Congratulations, Host. Check-in complete!
Reward acquired: Supreme One-Tail Shukaku Chakra!
"One-Tail Chakra?"
Senju Haruto was taken aback by the voice that echoed through his mind.
Sure, the phrase sounded impressive — but with his current reserves of chakra, not only did he surpass Shukaku, he might even rival the Nine-Tails itself.
Put plainly, if this was just about amount of chakra, the reward felt… underwhelming.
But then Haruto realized he had misunderstood.
The notes on his reward panel made it clear — this wasn't a simple boost to his chakra pool.
What he'd gained was the true essence of a tailed beast's chakra.
From Shukaku's power alone, he had instantly mastered Wind Release, Magnet Release, and even the One-Tail's unique sealing techniques — all to their peak potential.
If he could collect the chakra of all nine tailed beasts, from the One-Tail to the Nine-Tails, he could theoretically ascend into the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki.
That thought sparked another, stranger one.
"Wait… so did I just take a portion of Shukaku's chakra for myself, or did the sign-in system make a perfect copy?"
"If it's the latter… would that mean two Ten-Tails could exist in this world?"
The idea left Haruto speechless for a moment.
Perhaps he had been underestimating the system from the start.
It didn't steal from others. It replicated — perfectly.
Of course, the system never explicitly said that, and whenever Haruto tried to ask, it refused to answer.
With a slight shake of his head, he pushed the thought aside.
There were more pressing matters than figuring out every detail of the system's abilities.
Namely… the negotiation with Sunagakure.
"I'm right, aren't I… Kazekage?"
Haruto's voice was low, almost casual, but it carried a weight that filled the room.
What he'd just said had been speculation — yet he was confident it was true.
Sunagakure was weak right now. They couldn't control their tailed beast's power.
If Rasa had even a shred of strategic sense, he wouldn't declare war on the Leaf now — not even with the Cloud Village pulling some of Konoha's forces to another front.
War wasn't a child's game.
"What's the Third Hokage's stance on this?"
Rasa locked eyes with Haruto, an unexpected flicker of respect crossing his mind. This boy wasn't ordinary.
Still, admitting the truth outright was out of the question.
Instead, the Kazekage shifted the conversation.
"As far as I know, it's not just the Cloud preparing to fight Konoha. The Mist will also be involved. Facing two major villages at once, even you—"
"You forget the Third Great Ninja War already?" Haruto cut in, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Back then, the Leaf fought all four other great villages at the same time."
"And Sunagakure's intelligence network isn't so poor, is it? You must have heard what happened at the Twin Shadows Summit."
"If you know about Konoha and the Cloud preparing for battle, you can't possibly be unaware of what sparked it."
Haruto paused only briefly before continuing, giving Rasa no chance to interrupt.
"Even if the Fourth Great Ninja War started tomorrow, the Leaf wouldn't have much to fear. But Sunagakure…"
"Can you honestly withstand a full-scale war right now?"
His words landed like hammer blows.
Rasa's expression tightened. Every point Haruto made was dead on.
He knew the details of the Twin Shadows incident well enough — the Raikage injured, the Two-Tails' jinchūriki lost.
And more critically, Sunagakure's budget couldn't sustain a prolonged war.
The truth was, his plan had only been to push for more resources from the Leaf, not to truly wage war.
But as the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa could never expose that weakness.
So he met Haruto's force with force.
"Konoha's strength during the Third Great Ninja War was unmatched. But after the night of the Nine-Tails' attack, the Leaf is no longer what it once was. If the Fourth Great Ninja War does break out, you won't last long either."
On the surface, it sounded like a warning — a suggestion that Haruto should aim to avoid war.
But to Haruto, the remark revealed something else entirely.
If Rasa truly believed Konoha couldn't handle another war, why not declare it right here, right now?
Because deep down, the Kazekage understood the bigger picture.
The Leaf and the Land of Fire occupied the most strategically valuable position on the continent, sharing borders with every other great nation.
Its lands were fertile, its forests rich.
Given the same period of recovery, Konoha's growth outpaced every rival village.
That disparity was the very thing gnawing at Rasa.
"So… are you declaring war right here?"
Haruto took a deliberate step forward, eyes locked on Rasa's, his tone hard as steel.
The Third Hokage didn't want another conflict with the Sand.
But as far as Haruto was concerned, if they were already preparing to fight the Cloud and the Mist, having Sunagakure join in — or not — wouldn't make much difference.
Power bred confidence. And confidence meant standing your ground.
From the look on Rasa's face, Haruto could tell the Kazekage hadn't expected him to say something so brazen.
For a moment, the man seemed frozen, his mind blank.
What the hell is with this kid?
Wasn't he here to prevent war? To push for peace through negotiation? To discuss resource trades?
Why did it sound like he was practically welcoming a large-scale ninja war?
What possible benefit could that bring him or the Leaf?
Rasa clenched his jaw.
Even if Haruto was reckless enough to ignore the horrors of war, the Kazekage was not.
He knew all too well the destruction it brought — and the endless chain of consequences.
And yet…
If he showed even the slightest hesitation now, it would be a concession.
A retreat.
From that moment on, the initiative would be entirely in Haruto's hands.
And Sunagakure's bargaining position would only crumble further.
"Konoha brat… you're far too arrogant!"
Rasa's teeth ground together as he made his decision.
At that instant, he chose to act.