Temporary Konoha encampment in the Land of Rivers.
Kitazawa appeared directly inside Kurenai Yuhi's tent.
She was already lying in her sleeping bag, ready to turn in.
When she saw Kitazawa, she instinctively sat up.
"Why are you back at this hour?"
Kurenai casually rolled up the sleeping bag.
When she slept alone, she used a sleeping bag so she could respond to emergencies at any time.
But since Kitazawa was back, there was no need for that.
With his strength, he could react to anything.
"I got a message from White Zetsu saying the Sunagakure plans to use a chakra cannon, so I came back to check on the situation," Kitazawa said as he sat beside her.
"I see."
Kurenai already knew the news, so she wasn't surprised.
"How are things now?" Kitazawa asked.
"No new developments for the moment," Kurenai shook her head.
"Then we'll see tomorrow."
Kitazawa chuckled. "Don't worry. No movement from the Sunagakure can escape White Zetsu's eyes."
"Mm."
Kurenai lay back down again. "Good night."
"Tired?" Kitazawa reached out and stroked her cheek.
"Mostly mental fatigue."
Kurenai yawned. "I was on missions all day."
As for physical exhaustion, the Yang Seal Kitazawa had given her had long since erased that.
"Good night."
Kitazawa didn't bother her further. Holding her, he drifted off to sleep.
A new day.
After breakfast, Kurenai headed out with Kurama Yakumo, Karin, and Inuzuka Kiba to carry out missions.
Kitazawa stayed behind, waiting in the tent for White Zetsu to bring back further intel on the Sunagakure's next move.
By sunset, Kurenai's squad returned, and Yakushi Kabuto immediately gathered the jonin of the Fourth Ninja Division for a meeting.
With nothing else to do, Kitazawa attended as well.
"Today, the Sunagakure's attacks were noticeably more aggressive," Kabuto said slowly.
"We felt it too," Kurenai nodded.
"It's most likely related to the chakra cannon," Hatake Kakashi said calmly.
"But the outpost housing the chakra cannon hasn't shown any activity," Aburame Shibi said, puzzled.
Since Aburame Shino was in Kakashi's Second Squad, quite a few Aburame ninja had come to the Land of Rivers as well.
"I suspect the Sunagakure's goal is to locate our main camp," Kabuto said in a low voice.
"You mean once they confirm our main camp's position, they'll use the chakra cannon on us?" Kurenai's gaze sharpened.
"That's definitely possible," Shibi said thoughtfully. "Destroying our main camp with the chakra cannon would achieve the maximum effect."
"Tomorrow I'll have White Zetsu draw out the movement trails of the Sand shinobi," Kabuto said after thinking it over.
Under normal circumstances, mapping movement trajectories was extremely difficult.
But with White Zetsu, it was easy.
"If we confirm their target is our main camp, how do we strike back?" Kurenai asked again.
"Turn their plan against them," Kabuto murmured. "We'll leave them an empty main camp and go encircle their main base."
"That's a great idea!" Kurenai said with a smile. "If it works, this war will be nearing its end."
"We'll decide the exact actions once we have White Zetsu's intel tomorrow," Kabuto nodded. "Everyone worked hard today. Go rest."
After the jonin meeting ended, Kitazawa and Kurenai returned to their tent.
Time came to the next day—again, the sun sank toward the horizon.
"From this map, the Sunagakure's objective really is our main camp," Kabuto said, opening a map.
The map was covered in lines.
Each line represented the trail of a Sand shinobi squad.
The trails were messy, but there was a pattern:
They were steadily closing in on Konoha's main camp.
"Next, we'll let the Sunagakure learn where our main camp is, then we split into two forces," Kabuto said evenly. "One force will sabotage the chakra cannon. The other will encircle their main base."
"To avoid arousing suspicion, the squad going to sabotage the chakra cannon shouldn't be too large," Shibi said after thinking.
"I agree," Kabuto said.
"Then let it be me and Kakashi—two squads are enough," Kurenai volunteered.
"You two are indeed the best fit. Two jinchūriki are sufficient to complete the task," Kabuto paused, then added, "But it's best to wait until the Sunagakure actually fires the chakra cannon before moving."
"Understood," Kurenai nodded.
"Our main force's relocation will be easy for the Sunagakure to detect," Kabuto said, looking at White Zetsu. "When the time comes, you'll need to confuse them."
He meant the five thousand White Zetsu Kitazawa had assigned to the Fourth Ninja Division.
"Yes, Kabuto-sama," White Zetsu answered immediately.
"Everyone, go prepare," Kabuto said with a smile.
