If Orochimaru hadn't mentioned Rasa, Haruki would have completely forgotten about Sunagakure.
As expected, Rasa must have arrived due to the recent statements made by the Land of Wind Daimyo.
Although most ninja, due to their education, lacked political and economic awareness, neither the Third Kazekage nor Rasa were truly foolish. It was obvious who offered greater benefits.
Sunagakure had been impoverished in the past largely because of inadequate support from the Land of Wind government.
The deeper issue, however, was that the Land of Wind itself was also impoverished.
Its harsh desert environment left them helpless.
But unlike Konoha, Haruki had helped them develop a unique desert economy without any unequal treaties, opening up new possibilities.
By ninja world standards, this was practically a miracle—beyond their comprehension.
The desert, long considered barren, proved to be rich in resources and wealth.
To be fair, over these years, both the Third Kazekage and Rasa had repeatedly lamented how their ancestors must have lived like stray dogs, never realizing its potential.
The only one who had actually made use of the desert was Rasa.
Even then, it was only because of his Kekkei Genkai—transforming into the Gold Miner—and earning some hard-earned cash.
"I'll go see him later."
Haruki wasn't in any hurry. After all, if Rasa had already waited for days, he wouldn't mind waiting a bit longer.
"The Land of Lightning and Kumogakure now belong to Konoha, but we're short on manpower. I plan to restructure Kumogakure first."
"How do you intend to proceed?"
Orochimaru asked with feigned indifference.
Haruki explained the key measures he had planned for Kumogakure.
In short, two words: We need more manpower.
Orochimaru fell into slight contemplation.
In truth, Konoha itself didn't have many hands left.
If Haruki hadn't established civilian universities in recent years and recruited civilians, there definitely wouldn't have been enough personnel.
Besides that, ninja training differed significantly from that of ordinary civilians—it leaned heavily toward combat techniques.
"Let Tomomi Koki take charge of the operation."
Seeing Orochimaru hesitate, Haruki suddenly suggested, "Though Kumogakure is under our control, public perception won't shift overnight. Tomomi is good at propaganda; perhaps he can change their mindset."
"Fine."
Since Haruki had already clarified his reasoning, Orochimaru stopped thinking.
Truthfully, he disliked such matters anyway.
"Oshima Yoshiyuki will hold a project bidding process in the Land of Rain, contracting its reconstruction, especially transportation."
Haruki remembered the Land of Rain and decided to mention it as well. "This will require your coordination. A new nation means a new market, but unnecessary exploitation must be avoided. Mutual cooperation leading to shared benefits is ideal."
Orochimaru had long gotten used to Haruki's mix of cunning yet fair nature.
But bringing up the Land of Rain, he asked, "Now that the war in the Land of Rain has ended, Tsunade should be returning soon, right?"
Once upon a time, he had aspired to become Hokage, but after serving briefly as acting leader, he realized such an office-drone lifestyle didn't suit him.
Especially during wartime, over half of each twenty-four-hour period was spent handling official duties.
Let whoever wanted to be Hokage take it.
He couldn't help but feel somewhat impatient, wishing Tsunade would return and take over for him.
Haruki couldn't help but chuckle slightly.
He suddenly recalled a saying from his past life: If you think life lacks excitement, go become a cog in the corporate machine. Then you'll realize that everything outside of work can actually be enjoyable.
"She should be back soon," Haruki mused, muttering to himself.
In truth, there wasn't much pressing duty keeping her in the Land of Rain. Most likely, it was because the Akatsuki was still in the early stages of reforming, requiring her guidance, which delayed her schedule.
"If you're anxious, you could always urge her to hurry."
"I will," Orochimaru replied without hesitation at the suggestion.
Haruki could clearly sense his impatience.
Truthfully, the Hokage's responsibilities weren't usually this overwhelming. After all, the Executive Department normally handled most minor affairs for him.
But now, nearly all the department staff were away, leaving those tasks inevitably piled onto Orochimaru instead.
"There's another thing," Orochimaru added, picking up a scroll. "Per your orders, the Agriculture Department has joined forces with the Surveying Department to measure all arable land within the Land of Fire and reclaim all lands illegally occupied by nobles—all of which are now under Konoha's control."
Then he frowned slightly, puzzled as he asked, "What exactly are we planning to do with so much farmland? You aren't seriously suggesting ninja start farming, are you?"
"Why not?" Haruki countered. "You know many ninja stay Genin their whole lives, and surviving solely on mission remuneration makes it hard to live comfortably. But agriculture could change that."
"You certainly think differently," Orochimaru remarked, still clinging to the traditional view of ninja roles, though he admitted Haruki's point made sense.
