The Land of Wind, Sunagakure, Kazekage's Office.
"Sōmi, you're back?"
Although the Third Kazekage's face showed traces of exhaustion, he still greeted Sōmi with a smile.
Sōmi was dressed in his usual black and red combat attire, with a blue-and-gold staff slung diagonally across his back. His long black hair hung down, nearly covering his eyes, likely due to not having had a haircut in quite some time.
He nodded slightly and asked, "How's the implementation of the new currency going?"
"It's working quite well in both Asuka District and Ryukawa District. Following your method of tying the currency to agricultural products, the common people in those areas have clearly embraced it," the Third Kazekage replied approvingly.
"We must maintain control over agricultural product price fluctuations and keep them within a reasonable range. Otherwise, this could easily become a point of exploitation by other nations to disrupt our economy," Sōmi said.
"What about the curriculum materials?" he continued.
"They're almost ready. The first edition of the moral guidelines and your newly compiled 'Fundamentals of Sealing Techniques' have been divided into four volumes and are already being implemented," the Kazekage responded.
"But..."
The Kazekage's expression grew concerned. After a pause, he continued, "After establishing ninja academies in both Ryukawa City and Asuka Town, we've suddenly found ourselves short on teachers..."
Before the Kazekage could finish, Sōmi interjected, seemingly trying to cut him off.
"That's not a problem. If we're short on teachers, just cram more students into each class and increase the teachers' pay!"
"The priority right now is to identify talented individuals and provide targeted training. Our nation is in a period of rebuilding, and we urgently need skilled people to fill various vacancies!"
"What about teachers for sealing techniques?!"
The Kazekage's eyes widened as he glared at Sōmi, his tone filled with frustration. "Right now, you're the only one in the entire village who can decipher and teach the Uzumaki Clan's sealing techniques!"
"I asked you to set up a training program to teach a batch of beginner-level sealing technique instructors months ago, but you declined, saying you needed to study Sage Mode..."
"That was over three months ago!"
"Surely you have time now, don't you?"
"Sōmi..."
Seeing the Kazekage about to launch into a heartfelt lecture, Sōmi quickly raised his hands in surrender and said helplessly, "Alright, alright... Sensei..."
"I'll do it! I'll set up the training program, okay?"
The Kazekage immediately broke into a triumphant smile.
"That's the spirit!"
"I've already arranged the schedule for you: three hours every morning and three hours every afternoon."
"The location is the top-floor office of the ninja academy, and I've selected the participants. They're all ninjas with a basic understanding of sealing techniques!"
"..."
Though Sōmi felt reluctant, he understood that this task was non-negotiable. No one else in Sunagakure could take his place for this particular responsibility.
Seeing Sōmi agree, the Kazekage finally breathed a sigh of relief. Leaning back in his chair, the weight of his body caused the chair to creak under the strain.
"Ah..."
"Geniuses..."
"There just aren't that many geniuses..."
"Sometimes, I can't help but envy Konohagakure for having so many exceptional Kekkei Genkai and family legacies..."
"They don't even need to invest much in training. Their people grow up to be highly capable, and every now and then, they produce a few extraordinary talents..."
The Kazekage sighed wistfully.
After a long pause, he suddenly pulled out a document from a stack of files and placed it on the desk.
"Take a look! These are the names of students who were rejected from the ninja academy this year!"
He then swiveled his chair toward the window, gazing into the distance.
Initially uninterested, Sōmi reluctantly picked up the document after seeing the Kazekage's posture.
"Hm?!"
Suddenly, Sōmi's heart skipped a beat as one of the names triggered a deeply buried memory.
On the last page of the document was a student's full personal information, accompanied by a photo of a boy with dark blue hair and a calm, resolute expression that hinted at great inner strength.
The notes indicated that the boy had been rejected due to his poor aptitude in both ninjutsu and genjutsu. The academy's teachers unanimously concluded that he lacked the potential to become a ninja and suggested assigning him to a workshop to learn a trade.
The boy's name was written clearly: Shira.
"Hmm..."
"Shira..."
After memorizing Shira's address, Sōmi quietly closed the file and placed it back on the desk.
He didn't plan to mention Shira to the Kazekage just yet. After all, in the current Sunagakure, no one believed that taijutsu alone could produce an exceptional ninja.
As for Might Duy, who gained fame during the Third Shinobi World War, his success was attributed to mastering the Forbidden Technique Eight Gates, which Sunagakure had no equivalent for in taijutsu training.
"What about the Shikotsumyaku?" Sōmi asked.
"Oh, that. We've already extracted the 'genetic information' and conducted experiments on over a dozen volunteers. The experiments were successful. In a few years, Sunagakure will have its own clan with the Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai!"
The Kazekage's eyes lit up with excitement as he spoke.
"As for those whose memories were erased, they've been reassigned to the Anbu. They've undergone re-education in basic life skills and obedience training, and they're almost ready now."
"After having their memories wiped, they're like completely different people. The madness in their eyes is gone, replaced by a cold, machine-like demeanor. They'll carry out any order fearlessly..."
The Kazekage murmured, clearly satisfied with the combat potential of the eerie yet powerful Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai after personally testing it.
"Oh, right!"
"Regarding our country's desert reclamation efforts, we've diverted rivers from Asuka District and Ryukawa District into our territory, building desert reservoirs and underground channels along the way."
"The results have been quite significant. Many endangered oases have been revitalized with abundant water sources!"
"However, as the project progresses, the challenges are becoming increasingly difficult."
"Even though we've been setting up straw checkerboard sand barriers, fence-style sand barriers, and upright sand barriers as windbreaks along the way, the wind and sand are too overwhelming. The loose, fine sand gets blown everywhere, burying the barriers entirely..."
"As a result, we've made little progress over the past few months..."
Hearing this, Sōmi could only shake his head. Desert reclamation was indeed a slow process, and he had already contributed all the feasible solutions he could think of.
"Sensei, I..."
Just as Sōmi was about to say something, the Kazekage interrupted him.
"No!"
"You have a solution! Or rather, the Shukaku within you has a solution!"
"All you need to do is use Shukaku's power to manipulate the sand, moving the surface sand to another area. Then we can use Earth Release techniques to reshape the terrain and channel water into it, creating new oases!"
The Kazekage pulled out a map of the Land of Wind from a drawer, gesturing as he explained. He suggested using Sōmi's abilities to push the entire western desert of the Land of Wind eastward, even beyond the country's borders.
Sōmi stared blankly at the Kazekage. Such a massive undertaking—just relying on him?
Even a draft animal wouldn't be worked this hard...
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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