The Third Great Ninja War had finally begun.
Unlike the frontlines near the Hidden Grass Village, this battlefield was brutal. The fighting here was relentless, and every day, shinobi were dying in combat.
It was obvious now—Kumogakure wasn't holding back.
They fought from dawn until dusk. The desert was scarred with the aftermath of countless jutsu. Thankfully, this was a desert to begin with. If it weren't…
They'd probably have destroyed the local environment completely.
"No wonder everyone's so exhausted," Rasa muttered to himself.
After three straight days of nonstop combat, even he felt completely worn out.
Every morning began the same way: the roar of Kumo shinobi and the blaring alarms from the Suna camp. He'd rush to the battlefield, and from there—fighting until nightfall.
What made it worse was that Kumogakure seemed to be doing it on purpose—launching surprise attacks at night just to keep the Suna forces off balance and scrambling to respond.
Who wouldn't be exhausted?
The fighting against the Grass shinobi had already been a headache, but this? This battlefield was even worse.
Worse still, he hadn't had a single moment to go digging for gold.
As for food? It was the same on both fronts—everyone relied on military ration pills. The Land of Wind was a desert wasteland. Getting actual food meant importing it from another country or the capital. But right now… Sunagakure was broke.
The sudden cancellation of funding from the Daimyō's office, coupled with the mass deployment of shinobi to recover the Third Kazekage, had gutted the village's income from missions.
So yeah… even the landlord's pantry was empty. All they had were those tiny, foul-tasting ration pills.
And honestly? Eating too many of them wasn't good. Nausea, vomiting, and other side effects were common. If the pill was made by someone inexperienced, it could even endanger a shinobi's life.
They were emergency rations—meant to keep you alive, not full. But there was no choice.
This was their reality now.
According to Chiyo, she had already sent out a team to buy supplies. And with the village's remaining stockpiles, they were managing to stretch things—at least one meal a day included actual grains or meat.
"It's tough out here. Just hang in there, everyone," said Elder Ebizō with a weary sigh as he tried to lift the troops' spirits at lunch.
The military pills were Chiyo's handiwork. The taste… passable. Not good, not awful. But at least they didn't cause food poisoning or kill anyone, and that alone was a relief.
Otherwise…
Sunagakure might've ended up killing itself before the enemy even had a chance.
Rasa popped one into his mouth. One was more than enough—two would leave you feeling overly full.
Not that anyone wanted to eat two of these things.
Truthfully, the handful of shinobi he'd brought—barely thirty Jonin—weren't making much of a difference on such a massive battlefield.
Unless you counted him—the Suna shinobi who could draw lottery prizes.
But the war was so intense that he didn't even have time to use his ability to "mine gold" anymore. He felt like he was losing billions in missed opportunities.
He chugged a bottle of water—courtesy of Kana's Water Release skills—to wash down the pill's awful aftertaste.
At least back on the Grass front, they didn't have to eat ration pills every day. Fewer troops meant the village could actually send real food. Plus, a good number of shinobi on that front had—somehow—turned into bandits overnight.
Rasa figured the Grass front probably needed more food now.
So as long as things weren't too dire, he only popped a pill occasionally.
Still…
You had to admit Chiyo was working hard. Sure, she wasn't making the pills alone—she had a few medical-nin helping her—but she was managing battlefield logistics and food production.
No wonder she was busy.
So when Chiyo approached him with a serious expression, Rasa paused and frowned.
"What is it?"
"She… she knows Water Release?" Chiyo asked, her brows furrowed. "She can use Water Release?"
"She? You mean Kana?" Rasa blinked. "Yeah. She can."
Was that weird?
The Uzumaki clan was known for strong chakra reserves and had wind and water as their primary affinities. Sure, there were exceptions, but what was so odd about someone having just water?
But—
"No, that's not what I mean," Chiyo shook her head, voice grave. "You realize… we're in a desert, right?"
"???"
And?
Chiyo looked exasperated as Rasa blinked at her, clearly clueless, even throwing in a wink for good measure. Eventually, she let out a deep sigh and shook her head.
"Did the Third Kazekage never teach you anything? Or… did you just skip every class at the Academy?"
"…"
How was he supposed to answer that?
Rasa stared at her in silence. His memories were fragmented and chaotic. He didn't really feel like digging through them.
And sure enough…
Before he could say a word, Chiyo launched into a lecture—she couldn't help herself.
"Water Release users manipulate chakra with a water affinity to create offensive or defensive techniques. Normally, they draw moisture from the environment. But exceptional Water-style shinobi can use jutsu even in arid regions—with no water at all."
"…"
That… sounded impressive.
Rasa blinked again, frowning thoughtfully as he watched Chiyo.
"So… she's a genius?"
"You could say that," Chiyo nodded. "Being able to use Water Release in the middle of a desert—even basic jutsu—proves she has talent. Not on the level of Konoha's Second Hokage, of course. I saw him once… His mastery of Water Release was like nothing I've ever seen. It left me speechless."
"…"
Yeah, no sht.*
Not everyone could be compared to the man who basically made a contract with the ocean.
Rasa gave Chiyo a dry look as she stood there, nostalgic and full of admiration. He thought for a moment.
So… Kana actually has decent potential?
She was an Uzumaki, after all. Just having that monstrous chakra gave her endless potential—let alone her elemental affinity.
So—
Rasa leaned in and waggled his eyebrows at Chiyo. "You're impressed?"
"Water Release users are extremely valuable to Sunagakure." She shot him a side glance, then sobered. "You should know—our village has very few of them."
They were invaluable—for hydration logistics, for medical applications, for everything.
Still…
"Wait, we actually have any Water-style users?"
Rasa looked genuinely surprised.
"Isn't Suna mainly focused on Wind and Earth?"
"…"
This guy… is really going to be the Fourth Kazekage?