Kazekage Rasa was famous for his Magnetic Release, and the shield made of sand and gold would have been impossible for even the One-Tailed Shukaku to break in a short time. But now, it was like thin paper, offering no sense of security to the sand ninja.
The giant beast peering through the window, only revealing one eye, sent shivers through their hearts.
"..."
The Fourth Kazekage froze in place, making no move.
The sand ninja beside him saw the eye as that of an unknown monster, but he knew it was Orochimaru. The playful mockery in his eyes was too familiar.
Rasa wasn't worried about his own life. As one of the collaborators in the transaction, there might not even be a staged fight.
But even so, knowing nothing would happen... his body completely refused to obey, as if facing a Tailed Beast alone in a mortal's body. It was the gap between different levels of life.
"..."
The atmosphere within the protective shield grew increasingly oppressive. An invisible string tightened, and the sand ninja's muscles tensed to the extreme, as if they would attack unhesitatingly at any moment.
However, the monster outside suddenly moved its eye away, as if it had lost interest in them.
The sand ninja dared not let their guard down, all eyes turning to the Kazekage.
Rasa covered his left eye with one hand, inwardly whispering, "Eye of Sand!"
He felt a bit strange as he did it; his quick response wasn't entirely an act.
Outside the shield, a round stone floated in the air. It spun halfway around and opened its eye towards its target.
Roran was already covered in a layer of sand. Within it, a giant earth-yellow snake slowly slithered, and the storm overhead, like a skylight, moved with it.
"..."
Inside the shield, the Fourth Kazekage Rasa dispelled the "Eye of Sand" and reopened his eyes, a look of uncontrollable shock in them.
A sand ninja eagerly asked, "Kazekage-sama, what's going on outside?"
Rasa waved his hand. "Don't worry, it's gone."
As if to confirm the Kazekage's words, not long after, the wind howled again, and the view from the window was once again obscured by sandstorms.
It was ironic that the scene, which seemed like a natural disaster earlier, had made the sand ninja fearful, but now brought them a degree of security.
After a moment of silence, Pakura suddenly asked, "Kazekage-sama, what exactly was that thing? It seemed... it didn't have any hostility towards us?"
This was highly unusual.
In the understanding of almost all ninja, giant creatures were usually accompanied by a ferocity fitting their size. If not provoked, it might be fine, but if approached too closely, they would undoubtedly face a fierce attack.
The prime examples were the Tailed Beasts.
Decades, even centuries ago, when the ninja world didn't have suitable sealing jutsu, the ancestors of Sunagakure Village had already forcibly confined Shukaku within the village.
Did they not know the immense risk involved? But compared to that, letting it run wild would have led to even greater losses.
The desert was Shukaku's domain. A whim of play could destroy the homes that ordinary people depended on for survival.
However, even with such a rigid stereotype, Pakura had to admit that the giant beast just now was different, not the same type as Shukaku.
"One cannot jump to conclusions about such matters."
Kazekage Rasa, gazing at the sandstorm outside the window, sighed sincerely.
"Moreover, even without malice, if it was just 'passing by,' it could completely destroy all of Sunagakure."
The sand ninja nodded, their expressions showing deep agreement.
" this monster cannot be provoked at the moment. It seems the deal with the Queen of Roran will have to take another approach."
Kazekage Rasa turned his gaze to Pakura. "You will return to the village immediately and inform Elder Chiyo of what has happened here. Her cooperation will be needed for future matters."
"Alright, I understand." Pakura nodded slightly, but was puzzled why the Kazekage hadn't told him what the plan was afterward.
Of course, Rasa wouldn't tell Pakura that during this mission, he was just a messenger.
...
After the storm, the sky was clear blue.
The scorching sun dried the moisture from the ground, spreading dryness across the land.
The Roran people, emerging from their underground shelters, resumed their work from yesterday, such as tidying up their homes so they could rest tonight.
Of course, the meeting was the same as yesterday, and even longer due to the presence of outsiders and unnecessary expectations. They gathered shortly after a quick tidy-up and sent people to find the sand ninja group.
The conference room.
It was the same room as yesterday, except the roof was missing, and sunlight poured in unhindered.
