Pakura, still reeling from the announcement, shifted her gaze from Chiyo to the man seated beside her.
She was surprised to see that Rasa didn't look shocked in the slightest. He wasn't staring at Chiyo like the others.He was simply looking straight ahead, expression perfectly calm.
Pakura's heart stirred with curiosity.
Could it be… Rasa already knew about the Third Kazekage's disappearance?
She wanted to ask directly but hesitated. As one of the Third Kazekage's personal disciples, Rasa was a well-known figure in the village.But he was also known for being quiet and aloof. Unless a mission demanded his presence, he rarely spoke, choosing instead to bury himself in relentless training.
She herself had often been on missions, so their paths rarely crossed. At best, they shared the occasional nod in passing.
Still, after only a few seconds of hesitation, Pakura leaned in slightly and spoke in a calm, mature voice tinged with coldness:
"Lord Rasa, from your expression… did you already know about this?"
Rasa had been deep in thought, mentally sifting through various response plans, when her icy voice—familiar yet unfamiliar—snapped him back to the present.
He turned his head and met her gaze.
His first instinct was to smile politely, but he quickly realized it would be out of place in this situation. Catching himself, he answered in a low voice:
"No. I only suspected something serious had happened when Elder Chiyo bypassed my master and summoned us directly. I thought… maybe he'd fallen seriously ill. I didn't expect it to be something far worse."
With that, Rasa turned his head away and bowed it, hiding his face from view.
Pakura silently sighed.
She assumed Rasa must be grieving. After all, for the Kazekage and his guards to vanish so suddenly—and for so long—it could only mean one thing.
But Rasa wasn't mourning.
The reason he had lowered his head so abruptly… was to hide the shock on his face.
To the others, it appeared he was simply paying his respects to the missing Kazekage.
But in truth, Rasa was staring at something only he could see—A glowing interface floating before his eyes.
There was only one line of text:
"Super Affection System."
Rasa stared at the words floating in the void of his mind. The shock melted away in seconds, replaced by uncontainable joy.
Still, he kept his expression perfectly still—this was the ninja world, after all. For all he knew, someone might have a sensory technique or perception-based jutsu that could pick up on a shift in heartbeat or body temperature.
He tried mentally calling out: "System?"
No reply.
Undeterred, he reached out mentally and tapped the interface with his thoughts.
The interface changed instantly—and a voice echoed within his mind:
"Super Affection System activation attempt detected.Activating the system will consume one year of the host's lifespan.Do you accept?"
The voice was cold, emotionless, and androgynous.
Rasa's expression didn't change, but internally, he exhaled in relief.
Only one year of life?In a world where people die at thirteen in a surprise kunai ambush, that was a small price to pay for something potentially life-saving.
He responded mentally:
"I accept."
He braced himself for some kind of dramatic physical sensation—pain, heat, nausea—something.
But nothing happened.
After a brief pause, the voice returned:
"Host responded within one second—requirement met.One year of lifespan has been deducted.The system is now fully and perfectly activated!"