"What… did you just say?!"
Rasa stood rooted to the spot, seriously wondering if there was something wrong with his hearing. There was no way he'd just heard such an outrageous claim.
But it wasn't only Rasa left dumbfounded — every elder present looked just as stunned.
They had all heard Senju Haruto clearly: forests… waterfalls… offered to Sunagakure.
And they understood exactly what that meant.
The Land of Wind's soil had always been barren, unfit for agriculture.
Water sources were even scarcer, a problem that had plagued the village for generations.
Despite their hardships, the heavens had never shown Sunagakure the slightest mercy.
Across the Land of Wind, sandstorms grew more severe each year, while oases and fresh water sources steadily disappeared.
Even without the cruelty of war, the people of the Land of Wind had always lived in hardship.
And yet… Haruto was claiming he could give them exactly what they had longed for all this time.
Just what kind of man was this?
In truth, even Kakashi and Tenzo — who had accompanied Haruto to this meeting — were staring at him wide-eyed, utterly floored.
"What you're saying…"
"…is it true?"
After a long, heavy silence, one of the elders finally spoke, his voice trembling.
It was not just his own question, but the question on the mind of every single person in Sunagakure who had just heard Haruto's words.
"You're serious?"
Rasa clenched his fists tightly, his gaze locked on Haruto's.
Shocked though he was by what Haruto had said, the excitement it stirred in him was undeniable.
"Of course I'm serious," Haruto said, pausing for a moment before continuing. "Whether it's the Land of Earth, the Land of Lightning, or the Land of Water — I can say with confidence, even if they all worked together, they couldn't accomplish what I can."
"However, Kazekage… you should understand: this isn't charity. It's a transaction. In exchange, I want the Land of Wind to refrain from trading gold sand with any other nation."
"Your gold sand is to be supplied only to Konoha."
His voice rang with finality.
Though Sunagakure was the weakest of the Five Great Hidden Villages in terms of military might, their wealth told a different story.
They not only possessed vast reserves of gold sand, but also another resource — oil.
While the current shinobi world had little use for it, the day would come when it would be invaluable.
"This…"
Rasa's breath caught, and he sank back into his chair with a thump.
If Haruto could truly provide what he claimed, this was indeed a deal worth making.
No…
Rasa shook his head slightly. The authority to finalize such a deal wasn't his alone.
It was just that Haruto's offer had been so shocking, Rasa had momentarily lost his composure.
The man sitting across from him was no Sage of Six Paths, no saint.
Moments ago, he had been holding the people of Sunagakure hostage in all but name.
"…I understand," Rasa said at last, calming his breathing. "I can agree to your terms."
"Not 'can' — must."
Haruto let out a low, cold laugh. "Kazekage, when did you get the mistaken idea that you have the option to refuse?"
"If you're unwilling… then I'll simply erase Sunagakure from the map and extract the gold sand myself using Magnet Release."
"It would be a bit troublesome, but hardly impossible."
The words hit Rasa like a bucket of ice water.
Haruto might say he wasn't a devil, but his actions… told another story.
The elders seated on either side looked both outraged and helpless.
Haruto's strength far surpassed Rasa's. His threat wasn't empty bluster — it was fact.
Rasa's eyes widened, but in the end he could only nod.
"…I understand."
"As for the forests and waterfalls—"
Rasa began to ask, but Haruto cut him off with a curt wave of the hand.
"Come with me."
With that, Haruto rose from his seat and strode toward the door.
Rasa glanced around at the gathered elders, then had no choice but to follow quickly.
Kakashi and Tenzo exchanged a brief glance, their curiosity about Haruto only deepening, before they too followed.
"Where are we going?" Rasa asked, walking on Haruto's right but never ahead of him — keeping precisely one step behind.
It was easy to see that Haruto now held absolute dominance in Sunagakure.
Throughout the Kazekage's building, Sunagakure shinobi stood watch, eyes sharp and hostile.
Haruto noted every expression, feeling their collective animosity.
He was certain that if Rasa gave the order, these shinobi would charge at him without hesitation, using every technique they knew.
Behind him, Kakashi and Tenzo remained alert.
If anything happened, Tenzo was ready to use Wood Release to defend instantly.
But…
Rasa never gave the order.
A master of Magnet Release, he knew that with a single thought, Haruto could pull up vast amounts of gold sand from beneath their feet, neutralizing any attack.
And what would follow could very well become the greatest crisis Sunagakure had ever faced.
Though part of him wanted to risk it all, Rasa restrained himself, walking with Haruto out of the Kazekage's building.
The streets of Sunagakure were eerily empty.
Not a single civilian could be seen.
Instead, an uneasy stillness filled the air.
Haruto scanned the surroundings and noticed women and children peering nervously from behind shuttered windows, their faces tense and fearful.
Rasa noticed it too.
The sight left a bitter taste in his mouth.
That his own people should look upon him — and especially upon Haruto — with such expressions was a weight he could hardly bear.
The shadow Haruto had cast over the village, Rasa thought grimly, was even greater than that of Gaara at his most unstable.
Worse still… there was nothing he could do now except try to appease him.
Let's hope… Haruto can really deliver on his promise, Rasa told himself.
"All right. Here will do."
Haruto stopped abruptly and looked around.
They had reached the outskirts of Sunagakure, a place sparsely populated and badly eroded.
"Barren" didn't even begin to describe it — and Haruto thought the term "lifeless wasteland" was more fitting.
Rasa, however, was more tense than ever.
"Watch closely, Rasa. This is what I can give Sunagakure."
Haruto clapped his hands together, then slammed them against the ground.
In truth, the idea hadn't been his own — it had come from Tenzo's example.
Back when Tenzo had been helping Naruto learn to infuse elemental chakra into the Rasengan, he had used this very technique.
"Earth Style — Earth Flow Rampart!"