As far as he knew, the other three divisions were still locked in fierce fighting.
If the Fourth Ninja Division under his command could be the first to take down the Sunagakure, then he wouldn't have failed Kitazawa's trust.
Under Konoha's deliberate "carelessness," the Sunagakure quickly learned the location of Konoha's main camp.
Rasa and the others didn't suspect a thing.
The reason was simple:
In terms of numbers, the Sunagakure had nearly twice as many shinobi as Konoha.
With that kind of disparity, pinning down Konoha's main camp wasn't difficult.
A Sunagakure outpost somewhere in the Land of Rivers.
Rasa stood before the chakra cannon, staring at it.
Now, the Sunagakure's only remaining chance of victory was this chakra cannon.
Even though they had the advantage in manpower, that meant nothing in front of jinchūriki—
especially when Konoha had two of them.
During this period, Karin and Hatake Kakashi had both used tailed-beast power.
In truth, that made three.
Kabuto still hadn't used tailed-beast power yet.
"Kazekage-sama."
An Anbu shinobi entered and reported, "We've confirmed most of Konoha's shinobi have returned to their main camp."
"Good," Rasa nodded. "Go call the other jonin."
The chakra cannon's power and range depended on how much chakra the users supplied.
But no single shinobi could activate it alone—it required many shinobi working in unison.
With enough chakra, the chakra cannon could even shatter the moon.
A short while later, thirty Sand jonin were gathered inside the tent.
"Everyone—tonight is the night that decides the Sunagakure's fate," Rasa said in a deep voice. "At midnight, we fire the chakra cannon together."
"Yes, Kazekage-sama!" everyone answered in unison.
"Anbu, continue monitoring Konoha's main camp," Rasa ordered.
"Yes, Kazekage-sama."
The Anbu turned and left.
Time flowed slowly.
The moon rose high overhead.
Konoha's "main camp" shinobi had all fallen asleep.
But in reality, they were all White Zetsu using Transformation Technique.
Kabuto led everyone along a detour, heading for the Sunagakure's main base.
With White Zetsu, Konoha's large force moved perfectly—avoiding every Sand patrol.
Meanwhile, Kurenai and Kakashi's two squads headed straight for the outpost hiding the chakra cannon.
Kitazawa also followed behind them in secret.
At a certain moment, he lifted his head.
Activating the Byakugan, he saw everything inside the Sand outpost.
Rasa and the others were pouring chakra into the chakra cannon.
When it reached its limit, the cannon suddenly shuddered—then a compressed, sphere-shaped shell shot out.
Its speed was astonishing, far beyond most shinobi.
But because the Sand outpost was far from Konoha's main camp, it didn't arrive instantly.
That gave the White Zetsu time to slip away.
They plunged underground and vanished.
A moment later, the massive chakra shell slammed down.
Boom!
The entire night sky lit up.
The earth split and collapsed; countless chakra currents became a raging storm, sweeping outward in every direction.
Konoha's main camp was instantly erased—nothing left behind.
"So the Fourth Raikage wasn't lying," Rasa exhaled.
Though he couldn't see the scene directly, even at this distance he could still sense the tremor in the ground.
That destructive power truly rivaled a Tailed Beast Bomb.
"With Konoha's main camp struck by the chakra cannon while unprepared, they're probably mostly dead," Rasa smiled. "But just in case, send Anbu to confirm first. Then we move out."
"Yes, Kazekage-sama!" the jonin responded excitedly.
Just then, screams erupted outside the tent.
"What's going on?" Rasa's smile froze.
He rushed outside.
The outpost was already in chaos.
And the culprits were none other than Kurenai's squad and Kakashi's squad.
Rasa knew them well—he recognized them instantly.
A sense of dread rose in his chest.
They had appeared far too quickly.
But there was no time to analyze it.
"Retreat!" Rasa shouted.
Even though the outpost had over thirty Sand jonin, the enemy had two jinchūriki—there was no telling who would win in a drawn-out fight.
More importantly, the timing was too suspicious. He didn't dare to get entangled.
[Current Mission: Defeat the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.]
[Mission Reward: Magnet Release: Gold Dust.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa looked at the three lines of text that suddenly appeared before him, eyebrows lifting slightly.
He already had Magnet Release.
But the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release—strictly speaking—was Magnet Release: Iron Sand.
It controlled iron-based matter, or iron within sand and soil.
The Fourth Kazekage Rasa's Magnet Release controlled gold dust.
In terms of value, gold dust was obviously more valuable than iron sand.
That was why Rasa often acted like a "gold miner," panning for gold in the desert.
Kitazawa casually chose to accept.
