Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, things in the Land of Rain had been fully settled.
Nagato's injuries now required only rest and proper nourishment. His dislocated bones had been set back in place by Kana, and with his dependable big brother—Yahiko—looking after him, Rasa was confident the boy would soon be back to full strength and well-fed.
As for the mines…
Though Mōmu was a pain to deal with, Rasa still trusted him to manage the site. The man might've been a loudmouth and a bit of a clown, but when it came to handling real responsibilities, he always understood what Rasa, as the Kazekage, meant—and carried out tasks flawlessly. He was a capable elite jōnin who truly embodied the Will of Sand.
When they'd first arrived, it was only Rasa, Kana, and a small squad of Sand shinobi, some of whom would be staying behind. But now, the group returning home had swelled to nearly a thousand people—ordinary civilians of all ages from the Land of Rain, a handful of Rain ninja, and massive quantities of ore and metals bound for Sunagakure. It was an impressive, sizable caravan.
Under the watchful eyes of the Rain Village's leaders, ninja, and citizens—plus an overly sentimental and nauseatingly weepy Mōmu—they finally set out for home.
Sasori, who was bound like a rice dumpling, would be personally looked after by Kabuto on the way back.
Still, Rasa couldn't help but notice something odd: Sasori's complexion had grown noticeably paler lately, his whole demeanor seeming a bit off. Was it just his imagination?
Then again, Kabuto was Chiyo-sensei's student, and in a way, Sasori's junior as well. If something truly was wrong, Kabuto would either handle it himself or report it to Rasa. So, Rasa chose not to worry too much about it.
Maybe the guy was just reacting poorly to being tied up while traveling in unfamiliar terrain—who knew?
The shinobi world was mostly at peace now, with only a few localized conflicts. And while the Land of Rain had recently emerged from civil unrest, their journey remained unimpeded—no one dared step forward to block such a large and organized force.
In short: the return trip was smooth.
Days passed.
Aside from Sasori, who seemed increasingly listless, nothing unusual occurred. A few days earlier, Kabuto had mentioned that Sasori had gone two or three days without eating, which was starting to concern him.
"So… you're sure you didn't do anything?" Rasa eyed Kabuto suspiciously. "Why does it look like Sasori has lost a lot of weight?"
"Don't worry. He's Chiyo-sensei's only grandson," Kabuto said with his usual warm smile, pushing up his glasses. "I'd never mess around."
"..."
Nope. That makes me even more worried.
Rasa hesitated. "You're sure he's fine?"
"Absolutely."
"Let's hope so~" Rasa sighed and shook his head. "Just don't let anything happen to him. It'd be hard to explain to Advisor Chiyo and Ebizō."
Would we really have to blame it all on Orochimaru…?
"We'll be back in Sunagakure in a few more days. Keep it under control."
"Don't worry, he'll be fine." Kabuto adjusted his glasses again, his boyish face wearing a confident smile. "Lord Kazekage, you have to trust me!"
"It's because I trust you so much… that I don't trust you at all~"
This kid—don't be fooled by that sunshine smile and polite tone. Rasa knew full well how dark this one's heart was. He gave Kabuto a long, meaningful look.
"Why don't you take after me and be a good, kind person?"
He, the Fourth Kazekage!
He had made it his life's mission to become the kindest man in the entire shinobi world!
Once, staring up at the moon, he had vowed to make sure everyone in the shinobi world—whether civilian or ninja—would one day live in homes he had built, use tools he had created, buy toys he had invented, play games he had designed, watch films he had funded, read stories he had published, and eat the pork and rice he had arranged to have raised and grown.
To provide safe, happy lives for all… That was his magnificent dream.
A home for every soul beneath the sky—that's the heart of greatness!
He sighed deeply, patted Kabuto on the shoulder, and looked at him with sincere emotion in his eyes.
"Become someone great, alright~?"
"…"
Though Kabuto didn't quite understand what the Kazekage was rambling about this time, he still smiled and nodded.
"Understood."
...
Late August, Year 48 of the Konoha Calendar.
The Fourth Kazekage returned to the village.
Sunagakure's population rose once again. Its factories, now bolstered by new workers, saw a sharp increase in productivity.
Everyone was fully absorbed in joyful, efficient labor.
Early September of the same year.
To further modernize the village, a new wave of construction began in Sunagakure.
This included: laying down new electrical grids, installing straw checkerboards for desert stabilization, demolishing old and crumbling housing, reorganizing the village's overall layout, and repairing the aging perimeter walls.
Urban planning, in particular, had become a major focus.
With the growing population and the rapid expansion of industry, it had become necessary to formally separate residential, commercial, and industrial zones. Although the factories had originally been built outside the village, they were hastily erected without proper planning—and the resulting disarray had become a real issue. The industrial sector was now facing serious problems with clutter and pollution.
After all, the outer areas were vast and unregulated. People had built wherever they pleased, and no one had cared—until now.
But as things gradually fell into place, it was time to clean it all up.
All factories that polluted or damaged the environment would be required to relocate away from the village. At the same time, each one would be given specific responsibilities for straw checkerboard installations—including exact range and density—to support environmental recovery and improve living conditions.
Within the village proper…
It was still mostly surrounded by sand and dust. The houses weren't much to look at, built randomly and without order. Urban layout had long been a problem.
Of course, for now, these new plans were just being floated publicly—to mentally prepare everyone. Actually implementing them… would take time.
As for foreign civilians and ninja…
Sunagakure had begun gradually opening to them.
They were still housed in external dormitories, but were now permitted to enter the village during the day. Once night fell, however, they had to return to their accommodations.
After all, many of Sunagakure's internal systems were still incomplete, and the village's reconstruction wasn't yet finished. Letting too many outsiders in at once simply wasn't manageable.
To address the issue of children—those who had arrived with their parents—being unsupervised and lacking education, the village introduced a new policy.
In Mid-September, Year 48.
Sunagakure officially issued a new policy titled:
[Policy on School Enrollment for Children of Foreign Workers]
Children of approved foreign workers were now permitted to attend schools within Sunagakure.
However, a portion of tuition and miscellaneous fees would be collected from the working families. Registration and payment would be coordinated collectively by personnel at each family's assigned workplace.
As soon as the policy was implemented, even more civilians and ninja from the Land of Rain expressed interest in relocating.
...
October 10th of the same year.
The Nine-Tails Attack erupted, and the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, sacrificed himself.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin