Nightfall was approaching.
The Iwa-nin commander knew they couldn't afford to drag this out much longer. But no matter how many shinobi he sent, that Suna-nin just kept kicking up his gold dust and running off.
From the looks of it, the Third Kazekage's disciple had delusions of grandeur. Was he planning to take down all of them?
But time wasn't on their side.
Who knew how the Grass-nin were faring against the Suna reinforcements? If backup arrived, they'd be in serious trouble.
Still, as the commander, his top priority was making sure his subordinates made it back alive. That was both his duty and his responsibility.
The problem was… this whole situation was bizarre. So bizarre that even a seasoned shinobi who'd survived the Second Great Ninja War was starting to second-guess himself.
Caution. Observation. Patience. These weren't just traits—they were survival skills for shinobi. And as someone who'd outlived countless others, the commander prided himself on his vigilance.
That was his secret to staying alive.
His expression twisted as he stared at Rasa, not far off, once again dispersing his chakra.
Just how much chakra does he have?!
He'd gathered and released it countless times—and still showed no signs of exhaustion.
Could he have Uzumaki blood? Or maybe…
He narrowed his eyes as Rasa pulled out yet another small blue vial filled with a pale liquid.
Did Sunagakure develop a new chakra recovery drug? Could it be… that damn hag Chiyo's handiwork?
That thought made the commander's expression harden instantly. If it was something new from Suna, it would complicate Iwa's plans to profit from Wind Country's chaos.
"We have to get our hands on that formula."
If they could bring it back to Lord Ōnoki, maybe Iwagakure could replicate it themselves.
Turning back to his team, the commander spoke with stern determination. "That medicine—whatever it is—is our priority. As for the Third Kazekage's disciple…"
His eyes narrowed at Rasa's visibly annoyed expression.
Looks like he's losing patience.
"Forget him for now. Focus on seizing that recovery drug!"
"Yes, sir!"
With a chorus of affirmations, the Iwa-nin sprang into action.
"Go!"
At the commander's shout, the squad charged.
Rasa's heart skipped a beat the moment he realized they were no longer playing the "tag" game.
Shit. Did they figure it out?
Why were they suddenly getting smart? Couldn't they all just keep enjoying the chase?
Run through the desert, dance in the wind, live carefree and wild?
And his second gacha spin was almost ready. As for the first one… sigh. Don't mention it. The pull rate was garbage. It hadn't given him anything useful for his current predicament. But hey, at least he got…
+1 Stamina.
Honestly, without that, he might've collapsed from running already.
Looking up at the Iwa-nin charging at him with grim determination on their faces, Rasa could tell—
They were serious this time.
"Surround him—kunai barrage"
With the commander's order, kunai flew in from all directions.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sparks burst all around him as kunai rained down, forcing Rasa to halt his refining and immediately raise a gold dust shield to cover himself.
He tightened the shield and peeked out briefly—only to see his entire perimeter had been covered with explosive tags.
"…Oh, come on."
He didn't say it aloud, but his face said everything.
He reinforced his gold dust again. But even his Magnet Release wasn't designed to fully absorb a blast from dozens of explosive tags deployed by coordinated jōnin.
The pressure made him nauseous.
No choice—dump the gold dust I just used and convert it. Then re-summon fresh dust and reforge the shield.
This is basically like raiding a dungeon while trying to buy gear at the same time.
And the buyback rates suck.
He popped one of the red potion vials from the set he'd drawn earlier—instantly restoring a hefty chunk of chakra.
These Iwa-nin… they're actually going all out now?!
Eyes narrowing, Rasa's expression turned grim. After one final surge of chakra to gather more gold dust—
And then—
He turned and ran.
What, you thought I'd stick around and die? I'm not an idiot!
Sure, on paper, Rasa's power could go toe-to-toe with Shukaku in the desert and even seal it solo—but that didn't mean he was ready to throw down against this many elite ninja just a month after arriving in this world.
He wasn't the Third Raikage, who'd fought ten thousand shinobi for three straight days and only died when he finally collapsed from exhaustion!
Wait… no, that hadn't happened yet.
Meanwhile—
"What the hell?!"
The entire Iwa force stared, dumbfounded, as Rasa took off again, dispersing and gathering chakra like he was putting on a one-man show.
At this point, if they still believed he had some secret weapon, they didn't deserve to call themselves shinobi.
"After him! How dare he make fools of Iwa-nin!"
The commander's face turned an ugly shade of green. Furious, he waved his men forward.
Still, why was this Suna-nin gathering and dispersing chakra so frequently?
Could it be…
A thought struck him, and his eyes narrowed with suspicion. An uncontrollable rage bubbled in his chest.
Mental trauma. Disordered chakra flow. Could it be… that the Third Kazekage's disciple really is unstable—and can't properly refine his chakra?
Gritting his teeth, the commander pointed forward and roared, "He's a fraud! Take him down!"
"Yes, sir!"
"???"
Who the hell are you calling a fraud?!
What lie did I tell?!
Rasa threw a quick glance over his shoulder at the furious Iwa commander trying to murder him with his eyes. He felt unjustly accused. From the beginning till now, he hadn't said a single word, okay?
How had he become a con artist in their eyes?
He sighed, but now wasn't the time for sulking. If he didn't keep running, he really would be swarmed and beaten to death.
He glanced at his silver coin total—it had finally hit the threshold for another gacha spin.
He hesitated…
100,000 coins took too damn long to save up. Screw it—spin now.
He bit his lip, clicked the "draw" button.
Where the hell are Suna's reinforcements? Shouldn't they be here by now?
Just as the thought crossed his mind—
Ding~!
A crisp, cheerful chime rang in his head.
Rasa's eyes widened as he stared at the new item on his screen.
"…Is this—? Did I finally hit something good?!"
Meanwhile, on Suna's side—
After escaping the Grass-nin blockade, the Suna forces had finally found a spot to catch their breath.
"Momu, what do we do now?" one Suna-nin asked the temporary squad leader, who had been appointed by Lord Rasa himself before their retreat. His face was etched with worry. "There are so many Iwa-nin... Lord Rasa must be in danger!"
"This…"
Momu looked at his teammates—every one of them filled with concern. He was just about to nod and order a return to assist Rasa when he suddenly remembered—
Rasa's face before he left. So serious. So solemn. So full of trust.
I absolutely can't let Lord Rasa down.
Momu's expression hardened with resolve. He turned to his comrades and declared, "No. We must not disappoint Lord Rasa! He lured the Iwa-nin away so that we could survive. We can't let his sacrifice be in vain!"
He raised his fist high, eyes blazing.
"To the death—we protect Sunagakure!"
At his words—
"To the death—we protect Sunagakure!"
The rest of the Suna-nin raised their fists with equal fervor, their voices echoing into the night.
"We must not let Lord Rasa down!"