The war had begun.
Kumogakure seized the opportunity to raid the Land of Wind's border, catching the Daimyo—who had long slashed military funding—off guard. In a panic, he sent envoys to Sunagakure, pleading for aid.
The atmosphere of war swept through the village. Elder Chiyo and Ebizō's attempts to conceal the looming conflict shattered in an instant.
With the Third Kazekage missing, the village leaderless, and war breaking out, who wouldn't be shaken?
Yet, as shinobi, adjusting their mindset swiftly was a fundamental skill.
The villagers could panic, but the shinobi could not.
The Land of Wind's envoy arrived, stammered a few words, and left—leaving no ryō, no supplies, nothing.
Still, under the guidance of Elders Chiyo and Ebizō, Sunagakure's shinobi mobilized for the battlefield with disciplined speed.
Only a week had passed since that fateful meeting.
The village's struggles were no secret: no manpower, no money. But no one wanted to become a rogue ninja.
The First Kazekage, though shameless at the first Five Kage Summit—demanding land and funds from the God of Shinobi while wielding the One-Tail—had founded Sunagakure for the sake of peace.
The village's barren land, however, bled resources yearly, forcing even the thick-skinned First Kazekage to beg.
Without that shamelessness, the village would have starved. What was wrong with a little pride for the sake of survival?
The day after Chiyo and Ebizō departed, Rasa and Pakura, following orders, led their respective teams of Sand shinobi to their assigned battlefronts.
Rasa had no desire to wade into the chaos of a Great Shinobi War, but in a turbulent world, who could remain untouched? Not humans, not toads, not slugs, not even snakes.
The fall of the Land of Whirlpools, a former ally of Konoha, proved that. Konoha had promised protection, only to demand a single clansman as the next Jinchūriki while dismissing the rest.
"Sorry, who are you?" Non-village shinobi were treated as spies.
The shinobi world was cruel. A green card didn't guarantee refuge elsewhere.
And… Karura was in Sunagakure. She'd never leave the village, so Rasa had no choice but to pour money into his gacha system.
[Why couldn't I have transmigrated to Naruto and Sasuke's era, or even Boruto's?]
In Naruto's time, he could've napped on the Hokage Rock without a care. In Boruto's era, with Naruto and Sasuke's overwhelming strength, threats like the Ōtsutsuki or Kara wouldn't need an outsider like him.
Recalling the 100,000 ryō Pakura lent him last week… everyone was struggling. Even Pakura, an elite Jōnin who diligently took missions, had only 100,000 ryō to her name. Other shinobi were likely in worse shape.
Sunagakure's mission income paled compared to Iwagakure, Kumogakure, or Konoha. Worse, most earnings were funneled into village operations, with shinobi required to hand over a hefty cut.
Rasa sighed, shaking his head. His plan to mine gold in the desert to fund his gacha system was now on hold due to the war.
Parting ways with Pakura on the road, they went their separate paths.
"Rasa-sama, do you think Iwagakure will really invade Sunagakure?" a Sand shinobi asked, interrupting Rasa's thoughts about money.
Rasa turned, pondered, and nodded. "They will."
This war would engulf the entire shinobi world. To prevent Kumogakure from dominating, other villages wouldn't stand idly by.
In the end, it'd be a chaotic free-for-all. Knowing Kumogakure's muscle-obsessed shinobi, they'd keep pushing recklessly.
If Sunagakure played it safe, the war would likely boil down to the top three villages duking it out.
Sunagakure only needed stability to survive this chaos—and maybe some extra cash for Rasa's gacha.
Rasa wasn't sure of the Third Great Shinobi War's full details, but he knew key events: Might Duy's Eight Gates slaughtering half the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Minato Namikaze earning his legend as the Yellow Flash, securing Konoha's victory and the village's admiration, and Obito's tragic fall. Beyond that, things were hazy.
Rasa figured he'd focus on his own corner of the world—protecting his wife, raising his kids, and managing his duties.
If he could just get enough money, he'd be like the God of Shinobi, facing the Nine-Tails—who could take on eight Tailed Beasts—and declare with authority,
"Nine-Tails, your power is too great. For the peace of the shinobi world, I can't let you roam free." Then, with one of 9,999 hands reaching from his back, he'd grab the beast's neck and bring it to the village to build a better future.
Who could say no then?
"Everyone, prepare yourselves!" Rasa said, noticing the shinobi's morale dip at his words. He sighed inwardly.
Sunagakure had been hit hard: the Third Kazekage's absence, the Daimyo's refusal to fund them, and even their own Rasa acting like a different person.
Against the aggressive Kumogakure, what could they do?
"Yes, sir!" the Sand shinobi responded, their years of training kicking in as they stood tall and accepted their orders.
To them, as long as Rasa-sama, Pakura-sama, Chiyo-sama, and Ebizō-sama led them, Sunagakure would endure. [Rasa-sama, the Third Kazekage's disciple, might become the Fourth Kazekage and lead us to rise again,] they thought.
Seeing their spirits lift, Rasa sighed, gazing at the darkening sky. "Set up camp for the night! We must reach our destination tomorrow!"
Kumogakure's aggressive advance wasn't just for a poor village like Sunagakure.
"Leave shinobi to patrol the perimeter."
Meanwhile, in Sunagakure, after the main forces departed, the village would gradually send out remaining or returning shinobi.
Due to limited manpower and funds, large-scale ninja training was impossible. Many shinobi had been sent to investigate the Third Kazekage's disappearance, leading to leaked information and a shortage of defenders, leaving the village vulnerable.
But as one of the five great villages, bold enough to challenge Konoha twice, Sunagakure was still a tough nut to crack, even at its weakest.
It just couldn't afford to stir trouble now.
"Per Elder Chiyo's suggestion, to bolster our forces, we must graduate a batch of academy students early and let them grow through the war," a Jōnin said solemnly to a group of frustrated and angry academy instructors, sighing.
"Please do your best to select the most promising students and minimize their casualties."
(End of Chapter)