Chapter 262

"Everyone, this is our last chance. If we drive out Pakura and her group, Sunagakure will still be ours. Our predecessors built Sunagakure to where it is today and entrusted it to us. Therefore, I swear by my title as the Fourth Kazekage that I will never let Sunagakure fall into the hands of outsiders!"

Rasa declared resolutely to the assembled group. Those who had gathered here were Sunagakure's most trusted individuals—the last hope for protecting the village.

"The Daimyo's office has also promised that if we defend Sunagakure, the military budget will be quadrupled to help rebuild the village. With that money, even if we pay a high price tonight, as long as we protect Sunagakure, we can recover."

This was the promise given by the Daimyo of the Land of Wind. Even the most foolish Daimyo knew that Sunagakure could not be allowed to fall.

The emissary they had sent to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire had been turned away without ever meeting anyone. When the Daimyo of the Land of Wind heard the news, it sent a chill down his spine.

Without a shinobi village, the Land of Wind would have no military strength. The few guards left at the Daimyo's estate wouldn't stand a chance against a single wave of shinobi from Konoha.

The Land of Fire was clearly aiming to wipe out the Land of Wind. Realizing this, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind abandoned any thoughts of indulging himself. Along with promising Sunagakure support, he sent emissaries to seek help from the Lands of Earth, Water, and Lightning.

But first, Sunagakure needed to hold out. It couldn't fall in a short period.

"According to Elder Chiyo's plan, once we drive out Pakura and her group and fully secure the eastern exit, we'll act like we're prepared for a desperate last stand. Konoha might not push for a battle to the death. The future of Sunagakure depends on tonight."

Rasa's words stirred the resolve in the room. All were ready to fight to the death.

For this night, they had distributed all their explosive tags, kunai, and shuriken. Even Chiyo had given all her poisons to the puppet users.

Sunagakure's reconnaissance ninja had already detected the presence of Konoha ninja. Both the First and Second Hokage were supposedly at their camp outside the village, and Pakura's forces often left the village.

"Move out!"

With that order, the Sunagakure shinobi quickly dispersed to begin their operation.

Tonight was a moonless and windy night. Inside Sunagakure, aside from a few streetlights, the village was nearly pitch black. The village's infrastructure was poor, with only a few high-voltage lights and street lamps scattered around.

The lack of lighting made the night patrols a true test of the shinobi's vision.

Groups of Sunagakure ninja gathered quickly, though they dared not approach too closely, fearing the Byakugan of the Konoha shinobi. Rasa was also concerned about harming the civilians, so they chose to strike in areas they knew were vacant.

Though they wanted to drive out Pakura's group and the Konoha ninja, Rasa wasn't willing to harm their own villagers. If he did, his own shinobi might rebel against him.

After stealthily reaching their planned positions, Rasa spotted several shinobi from Pakura's group patrolling the area.

"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Burial!"

Rasa gathered his chakra, clasped his hands together, and unleashed his signature Magnet Release technique.

A vast wave of gold dust surged from the ground like a tidal wave, sweeping forward. In that area, the only people present were either Pakura's ninja or the civilians loyal to them.

Rasa wouldn't harm his own people, but he had no such reservations against those who had betrayed Sunagakure.

Boom!

Boom!

The gold dust swept away everything in its path. Even solid brick buildings crumbled within seconds under the overwhelming force of the gold dust. The wave of gold quickly turned that section of the village into a battlefield.

But suddenly, a voice rang out, startling Rasa.

"Mokuton: Mokujoheki!"

"Mokuton: Jukai Kōtan!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three massive wooden walls rose from the ground, halting the oncoming wave of gold dust. Then, the ground rumbled as enormous tree trunks and branches sprouted from the earth, engulfing the gold dust wave.

Ordinarily, two users of the same Kekkei Genkai would cancel each other out, leaving the battle to come down to chakra reserves. However, Senju Hashirama's Mokuton was a step above the rest. Even with an equal amount of chakra, his Mokuton could overwhelm other bloodline techniques.

As the forest expanded toward him, Rasa had no choice but to use more ninjutsu. The Sunagakure ninja following him also unleashed their strongest techniques in an attempt to destroy the trees.

"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Blades!"

"Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!"

"Black Puppet: Crimson Flame!"

In addition to various ninjutsu and secret techniques, countless kunai with explosive tags were thrown, constantly blowing apart the oncoming trees. But for every tree destroyed, five or six more would sprout in its place.

"Damn it! There's no end to them!"

"Help! Somebody, help!"

"Ahh!!"

Hundreds of Sunagakure shinobi were unleashing their techniques, along with thousands of explosive tags, causing thunderous explosions that rocked the village and woke its residents. Many civilians were filled with fear, terrified that a battle had broken out within the village.

