Yagura's entire body was wrapped tight in the sealing scroll, completely motionless.
Sand ninja stared out across the desert, so already sprinting past the village walls toward the distant sand waves. Even though Rasa had told them they couldn't help, they still went.
A deep thud echoed as the Sun Disk settled back into its original spot. Fresh green grass had already sprouted in the scorched sand around its base.
The Sand ninja crowded around as Rasa walked in, calm and steady. Two spheres of gold dust floated beside him—one holding Sahada, the other containing the tightly sealed Yagura.
Yagura wasn't dead yet. Rasa had deliberately kept him alive. Dead n weren't useful. Alive, he could be squeezed for maximum profit.
"We knew Lord Kazekage would win."
"Yagura never stood a chance against him. What a joke."
"Getting crushed was the only ending he deserved."
The mont they saw Rasa, every Sand ninja let out a collective breath. They trusted him completely, but it had been a long ti since he'd personally stepped into a fight. Yagura had been making serious noise lately—perfect jinchuriki, Water Mirror Technique, crushing the Taketori clan and the two navigation groups. That kind of power made people nervous.
The news hit the entire ninja world like a bomb.
Yagura had taken dozens of elite Mist ninja on a surprise raid against Sunagakure. Rasa had intercepted them personally. Yagura and every single one of his n were wiped out. Sunagakure casualties: zero.
The next issue of the Ninja World Big Events Weekly ran the story as the front-page headline, complete with a dramatic illustration of Rasa standing over the bodies and a real photograph of Yagura on his knees in the sand.
The Mist Village lost its collective mind.
"What the hell?"
"That can't be right."
"When did Lord Mizukage even leave for Sunagakure? Wasn't he just back from crushing those navigation groups?"
"And he lost? How? He's a perfect jinchuriki! He can use Tailed Beast Bombs like they're nothing!"
But as days passed with no sign of Yagura, doubt started eating at everyone. If he was fine, why hadn't he shown up to shut the rumors down? A village couldn't go without a Kage for long.
High-ranking Mist officials were getting cornered in the streets.
"Where is Lord Mizukage?"
"Did sothing actually happen to him?"
They didn't have answers. Yagura had left in secret. Only a tiny number of people knew the plan, and none of them had reported back.
In the Mist council chamber, the leaders sat in grim silence. Most of them didn't even like Yagura, but his death was a disaster. There was no clear successor.
Terumi i was too young. She had the dual kekkei genkai and insane talent, but she hadn't matured yet. Her strength and political skill weren't ready for the hat.
One na kept coming up.
"Chojuro's the only one who's even close. He perford well in the war, earned real achievents, and he's got iton. His personal power is solid."
Soone sighed.
"If only the Seven Ninja Swordsn hadn't gone to hell."
Another voice spoke up after a long pause.
"I used to think it was unlikely that Yagura sold them out… but after seeing how reckless he was with this Sunagakure raid, I'm starting to think it's possible."
"If that's true, then he was a traitor to the Mist."
Back in Sunagakure, Rasa watched the emotion points on his system panel skyrocket. A slow, satisfied smile spread across his face.
"Three thousand points. Right on ti."
"Thanks for the gift, Yagura. Walking right into my trap like that."
He closed his eyes and focused.
"Thirty consecutive draws. Start."
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