It was deep into the night.
Inside the Kazekage's office, Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, sat awake with a troubled expression.
On the surface, sending Suna's young shinobi to Konoha for the Chūnin Exams was a gesture of alliance.
In truth—
It was mutual probing.
To demonstrate Suna's strength, Rasa had selected thirty of the village's most outstanding genin, including his own children:
TemariKankurōGaara
And yet—
Compared to Konoha, Sunagakure was undeniably inferior.
While Konoha flourished, the Wind Daimyō had repeatedly cut military funding in recent years.
Suna was weakening at an unprecedented pace.
If this continued, it would not be surprising if the village were expelled from the ranks of the Five Great Nations.
The Burden of the Kazekage Name
The First Kazekage, Reto, once extorted Hashirama Senju during the Five Kage Summit.
The Second Kazekage pioneered puppet techniques.
The Third Kazekage mastered Magnet Release to such perfection he earned the title of "Strongest Kazekage."
If Rasa failed to live up to his predecessors—
He would shame the Fourth's title.
Through years of suppressing Shukaku, Rasa had grown much stronger personally.
But strength alone was meaningless.
Sunagakure lacked the foundation to stir the winds of war.
If they gambled and failed—
They could be erased.
Rasa had no solution.
Until—
ANBU arrived with a message.
"Kazekage-sama, a guest seeks audience."
The Snake's Proposal
The visitor was Yakushi Kabuto, envoy of Otogakure.
He presented a letter.
Three words leapt from the parchment—
Orochimaru.
Three days later.
Rasa met Orochimaru in the Eastern Great Sand Dunes.
After brief pleasantries, Orochimaru spoke plainly:
"Kazekage-sama, let us join forces and attack Konoha.
I settle my score with the Third Hokage.
You gain from the war.
A mutually beneficial arrangement."
Rasa was tempted—
But cautious.
"Attacking Konoha is risky.
They are not easy prey."
Orochimaru smiled.
"Konoha only appears strong.
Uchiha Akihito no longer involves himself.
Your only real opponent is an aging Third Hokage."
That name again.
Uchiha Akihito.
If he truly stayed uninvolved—
The odds shifted.
Still, Rasa hesitated.
"Hiruzen was once called the 'Hero of the Shinobi.'
You are confident?"
Orochimaru revealed his trump card.
A coffin rose from the sand.
The lid slid open.
Inside—
The Third Kazekage.
Rasa's pupils contracted.
"Impure World Reincarnation…"
Orochimaru's smile widened.
"With this forbidden technique, even Uchiha Akihito cannot stop me."
The logic was undeniable.
If Orochimaru could field multiple Kage-level undead—
Konoha could fall.
Sunagakure could carve its share.
Stability.
Glory.
Survival.
Rasa made his decision.
Fortune favors the bold.
He would gamble.
A Calculated Betrayal
Rasa was no idealist.
He had once sacrificed the hero Pakura for political gain.
An alliance was merely ink on paper.
If Suna were stronger than Konoha—
He would have attacked long ago.
Orochimaru had given him confidence.
Rasa believed he was seizing destiny.
But Orochimaru had other plans.
The Ambush
On the return journey—
A valley.
Sudden attack.
Kabuto severed the tendons of Rasa's two guards with chakra scalpels.
Kimimaro stepped forward.
"You will die here, Kazekage."
Rasa laughed coldly.
A mere youth challenging a Kage?
Foolish.
Yet when bones erupted from Kimimaro's fingertips—
Rasa's eyes sharpened.
Bloodline limit.
Interesting.
Sand vs. Bone
In the desert, Rasa feared no one.
Magnet Release—gold dust surged like a tidal wave.
Kimimaro weaved through the sand, retaliating with:
Ten-Finger Drilling BulletsDance of the WillowDance of the CamelliaDance of the Larch
The battle grew fierce.
Gold dust crushed.
Bones pierced.
Kimimaro activated his Curse Mark (Earth Seal).
Despite only barely touching Kage-level strength, his ferocity pushed Rasa toward exhaustion.
Rasa realized—
He could not afford to waste chakra.
He shifted tactics.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Funeral!"
Gold dust engulfed Kimimaro.
Under ordinary circumstances, the pressure would pulverize flesh.
But Kimimaro's Shikotsumyaku hardened his skeleton like diamond.
He broke free.
The battle dragged on.
Both were nearing their limits.
The Snake Strikes
Rasa sensed something wrong.
Before he could retreat—
Orochimaru appeared from behind.
Sand caught the snake's body.
But Orochimaru's neck stretched—
The Kusanagi blade pierced straight through Rasa's heart.
Clean.
Fatal.
Kabuto had waited for a chance.
His master moved first.
The Fourth Kazekage fell.
The Replacement
Orochimaru disposed of the body.
Then—
He assumed Rasa's identity.
Under his manipulation, Sunagakure formed an alliance with Otogakure.
The plan moved forward.
Operation: Konoha Crush.
Two nations.
One objective.
Destroy Konoha.
Rewrite history.
And Orochimaru—
Would step on his former teacher to prove that evolution devours the old.
The storm had begun.
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