Thanks to Haruki's convincing act, Rasa believed his story.
Mainly because even if he didn't believe it, there wasn't much he could do about it.
He couldn't just detain Haruki for interrogation.
If he really did that, he'd end up being the one under investigation instead of Haruki.
Reasoning only works when both sides are evenly matched in power.
Too big a gap?
Then it comes down to the other person's goodwill.
And clearly, Haruki hadn't gone completely evil yet.
Rasa carefully reviewed the new alliance agreement before solemnly signing his name.
Thus, the relationship between Konoha and Sunagakure was further solidified.
After losing their Tailed Beast, Sunagakure was still more than capable of dealing with ordinary factions.
But if another attack similar to Obito's occurred, they would have no choice but to rely on Konoha.
Actually, in the original storyline, after Gaara had his Tailed Beast extracted, Sunagakure clung tightly to Konoha and still lived comfortably enough.
However, Rasa wasn't Gaara. His ambitions were greater, and he didn't fully trust Konoha, which was why he felt concerned.
Haruki picked up Konoha's copy of the contract and smiled as he said, "Rasa, I heard there used to be an ancient kingdom called Loulan in the Land of Wind. Do you know about it?"
Rasa's hand holding the scroll trembled slightly.
What was going on?
Had the information been leaked?
Of course he knew about the Kingdom of Loulan.
It was located within the Land of Wind, after all.
But it went far beyond just that.
Beneath the ruins of the Loulan Kingdom lay a dragon vein.
A massive concentration of chakra.
Sunagakure had already set its sights on it long ago.
They hadn't deciphered the seal yet, but they already regarded it as theirs.
Especially now, after losing the One-Tailed Shukaku, the dragon vein had become even more important.
With chakra comparable to that of a Tailed Beast, it could serve as a viable substitute.
"I've also heard of the Kingdom of Loulan."
Rasa frowned slightly, feigning contemplation as he answered.
Saying he didn't know would seem implausible.
"But it has long been destroyed. Its ruins are buried beneath the vast desert sands; nobody knows where they are anymore."
He displayed genuine-looking confusion. "May I ask why you're bringing this up, Lord Haruki?"
Haruki couldn't help but smile.
Since becoming Kazekage, Rasa's acting skills had sharpened significantly.
One wouldn't notice unless paying close attention.
But there was no way he could deceive him.
"Nothing in particular, really. Just saw some historical records the other day while bored, so I figured I'd ask casually."
"I see."
Rasa relaxed inwardly but remained skeptical of Haruki's words.
Haruki studied him before asking, "What about what I told you earlier regarding monarchy? Have you given it any thought?"
"I plan to follow your suggestion exactly."
Rasa seemed to have made his decision already, without hesitation.
This was mainly due to the recent incident where the Daimyo of the Land of Wind suddenly spoke out in defense, teaching him the true meaning of "misfortune comes from one's mouth."
Thankfully, it was Tsunade and Haruki involved.
If it had been a Hokage who held grudges, their lives might have become difficult.
"Once you complete the reform of the system, economic ties with Konoha can become even closer."
"That goes without saying."
Rasa nodded with a faint smile.
Previously, using only Sunagakure's resources had already brought them great wealth.
Now that he controlled the entire Land of Wind, wasn't it like raking in money without lifting a finger?
More importantly, there was no longer any need for him to act as a gold miner.
Haruki wrapped up his conversation with Rasa.
He left the Kazekage's office.
And the instant he was out of sight, Rasa immediately summoned an Anbu and ordered him to notify the ninja monitoring the Loulan bloodline to be extra cautious.
If you run into Haruki… well, don't even try resisting.
Surely he wouldn't really send them off to die?
Better not to risk unnecessary sacrifices.
The only thing Rasa could do now was pray.
Praying that Haruki's words were sincere.
That he was just asking out of curiosity, not seriously setting his sights on the dragon vein.
Haruki arrived smoothly at Chiyo's house.
"Seems I arrived at just the right time."
He entered to find Chiyo's family of four already having dinner.
Alongside Chiyo and Sasori sat Sasori's parents.
Created by Orochimaru using their genetic material, fused with the Impure World Reincarnation technique.
In a way, these were his real parents.
"Haruki?"
Chiyo didn't look particularly pleased seeing him.
After all, she had battled him during the last war, trading blows and poison techniques.
What frustrated her most was her total defeat.
Of course, she refused to believe it was because she was weaker than Haruki.
It was because back then, Haruki and Tsunade ganged up on her, so she was completely overpowered.
One-on-one, she still thought she might have a shot at winning.
Sasori and his parents, however, held a different attitude toward him.
They showed great respect.
"Please, no formalities."
Haruki waved them off and took a seat at the dining table. "I hope you don't mind if I join you?"
"Of course not."
Sasori quickly shook his head, stood up, and fetched another set of chopsticks and a bowl, handing them to Haruki.
"Thanks."
Haruki accepted without hesitation.
As a high-ranking official of Sunagakure, the food on the table was naturally more than enough for four people.
There was plenty of food for one more person.
The meal passed with casual conversation.
Unexpectedly, Chiyo was the one asking the most questions.
Like Rasa, she suspected the mysterious ninja who attacked them belonged to the Uchiha Clan.
Although Haruki provided explanations, her expression made it clear she didn't entirely buy it.
But considering Sasori's presence and the fact that she couldn't beat Haruki anyway, she refrained from further questioning.
After dinner, Haruki walked along the streets.
Since he wasn't particularly close with other ninja in Sunagakure, there was no reason to visit anyone else.
Soon, his figure vanished.
Reappearing outside the village.
Not far from him stood an Anbu wearing a mask.
Haruki followed silently, eventually reaching an ancient ruined city hidden deep within the desert.
Without a guide, no one would ever find this place.
Loulan Ancient Kingdom.
Actually, it should be more accurately called Loulan City.
The Anbu didn't slow his pace.
Haruki guessed he must be heading to seek out descendants of the Loulan Kingdom.
The original story once mentioned the Queen of Loulan.
However, Haruki wasn't particularly interested.
His sensory chakra spread outward, and soon he detected a familiar chakra signature.
A sealing technique belonging to the Uzumaki Clan.
Haruki appeared before the seal.
This was a multi-layered seal formation.
After all, the dragon vein was no small thing.
Minato likely used the same sealing method designed for tailed beasts.
Haruki quickly identified several sealing techniques.
For example, the Four Symbols Seal.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The dragon vein had the power to traverse time and space.
After a moment of consideration, however, he decided not to use that power.
The risks involved in time-space travel were unpredictable.
Besides, he didn't need to return to the past or leap into the future.
The reason Haruki wanted the dragon vein was to create a charging conduit.
He performed hand seals with both hands.
He didn't know how to dispel the Uzumaki Clan's sealing techniques.
But even those techniques had their limits.
A massive surge of chakra morphed into spiraling iron drills and slammed into the seal.
The ground around him shook violently.
Gales howled through the air.
Haruki felt the dragon vein's chakra leaking outward.
Rocks shattered and dust swirled into the air.
Such a massive disturbance inevitably drew Sunagakure's attention.
Just as Anbu members arrived on the scene, this happened.
They all wore grim looks.
At the same time, they braced themselves mentally for the worst.
Eighteen ninjas moved swiftly through the swirling sandstorm.
Soon, they caught sight of Haruki.
Without hesitation, the leader of the Anbu unit barked, "Fall back!"