Kakashi's disappearance hit Hiruzen hard. Rasa wasn't about to waste the opening.
Within days, fresh rumors flooded the ninja world. Kakashi had been silenced by the Leaf. Some said he was already dead. Others claimed the Hokage had him locked away under tight control. A few whispered he'd defected after learning the truth about his father.
From Kakashi's perspective, the Sand shinobi had never witnessed Danzo's attack. Sunagakure had no idea what really happened. If the rumors matched reality too closely, Kakashi would grow suspicious. So Rasa kept the stories varied and messy.
The more versions spread, the more even Konoha shinobi started questioning everything.
"Strange, right? Kakashi just vanished like he never existed."
"Not on the battlefield. Not back in the village."
"Did the Hokage really take him out?"
"If he did… does that mean the White Fang story was true all along? That Lord Minato died the same way?"
A few still defended Hiruzen, insisting Kakashi must have run after hearing the rumors. But the damage was done. The White Fang scandal roared back to life, hotter than ever.
Sunagakure. Kazekage Tower.
Rasa stared at his system panel and smiled.
"Faster than I expected. The Leaf really is the gift that keeps on giving."
"Minato's rumor, the White Fang rumor—both pull points way faster than anything we got from Yagura."
"Three thousand points. Time to spin."
He closed his eyes.
"Thirty consecutive draws. Start."
The invisible wheel spun.
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained an F-rank item: one tael of gold.]
...
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained a C-rank item: Desert Chicken Lizard Egg.]
[Desert Chicken Lizard Egg]
[—Hatches into a hardy desert lizard. Extremely drought-resistant, rich in protein, and the meat tastes exactly like chicken.]
Rasa blinked.
"After all those desert crops, now we're getting livestock? Makes sense."
The lizard sounded perfect for the Sun Disk zones—tough, nutritious, and familiar enough that people would actually eat it. He passed the egg to the production team.
Two Sun Disks were already finished. The third was under construction. Once it was done, resources would be tight for a fourth. But the disks were starting to pay for themselves. Each one turned ten kilometers of desert into livable land. Now they could plant sand grass and raise these lizards.
Rasa split the zones into inner and outer rings. Shinobi handled security inside. Civilians worked the farms and ranches outside. He'd already named the civilian crews the Sun Disk Production Teams.
Then the real prize appeared.
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained an A-rank item: S-Rank Ninjutsu Enhancement Card.]
"First time seeing this one."
[S-Rank Ninjutsu Enhancement Card]
[—Three random ninjutsu appear. Choose one and upgrade it to S-rank.]
Rasa's eyebrows rose.
"Any jutsu? Even low-level ones?"
He picked up the card immediately.
"Use."
Three names flashed.
Sand Substitution.
Sand Clone.
Wind Style: Vacuum Jade.
Sand Substitution and Sand Clone were C-rank. Vacuum Jade was B-rank. Upgrading a C-rank to S-rank felt like the better value.
Rasa chose Sand Substitution without hesitation.
Light flashed across the card. The names vanished. Fresh knowledge poured straight into his mind.
[Sand Substitution (Anubis God Substitution)]
[—Manifests a slender long blade. Any living creature that touches the blade or hilt becomes completely controlled. The victim instantly gains master-level swordsmanship and can attack targets through solid objects.]
Rasa stared.
He hadn't expected the upgrade to turn the technique into something straight out of a legend. An actual stand-like blade.
"Anubis? Not Star Platinum, but I'll take it."
He formed the seals.
Instead of a sand clone, a thin, elegant long knife appeared, hovering in the air.
Rasa reached out and gripped the hilt.
A faint whisper brushed his mind—then went silent the moment it recognized its master. The surge of swordsmanship knowledge remained.
He gave the blade a few experimental swings. It moved like an extension of his own arm.
"Top-tier kenjutsu. Just like that."
He wondered how it stacked up against the White Fang himself.
In the ninja world, sword skills rarely earned real respect. Sakumo Hatake had been one of the few exceptions.
"And this blade has one hell of an ability."
Rasa smiled, already imagining the chaos he could unleash with it.