My Journey as Fourth Kazekage

Ryūchi Cave

Inside the dark cave.

Following a report from the Tagitsuhime, Rasa once again met with the White Snake Sage.

"Kazekage, I'm not sure why you wanted to see me again. Are you ready to accept the terms I proposed earlier? To use your special power to turn the natural energy of our Ryūchi Cave into senjutsu energy?" the White Snake Sage asked.

Rasa shook his head but still explained.

"Sorry, it's not that I'm refusing. I just believe that any transaction should be made on equal terms of power."

The White Snake Sage showed no signs of displeasure but instead asked.

"Oh? Are you dissatisfied with your current power, Kazekage? I have seen it myself. Even the Five-Tails and Four-Tails were easily sealed by you!"

"No... For me, among all the Tailed Beasts, only the Nine-Tails' power is worth my attention," Rasa replied.

After all, the Nine-Tails could defeat seven opponents with only half of its power.

The White Snake Sage nodded, acknowledging this, and then asked.

"So, what is it that you wish to discuss with me?"

Rasa didn't hesitate and directly asked.

"I want to ask a question. I want to do something, but I don't want any of the Six Paths Sages to detect it. Is there a way?"

The White Snake Sage's eyes brightened, immediately understanding what Rasa meant.

"You wish to take action against the Tailed Beasts?"

Rasa didn't deny it.

"So, does Lord White Snake think it's impossible?"

The White Snake Sage finally seemed a little more energetic and responded, "From my standpoint, I have no objection. However, I do not recommend it."

"Why?"

Rasa asked.

"Simple," the White Snake Sage began. "Since Kaguya Otsutsuki became the Jinchūriki of the Ten-Tails and passed her chakra through the Ninja World via the Shinobi religion, she, as the owner of the chakra, can observe any place in this world that contains chakra."

"In other words, as long as there's no chakra, she won't be able to observe it?"

Rasa asked.

"That's the theory, but it's very difficult to achieve. Take you, for example: even though you don't have chakra in your body now, Otsutsuki Kaguya can't observe you directly, but she can still observe you through the chakra around you, your family, your subordinates, and even chakra-infused ninja tools. If you plan to take action against the Tailed Beasts, even if you bring them to a space devoid of chakra, she will still be able to know your movements through the Tailed Beast's chakra."

Rasa's brow furrowed deeply.

"Is there really no way?"

The White Snake Sage pondered for a moment.

"Well, it's not entirely hopeless. Unless your space-time abilities surpass Otsutsuki Kaguya's, allowing you to create a world beyond the reach of chakra."

"Is there any way to do that?"

Rasa pressed. At that moment, the White Snake Sage gazed intently at him.

"Of course, there is a way. Don't forget, I once told you about my abilities."

Rasa immediately recalled what the White Snake Sage had said before: her greatest skill was the ability to create spaces.

If it were in the past, Rasa would naturally have hesitated, but after all his time spent with the Ryūchi Cave, the other party had shown enough goodwill. If he was too suspicious now, it would indeed seem ungrateful.

"I remember, please teach me, Lord White Snake!"

Rasa said earnestly.

The White Snake Sage nodded and explained,

"It's simple. The key lies in the Dragon Transformation Secret Technique. Our Ryūchi Cave's Dragon Transformation technique can help the practitioner's power evolve, granting them new abilities. There are two ways to acquire this new power. One is through self-evolution, but that evolution is uncertain, and the abilities obtained are unknown. The other way is by receiving guidance. Our Ryūchi Cave follows the second method. The guiding power comes from the scales passed down by the previous White Snake Sages!"

Rasa nodded, eager to understand.

"So, what should I do specifically?"

"Just infuse the power of my scales into the Dragon Transformation technique. This power will take root within your body like a seed, allowing you to grasp the power of space..." the White Snake Sage explained.

---

Sunagakure

After returning from the Ryūchi Cave, Rasa immediately summoned Baki and Honoka.

Once they entered, Rasa wasted no time and spoke directly.

"I need both of you to do something."

Baki, who now blindly admired and trusted Rasa, especially after seeing Rasa capture the Four-Tails and Five-Tails Jinchūriki of Iwagakure, was filled with excitement.

Honoka asked,

"What is it?"

Rasa summoned two of the puppets made by Chiyo, specifically the Four-Tails and Five-Tails puppets, using his summoning technique.

"Honoka, I need you to use sealing techniques to extract some chakra from these two Jinchūriki and seal it into these puppets. Baki, you'll assist her."

"Got it!"

Baki responded eagerly.

The two Jinchūriki were left under the supervision of the Anbu after being captured. Although Rasa had dismissed his previous plans to deal with the Tailed Beasts under the White Snake Sage's advice, this did not mean that Rasa had lost interest in their chakra. At least, he was still interested in the Lava Release of the Four-Tails and the Boil Release of the Five-Tails.

Honoka asked curiously,

"Can these puppets suppress the Tailed Beast chakra?"

"Don't worry."

Rasa assured her.

"The core of these puppets is made from my senjutsu chakra, so suppressing Tailed Beast chakra won't be an issue. But be gentle when extracting the chakra. We can't let anything happen to these two Jinchūriki, or Onoki might really try to kill me."

"Understood!"

Baki nodded, though a little disappointed. He knew that the Four-Tails and Five-Tails could never truly be absorbed by Sunagakure, they were only being used to restrain Iwagakure.

"Alright, get to work,"

Rasa said.

After Baki and Honoka left, Rasa let out a sigh of relief.

With the Four-Tails and Five-Tails under his control, it meant that Sunagakure now held the initiative in the war.

Onoki would never dare to make a rash move. He wouldn't allow the Jinchūriki, who had cost Iwagakure so many resources to produce, to be lost. Without Onoki, even the strength of Kumo would not be enough to pose a serious threat!

With that, Sunagakure could fully withdraw from the turmoil of this war and focus on developing the village.

But Rasa also knew not to let his guard down.

Even though he had easily sealed the Four-Tails and Five-Tails in this battle, he knew that even if the Tailed Beasts were sealed, it was uncertain how much power they could still exert.

And even if the Tailed Beasts were fully released, the One-Tail through Seven-Tails were no match for the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails. Not to mention, the Nine-Tails in this case was only half of its full power.

So, Rasa knew that he had no reason to become arrogant just yet. Next, he returned home.

With Chiyo, Ebizo, and Bunpuku all away on missions, Hana had temporarily returned to the village. For her safety, Rasa asked her to stay with Karura for the time being.

During this period, Karura's pregnancy had progressed, and she had started experiencing morning sickness. Hana, who had been a little shy before, became very excited upon hearing about Karura's pregnancy and eagerly took on the responsibility of taking care of her.

After making sure his wife was well taken care of, Rasa returned to the Ryūchi Cave to continue his training.