The Roran people, sweating profusely, anxiously awaited the Kazekage's group, their eyes fixed on the doorway. As soon as they saw figures appear, they rushed to greet them.
A middle-aged man asked, "Kazekage-sama, did you see the monster in the yellow sand? Have you found a way to deal with it?"
Rasa glanced at the man and then at the Queen of Roran, saying slowly, "That thing's power is unfathomably deep. Recklessly fighting it caused significant losses to Sunagakure Village."
"But it is not impossible, as long as enough price can be paid."
"However, do you have sufficient bargaining chips?"
"This..." The middle-aged man was speechless. How terrifying must a monster that could easily destroy Roran be? And what price would it take to destroy such a monster? He couldn't imagine.
"I wonder if the gold mine mentioned earlier is enough," the Queen of Roran said at this moment. "Since it could attract the Kazekage to come personally, its scale must not be trivial."
Hearing this, the Roran people present their eyes lit up, but the Kazekage's next words poured cold water on them.
"Those, are not enough."
Kazekage Rasa spoke clearly, shaking his head slowly. "Although the gold mine below has some scale, its value is greatly diminished if the price is to fight that monster."
"In comparison, Sunagakure Village would prefer to do business with money."
The Queen of Roran fell silent, and the Roran people behind her looked displeased.
Indeed, if it were just for the gold mine, as long as the Dragon Veins weren't an issue, there would be many ways.
They heard that this Fourth Kazekage could control sand and gold, and was a skilled miner. He only needed to do it when the yellow sand monster was not around...
After a moment of silence, the Queen of Roran spoke. "In that case... please have Kazekage-sama rest for now. Confronting the monster in the yellow sand must have taken a lot of energy."
"These are minor matters, but... forget it." Kazekage Rasa nodded slightly and said slowly as he left, "I hope Your Majesty the Queen will carefully consider my proposal."
"..."
Watching the Sunagakure group disappear into the sandstorm, the Queen of Roran sighed softly and turned to the people behind her. "What do you all think?"
The Roran people formed a semicircle, but their expressions were unusually silent.
In fact, they had a bad premonition when they saw Kazekage Rasa and his group. If there was a battle with such a powerful monster, how could their clothes be so clean?
But even so, they still held onto a sliver of hope.
But now, that hope was dashed.
And in the Land of Wind, if Sunagakure Village was unwilling to act, who else could they expect help from?
"Everyone, there's no need to be like this. The situation is much better than before."
The Queen of Roran surveyed them and smiled. "The arrival of Sunagakure Village has brought us news, so we are not blindly wandering around."
"The underground gold mine has also given us an additional source of funds, which is extra capital."
Her relaxed and peaceful tone was a bright spot for the anxious people, and almost instantly, their emotions were contagious, and the tense air eased slightly.
"Yes, yes, the Queen is right... it's already very good now."
"We have intelligence and money, and we will find a way out."
"..."
Seeing everyone revitalized, the Queen of Roran let out a soft breath, a smile of relief on her face.
However, deep down, a sense of profound guilt lingered, refusing to dissipate.
She was the Queen of Roran, and these people were her subjects.
But she was now playing with human nature, using the information gap to deceive them with lies.
"I'm sorry... I don't have any better solutions either."
The entire incident was caused by Orochimaru's desire for the Dragon Veins, and even with the addition of Sunagakure Village, it would be difficult to resist his power.
Strength and weakness were clearly defined. The ninja world was sometimes that simple.
The Queen of Roran clenched her fists secretly. One day, the Roran people would also possess their own strength.
For that, she had to continue with what was next.
With that thought, the Queen of Roran looked at the people cheering each other on. "... The desert is vast, but there are not many places suitable for survival. However, Sunagakure Village is one of them."
"Your Majesty, you mean?" The faces of the people changed, and the middle-aged man worried, "But, can that be done?"
It might have been simple when the village was first established decades ago, but it wasn't so easy now, especially for a large-scale migration like theirs.
"It's okay, there will always be a way."
The Queen of Roran shook her head. "I will discuss these matters with them."
...
The "temporary post station" sounded nice, but it was actually just a civilian house after a sandstorm, with a simple door installed.
