha nor the surrounding shinobi villages had yet encountered dimensional merchants or engaged in dimensional transactions.
Rasa understood the stakes. Now that dimensional merchants had appeared in this world, it was only a matter of time before Konoha established contact with them.
Sunagakure needed to act swiftly.
As one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Konoha had far more ninjutsu techniques, materials, and resources stockpiled than Sunagakure could hope to match. When Konoha eventually accessed dimensional trading, their ability to acquire superior products and weapons would obliterate any advantage Sunagakure currently enjoyed.
Fortunately, based on Rasa's deep knowledge of Konoha's inner workings, he predicted they wouldn't mobilize their full village resources to engage in dimensional trading—not immediately, at least.
While Konoha seemed tranquil on the surface, it was riddled with darkness beneath. The political climate in Konoha was far more turbulent than in any other village.
It was a village teeming with schemers and opportunists, individuals like parasites, thriving off Konoha's prosperity while eroding its foundation from within. They sapped resources and influence, weakening the larger branches of the tree to serve their own agendas.
This corruption wasn't unusual in the ninja world. Yet, Konoha's ability to manipulate public perception meant its citizens naively believed they lived in a place of unparalleled peace and light.
After confirming that Konoha wouldn't pose an immediate threat to Sunagakure's plans, Rasa allowed himself to relax. His thoughts turned to the future—most notably, Gaara's future.
Once they returned to Sunagakure, Rasa intended to begin preparations for Gaara's ascension as the Kazekage.
Despite Gaara's youth, his unprecedented feat of single-handedly subduing and sealing Shukaku silenced any concerns about his qualifications.
With the support of Karura and Yashamaru, Rasa believed Gaara could also begin healing from the emotional and psychological wounds inflicted by his traumatic past.
As for Rasa himself, he resolved to step away from active leadership, dedicating his remaining years to transforming Sunagakure's harsh deserts into fertile farmland.
Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction.
These thoughts brought a rare sense of optimism to Rasa, quickening his pace as they approached the capital.
Meanwhile
To the east of the Land of Fire, beyond the Land of Waves, stretched a vast ocean.
Standing at its edge, Crocodile inhaled the salty tang of the sea breeze, a world map clutched in one hand. A faint, self-satisfied smile spread across his face.
"So, Kirigakure has only recently abandoned its 'Blood Mist' policy, has it?" he muttered, tracing his finger across the map. "Sounds like a promising trading partner."
Since concluding his business with Sunagakure, Crocodile had chosen to lay low in a remote coastal town. For the past month, he'd been living a secluded life, recovering his strength and analyzing the intricate power dynamics of this world.
But he hadn't been idle.
During this time, Crocodile meticulously pieced together a web of information, crafting a strategy that would maximize his safety while minimizing wasted effort. His next destination was clear: Kirigakure, the Village Hidden in the Mist—a place mired in chaos and ripe with opportunity.
Based on intel from Sunagakure, Crocodile had learned of Kirigakure's long and brutal reign under the infamous "Blood Mist" policy. This blood regime, which had fostered a culture of violence and mistrust, had ended only a few years ago with the death of the Fourth Mizukage.
Now, Kirigakure lay in ruins—a broken village with no clear leadership.
Despite its disarray, it remained one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, a testament to its immense reserves of ninjutsu knowledge and material resources.
Crocodile knew a place like this was the perfect target for his dimensional trading endeavors.
A village desperate to reclaim its former glory would undoubtedly leap at the chance to obtain advanced tools, techniques, and supplies.
And Crocodile could provide exactly what they needed.
Once he'd spent some time in Kirigakure, he anticipated that his strength would fully recover. From there, the possibilities would be endless.
His goal was simple: to traverse this world, visiting every major ninja village and extracting their unique power systems. With enough time and effort, he would incorporate the ninja arts into his Chamber of Commerce's inventory, earning unimaginable rewards.
To Crocodile, the points and profits he earned from these transactions mattered more than anything.
After all, he knew the pain of poverty all too well... and he had no intention of experiencing it again.