Night had fully descended upon Sunagakure. While the lively streets were filled with warmth and light, the dimly lit path where Rasa walked alone cast a shadow of loneliness over him.
Unconsciously, Rasa found himself standing at his own doorstep. However, his mind was still echoing with the harsh words of the Third Kazekage from earlier.
"Was it those old fools behind you who sent you here?"
"Family, corporations... Sometimes they are bonds and allies, but other times, they are shackles and obstacles!"
"Have you ever considered that if you truly became the Kazekage, with your indecisive nature, you wouldn't be able to command a single elder in Sunagakure, apart from your own three children!"
"And when the next war comes, would you expect your three siblings to fight the entire battle for the village?!"
"Go back and tell those old fools behind you!"
"Whether it's now or in the future..."
"They better keep their hands to themselves and stay out of what doesn't concern them. If they touch what they shouldn't and obstruct the village's reforms..."
"No matter who it is, I will make them pay in blood!"
Rasa felt as though a heavy stone was pressing on his heart. Ever since mastering Magnet Release, he had always considered himself the most promising ninja of his generation and the strongest contender for the position of Kazekage.
This confidence stemmed from his own strength and the backing of the merchant guilds behind him...
But the self-assurance he had taken pride in was utterly shattered by Sōmi's meteoric rise.
As for those merchant guilds behind him...
Under the heavy taxes imposed by the Kazekage, they had become sluggish and stagnant. This was why they secretly supported Rasa, hoping he would succeed as Kazekage and reverse the policies unfavorable to them.
Yet Rasa hadn't considered that if he truly relied on the guilds' funding to ascend to power, just how much authority would he actually wield as Kazekage?
This was where Rasa, the so-called "Golden Miner," lacked foresight. He had never sought to control the entire industrial chain of mining, refining, processing, and selling.
Instead, he trusted those relatives of his within the guilds and their organizations.
No matter how hardworking a miner might be, if they only stood at the very top of the industrial chain, they would remain nothing more than a miner.
Sōmi had long warned the Kazekage to maintain tight control over the iron sand and gold sand industries.
First, the guilds were required to pay back taxes. Then, personnel loyal to the Kazekage were gradually inserted into their operations, turning the businesses into "public-private partnerships." Once the inner workings of the industries were fully understood, they would be nationalized in one swift move!
"You've already reached the doorstep, haven't you?"
"Why don't you come in?"
Suddenly, the door before Rasa opened, and a warm yellow light pulled him out of the darkness.
"Huh?"
"N-no... nothing... I was just..."
Hearing the gentle, maternal voice, Rasa forced a stiff smile onto his face.
"Now that you're home, don't think about anything else!"
Karura, dressed in silk pajamas, stepped out of the house and embraced Rasa tightly. She rested her head against his shoulder.
Rasa's hand hesitated for a moment before he suddenly wrapped his arms around her soft body, burying his head deeply into her shoulder as he inhaled the comforting maternal scent she exuded.
"Daddy's back?!"
"Daddy!"
Two crisp, childish voices rang out shortly after. A blonde-haired girl, delicate and doll-like, ran to the doorway.
Her wide eyes stared at her parents embracing each other. Behind her, a dark-haired boy stumbled clumsily, struggling to walk steadily as he followed his sister, repeating "Daddy, Daddy" in a mechanical tone.
Seeing the two children, Karura's face flushed slightly, and she quickly released Rasa from her embrace.
"Oh!"
"It's Temari and Kankurō!"
The stiffness on Rasa's face melted into genuine joy. He crouched down and scooped Temari and Kankurō into his arms.
He didn't forget to ask, "Where's Gaara?"
"Asleep?"
Karura nodded gently, closing the door behind her. "We've all been waiting for you! Come on, it's time to eat..."
Meanwhile, in a modest room elsewhere in the village.
This area was some distance from the commercial streets, so even though it wasn't very late, the surroundings were already quiet and still.
Under the lamplight, Sōmi sat at his desk, meticulously drawing one sealing formula after another.
Occasionally, he would grow frustrated, crumpling the paper in front of him into a ball and tossing it into the trash before continuing his work.
Time ticked by slowly until, finally...
Sōmi set down his pen and let out a long breath.
He carefully reviewed the intricate and dense sealing formula on the paper before him. Only after thoroughly scrutinizing it did he exhale deeply and mutter to himself, "It's finally done!"
"I didn't expect that even with most of the Yin Seal formula in hand, it would still take this long to complete it..."
In truth, Sōmi wasn't particularly eager to obtain the Yin Seal. However, he couldn't withstand Pakura's relentless urging. Ever since he mentioned the words "eternal youth" to her, she had been brimming with energy, as if injected with adrenaline.
She had been tirelessly training in medical ninjutsu, using the Shadow Clone Technique to maximize her efforts. Her enthusiasm for training had earned her repeated praise from Granny Chiyo, who often used her as a positive example in class.
As for using the Shadow Clone Technique for training, Sōmi had already instructed the Kazekage to teach this method to all Jōnin in the village.
Although effective, this method required extraordinary willpower and stamina. In the end, only a few were willing to push themselves to such extremes.
After making significant progress in medical ninjutsu, Pakura began waiting for Sōmi at the school gate every day after class. Her sorrowful, lingering gaze followed him relentlessly, making her look like a betrayed lover to anyone unaware of the situation.
"At last, I can deliver on my promise!"
Sōmi lay on his bed, pulling the blanket over himself as he prepared to drift into sleep.
After all, he had his own theories about the applications of the Yin Seal, and he was eager to test them. This was one of the reasons he had been so motivated to restore this secret technique.
"Shukaku!"
"Have you had enough fun for today?"
Inside the sealed space, Sōmi addressed Shukaku.
"Yo!"
"Why didn't we think of this method earlier?"
"If we had, I wouldn't have had to waste so much time sitting around in here!"
Shukaku seemed particularly excited.
"Alright, alright..."
"If you like it so much, it's an easy thing to arrange. Besides, we didn't have the Shadow Clone Technique before, so there was no way to do this..."
"Now, release the Shadow Clone Technique!"
"It's time to sleep!"
Sōmi's face showed a trace of helplessness as he tried to calm Shukaku down.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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