My Journey as Fourth Kazekage

Kingdom of Rōran.

Under Rasa's orders, the Queen of Rōran led two ninjas to save her people. But what she saw next left her in shock.

Not far from the grand palace of Rōran, two giant creatures were locked in a fierce struggle. But it was hardly a battle—it was more like an overwhelming one-sided beating.

One of the creatures was instantly recognizable to the Queen—it was the enormous puppet form of Anrokuzan, now controlled by Mukade. The other creature, a strange raccoon-like beast, was unfamiliar to her. However, she could guess its origins—it was likely the summoned power of that man, the Kazekage.

Before her eyes, the once-mighty Mukade, thought to be unstoppable, was being treated like a mere plaything. The summoned raccoon monster ruthlessly pummeled, tore apart, and smashed Mukade's puppet body with crushing force.

At that moment, the Queen fully realized the terrifying power of the outside world's ninjas.

Her thoughts briefly flashed back to Mukade's warning.

"The future of Rōran will end in destruction from war!"

She paused for only a second, but then her eyes narrowed with resolve. Turning to the two Suna ninjas, she gave her orders with calm authority.

"My daughter, Sāra, is still trapped in the tower. One of you must rescue her. The other should locate where my citizens are being held captive by Mukade."

The two Suna ninjas obeyed without hesitation. After all, they had come at Rasa's command to follow the Queen's orders.

And so, Maoka set off to rescue Sāra, while Mamushi, by sheer coincidence, had recently discovered a hidden puppet factory where countless Rōran citizens were enslaved.

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Amid the towering structures of Rōran, the battle raged on.

The raccoon-like summoned beast, "Shukaku's Avatar," pressed Mukade's puppet form into the earth with relentless force, its overwhelming strength tearing through Mukade's puppet body as if it were paper.

If not for the regenerative power of the Dragon Vein's chakra, the fight would have been over in moments.

After just a few minutes of intense combat, Rasa had already assessed the Dragon Vein chakra's limitations.

Just as he had suspected, his hypothesis was spot on.

The natural energy of the Dragon Vein wasn't like the chakra from Mount Myōboku, which enhanced overall abilities. Instead, it resembled the unique senjutsu techniques from Ryūchi Cave, granting powers like Inorganic Reincarnation, Morphing Transformation, and Hyper-Regeneration.

And there was also the ability to absorb chakra.

If another ninja had faced Mukade, they might have struggled against this chakra-absorbing ability. But for Rasa, this was of little concern. His Magnet Release technique controlled gold sand not by infusing it with chakra but through magnetic forces that allowed him to manipulate it. The sand itself contained no chakra, leaving Mukade with nothing to absorb.

Still, Rasa had lost interest in continuing the fight.

Compared to Minato and Jiraiya, Mukade was pitifully weak. If not for the Dragon Vein's infinite regeneration, he would be no more than a regular jōnin.

However, Mukade, blind to his impending doom, clung desperately to the belief that he was invincible.

Though the raccoon monster dominated him, his supposed "infinite chakra" made him believe that he was unbeatable. He convinced himself that he could outlast Rasa's chakra supply and claim victory.

As if on cue, the massive Shukaku-like beast dissolved into the sand, scattering in all directions.

Just as Mukade was about to rejoice, Rasa's cold voice cut through the air.

"A genius puppeteer of Suna's future? If this is the village's talent, then the future looks bleak indeed."

Seething with rage, Mukade barely held back his fury. Still, the surge of chakra flowing through him restored his confidence.

"Spare me your arrogance, Fourth Kazekage! With the Dragon Vein under my control, I possess infinite chakra. I am immortal! The moment you run dry, victory will be mine!"

"Is that so?"

Rasa raised a brow, mused.

"So you are trying to dominate the Shinobi world with such weak power? Pff, even some 16-year-olds can shove you into the ground."

Unless that 16 year old is some prophesized child with the strongest-tailed beast inside. Also, if he is the protagonist.

"Mocking my strength?!"

Rasa's scorn only flared Mukade's anger.

"I'll kill you!"

Drawing on the core power of the Dragon Vein, Mukade wildly absorbed its chakra.

To the naked eye, his enormous body began to glow with a chakra cloak.

Yet—

"This ends now."

In the blink of an eye, Rasa vanished.

"WHAT?!"

Before Mukade could react, Rasa appeared before him, extending an arm.

A suffocating dread washed over Mukade, but his arrogance blinded him to the danger.

"Futile! I can absorb—"

He never finished his sentence.

Terror flooded Mukade's face as his body refused to obey him. His chakra ceased to flow.

"What... how... impossible..."

"Magnet Release: Prison Sand Burial!"

Rasa's right hand emitted intricate markings that spread rapidly across Mukade's massive form.

Mukade only managed half a sentence before losing consciousness.

"This... is Shukaku's..."

With the seal complete, Mukade's body began to shrink, reverting to his frail, human form.

Unlike Sasori, Mukade hadn't turned himself into a puppet. Instead, he had relied on the Dragon Vein's Morphing Transformation to become a massive puppet, equipped with various weapons.

What intrigued Rasa even more, however, was Mukade's use of the Inorganic Reincarnation ability. This puppet could even use ninjutsu.

If Rasa could harness the power of the Dragon Vein and integrate abilities like Inorganic Reincarnation, Hyper-Regeneration, and chakra absorption into his Shukaku constructs, he could create truly formidable beings.

Self-sustaining, ninjutsu-wielding entities, capable of regeneration and chakra absorption.

The concept reminded him of the first Hokage's Wood Dragon Technique, known for its chakra-draining abilities. Such a power would indeed be extraordinary.

But for now, there was no need to rush. The Dragon Vein wasn't going anywhere. Transforming its energy into his own strength was simply a matter of time.

For the moment, however, his attention turned to the sealed Mukade. There was much to uncover from him. Just then, the two Suna ninjas returned.

"Mission complete?"

"Yes, Lord Kazekage! The Queen of Rōran instructed us to report back first."

"Good."

Without wasting time, Rasa issued his next command.

"I recall that the ANBU has specialized genjutsu techniques for interrogating prisoners and probing memories. Bring them to me."

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