"But even if every ninja across the Land of Fire worked nonstop, wouldn't that still be impossible to manage?"
He glanced at the figures in the intelligence report—the reclaimed farmland covered almost one-third of the entire country.
"Of course Konoha won't bear the entire burden," Haruki shook his head.
Most nations in the ninja world were essentially agricultural states, with nearly all territory outside forests and mountains suitable for cultivation.
"My plan is to lease the farmland proportionally based on population size using a contract-based system."
Orochimaru hesitated briefly at this, naturally confused.
"This sounds similar to how nobles operated before—they owned the land and had civilians or slaves farm it."
"The difference is huge. Yes, we're calling it 'leasing,' but without any actual rent. We'll only collect minimal taxes."
Haruki explained further.
That wasn't all—he also planned for the Agriculture Department to develop improved crop varieties and teach farming techniques to civilians, significantly increasing yields.
The remaining farmland would then be allocated to ninja.
From Haruki's perspective, Chakra functioned like tractors did in his previous life—enabling intensive farming while minimizing labor needs.
"When Tsunade returns, have her convene a meeting of the Policy Department. The integration of the Land of Lightning and Kumogakure requires changes in terminology—we can no longer rely solely on the name 'Land of Fire.'"
Haruki originally planned to implement it after everything settled down, but now he believed it was wiser to make the decision earlier.
Continuing to rely on the existing structure of the Land of Lightning and Kumogakure would allow certain individuals to cling to outdated expectations.
Standardizing terminology was no minor issue.
After leaving the Hokage's office, Haruki met Rasa at a hotel specifically designated for hosting visitors from other villages.
"Lord Haruki?"
When he opened the door and suddenly saw Haruki standing there, Rasa was clearly startled.
But he quickly composed himself and quickly stepped aside to invite him in.
Rasa had always been respectful toward Haruki, but now his attitude showed even deeper deference—veering into servility.
"Please, Lord Haruki."
He respectfully presented a cup of tea with both hands.
Meanwhile, inside, he was cursing the Daimyo of the Land of Wind. If that fool hadn't misjudged the situation, how could I—the future Fourth Kazekage—end up like this?
"My teacher asked me to come here to apologize on behalf of the Daimyo of the Land of Wind. He said things he shouldn't have said."
Looking at Haruki's calm expression, Rasa spoke sincerely.
"The words of the Daimyo do not represent the stance of Sunagakure. No matter what happens, Sunagakure will always remain Konoha's ally. This is something that will never change."
Haruki took a sip of water.
He believed that Rasa was telling the truth.
After all, unlike the clueless Daimyo of the Land of Wind, Rasa wasn't stupid.
Only these arrogant nobles high above understood nothing of what Konoha's strength truly meant now.
"What are you planning to do about it?"
Haruki looked at him and continued asking.
One sentence wouldn't be enough to get past him.
Rasa obviously understood as well. He took a deep breath before replying, "Sunagakure will support a new Daimyo who favors us."
Haruki felt slightly surprised.
Not bad. It was rare to see them display such boldness.
If they had possessed such decisiveness back in the original storyline, they wouldn't have fallen into the indignity of having to pan for gold like the Kazekage did.
Indeed, once someone becomes accustomed to a life of wealth, returning to the past is simply unacceptable.
That was precisely how Sunagakure felt now.
Konoha had provided them an unimaginable level of income, so anyone who stood in their way was considered an enemy.
Unless another powerful patron or benefactor emerged.
But across the entire ninja world, besides Konoha, who else could offer them such support and stability?
Sunagakure's approach reminded Haruki of a certain political system from his previous life.
With two villages maintaining a strong alliance, he generally had no intention of assuming full control over the Land of Wind and Sunagakure.
Unless they utterly provoked Konoha.
However, keeping the Land of Wind under feudal rule wasn't beneficial for economic development.
"Rasa, have you ever heard of monarchic rule?"
Putting down his teacup with a smile, Haruki asked.
"No," Rasa shook his head.
"Currently, your village no longer relies on aid from the Land of Wind—in fact, your economy has surpassed theirs. Have you ever considered taking full control of the entire Land of Wind?"
Haruki's quiet words left Rasa frozen in place.
They genuinely hadn't considered anything like that before.
Their most radical plan had only been replacing the Daimyo.
"But…we don't really understand governing a country."
Rasa mused aloud.
Controlling the entire Land of Wind sounded great in theory.
But ninja are taught lethal techniques from a young age. Letting them govern a nation would lead to utter chaos.
"That's why I'm explaining the concept of monarchy to you."
Haruki smiled and began describing the monarchic system from his previous life.
To put it simply, the monarch held power in name only—nothing more than a symbol.
