There weren't any of the ridiculous thoughts Rasa had imagined—because, frankly, he really hadn't thought anything like that.
After spending a day at Karura's place, Kana had gone off to Chiyo's to continue her training. Her return was simply to complete her official registration as a shinobi of Sunagakure.
Technically, her file should've been processed already, but for various reasons, it would take a few more days to formalize. While Chiyo had the authority to add, alter, or remove ninja records in the absence of the Kazekage, she'd insisted on waiting until he—the soon-to-be Fourth Kazekage—took office. That way, Kana would be the first shinobi registered under his leadership.
This way, no matter what achievements or merits Kana might earn in the future, some of that credit would reflect back on him—the keen-eyed leader who recognized her potential.
Rasa could already guess what Chiyo was doing—trying to encourage him to cultivate loyal subordinates and establish a foundation of trust and power to govern the village more effectively.
But…
Suna is broke. Like, can't-afford-rice broke. Where was he supposed to find time or resources for all that political maneuvering?
Unlike Konoha, which had a mess of clans competing for influence, Suna didn't have that problem. There weren't any powerful kekkei genkai bloodlines with deep-rooted traditions or hoarded resources. Fewer resources meant less internal division.
Rasa even had a suspicion: maybe Konoha had deliberately weakened the Hatake clan, wiped out the Uchiha, let the Senju disappear, and forcing the Hyūga into submission—all just to keep the big-name clans in check. After all, when peace finally comes, the ones with reputation, power, and money are often the first to cause chaos.
To preserve peace, those in power will do anything.
As for whether the Third Hokage was truly the kindhearted old man people claimed he was, or just someone "ignorant of everything"—well, that wasn't any of Rasa's business.
He had his own village to worry about.
And besides, except for a certain bandaged man, Konoha had always treated other villages decently. As long as you stayed quiet and didn't pose a threat, they might even be willing to form alliances.
But to threaten Konoha?
For Sunagakure, that was only possible after the Fourth Hokage was dead.
Right now, Sunagakure was practically a ghost town. If Rasa died, the place would crumble—just like Kirigakure had. Suna barely had any elite shinobi left, and the younger generation? Most weren't even worth mentioning.
Rasa considered himself an ordinary man. In his original world, he had spent most of his life scraping by. He hadn't made much money, didn't have many friends, just a keyboard and an increasingly tired body.
So when Chiyo didn't seize the opportunity to squeeze Kumo for reparations, and instead let the Fourth Raikage walk in exchange for some vague promise of peace—yeah, he was pissed.
People who've lived on the edge of survival don't just give things away. Generosity disappears fast after you graduate from college and realize the world doesn't give a damn. As long as it wasn't violating his core principles, Rasa figured… just letting those Kumo bastards walk home in one piece was already him being merciful.
They were invaders, after all. What honor do invaders deserve?
Sure, Suna had been stirring up trouble and picking fights long before he showed up—but that wasn't his doing. So why should he care?
A little selfishness wasn't a crime—especially when it came to the life or death of your own village.
All warfare is deception, after all.
If you want to be a saint, you'd better make sure your fists are big enough that no one dares call you out. Otherwise… not only your own people, but even foreign villages will see you as nothing but a damn fool.
Rasa stood tall, draped in the white windbreaker Karura had made for him, face stern as he accepted the Kazekage hat from Chiyo's weathered hands. She looked proud, even relieved.
He turned toward the square below the Kazekage Tower and drew in a deep breath. He'd expected the crowd to be thin—after all, the village was poor and barely hanging on, with most of its shinobi deployed to the front lines.
But to his surprise...
The street below was packed—so many people it was hard to even see the ground.
Sure, he was still annoyed that Chiyo had seized the entire eighty million ryō bounty from the victory—he had worked his ass off for that money, and it cost him no small amount of chakra and coin to pull it off.
But when she explained how the funds were being divided—some to support the families of fallen shinobi, some to store food, and the rest handed over directly to him to manage the village—his anger disappeared.
All that remained was a feeling he couldn't quite explain.
She had done it all… for Sunagakure.
Chiyo had no ulterior motives. After losing her son and daughter-in-law, and with her grandson missing, she'd already lost any desire to keep being a shinobi. If her grandson had been here, maybe she would've stayed—for him. But now?
She'd rather go fishing.
It was only because the village had been in crisis that she'd stepped up again. As a village elder, it was her duty. No one else could.
Rasa smiled down at the villagers, their heads raised, eyes brimming with awe. That was when he understood what that strange feeling had been.
Responsibility.
A heavy, overwhelming kind of responsibility—one he had never experienced before.
As the Kazekage, he wasn't just the village's strongest shinobi. He was its protector, its guide. He had to lead it toward survival, strength, and prosperity.
…Of course.
After receiving control of the eighty million ryō, Rasa had glanced at the in-game recharge screen of his gacha system and sighed.
It was a game where you could pay to grow stronger. And now, he suddenly had a massive bankroll in his hands.
How could he not be excited?
So… he recharged all of it.
Now he felt like a kid secretly using his parents' credit card in an online game.
He was nervous as hell.
Worried someone would find out.
Drawing a deep breath, Rasa looked out at the villagers, then picked up the green hat Chiyo had handed him—green, a color symbolizing Sunagakure's yearning for greenery in the heart of the desert—and sighed before placing it on his head.
Then, with a loud voice, he declared:
"Starting today… I, Rasa, am the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure!"
Yes, the green hat was supposed to symbolize hope in the sands.
But…
"I'll replace it eventually," Rasa thought.
The moment his voice rang out, the villagers erupted into cheers. Rasa couldn't help but smile at their joy.
"Guess I'd better figure out how to fill that hole in the budget soon…"
Autumn, Year 44 of the Konoha Calendar.
Years had passed since the mysterious disappearance of the Third Kazekage.
At last, Sunagakure had chosen a new leader: his disciple—Rasa—now the Fourth Kazekage.
At the same time, reports of Rasa's battlefield feats began to spread across the other great villages.
He had single-handedly annihilated Iwagakure's vanguard. He'd rampaged through Kusagakure seven times and returned alive. He'd stabilized the war against Kumogakure through sheer force and cunning—and even captured the future Fourth Raikage.
Alone, being the Third Kazekage's student wasn't much of a threat.
But those accomplishments?
They were terrifying.
Other villages scrambled to gather intelligence on him. Sunagakure wasn't their enemy yet, but who could say what the future held?
Meanwhile, once the inauguration ceremony ended, Chiyo departed again for the front lines—taking Kana with her, now dressed in a proper Suna shinobi uniform and having given her blessings to Rasa.
As for Rasa himself… there was no immediate need for him to step onto the battlefield. As Kazekage, his job was to stay behind and only intervene when the frontlines were in crisis.
That was the plan, anyway.
What Chiyo hadn't expected was…
The very next day after her departure—
Rasa stood before the remaining shinobi in the village, cleared his throat, and, with a perfectly straight face, read from a prepared speech:
"Starting today, Sunagakure will begin shifting its primary focus… away from war and toward—"
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