He didn't plan to personally take action.
The system mission said "defeat Rasa," but it didn't specify who had to do it.
And more importantly, Kitazawa wasn't interested.
The reward was… acceptable.
Compared to earlier rewards like Paper Crane Body Flicker and Sukunahikona, it simply wasn't impressive.
"Everyone, move!" Rasa raised his hand as he spoke.
Magnet Release: Gold Dust Cushion!
Gold dust, flowing like quicksand, gathered before him into a massive cloud.
The Sand jonin leapt onto it one after another.
Rasa jumped up as well.
With a casual wave, the cloud-like platform rose into the sky.
"They're trying to escape!" Kurenai shouted.
"Leave it to me!" Kakashi's eyes snapped wide.
A giant blue hand appeared and grabbed at the gold-dust cushion—
the initial stage of Susanoo.
Rasa froze for a split second, then formed hand seals.
Magnet Release: Gold Dust Cube!
A massive golden cube slammed toward Susanoo.
Kamui Shuriken!
Kakashi flicked a shuriken.
When it hit the golden cube, the cube vanished from the spot.
"What?!" Rasa felt disbelief again.
At the same time, the other Sand jonin formed seals.
Boom!
The blue giant hand was shattered.
At that moment, Kurama Yakumo used Super Beast Imitating Drawing.
A swarm of flying animals charged the gold cushion.
The Sand jonin on top were forced to scatter.
"Karin!" Yakumo called, immediately forming hand seals.
Terror Dreamscape!
Sand shinobi near her instantly fell into genjutsu.
Tailed Beast Chakra Mode!
Monster Strength!
Karin sprang upward and stomped into the crowd.
In an instant, the ground cracked open. Chakra turbulence mixed with flying rubble, killing Sand shinobi one after another.
"Kiba!" Kurenai formed seals and cast the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique.
The Sand shinobi in front of her were swallowed by darkness.
Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru, transforming into a three-headed wolf, surged straight in.
Relying on their sharp sense of smell, they ignored the darkness and tore through Sand shinobi, leaving them mangled and bleeding.
These were two tactics their squad had refined over the past while.
By comparison, Aburame Shino, Chino, and Haruno Sakura weren't killing quite as efficiently—
but their coordination was excellent.
Chino used the Ketsuryugan for control; Shino's Honey Technique also restrained targets.
Sakura used Water Release to coordinate with Shino's parasitic and explosive insects, launching attacks.
The most lethal were the explosive insects.
Many Sand shinobi were blown apart in bursts of white light.
"Damn it!"
Rasa never expected the Sunagakure to collapse so quickly.
But now he had his own problem.
He stared at Kakashi standing in his way and took a deep breath.
Kakashi had activated Tailed Beast Chakra Mode.
Wild chakra surged around his whole body.
And those Mangekyō Sharingan eyes made him downright terrifying.
Magnet Release: Gold Dust Tidal Wave!
Rasa formed hand seals.
The ground churned; dense gold dust rose like seawater, forming a towering wave.
The wave slammed toward Kakashi and the others—
while Rasa turned and ran.
The situation had already exceeded what he could handle.
Kamui!
Kakashi vanished from where he stood.
Super Beast Imitating Drawing!
Yakumo immediately pulled out a blank scroll.
Water Release: Water Formation Wall!
Sakura formed seals.
A massive wall of water rose before her, trying to stop the gold-dust wave.
Shino raised both hands.
Countless parasitic insects surged out.
Rasa had only run a short distance when he suddenly saw Kakashi in front of him again.
His pupils trembled.
"Space-time ninjutsu…?"
Rasa's heart sank.
The fastest ninjutsu in the shinobi world was space-time ninjutsu.
Even if he could fly with Magnet Release, he still couldn't shake space-time techniques.
In other words, escape was no longer an option.
Either he defeated Kakashi and the others, or he waited for reinforcements.
Magnet Release: Gold Dust Spear!
Rasa accelerated straight at Kakashi.
At the same time, gold dust gathered into a spear before him.
The spear shot out like an arrow.
Kakashi didn't move.
The spear passed through Kakashi's body.
"What—?" Rasa braked hard.
Lightning Release: Chidori!
Kakashi didn't bother explaining why the technique had failed.
He raised his right hand and slashed.
Rasa lifted a hand.
Gold dust formed a shield before him.
Then he retreated, stepping onto a cloud-like gold cushion and rising into the air.
Dual Kamui!
Kakashi tore through space and vanished.
Rasa's heart jolted. He instinctively scanned around him—
Kakashi appeared behind him, Chidori aimed at his back.
