Hardy was Chiyo's disciple. Though Rasa didn't yet know what made him special, his status alone was enough to catch Rasa's attention.
For Chiyo's sake, Rasa had to show Hardy some respect.
Karura was adept at lightening the mood, and Chiyo also wanted Hardy to build connections among Sunagakure's younger generation. So, even without alcohol and with simple food, the atmosphere at the table was quite pleasant.
After some small talk, Chiyo put down her chopsticks and asked Rasa:
"I recall you two had always been assisting the Third Lord on the Fire Country front. How did you happen to end up here?"
"It's quite a coincidence," Karura replied.
"A while ago, Konoha's White Fang was ambushed by the Third Lord and Jonin Ishiho at the border while rescuing a Konoha squad. He was injured and weakened, so the Third Lord stepped up the offensive, forcing Hatake Sakumo to fight while still hurt."
At the mention of White Fang, Chiyo's expression changed instantly.
"And then? What happened to that White Fang?"
"He was badly injured. Last month, Rasa mastered the Third Lord's Magnet Release, kept it secret, and focused on honing his skills. In the end, the two of us launched a surprise attack while Hatake Sakumo was fighting the Third Lord. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to kill him."
"Hmph, a pity indeed. But if he died just like that, I wouldn't be satisfied. I must take that man's life with my own hands," Chiyo said angrily.
"Don't worry, Sensei. You won't have to lift a finger. Once I'm as strong as you, I'll chop off White Fang's head and make it into a chamber pot for you and Sasori," Hardy joked, shaking his head.
"Good, that's my worthy disciple!" Chiyo's expression softened, and she patted Hardy's head.
"Then we'll leave White Fang's head to you, little Hardy!" Karura stood up and ruffled Hardy's hair.
Hardy: …
"Ahem," Rasa coughed, steering the conversation back.
"With White Fang injured, Konoha has no one in the army who can stand against the Third Lord. We've now occupied the entire Land of Rivers, and Konoha's forces have retreated to the Land of Rivers' border with the Land of Rain, using the terrain to slow our advance. The Third Lord believes the situation in the Land of Rain is more complicated and dangerous, so he sent Karura and me here to assist."
So that's how it was.
It seemed that Sunagakure's situation was quite favorable.
The Third Kazekage was Baking great strides on the eastern front, and here in the Land of Rain, Chiyo had secured her position with Rasa and Karura's help, allowing them to challenge both Konoha and Amegakure.
The only uncertainty was the true strength of Rasa and Karura.
In the original timeline, although Rasa became the Fourth Kazekage, he was considered one of the weaker Kage, ultimately killed in an ambush by Orochimaru.
Now, Rasa was only seventeen or eighteen, though he had already…
For the sake of becoming a jonin, he had already mastered Magnet Release, but his strength was still clearly not at its peak.
The battle with Orochimaru that morning hadn't lasted long either. Although Orochimaru retreated under the combined assault of Rasa, Karura, and several jonin, he wasn't really injured. Instead, he easily protected his subordinates and withdrew unscathed.
After Rasa and Karura left, Hardy turned to Chiyo with a question.
"I can't say for certain," Chiyo replied, manipulating a puppet with one hand as she cleared the dishes, "but I can more or less estimate a range."
"As for Rasa and Karura's current abilities, there's still some gap before they reach Kage level. But in as little as three years, or as many as five, they should be about there. Whether they can develop further after that will depend on their own fortunes."
"For now, though, the two of them complement each other's ninjutsu and are lovers who understand each other well, Baking their teamwork seamless. While they can't defeat Orochimaru together, Orochimaru definitely can't take them down either."
In other words, the two of them combined could barely count as a single Kage-level powerhouse.
Maki
After saying this, Chiyo turned to size up Hardy.
"So, are you asking me about this because you've taken a fancy to your sister Karura, or do you see Rasa as a future rival for the Kazekage position?"
Chiyo remembered asking Hardy about his aspirations before.
Hardy's answer had been to become Kazekage.
"Well, Lord Third is still in his prime, and it'll be quite a few years before a Fourth is chosen. With all those years, who knows, maybe I'll have grown enough by then," Hardy said, scratching his head.
In the original timeline, the Third Kazekage was assassinated by Sasori with poison right before the Third Great Ninja War.
That was the spark that ignited the Third War. With the Third Kazekage missing, Sunagakure was left leaderless. Rasa, as the Third's disciple and inheritor of Magnet Release, with impeccable credentials, plus his ability to manipulate gold dust to supplement the village finances, and a powerful wife like Karura as support, was able to ascend to the Kazekage position.
That actually wasn't many years from now. If things developed as they had originally, he might not have time to grow strong enough and would have a hard time competing with Rasa.
But now, Sasori probably wouldn't do such a thing, and with the Third Kazekage's age, he could easily serve another ten years. Hardy was confident he'd have the ability to compete with Rasa for the Kazekage position in the future.
"It's still too early for you to be thinking about this," Chiyo said with a wry smile. "You should focus on becoming a jonin before you turn fifteen. If you really have what it takes in the future, neither I nor Ebizō would hesitate to support you."
Fifteen was the benchmark for a genius; most Kage-level powerhouses in the ninja world had jonin-level strength before turning fifteen.
"Haha, then I'll thank you in advance, Chiyo-sensei."
"If you want to thank me, start by washing these dishes for me."
...
...
DC Universe.
Late at night.
Thick clouds shrouded Gotham; not a star could be seen. Only the bat symbol, projected into the sky from the top of the GCPD, cast a deterrent shadow over the city's criminals.
But there were always those who weren't afraid of Batman.
Old Industrial District.
A group of men in suits efficiently unloaded sacks of cash from the back seats of their cars.
The back seats, the trunks—everywhere was stuffed with sacks of cash. There were three cars in total.
"Have your men count it. Twenty-two million dollars, just robbed from Gotham Bank yesterday," said Two-Face, standing before Hardy and gesturing behind him.
Hardy glanced at his accountant.
The accountant understood immediately and led a few henchmen forward to count the money.
No one's hands would cramp from counting cash; these guys were pros and already had money counters at the ready.
Still, with this much money, even with machines, it would take a while.
"I've already paid the deposit. Where's the person?" Harvey Dent seemed a little impatient.
"Of course I brought him." Hardy clapped his hands, and two henchmen immediately brought over a man with a black hood over his head.