Chapter 115: Do You Dare to Make a Bet?
Rasa's face darkened the moment he heard Uchiha Dali lay out his two conditions, and he rejected them on the spot.
As the newly appointed Kage of Sunagakure, the Village Hidden in the Sand of the Land of Wind, he would never allow such terms to be accepted.
Among the Five Great Nations of the ninja world, although wars had broken out time and again, no nation had ever submitted to another.
"Back then, your Konoha's First Hokage, the revered Hashirama Senju, hailed as the God of Shinobi—even with all his divine might and unparalleled power, he still couldn't force our Wind Country into submission."
"And now, as the Fourth Hokage, do you truly believe you surpass Lord Hashirama? Are you stronger than the God of Shinobi himself?"
"Such outrageous terms—we cannot accept them. Please leave!"
Rasa stood up, surging chakra building up within him, ready to explode at a moment's notice.
If Uchiha Dali dared to make any sudden move, he would attack without hesitation.
Karura was equally on guard and prepared for combat.
Meanwhile, Sunagakure's elite shinobi, having been alerted, were rapidly converging on the area.
A full-scale battle was on the verge of erupting.
Seeing Rasa's unwavering refusal, Uchiha Dali could only shake his head in disappointment and regret.
"Lord Fourth Kazekage, you truly lack foresight. I take back what I said about you earlier."
"If you'd just cooperated obediently, wouldn't that have spared us a battle with a foregone conclusion?"
With those words, Uchiha Dali suddenly launched an attack on Rasa.
His pupils transformed instantly—from a three-tomoe Sharingan to the Mangekyō Sharingan.
And at that exact moment, a mechanical prompt rang in his ears.
[You have activated the Mangekyō Sharingan. Sensing your emotional fluctuations, your understanding of the Mangekyō has reached its peak. Your Mangekyō Sharingan willingly evolves into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.]
[Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan: The ultimate evolution of the Sharingan. Its ocular power surpasses the Mangekyō and it no longer carries the risk of blindness.]
Uchiha Dali was stunned by the voice in his mind.
He hadn't expected to unlock the Eternal Mangekyō like this.
Until now, he had been troubled by the question of where he might find another pair of Mangekyō eyes with compatible blood ties to trigger the evolution.
But now, that problem had resolved itself.
A tremendous force erupted from his eyes like an unstoppable tidal wave, materializing into a tangible assault aimed directly at Rasa.
Uchiha Dali didn't resort to genjutsu.
Against seasoned Kage-level opponents who were already on guard, genjutsu was mostly ineffective.
Rasa had been wary the moment he saw Uchiha Dali's Sharingan.
After all, the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan was legendary in the ninja world.
To avoid falling prey to it, every major village had developed countermeasures specifically for Sharingan-based illusions.
What Uchiha Dali used now was more akin to a Rinnegan-style pressure wave.
His powerful chakra condensed into blade-like shockwaves that instantly slashed toward Rasa.
At the same time, stray shockwaves tore through the surrounding walls, leaving behind terrifying cracks.
Outside, howling sand and wind blew through the gaps left in the walls.
Rasa immediately counterattacked.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust!"
He controlled the metallic particles within the sand, first shielding his wife Karura, then forming a powerful gold dust barrier in front of himself.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Uchiha Dali's attacks were fully neutralized.
But in the very next second, Rasa's expression changed drastically.
Because—Uchiha Dali had vanished.
He hadn't continued attacking Rasa. Instead, he had appeared atop the Kazekage Building of Sunagakure.
By now, Sunagakure's elite ninja had all assembled, having been summoned by Rasa's clone.
They now completely surrounded the Kazekage Building, sealing off every possible exit.
"Lord Fourth Kazekage, how about making a bet with me?"
Standing on the rooftop and facing countless shinobi from Sunagakure, Uchiha Dali smiled calmly.
His bold words pierced through the roaring wind and sand, reaching every Sunagakure ninja clearly.
Hearing this, Rasa instantly used Sand Flicker to teleport to the rooftop. He now stood behind Uchiha Dali, frowning.
In a low voice, he asked, "What are you planning?"
"Lord Rasa!"
Upon seeing their Kage appear, the Anbu of Sunagakure immediately moved in to act.
But Rasa stopped them at once.
"Remain on alert at the perimeter and watch for other enemy intrusions."
"I'll handle him myself."
Rasa's decision was twofold. First, he genuinely feared that Konoha's main forces might take this opportunity to launch an invasion.
He was convinced that if Uchiha Dali's claim about the Land of Water submitting to the Land of Fire was true, then the only possible explanation was that Uchiha Dali had personally led an assault on Kirigakure.
There could be no other plausible reason for such submission.
And if that was the case, then it stood to reason that they had come to Sunagakure to repeat the same strategy.
Second, Rasa knew that none of his subordinates could pose any real threat to the man before him.
Having them interfere would only hinder him and result in needless casualties.
Personally confronting this man was the only viable course of action.
At Rasa's command, the surrounding Sunagakure elite dispersed accordingly.
At that moment, Uchiha Dali spoke again.
"Let's make a bet. You and I will have a fair duel—right here, before all the people of Sunagakure."
"They'll all be witnesses. If you lose, then Sunagakure and the Land of Wind must accept the conditions I proposed earlier."
"So, Lord Fourth Kazekage, do you dare to bet?"
As he finished, Uchiha Dali turned around with a half-smile, staring at Rasa.
He had forced Rasa into an impossible corner.
If he refused the challenge, it would make him look weak and cowardly.
How could such a man be fit to remain Kazekage?
But if he accepted, then everyone in Sunagakure would witness their strongest ninja being instantly defeated by Uchiha Dali.
As expected, Rasa hesitated.
And at the same time, the surrounding citizens of Sunagakure, startled by Uchiha Dali's brazen arrogance, finally grasped what was happening.
They realized that this man was here to provoke them—no, to conquer them—and the entire village erupted into chatter.
"Who is this guy? How dare he challenge Lord Kazekage?!"
"He looks like a ninja from Konoha, but I don't recognize him…"
"He has no idea who he's messing with!"
"The war is already over—why is Konoha still trying to stir up trouble?"
"Lord Kazekage, accept his challenge—crush him!"
…
The entire village turned out to watch the spectacle.
Seeing that Uchiha Dali had come alone, they began shouting boldly.