The real power, however, rested with the parliament, which governed the nation.
However, the situation in the Land of Wind and Sunagakure was slightly different.
He suggested that Sunagakure control the parliament using military strength and economic leverage, thereby gaining indirect dominance over the entire Land of Wind.
Rasa's eyes widened in surprise.
Is there such an approach?
Wouldn't that make Sunagakure the de facto ruler behind the throne?
"But..."
Rasa hesitated.
If force were used, Sunagakure could naturally achieve this.
Yet he still felt uneasy about it internally.
"Won't this provoke discontent among the nobles?"
"No," Haruki shook his head. "Let me ask you—who currently holds the most power in the Land of Wind?"
"Obviously the Daimyo."
"And what's the purpose of the parliamentary system? To sideline the Daimyo and distribute power among the nobles. Do you really think they'll be unhappy?"
Understanding dawned on Rasa immediately.
The nobles probably wouldn't just remain unbothered—they'd actively support this move.
"My concern is whether they would let us manipulate them from behind the scenes."
"Of course; no one wants to be controlled."
"Then..."
"What? If they're unwilling, are you willing to stay beneath the Land of Wind forever?"
Haruki chuckled lightly and said, "Rasa, you're going to be Kazekage one day—be more daring. If you accomplish this during your term as Kage, you will surpass even your teacher. You'll become the most unique and powerful Kazekage in history, destined to be recorded in Sunagakure's annals."
Rasa's breathing quickened.
Haruki's words pierced straight into his heart.
His greatest dream had always been to become the greatest Kazekage.
But his strength was somewhat inferior to that of the Third Kazekage.
Becoming the strongest Kazekage seemed out of reach, but everything Haruki said made perfect sense.
By controlling the Land of Wind, he could usher in an unprecedented new era for Sunagakure.
Truly, it was like the whisper of a devil.
A range of expressions crossed Rasa's face before he finally gritted his teeth and spoke, "Please, Lord Haruki, lend me your support."
Haruki studied him briefly before saying, "I'll write a letter. You can deliver it to your teacher."
He summoned a Storage Scroll and retrieved paper and ink.
After a few minutes, he folded the completed letter and handed it to Rasa.
"Thank you, Lord Haruki."
Though Rasa was curious about the letter's contents, he dared not read it without permission, restraining his curiosity as he stored it away.
When the conversation ended,
Haruki saw Rasa off, then summoned Tomomi Koki.
"You're coming with me to Kumogakure for a bit of propaganda work. At the same time, have the Education Department select... ten teachers."
He planned to train three hundred Cloud Jonin first, then think about the children afterward.
"Understood."
Tomomi Koki handled things as efficiently as always, assembling a team of thirty people within less than ten minutes.
[Flying Thunder God Technique] activated.
Haruki led thirty Konoha ninja into Kumogakure.
After exchanging greetings with Hatake Sakumo, he made his way directly to the Ninja Academy.
The Ninja Academy in Kumogakure was nearly identical to Konoha's Ninja Academy seven years prior.
As Haruki wandered around, he couldn't help but feel as though he had returned to a familiar place, filled with nostalgia.
Shikaku Nara, who had been waiting for quite some time, stepped forward to greet him.
Behind him stood a young man.
He bore a strong resemblance to Shikaku—his son, Shikaru Nara, who was twenty-three this year.
"Lord Haruki,"
Shikaku Nara remarked, his usual calm expression intact. "The original instructors at the Ninja Academy have not yet been replaced, but we've already standardized the textbooks to match Konoha's. As for your suggestion regarding assigning three hundred jonin as instructors, we're planning to build a new teaching building."
"There's no need for such extensive preparations."
Haruki formed a series of hand seals and then slammed his palms onto the ground. Instantly, countless vines erupted from the ground, rapidly weaving themselves into an elaborate wooden structure.
Shikaku blinked.
In just an instant.
A brand-new building had risen from the ground.
[Wood Release]? So versatile?
Thinking this, the chief of Human Resources couldn't help but feel excited again.
"I'm confident that with you here, we'll complete Kumogakure's renovation in no time."
"…"
Haruki opened his mouth slightly.
Wait—what exactly do you think I am?
I'm not a carpenter or a construction contractor.
You're already scheming to put my abilities to work like this?
"Such craftsmanship is hard to come by in Kumogakure for now. But with Lord Haruki, we could save a large sum on labor costs while also saving plenty of time."
Noticing Haruki's expression for the first time, Shikaku hesitated before adding, "If you're unwilling, just pretend I never said anything."
"It's fine."
Haruki smiled faintly.
"Since you put it that way, I suppose I can lend a hand."
Strangely, it suddenly felt a bit cold.
Thought Shikaku.