Reborn!

28: Aeroplane: Hikōki

A fluctuation.

The sensation caused a furrow to appear on Naruto's brow.

He glanced at the wall enclosing Sunagakure from the sandy plains beyond.

It appeared... that the snake had made his move.

It might have been concealed, but the killing intent of the intruder was astonishingly dense. If he was not mistaken, Orochimaru should have been visiting to discuss the cooperation between Otogakure and Sunagakure. Rasa had yet to respond to his offer and was supposed to inform Orochimaru of his decision on the latter's next visit. There was no logical reason for Orochimaru to be after Rasa's life at this stage.

If so, there was a trace of possibility that the Kazekage never betrayed Konohagakure even in the previous timeline. Naruto briefly reevaluated what he already knew about the absent father of his first jinchūriki acquaintance. Perhaps subconsciously, Naruto labelled Rasa as a man who did not care about human emotions and was not loyal to alliances. He might have looked down on him, even if only vaguely, for his incompetence in managing his familial situation and maintaining his composure despite the sway of benefits. His demise at Orochimaru's hands in the previous life was not necessarily because he had doomed himself due to his greed either. He may have also humbly refused or asked for more time to make his decision as he had done in this timeline. His death was an unfortunate accident, not wrought upon himself but a product of Orochimaru's selfishness.

With such a realisation, when Naruto came to Rasa's rescue in the form of a certain violet-eyed redhead, the eyes with which he looked at the Kazekage changed.

If the man in question felt discomfort due to this change, he certainly did not show it.

Naruto assisted Rasa during the brief skirmish, which passed quickly as if the conflict had never happened. Orochimaru was compliant, backing off as soon as his first blow aimed at Rasa's vital points was avoided smoothly. It might have been out of respect for the Kazekage, who reacted swiftly by using Jiton to block the fatal attack. He might have also planned to spare Rasa if the latter was capable enough to skilfully escape the jaws of death. The blond in disguise did not know the snake Sannin well enough to determine his motives, but he did not care enough to dwell too long on the matter.

Although Rasa could never have caught the sneak attack in time to survive the assassination attempt, Orochimaru never discerned that there was someone else present during his hit-and-run.

"You should be more on guard, Kazekage-sama," Naruto advised with a word of caution, "I will be leaving soon. The scheduled programme that has provided cover for my presence here shall end after this final fortnight."

Rasa inclined his head in agreement.

"I understand. I am grateful for your aid. I, Rasa, owe you my life," the Kazekage replied formally.

Naruto felt the corners of his lips tilt upwards.

"There isn't any need for that. This is all for the benefit of Konoha. You are, after all, the leader of the village allied with mine," Naruto deflected lightly, refusing the life debt that Rasa so artlessly tried to push onto him.

With that not-quite-there smile on his face, Naruto promptly disappeared from Rasa's sight.

ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ

"Well done, Sō," a redhead commended as he appeared in front of a whiskered blond.

"Master," the shorter figure greeted, setting down the materials he was using to craft an amulet with some fūinjutsu function or another.

"Come, let's switch back," Naruto returned to his usual appearance, standing at the same height as the blood clone before him.

"Yes, Master," Sōjirō answered, obediently taking the form that Naruto had just shed.