Rasa finally reacted and instinctively tried to resist.
But in the next instant, a cold kunai pressed tightly against his neck, and a sharp pain throbbed through his chest.
More than two-thirds of his body was firmly pinned to the ground by Shikaku Nara. Rasa was absolutely certain of one thing—if he made even the slightest unnecessary movement, or if his chakra fluctuated in the wrong way, this lean, sharp-eyed shinobi riding on top of him would slit his throat without the slightest hesitation.
No… this can't happen.
I schemed for so long to reach this position. I absolutely cannot die here.
If I die… then the matter with Pakura will be dragged out by Granny Chiyo, and she will never let it go.
And my children…
Rasa's expression flickered between fear and anger as he secretly attempted to circulate his chakra, trying to connect with the gold dust buried beneath the battlefield.
But he had underestimated Shikaku.
And more importantly, he failed to understand one thing—no one in this world is an eternal protagonist, and no one is born to be a supporting role.
The moment Shikaku sensed even the slightest abnormal chakra fluctuation, his shadow stretched and snapped into place.
Shadow Possession Jutsu.
Not only did it completely restrain the Fourth Kazekage's body, it also forcibly interrupted any attempt at defensive ninjutsu or counterattacks.
Rasa let out a bitter, self-mocking laugh.
If shinobi from Kumogakure or Iwagakure ever heard about the way he lost, they would probably laugh themselves awake in their sleep.
After all, the one everyone had underestimated—Uchiha Ran—had used an almost absurd method of combat.
Flying in directly.
Smashing him off his gold-dust platform.
Capturing him alive.
The most humiliating part was that, as the Kazekage, once he had been captured alive, he didn't even have the dignity to explode with rage or attempt a desperate counterattack.
Pathetic.
---
On the main battlefield, the colossal Susanoo summoned by Uchiha Ran stood like a divine fortress, enveloping all Konoha forces within its protective range.
Before the deep-blue giant, the shinobi of Sunagakure exchanged glances, confusion and unease filling their eyes.
Only one person reacted differently.
Chiyo.
Her brows slowly knitted together as fragments of memories—old, heavy, and long-buried—rose from the depths of her mind.
A distant past resurfaced.
When Chiyo was fifteen years old, Reto had not yet officially become the First Kazekage. On that very day, he had been discussing matters with the heads of several major clans.
"Lord Reto, that Uchiha Madara relied solely on his own power to summon a giant two to three hundred meters tall and fought a decisive battle with the head of the Senju Clan, Hashirama Senju."
"I saw it with my own eyes. Madara controlled that giant, wielding enormous blades in both hands. Wherever the tachi swept past, not even a blade of grass survived. Any ordinary shinobi who brushed against it would have one foot in the grave."
"When the two of them fought, not a single ninja dared approach within a thousand meters."
"Yes—but the head of the Senju Clan was no ordinary man either. He summoned a wooden Buddha that rose straight out of the earth."
"Its size was no smaller than Madara's giant. The two monsters clashed again and again. In the end, Madara lost by a single move and was captured."
The elders of Sunagakure had spoken vividly, and Reto had fallen silent, etching one conclusion into his heart—
Never provoke the Senju or the Uchiha.
At the time, the young Chiyo had only listened with awe. After all, she had not seen it herself.
Hearing is not believing. Seeing is believing.
She remained skeptical—until many years later.
One day, the Kazekage received a letter:
> From Konoha's Hashirama Senju, inviting Lord Reto to the Land of Iron to discuss the issue of Tailed Beast ownership.
Reto had ordered Chiyo and Ebizō to accompany him as guards.
That was the first time Chiyo laid eyes on Hashirama Senju.
She had been curious—what kind of man could truly be called the number one shinobi in the world?
The meeting left her conflicted.
Hashirama possessed overwhelming strength, yet he restrained himself in everything, even bowing his head to the first Four Kage for the sake of an illusory peace.
She felt disappointment… and a trace of admiration.
A man willing to sacrifice everything for peace.
But peace like that was nothing more than a reflection in water.
It was also during that meeting that Hashirama distributed Tailed Beasts to the great villages.
After his death, Jinchūriki were thrown onto battlefields as living weapons.
And yet—
The wooden Buddha.
The Susanoo.
They vanished from history.
As decades passed, people gradually forgot the terror of the Sengoku Era.
Now, standing before this towering Susanoo once more, Chiyo finally understood—
Everything she had heard back then had been true.
This monster truly existed.
And even the weapons of a thousand-strong shinobi army couldn't scratch its surface.
She could clearly sense the violent, dangerous chakra roaring within it.
Chiyo's face turned pale.
"Everyone—stop!"
Her voice rang out sharply.
With her prestige, it was like driving a needle into the sea—Sunagakure's forces halted almost instantly.
All eyes turned toward the towering Susanoo.
Standing atop it, Uchiha Ran looked down coldly, saying nothing.
Chiyo raised her head and spoke slowly, heavily.
"You must be the Uchiha prodigy who awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"This Susanoo has not appeared on the battlefield for nearly fifty years."
She closed her eyes briefly, then exhaled.
"This time… Konoha has won. Sunagakure admits defeat."
An uproar immediately broke out among the Sunagakure shinobi.
"What?! We surrender already?!"
"The Kazekage is captured, but we haven't even dealt a decisive blow yet!"
"Granny Chiyo, we can't surrender!"
"If we take Konoha, everyone in Sunagakure can relocate!"
"The Land of Fire is fertile and rich in water—no more suffering!"
In truth, very few of them genuinely cared about Rasa.
This was the same Kazekage who had sacrificed his own wife and brother-in-law for the sake of a Jinchūriki.
The only person they truly respected—truly trusted—was Chiyo.
Chiyo looked at the younger generation before her, emotions swirling in her eyes.
It wasn't that she didn't want to fight.
It was that she couldn't.
More than fifty years ago, the last person to wield Susanoo on a battlefield was Madara Uchiha—the Asura of the shinobi world, a man who stood equal to the God of Shinobi himself.
And hadn't the fifty-year absence of the Mangekyō Sharingan already proven its value?
Now that it had reappeared—
The meaning was painfully clear.
------
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