Rasa had something to say, but he wasn't sure if he should.
Why were these Iwagakure shinobi chasing only him? Was the title of "Third Kazekage's disciple" really that much of a hate magnet? Weren't the other villages spreading rumors that Rasa, the Third Kazekage's disciple, was mentally broken and incoherent?
Was it really okay for these guys to chase a supposed lunatic?
Only after the Iwagakure shinobi came after him did Rasa realize… most of their Jōnin and Chūnin were targeting him! The Sand shinobi he left behind were, ironically, the safest.
[What the—?!]
Rasa sighed softly, glancing at the Iwagakure shinobi relentlessly pursuing him, feeling his chakra steadily draining.
[These guys… they're trying to kill me!]
No way he'd let that happen! He eyed the impure gold dust under his control. [Can I recharge with this?]
The thought barely crossed his mind when—
[Yes, but the conversion rate is only 60%!]
The same voice that activated his cheat system spoke again.
Sixty percent? That exchange fee was outrageous! Even if it was impure gold dust, he'd worked hard to gather it!
But now wasn't the time to complain.
[Convert it!]
Instantly, the system credited him with 99 ryō.
"…"
A few tons of gold dust for just 99 ryō? Was the system scamming him? He'd converted all the gold dust at his feet and around him for defense, and this was it?
A rip-off!
But then he reconsidered. This was a desert—if the gold content were high, it wouldn't be a barren wasteland. Sighing, he shook his head and muttered, "Guess I've got it rough."
Supporting the entire village by mining gold in this desert… what a massive undertaking.
Seeing he still didn't have enough ryō for a gacha pull, he gathered another pile of gold dust from the ground and kept running, all while the Iwagakure shinobi watched, puzzled and wary.
"What's he doing?" one Iwagakure shinobi blinked, confused, as Rasa dispersed his chakra and then gathered it again.
[Is there some kind of trap?]
Sure, this seemingly unhinged Sand shinobi was tough, drawing them away to save his comrades—a respectable move. But… he still had to die. As the Third Kazekage's disciple and likely the next Kazekage, killing him would be a devastating blow to Sunagakure.
"Keep chasing!" the Iwagakure commander ordered.
The desert became a bizarre spectacle: Rasa riding a wave of gold dust in front, pursued by a pack of Iwagakure shinobi. Whenever he dispersed the dust and paused, they hesitated, wary of a trap.
[These guys are the ones with brain problems!]
Rasa, having converted another batch of gold dust, stared speechlessly at the cautious Iwagakure shinobi. He'd stopped, yet they wouldn't approach. Why were they so obsessed with chasing him? Did they think catching him would earn them a prize?
Taking a breather, he pulled out a small blue bottle—one of the items he'd gotten from Pakura's 100,000 ryō in the gacha. It restored 100 chakra per second, enough for a shadow clone, lasting one minute. The set came with twelve bottles.
Sighing, he ignored the still-hesitant Iwagakure shinobi and used Magnet Release again. After gathering more gold dust and converting it—making it look like he'd dispersed his chakra—the cycle continued: gather, disperse, gather, disperse, gather, disperse, chug a potion…
"There's definitely a trap!" a short Iwagakure shinobi with a mustache pointed at Rasa, his face screaming [I've seen through you!] "Dispersing and regathering chakra? He's luring us in!"
"Makes sense! Who'd waste chakra like that otherwise?" another agreed.
"Can't you tell?" the Iwagakure commander snapped, annoyed. "This whole act reeks of a scheme!"
Did they think he got this command post through nepotism?
But… "What's the scheme exactly? Are we just going to watch?"
The Iwagakure shinobi exchanged glances.
After a moment, one suggested, "Let's wait until he burns through his chakra. He can't keep this up forever."
"Good idea!" the commander nodded, then pointed at the shinobi who spoke. "You! Go test what he's planning!"
"…" The chosen shinobi froze, looking at his comrades and then the commander. "Sir, I…"
"Go!" the commander barked.
With a reluctant sigh, the shinobi ran toward Rasa.
"Do I look like an idiot?" the commander muttered, sneering at the departing shinobi's back. "Keep an eye on him. Be ready to back him up if things go south!"
This was the Land of Wind's territory. Despite the barren sand, it was still Sunagakure's domain. Lingering too long could spell trouble.
Wait any longer? No way.
They were here to confirm the Third Kazekage's disappearance and probe the Land of Wind's weaknesses for Iwagakure's gain. Running into the Third Kazekage's disciple was a stroke of luck.
As the dispatched shinobi neared Rasa, the disciple regathered his chakra… and bolted again!
"Chase! I want to see what he's scheming!" the commander growled, teeth gritted, his face twisted in determination.
Clearly, Rasa had big plans. A single shinobi wasn't enough to make him reveal his trump card.
But what was it? A siege weapon? An environmental destroyer? The One-Tail? Or some secret weapon Iwagakure hadn't heard of?
[This needs to be reported. The others must be warned.]
The desert turned into a comical chase: Rasa fleeing, Iwagakure shinobi pursuing, neither side fully committing.
"These guys… they've got serious brain issues," Rasa muttered, shaking his head as he converted another batch of gold dust. Glancing at the hesitant pursuers, he wondered, "What do they even want?"
He didn't dwell on it. After converting the latest haul, tears welled up. "Finally enough for one pull?!"
It wasn't easy!
(End of Chapter)