Only this overwhelming barrage of attacks barely managed to slow down the forest's advance. However, dozens of Sunagakure shinobi had already been swallowed by the trees before they could escape.

Rasa, in shock, muttered, "The First Hokage... How is this possible? Our scouting hawks confirmed you were outside the village."

At that moment, two figures jumped onto a nearby tree, one of whom was Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage, the sight of whom filled Rasa with dread. The other was none other than Pakura, whom Rasa loathed with all his heart.

"Rasa, you're truly foolish for rushing into this trap. The Second Hokage set this up just for you, and you fell right into it," Pakura said smugly. The more despair she saw on Rasa's face, the happier she became. Seeing his incompetence only confirmed to her that her decision to turn against him had been the right one. If she had accepted his leadership, his stupidity would have led to her downfall eventually.

"Pakura, it was Sunagakure that raised you, and now—"

"Shut up, you fool! If you hadn't sold me out to Kirigakure, I would still be 'Sunagakure's Scorch Release user.' Now, what choice do you have left but to surrender?"

Pakura's words rang out as a large number of Konoha and Sunagakure ninja emerged from the surrounding forest. Hashirama's Jukai Kōtan had transformed the area into the perfect battlefield for the Konoha forces.

Many ninja were now positioned behind the enormous trees, waiting for the signal to launch their attack on the Sunagakure forces.

"Give up, Fourth Kazekage. Continuing this fight will only result in meaningless sacrifice," Hashirama urged. He did not want to fight within the village. Whether it was his Wood Human Technique or Sage Art: Mokuton, the destruction they could cause was too great. If he lost control, the entire village could be leveled.

He remembered how, during his battle with Uchiha Madara, they had altered the landscape and even destroyed an island across the sea.

"There is no fear in Sunagakure!"

Rasa, resolute, flatly refused to surrender. He would never allow himself to become Konoha's prisoner.

"No choice then. Mokuton: Wood Clone Technique!"

Hashirama clapped his hands, and ten wood clones split from his body. If Rasa refused to surrender, he would have to fight carefully to avoid harming the civilians.

Seeing this, Pakura asked, "First Hokage, what are you doing?"

"I'm setting up a barrier. The aftermath of these jutsu could cause too much harm to the civilians," Hashirama replied with a smile. "Don't worry about my chakra."

As long as he didn't use his two most powerful Sage Art: Mokuton techniques, his chakra reserves could sustain an intense battle for a long time. As for these Sunagakure shinobi, Hashirama wasn't underestimating them, but they were no match for the shinobi of his time.

Back in the Warring States Period, even a five or six-year-old child couldn't be taken lightly.

Pakura, seeing Hashirama's actions, turned her attention back to Rasa. She wanted to take this rare opportunity to end things with him once and for all.

Sage Curse Seal.

A vast amount of natural energy surged into Pakura's body through her curse seal. Her skin turned pale, and a single horn grew from her forehead as her body filled with powerful Sage Art Chakra.

"Sage Mode? Is it from Ryūchi Cave?" Hashirama, sensing the change in Pakura, thought to himself. There were only three sources of sage arts, and Pakura's sage mode had a strong serpentine aura.

"Scorch Release: Extreme Sun!"

After entering Sage Mode, Pakura quickly formed a series of hand seals and raised her right hand. Scorch Release fireballs began appearing around her, which then flew toward her raised hand and merged into a larger fireball.

Within seconds, countless smaller fireballs formed and fused into a larger one, creating a miniature sun in the night sky.

Even Hashirama was surprised. This technique had traits similar to a tailed beast bomb. It wasn't just merging the Scorch Release fireballs; it was compressing them into their current form.

"Die, Rasa!"

Pakura hurled the massive fireball toward Rasa, confident that he would block it. After all, behind him were many Sunagakure shinobi who couldn't withstand this technique.

Seeing this, Hashirama clasped his hands together and quickly raised a Mokujoheki in front of his allied Konoha and Sunagakure ninja while shouting, "Be careful!"

Rasa had no choice. He gathered a massive amount of chakra and raised three Gold Dust Shields, one in front of himself and two more to protect the other Sunagakure shinobi.

Boom!

A brilliant flash of light appeared, followed by an ear-splitting explosion. The deafening roar reverberated like a heavy hammer striking the hearts of everyone in Sunagakure.

Elsewhere, battles momentarily paused as the sound echoed across the village.

Both sides turned their eyes toward the source of the explosion, where towering flames lit up the sky. Chiyo and Ebizō felt a sinking feeling in their hearts.

"My brother is over there. If he gets angry, even I'm scared of what he might do. You'd better not get your hopes up," Tobirama said with a cold smile as he brandished a kunai. "Besides, I don't think your situation is much better than theirs!"

(End of Chapter)

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