Momu would never forget that day.
It was a clear day—blue skies, warm sun, a crisp autumn breeze drifting across the desert. Just like always, the Kusa and Iwa shinobi launched yet another assault against Sunagakure's defensive lines.
The attack wasn't overwhelming—but it wasn't weak either.
Yet over time, thanks to the presence and leadership of Lord Rasa, casualties among the Sand forces had steadily decreased.
After all… it was war. Losses were inevitable, no matter how skilled or prepared.
That day, as always, Momu—Rasa's trusted right-hand man—was on the battlefield. Handsome, reliable, and just barely a step behind Rasa in strength. It was his sacred duty to share Rasa's burdens and lighten the load on his commander's shoulders.
So…
When the enemy surged forward that day, Momu was already weary from countless battles. He reached into his pockets—and found nothing. Not a single coin. He turned to a nearby comrade, equally exhausted, and asked, "Got any money? Lend me a little!"
Unsurprisingly, the answer was no. After so long at war, all their rations and funds had already been "borrowed" by Rasa for the village's needs. No one had anything left.
So, to help Lord Rasa…
Momu paused, looked across the battlefield at the scattered corpses lying half-buried in sand, then turned back to his comrades with grim determination on his face.
"Cover me. I'm going to 'borrow' some cash."
And with that—
He ignored all protests and darted past the trenches, sprinting straight into enemy fire. With stunned and admiring looks behind him, he weaved through the battlefield with ridiculous flair, gracefully dodging jutsu and evading enemy attacks. Under cover fire from his teammates, he pressed forward, crawling through the chaos toward the fallen.
The battlefield roared with explosions and screams—but he made it. He reached the bodies and, with practiced speed, looted everything of value. The haul was excellent—several corpses conveniently clustered together saved him the trouble of searching.
But on the way back—
He heard his comrades shouting, "Come back! Hurry, Momu!"
Then came a deafening roar.
And after that… nothing.
He blacked out.
"…So yeah, Lord Rasa, it's not that much," Momu said with a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his head. "Just over a hundred thousand ryō. I remember you saying powering up costs money, right? But… well, Sunagakure's broke."
"You…"
"No need to thank me! We're all part of Sunagakure. And you—Lord Rasa—you're the hope of this entire village!"
"…Then go rest and recover."
"Understood. I won't disturb you any longer, Lord Rasa."
Rasa watched him limp away, bandaged up and leaning on a cane, and couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head.
"…What a showoff."
If you really didn't want thanks, then why come all this way, hobbling on a crutch, just to hand over the money in person and tell the whole dramatic story?
And that story…
It felt strangely familiar.
"If it were cigarettes instead of cash… Wait a minute—this is basically that one war movie plot, isn't it?!"
While Rasa was lost in thought, Kana's gentle voice broke through.
"Everyone really believes in you, Lord Rasa. They trust you."
"…Maybe," Rasa murmured, smiling faintly.
He opened the tightly wrapped bundle—over 160,000 ryō, not bad at all. Combined with his recent savings, he could probably afford a solid 20-pull summon spree now.
No wonder I've been so serious about gold mining to fund this village…
One part necessity.
One part responsibility.
He stretched and stood up, glancing at the darkening sky.
"Time to head back and take that bath."
And to think—he'd completely forgotten the most basic MMO survival technique: looting corpses. What a rookie mistake.
Then again, aside from the initial Iwa scouting squads, most post-battle sites were crawling with danger. Getting greedy could easily leave you like Momu—knocked out cold.
Still…
Now that he thought about it, it did feel like he'd missed out on a potential fortune.
Meanwhile…
Things weren't exactly going smoothly on the Iwagakure side either. Nearly a full year had passed since they'd moved forces through the Land of Grass, and the toll of this long campaign… was beginning to sting.
Sure, they'd gained something.
Even just the intelligence on Rasa alone was invaluable. That man—Sunagakure's rising star.
They'd all been duped. All that talk about him being mentally unstable or suffering psychological trauma? Lies. It was all disinformation leaked by Sunagakure to make the other villages drop their guard.
Otherwise, how could he be this strong?
And why was he growing stronger every single day?
He's clearly hiding his true power.
Kitsuchi sat with his arms folded beneath his chin, brows furrowed in thought. He looked up at the Iwa shinobi gathered around the conference table.
"What do you all think we should do?"
The room fell silent.
After exchanging looks, the others could only sigh and shake their heads.
"…What does the Tsuchikage think?"
"The Tsuchikage…" Kitsuchi paused, his frown deepening. "He wants us to maintain the current status quo. Or… withdraw entirely."
Even though the Tsuchikage was his father, Kitsuchi referred to him by title during work.
"Withdraw?!" several jōnin blurted out in shock.
The meeting room erupted with whispers and raised voices.
"But… that's not right," one Iwa shinobi said hesitantly. "We haven't even lost. In fact, we're still in a favorable position."
Not pushing forward was one thing… but retreating outright?
"People would laugh at Iwagakure."
"I know," Kitsuchi muttered, his expression darkening with frustration. "But based on the intel we've gathered… Kumo and Konoha are both—"
Before he could finish—
"Lord Kitsuchi!" An Iwa shinobi burst through the door and knelt, voice urgent.
"Sunagakure… has just launched an offensive against us!"
"???"
The room went still. Everyone stared in stunned silence.
The Sand shinobi again? What now?!
Meanwhile, back at the Sand forward camp—
"What now?" Rasa said seriously, facing his team of Sand shinobi. "We can't keep dragging this out. Elder Chiyo's front line is still in crisis, and the village doesn't have the manpower to support her."
He raised his fist.
"That's why—we must end this front quickly. Then we'll send reinforcements to assist Ellder Chiyo."
"But… Lord Rasa," one shinobi raised his hand nervously, "Iwa and Kusa—both of them are still—"
Rasa waved him off before he could finish.
"I know what you're worried about. But this time… we only have one enemy."
"Lord Rasa, you mean…"
Just one? What does that even mean?
Rasa's lips curled into a sly smile. Eyes narrowing, voice low and sinister, he chuckled.
"This time… we're going after just the Grass ninja."