Chapter 116: This Feels Like a Dream
Facing Uchiha Dali, who had dared to break into the entire Hidden Sand Village alone and even challenge the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, nearly all the villagers supported Rasa in taking up the fight.
Such is the luxury of ignorance.
They had no idea what kind of being they were about to face.
But Rasa knew very well.
Even though he had never fought Uchiha Dali face-to-face on the battlefield, tales about this man had already spread like wildfire.
The Hidden Mist, Hidden Cloud, and Hidden Stone Villages had each, in turn, fallen prey to this man's power. They had suffered heavy losses on the battlefield and were eventually forced to retreat and accept the terms of peace proposed by the Land of Fire.
None of this was fabricated.
And it had happened not long ago.
Now that Uchiha Dali had the nerve to appear here alone, and in front of so many people challenge him to a duel—there was no way he would do so unless he was absolutely confident.
So what now?
Rasa found himself in a dilemma.
If he refused the challenge, he would lose all face as the Fourth Kazekage. Worse, it could lead to his removal from office and plunge the Hidden Sand Village into an even deeper crisis.
But if he accepted Uchiha Dali's challenge and lost...
That would mean they would have to unconditionally accept the demands from Konoha.
Specifically, what Uchiha Dali had just stated: hand over the Tailed Beasts held by the Hidden Sand Village and submit entirely to both the Hidden Leaf and the Land of Fire.
Was that even possible? Obviously not.
Rasa considered countless scenarios—except for one: what if he won?
Because deep down, he already knew the answer.
He knew it was unlikely he could defeat the man before him.
A powerhouse of the Uchiha clan.
"Lord Rasa! What's the matter?"
"Looks like Lord Rasa is hesitant to respond. What's going on?"
"Who is that guy, anyway? He actually dared to barge in here alone!"
"Hey, isn't that Uchiha Dali…"
"…"
Around him, more and more Hidden Sand shinobi began to recognize Uchiha Dali.
Tales about the man had begun even before the Third Great Ninja War had ended.
The Anbu units of the various major villages had been gathering intelligence on him since that time.
Naturally, the Hidden Sand Anbu knew full well who he was.
Now that they recognized Uchiha Dali, they instantly realized how serious the situation was.
"Uchiha Dali? The battlefield legend?"
"Yeah, the one who surpassed Uchiha Shisui. And according to Anbu intel, he's even more formidable than the 'Yellow Flash'—Minato Namikaze!"
"What's he doing in our Hidden Sand Village? Wasn't the war over? The Daimyō of the Land of Wind already signed the peace treaty!"
"Whatever it is, it doesn't sound good."
"…"
As soon as Uchiha Dali's identity was confirmed, a wave of panic began to ripple through the crowd.
As the saying goes, even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen pigs walk.
The people of the Hidden Sand hadn't witnessed Uchiha Dali's power with their own eyes, but they'd heard far too many stories about him.
In that instant, everyone became as tense as if a great enemy were standing at their gates.
"Still haven't made up your mind?"
Uchiha Dali glanced at Rasa with mild boredom.
He had issued the challenge, but the other man hadn't said a word. Not even a grunt.
It was getting hard to stay patient.
At that moment, Rasa's wife, Karura, stepped forward and whispered to him, "No matter what decision you make, I'll stand by your side."
Rasa was indeed under immense pressure.
His decision now would affect not only the Hidden Sand Village but the entire Land of Wind.
His wife's support gave him some comfort.
But it wasn't nearly enough.
Rasa looked up at Uchiha Dali—he was calm, poised, completely at ease, as if he didn't take the fight seriously at all.
That very composure only added to the psychological pressure weighing down on Rasa.
He took a deep breath and finally made his decision.
Turning to face his people, he drew a breath to project his voice and said:
"Everyone, although I am the Kazekage and bear the responsibility of protecting you all—this village, and even this nation—I do not have the authority to make this decision on your behalf."
"Uchiha Dali is the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, and also the Daimyō of the Land of Fire. He has come here with the intention of conquering the entire Land of Wind."
"If I accept his challenge and lose, it will mean we must unconditionally accept all of their demands."
His words sent shockwaves through the Hidden Sand Village.
Every single shinobi was dumbfounded.
Their minds buzzed in disbelief.
Soon, however, several strong and hot-blooded shinobi regained their composure and erupted in fury.
"Damn it! That guy's totally looking down on us! This is an outrage!"
"Yeah! He dares to barge into the Hidden Sand and spout such blasphemy?"
"Make the Hidden Sand and the Land of Wind submit? No way! Not in a million years!"
"Wait… didn't the Kazekage just say he's the Hokage? Isn't Hiruzen Sarutobi still the Hokage? And what's this about the Daimyō?"
"Looks like things are way more serious than we thought…"
"…"
Some were fuming with rage, their blood boiling.
Others picked up on the more subtle implications.
Rasa had claimed Uchiha Dali was the Fourth Hokage of Konoha. That was relatively easy to understand.
The Third Great Ninja War was over.
Those who had performed great deeds would naturally be rewarded.
Besides, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was getting on in years—it made sense that he'd step down.
So while it was surprising that Uchiha Dali became the Fourth Hokage, it wasn't entirely unreasonable.
But the Daimyō part… what did that mean?
"How could the Daimyō of the Land of Fire be the Hokage? Don't tell me… he seized the throne?"
"That would be a power grab. After all, every Hidden Village is technically a military organization under its respective nation. Never before has a shinobi village overstepped and seized control!"
"This is bad. That means Uchiha Dali must've really done it. Otherwise, he'd never become Daimyō—not even if the post were left vacant for a hundred years!"
"So… does this mean war is about to break out again?"
"…"
The elite of the Hidden Sand, after hearing Rasa's explanation, not only understood Uchiha Dali's intent, but were utterly shocked.
Now, everyone was whispering anxiously, full of doubt and suspicion.
Some glared at Uchiha Dali with hostility.
Insults and threats flew through the air.
But no one actually dared to step forward and challenge Uchiha Dali.
Correction—there was one.
A jonin from the Hidden Sand Village, name unknown.
In a fit of rage, he sprang into action and leapt straight toward Uchiha Dali.