Chapter 404: I Don't Understand Why
But Rasa's smile quickly faded.
When Gaara decided to strike, Sasuke—who normally didn't get along with Gaara—immediately chose to cooperate.
Zzzzzz!!
The sound of Chidori crackling rang out from behind Rasa, making his brow furrow.
He had been defeated by Chidori once before, humiliated during the Third Great Ninja War. It had even become a lingering demon in his heart.
Instinctively, he took the situation seriously.
Just as Rasa activated his full-body defense, using gold sand to block Gaara and Sasuke's attacks, Sasuke smirked.
Rasa suddenly recalled something and hastily reinforced his defenses.
However, the intense electrical currents from Sasuke's Chidori disrupted the magnetic field, creating a tear in the gold sand barrier.
Naruto, noticing the opportunity, charged in with a Rasengan far larger than usual, striking Rasa square in the back through the opening Sasuke had created.
Rasa's back shattered like glass, the gold sand clinging tightly to his body for defense falling uselessly to the ground.
A dignified leader of one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, a Kage-level fighter, was thoroughly humiliated in front of three kids!
Even Rasa himself couldn't believe it.
But the facts were undeniable.
Before he could recover, Naruto also entered a transformed state—not the black-and-red feral cloak of a typical jinchūriki but the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode!
A golden chakra enveloped Naruto's entire body, enhancing his defense while granting him strength and speed far beyond his natural limits.
Naruto formed another Rasengan, this one several times larger than the last.
And this time, it wasn't just one Naruto—there were hundreds of them.
Each clone held a massive Rasengan over two meters in diameter as they charged toward Rasa.
"Thanks, Kurama!"
"And what about me, huh? I'm the one controlling the Nine-Tails' chakra for you. Where's my thanks?"
"Thank you, Mom."
"That's more like it. Next time, remember to call me 'Mom.'"
"Got it, Mom."
Naruto's mastery of the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode wasn't due to his own power alone.
It was thanks to his mother, Kushina, and his friend, Kurama.
Kushina helped control the Nine-Tails' chakra, while Kurama willingly acted as a power source, allowing Naruto—who had terrible chakra control—to master the mode.
Surrounded by countless Narutos, Rasa was utterly dumbfounded.
Are all Konoha kids this strong?
During the Third Great Ninja War, he had lost to two kids—Haneda and Kakashi.
And now, history seemed to be repeating itself. Would he lose to three completely unknown brats?
Impossible!
Absolutely impossible!!
Rasa, as the Fourth Kazekage, had his pride. Fixating on the weakest-looking of the trio—Sasuke—he decided to make his move.
He planned to capture Sasuke and use him to threaten Naruto and Gaara.
Shameful as it was, it was better than being publicly defeated by three kids in the middle of the street.
In a flash, Rasa appeared behind Sasuke, holding a kunai made of gold sand against his neck.
"You wouldn't want your friend to die here, would you?"
Hearing this, Naruto and Gaara exchanged complex looks—no, not just complex, downright weird.
The two of them knew exactly what Haneda had left on Sasuke for his protection.
The Shinra Tensei that could level a village, the Kirin that could scorch an entire region, and even a peculiar green-glowing mode from a strange seal Haneda had recently added…
And that wasn't even considering Haneda's overwhelming strength as the God of Shinobi.
Beyond that, Sasuke had other formidable backers, any of whom could easily handle Rasa.
Sasuke himself knew what was on him, and his expression twitched. He thought to himself, Lord Kazekage, you're really underestimating me.
He opened his right hand, revealing a diamond-shaped mark—the gift Haneda had left him. It was globally responsive.
As long as Sasuke was on Earth and Haneda had chakra, the mark would provide him with an endless supply of Tenseigan chakra.
Tenseigan chakra, equal in quality to Rinnegan chakra, was a power of the Six Paths. With it, Sasuke could even take on Madara.
Sasuke chuckled softly.
"Lord Kazekage, do you really think this is enough to threaten Naruto and Gaara?"
Rasa knew what he was doing was disgraceful, but he no longer cared.
He had already lost so much face during the Third Great Ninja War and his time as Kazekage. He was considered the worst of all the Kazekage.
Reputation? It's just what others think of me, Rasa thought, laughing shamelessly.
"Konoha no longer has Uchiha Haneda or Hatake Kakashi. Without the Flying Thunder God Technique, as long as I have you in my hands, you can't escape!"
Sasuke smirked. "Ever heard the saying, 'Heaven always leaves a path'? If I want to leave, there's always a way!"
"I, Uchiha Sasuke, don't need to run. I'll just defeat you myself, Lord Kazekage."
With that, Sasuke activated the Tenseigan Chakra Mode. A green chakra instantly enveloped his body, and his presence became deep and terrifying.
In an instant, Sasuke teleported behind Rasa, pressing a black kunai to his neck.
Reversal Heavens!
"Lord Kazekage, you wouldn't want to end up in the Konoha Police Force, facing trial in court and then prison, would you?" Sasuke said with a sly smile.
Rasa's expression froze, his face dark with humiliation.
Why… why has it come to this?!
A few years ago, wasn't Shukaku constantly trying to seize control of Gaara's body?
How could Gaara now use the tailed beast's power without any mental interference? Could he have… gotten along with Shukaku?
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!!
And how could a Nine-Tails jinchūriki kid like Naruto become a perfect jinchūriki, fully mastering the Nine-Tails' power?
Even if it wasn't Kurama, how could any child completely control a tailed beast's chakra?
A saintly jinchūriki body? Impossible! Absolutely impossible!!
Lastly, how could a mere Uchiha child suddenly unleash such terrifying chakra?
This chakra made Rasa tremble—it was more frightening than anything he had ever felt from Haneda.
A genius beyond genius? Impossible! Absolutely impossible!!
But the reality was undeniable. Ten years later, Rasa had once again suffered the humiliation of being captured by Konoha's children.
It was even more absurd than a science fiction drama.
"So, Naruto, what should we do with him? Turn him over to the Police Force?" Sasuke asked casually.
After a moment of thought, Sasuke added, "Maybe not. He is a Kage, after all."
Rasa wished he could faint like last time when Haneda had captured him. At least that would save him some dignity.
Gaara coldly said, "Let's just leave it for today."
"Leave it?" Naruto and Sasuke looked at Gaara in surprise.
Was Gaara really going to let Rasa off that easily, after Rasa came looking for trouble?
Gaara shot Rasa a cold look and said:
"From today onward, there's nothing between us. No blood ties, no connection of rank or title."
"My father is the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Haneda. I am a ninja of Konoha, and the One-Tails jinchūriki of Konoha."
"Let's go, Naruto, Sasuke."
With that, Gaara walked past Rasa without a second glance.
When Gaara had gone some distance, Naruto snapped out of it and hurried after him.
"Oh, wait for me!"
"Let's go, Sasuke!" Naruto called back.
Sasuke calmly lowered his kunai and left without another word.
Rasa, watching Gaara's retreating figure, couldn't help but ask, "Why?"
Gaara, not bothering to speak normally, replied, "For the sake of the sand."
"Sand?" Rasa noticed the sand floating around Gaara, infused with chakra he immediately recognized.
It was the love left behind by his late wife, Karura, for their son.