Land of Rain in August, and you're telling me to wear a thick cotton coat?
Rasa stared speechlessly at Mōmu, who was fawning and flattering with everything he had. With a sigh of exasperation, he shook his head.
"Get lost."
That morning, he had come to inspect the refinery under Mōmu's charge. Most of the workers were ordinary civilians from the Land of Rain.
Clearly, Mōmu had done a decent job carrying out orders—he had properly integrated with the local populace at the grassroots level.
And the civilians of the Land of Rain weren't strong—making them ideal subjects for Sunagakure's oversight.
And more importantly… there were a lot of them.
The only downside was their inefficiency in mining. Despite having numbers, their output was still inferior to that of a handful of trained shinobi.
Rasa gave the area a once-over and nodded.
"Not bad. Seems you've been managing things well. When we return to the village, bring your workers—and make sure the copper and other ores come too. We're about to lay power lines in the village, and these metals will be needed for future development."
He paused, then continued:
"Shinobi from the Land of Wind have already been dispatched to scout out mineral veins nearby. Unfortunately… most of the mines inside Wind Country have long since been taken over and exploited by those greedy nobles. As for the land around Sunagakure… to be honest, the First Kazekage didn't pick the best spot. The oasis is small, the wind and sand are fierce, and there aren't any nearby cities or oases. It's a terrible location for economic growth."
"Uh…" Mōmu scratched his head, hesitating. "Actually, I heard our village's oasis used to be pretty good—clear water, fat fish, far from the city and other settlements. Peaceful and quiet, untouched by outside interference. It's just… the Second Kazekage invented puppets."
"…"
So the shrinking oasis was your own damn fault?
Rasa looked at Mōmu, utterly speechless. He sighed and shook his head.
"How's life here?"
"It's alright. Just… I'm not used to going so long without hearing Lord Kazekage's teachings."
As he spoke, Mōmu chuckled and scratched his head, then looked up in the direction of Sunagakure, eyes filled with nostalgia and weariness.
"I… your humble servant… misses distant Sunagakure. I miss the village's beauty. I miss the fish in the little lake, I miss Pei, I miss Daimaru, I miss the two trees in the square… and I miss you, Lord Kazekage. Your handsome face, your majestic figure, your kind smile, gentle hands, brilliant white teeth, and… your reliable strength."
At that, Rasa sighed again and patted Mōmu on the shoulder.
"A few days apart, and your flattery's getting smoother~" Even if you didn't say everything...
"You've worked hard."
"Not at all!" Mōmu wiped rain from the corners of his eyes, his voice catching with emotion.
"As long as I think of you, Lord Kazekage, your sincere teachings, your tireless work for thousands upon thousands of Sunagakure shinobi, my heart…"
Thump He pounded his chest.
"…feels warm."
"…"
Hearing such heartfelt sincerity, Rasa felt genuinely moved.
He really gets how much I've sacrificed...
Even if Rasa wasn't exactly sure what sacrifices those were.
Still, he placed a hand on Mōmu's shoulder, smiling with trust and righteousness in his eyes, radiating the dignified air of a benevolent leader.
"If you're that homesick, then when we return to the village—"
Before he could finish—
"Oh, right, Lord Kazekage~" Mōmu's solemn look disappeared in a flash, replaced by a mischievous grin. He leaned in, eyebrows wiggling.
"I heard the young master has red hair. Everyone from the village is talking about it like crazy. Lord Kazekage… you didn't make a mistake, right? Oh—and what were you just saying? After you return to the village… I'll what?"
"You'll… you'll just… keep working hard!" Rasa stared at him sternly.
"Fix your attitude. Always grinning like a fool. The village gave you this important task, not so you could fool around here. Don't forget—you're carrying Sunagakure's hopes, a historic mission! Stay alert! Work hard, reflect, then work harder and reflect some more. Handle things properly here in the Land of Rain. Don't get careless. The village trusts you!"
"Don't let me or the village down! Now straighten up!"
He glared at Mōmu, who looked utterly confused—like a monk trying to grasp a riddle.
"Stand properly! No slacking! I'm very dissatisfied with this inspection. What are you staring at?!"
This guy… his mouth is just asking for it. "Listen to me obediently!" Today, I must give him a good reprimand.
...
"You're awake?"
"…I failed, huh?" Sasori stared at the young Kabuto before him, expression blank, voice calm.
"The Fourth Kazekage didn't kill me on the spot… so is he planning to take me back for public execution?"
"Who knows?" Kabuto adjusted his glasses, a warm smile on his face, holding a bowl of thin porridge.
"You've been asleep for a whole day—you must be hungry~"
"A whole day?" Sasori glanced down at the spoon being offered, then up at Kabuto, who hadn't dropped his smile.
"You're not afraid I'll escape after eating?"
Though his body was restrained… sealing technique?
He couldn't sense his chakra. Couldn't move. Even his body was wrapped in a layer of paper…
He froze for a moment.
Then smirked coldly.
"Your Kazekage sure is cautious, huh~"
"He really is." Kabuto thought back to the treatment Sasori had received yesterday and nodded, stirring the spoon.
"So… are you eating or not?"
"Yeah!" Sasori answered without hesitation.
"Hmph. Arrogant bastard."
"Very arrogant. But is it really okay to act so obviously like you're planning to escape?"
"…"
Sasori gave him a side glance, saying nothing.
"Then again, I get it. You were captured—of course you'd want to escape. Come on. Eat."
"Plain porridge?"
"You don't like it? Not much we can do. The Land of Rain only just stabilized. Even the factories eat like this. Save wherever we can~"
"Chiyo… that old hag was your teacher?"
"Yep."
Kabuto's expression didn't change—still smiling, calmly feeding the tightly bound Sasori, one spoon at a time.
"Here—eat up."
"You've got talent. Eternal art is the future. What do you say? As long as you—"
"No need for that. I'm doing fine in the village."
"You plebeian with no sense of art."
"Maybe~" Kabuto looked at the now-empty bowl with satisfaction and gave a small nod.
"All full. That means it's about time."
"About time?"
Before Sasori could respond, his eyes widened briefly, then returned to calm as he looked at the polite, smiling boy in front of him.
"You drugged the…"
His head dropped to the side—completely unconscious.
"Oh~ You noticed anyway?" Kabuto adjusted his glasses, his eyes sharp and calculating.
"The drug's onset was slower than I expected. Was the dosage too low? Or… was my theory off?"
He leaned in toward the peacefully resting Sasori.
"Too tightly bound—I can't feel a heartbeat. Breathing's steady, definitely looks like sleep. But if he sensed it… that means it's easy for puppeteers like Sasori to detect. Looks like I'll need to revise the formula~"
He picked up the bowl and turned to leave.
"Guess I'll try again tomorrow."
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin