Spring, Year 44 of the Hidden Leaf Calendar.
The Suna shinobi had broken their usual defensive stance. At first light, they gathered in full force on the battlefield and issued a challenge to the Kumo forces.
And… this caught Kumo completely off guard.
Cowering and stalling day after day—was that really fitting behavior for the proud shinobi of the Hidden Cloud? Not in the slightest. The troops had grown thoroughly impatient.
So without any hesitation, the Kumo side let out thunderous war cries and surged to the frontlines.
Even the Fourth Raikage, A, was fired up. He was so pumped that he didn't even mind being woken up at dawn by his rapping, dancing, and hyperactive brother, Killer Bee. For once, he even shouted "Good!" in response to Bee's early morning freestyle.
Unfortunately… Killer Bee took this as a heartfelt acknowledgment of his artistic genius. Moved to tears, he launched into an inspired freestyle session and rapped through multiple full tracks before—
Getting kicked out by his brother.
All across the shinobi world, forces were preparing for war.
This was A's first battle since being confirmed as the Raikage's heir. He had to win—and not just win, but win decisively. Otherwise, how could he face his still-strong, newly-retired father, who had stepped down to pass him the reins of power?
The Daimyō of the Land of Lightning hadn't formally recorded his succession yet, but A was confident: once this war was over, he would officially claim the title of Fourth Raikage and take charge of the Hidden Cloud.
To show proper respect to Suna—another of the Five Great Shinobi Villages—he issued a command:
"If you can still move, still jump, still form hand seals—even if you're wrapped in bandages—you're going to the battlefield."
So when Rasa looked across the sands and saw Cloud shinobi outnumbering them several times over, he had a thought he wasn't sure he should say out loud:
"The hell is this? You guys are seriously flexing with raw numbers?!"
Suna didn't have a choice—they had already sent out everyone who could still use ninjutsu or taijutsu. But Kumo? Even the half-dead were being dragged out to fight?
What the hell? Were these supposed to be elite Cloud shinobi, or a bunch of lunatics running short on manpower?
But judging by the sheer mass of shinobi ahead… that didn't seem to be the case.
Rasa felt a sudden urge to delay the battle. This… this wasn't the kind of decisive fight he had envisioned.
But it wasn't like he could just call it off now.
Thanks to the shift in focus by Kusa and Iwa, their side of the war had already reached a fever pitch. It was hard to say who had the upper hand—nobody had won, but nobody had lost either. Iwa had pulled back most of their forces to respond to Kumo's aggression and take some potshots at Konoha along the way.
As for the Kusa shinobi…
Their so-called "big brother" had called them to double queue for ranked matches—they weren't about to say no.
Did they want to lose Elo?
After getting wrecked and left broke and bloodied, the Kusa forces had just turned tail and bolted. Last anyone heard, they were off cozying up to Konoha.
Rasa wouldn't be surprised if they reported Suna for "bullying the weak" while they were at it.
But because of that retreat, the pressure on the other battlefronts eased. To help stabilize the situation here, Momu had brought a squad over to reinforce them.
That move touched Rasa deeply. He even ignored the silver coins Momu brought—enough to fund a hundred ten-pulls—and deposited them straight into the system.
What were coins compared to Momu's burning resolve to defend Sunagakure?
That spirit… was just like his own resolve to whale for the village.
So sincere. So noble. So damn moving.
And to honor that heartfelt devotion, Rasa naturally celebrated the only way he knew how: with another 100-pull lottery.
Unfortunately, his luck was terrible. Not a single two-star drop.
And now...
"Is this really going to be enough?"
Looking at the massive force in front of him, Rasa felt his confidence start to waver. Maybe it was better to play it safe for now… wait a bit longer for the real showdown.
But war didn't wait for anyone.
Momentum was a fragile thing—easy to lose and almost impossible to recover.
If he ordered a retreat now, the fighting spirit he'd worked so hard to ignite in his shinobi would vanish. And the ones who had dragged themselves here on pure willpower might never get back up again.
So, at this point…
They had no choice but to fight.
With a unified roar, the battle erupted. All the shinobi let loose war cries, hands snapping back, charging forward at full speed with their chakra flaring around them.
In a clash between enemies, the brave win.
Even the tiniest moment of hesitation could mean total defeat.
So even if they were afraid, none of the Suna shinobi dared let it show.
Ninja were mobile strike units by nature.
And now, with both sides fully engaged, the battlefield became a storm of movement—fierce taijutsu clashing in close quarters, unpredictable ninjutsu lighting up the field.
Explosive tags, kunai, shuriken—all manner of weapons flew through the air, mingling with sand and smoke.
But then...
The Suna shinobi realized something horrifying.
They were surrounded.
Rasa stared, speechless, at the sheer volume of Cloud shinobi.
Now they were truly trapped—retreat wasn't even an option.
They were encircled. If anyone broke ranks or fled out of fear, they'd be hunted down and slaughtered by the Kumo forces.
Rasa let out a furious roar. He knew things couldn't continue like this. Without hesitation, he launched himself straight at the enemy commander.
The Fourth Raikage.
The man was exactly what you'd expect from someone hand-picked by the Third Raikage himself.
His mastery of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode was incredible—his speed like blue lightning flashing past Rasa's eyes again and again.
Protected by his lightning-cloaked body, his speed and defense were monstrous. Combined with devastating taijutsu, he was landing blows that left Rasa's arms numb.
Trying to capture me, huh?
Rasa caught on. The Fourth Raikage, A, had yet to go for a killing blow—his attacks disrupted and pressured, but never finished him off.
It made sense. Rasa was in the spotlight now. Word was already spreading from Iwa. His exploits on the battlefield were turning heads. He was the obvious candidate for the next Kazekage.
If they could capture him, it would be a critical blow to Suna morale and stability.
But…
If he was being called the next Kazekage, that meant his strength had already earned recognition. He might not be stronger than A's terrifying "Blue Lightning," but he wasn't far behind.
More importantly… he wasn't the old Rasa anymore.
His burning resolve to protect Sunagakure had driven him to keep whaling like crazy.
He was built different now.
He had pay-to-win power.
Looking at his forces buckling under pressure, Rasa's expression sharpened.
He pulled up the cards he'd saved during these last few days.
[Character Card: Emperor of the Sands — Azir (Low)]
Duration: 3 minutes
Skills included: Sand Soldier Summon, Shifting Sands
He stared at the card he'd been saving for the right moment.
Breathing deep, he watched A reappear in front of him in a flash of blue light, fist swinging toward his face.
He muttered, "Let's hope I'm right about this."
As soon as the words left his lips, a faint golden light shimmered around him.
Rasa dodged A's punch, then thrust his hand forward.
"Sand Soldier—Arise!"
In that instant—
Dozens, then hundreds of warriors forged from sand rose from the desert floor, clad in ancient armor, weapons at the ready.
All around, shinobi froze in disbelief—eyes wide, jaws slack.
The Emperor of the Sands had arrived.