When the Queen of Roran arrived, the Fourth Kazekage dismissed his subordinates and said sternly, "How is it? How is it going on your end?"
"After several sandstorms, they are not too resistant to migrating to Sunagakure Village."
The Queen of Roran said frankly, "All the preparations are done these past two days. After I send back the news, the migration can begin tomorrow."
It wasn't difficult for her to assign some tasks under the guise of migration.
"I see... you indeed have your methods."
Kazekage Rasa nodded slightly and smiled. "No wonder Lord Orochimaru went to so much trouble to protect you and Roran."
The words were very ambiguous, and the Queen of Roran's expression changed. She said sternly, "Orochimaru did value my abilities, but not in the way you think."
"In the future, my subordinates and I will live in Sunagakure Village, but don't think you can look down on me like this."
"I apologize, it seems I misunderstood." The Fourth Kazekage's expression became serious, and he quickly changed his tune. His change in attitude was so rapid that even his subordinates who knew him well would be greatly surprised.
"It's fine, this was just a misunderstanding." The Queen of Roran emphasized the word 'this time.'
"Of course..." The Fourth Kazekage nodded slightly, bypassed the topic, and continued to discuss the relocation of the Roran people to Sunagakure Village with the Queen of Roran.
Seeing the Queen of Roran, who had apparently put the recent unpleasantness behind her and returned to the task at hand, Rasa breathed a sigh of relief.
What he had said earlier was not a slip of the tongue, but an intentional probe.
Having witnessed the Queen of Roran's methods and the unity of the Roran people, Kazekage Rasa was greatly wary.
If it were just this, he was confident he could handle it. But if Orochimaru were to offer unusual protection, that would be another matter.
However, it would be suicidal to test Orochimaru directly, so he could only try to gauge her intentions here.
The current result put Rasa somewhat at ease. At least, this woman in front of him did not have such intentions.
...
"How boring. Foolish people."
Orochimaru, after hearing Genie Lamp's retelling, revealed a humanlike disdain on his snake-like face.
"Don't say that. From his perspective, there is indeed a sliver of reason to that guess."
Genie Lamp floated in the air, looking playful and teasing.
"What if? After decades as a ninja, he suddenly had an epiphany in middle age and wanted to pass on his genes? It's not impossible. And that Queen, I see she has quite the presence..."
"Utterly foolish."
Orochimaru's snake-like face slowly changed. Through Sage Mode, he had regained some human likeness, his expression as cold as ice. "This is an insult to me."
"You're getting upset. You're getting upset. That's too big a reaction..." Genie Lamp shrugged. "Is there a need to be so angry?"
"You wouldn't understand," Orochimaru coldly glanced at Genie Lamp and said in a chilling voice, "Knowledge and power, if we're talking about those, it's very necessary to inherit and spread them."
"But bloodlines and offspring are merely means for ordinary people to perpetuate themselves. I seek eternal life, and my own existence is endless. Why would I need to rely on these to continue myself?"
"The logic is sound, but that's not what I meant..."
Genie Lamp looked at Orochimaru, who had now transformed into a mage, and shrugged helplessly. "Alright, being denied the meaning of life, you have every reason to be angry."
"If Rasa had focused his energy on Ninjutsu training, his achievements would be much greater. Unfortunately, his mind is too scattered... Anyway, let's not talk about this."
Orochimaru finally resumed his "half-human, half-snake" form and turned his gaze to Genie Lamp. "You mentioned earlier that the first host was not human, but a type of plant. Can you elaborate?"
"Its abilities are not suitable for you."
Genie Lamp smiled. "Simply put, it's an air purifier. Its so-called wishes are just the instincts of an object. Don't treat it as a normal living being."
"But even so, plants themselves are very compatible with the Otsutsuki bloodline."
Orochimaru shook his head. "Even I, having now fully fused with White Zetsu's genes, am about to undergo transplantation of First Hokage's cells, which also contains the characteristics of the Divine Tree."
"I think you should reconsider. Perhaps its abilities can truly help."
"Alright." Genie Lamp floated in the air, tilting his head and smiling. "But don't count on me. The success rate depends on your methods."
"I understand," Orochimaru nodded slightly.
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