Rasa reacted fast.
He raised both hands.
Gold dust flowed like water, gripping Kakashi's right arm.
Rasa turned, both hands surging with razor-sharp gold dust like bamboo shoots—
Magnet Release: Gold Dust World Formation.
Kakashi's response was simple.
Genjutsu: Mangekyō Sharingan!
Rasa didn't recognize the Mangekyō Sharingan, and in this life-or-death situation, he was focused solely on maintaining the Gold Dust World Formation.
He didn't guard against Kakashi's genjutsu.
Rasa's eyes went blank.
The gold dust in his hands froze.
Kakashi seized the opening—left hand clenched, he punched Rasa square in the head.
Bang!
Rasa was blasted away.
He fell like a cannonball, slamming into the ground.
Kakashi glanced around and saw most of the remaining Sand shinobi had already lost the will—or ability—to resist.
He exhaled, then jumped down and landed steadily.
"We actually captured the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, alive?" Sakura looked completely stunned.
"Hahahaha!" Kiba laughed loudly. "I feel like I'm about to get a title!"
"I don't care about titles," Kurenai shook her fist. "As long as we win this war."
"I wonder how things are going on Kabuto-senpai's side," Karin said, cancelling Tailed Beast Chakra Mode.
"At the Sand main base, the only one who could still be called a strong fighter is Ebizō," Shino adjusted his glasses. "He won't be a match for Kabuto-senpai."
"Agreed," Chino said.
"So what do we do now?" Yakumo asked after knocking out the Sand shinobi she was controlling one by one.
"First, let's check the chakra cannon," Kurenai said after a brief thought.
Kakashi and the others nodded.
The chakra cannon's power really had shocked them.
Without White Zetsu, Konoha might have suffered catastrophic losses.
They entered the tent and saw the chakra cannon standing there.
"Doesn't look like anything special," Kiba said, rubbing his chin.
"Take it back. It'll be useful later," Kurenai said, pulling out a summoning storage scroll.
"I'll go find White Zetsu," Kakashi said, withdrawing his gaze and stepping outside the tent.
Before he could speak, White Zetsu popped up from underground.
"White Zetsu, take these Sand shinobi back to Konoha's main camp," Kakashi ordered.
"Kakashi-sama," White Zetsu reminded him, "Konoha's main camp has already been destroyed by the chakra cannon."
Kakashi froze.
At that moment, Kitazawa appeared in front of him.
"Hokage-sama," Kakashi quickly greeted him.
"I'll send them back to Konoha," Kitazawa said, then looked at White Zetsu. "Gather them all together."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
White Zetsu stomped the ground hard.
The earth bulged. Ten White Zetsu emerged.
Following Kitazawa's instructions, they arranged the unconscious Sand shinobi into several neat rows.
Flying Thunder God Technique activated.
Kitazawa brought them back to the Anbu base.
"Hokage-sama."
Nearby Anbu saw him and hurried over.
After greeting him, they finally noticed the Sand shinobi sprawled across the ground.
As Anbu, they were familiar with the high-ranking figures of every village.
When they saw Rasa and the others, shock spread across their faces.
It had only been a few days, and the Fourth Kazekage had already been captured alive?
Some Anbu who had lived through the Third Great Ninja War even felt dazed.
This war, though it was a four-village siege, felt far easier than the last one.
"Lock them up," Kitazawa waved a hand—and vanished again.
He returned to the Sand outpost.
"Kitazawa!"
Kurenai said excitedly. "We won! The Sunagakure has been completely defeated!"
"Looks like Kabuto's side has a result too?" Kitazawa asked with a smile.
"Mm."
Kurenai nodded. "White Zetsu just sent word—Kabuto has already taken control of the Sand main base."
"Good. I'll take you there," Kitazawa said, using Flying Thunder God again.
The group appeared at the Sunagakure's main base.
As soon as Kitazawa steadied himself, a thick stench of blood hit him in the face.
The Sand main base was in ruins.
Kitazawa saw many traces of giant snakes.
He could roughly guess Kabuto's approach—
he must have used Ryūchi Cave snakes to smash a path through first.
"Kitazawa-sensei."
Kabuto appeared before him.
"Well done," Kitazawa nodded. "Continue cleaning up the battlefield. Once you're finished, you can take the Fourth Ninja Division back to Konoha."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei," Kabuto replied immediately.
Kitazawa thought for a moment and called White Zetsu over.
This kind of chance to make a name for themselves couldn't be wasted.
Whether it was Kabuto, Kurenai, or Kakashi and the others, they could all use this opportunity to gain fame—
because it might be their last chance.
~~~
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