Next.
Rasa spent a bit more time inspecting the recruitment site across the Land of Rain.
To ensure the village's safety, all recruitment sites were placed outside Amegakure, either in nearby villages or close to mining facilities. This time around, he intended to bring back a larger group to alleviate the manpower shortage in the village. Whether it was the upcoming installation of electrical circuits, factory expansions, or the production of straw checkerboards, everything needed people.
And since Sasori hadn't yet completed his "ultra-evolution," Rasa was about to break his promise to his grand-uncle—Advisor Ebizō—regarding the "genius" he was supposed to deliver. In the end, he'd probably have to make it up with over a hundred extra people. To express his guilt, the "gift" was already packed and tightly bound. When the time came, he'd just hand it over to the old man—who'd probably be too overwhelmed to even speak.
As for the Land of Rain itself, there weren't any major issues.
Mōmu, loudmouthed as ever, was still a reliable elite jōnin of Sunagakure when it came to getting things done.
That said…
It looked like he wouldn't be returning to the village anytime soon.
The Land of Rain still needed him!
Along the way, Rasa also saw Yahiko's assistant—Konan. Whether it was tallying personnel, organizing duties, or handling reports, she kept everything in perfect order.
A highly capable aide~.
After accepting her heartfelt gratitude—an expression of thanks to him as the great benefactor of the Land of Rain—Rasa confirmed there were no issues, stretched his back, and turned to head back toward Amegakure.
He estimated that in another day or two, most of the recruitment would be complete. By then, it would be time for him to depart for home.
...
Back in Amegakure.
Seeing that Kana was still busy, Rasa didn't disturb her. He headed straight to the small residence where he was staying.
Since arriving in the Land of Rain, it was a rare moment when there weren't a pile of affairs to deal with. He just wanted to sit in peace and do nothing for once.
Gazing at the view before him—
It really did live up to its name, didn't it?
It had been two days, and the rain hadn't stopped once. He'd heard that in the previous months, it had been even worse, with torrential rain causing floods in several areas.
But now that it was August, the rain had lessened—just a constant, misty drizzle. The soft rhythm and stillness of it helped calm his own heart.
Just then, Kabuto approached inexplicably with a bowl in his hands.
"What's this? Haven't eaten lunch yet?"
"It's not for me," Kabuto replied, glancing up at the Kazekage, who was leaning on the upstairs windowsill. After a brief pause, he set the bowl down, leapt up, and settled on the opposite ledge, quietly watching the drizzling village below. His entire demeanor relaxed.
"I was worried he might starve to death, so I brought him something."
"Him? Sasori?" Rasa blinked.
He'd actually forgotten that Sasori still needed to eat.
With a helpless smile, he glanced at the boy beside him—so calm and composed.
"You're surprisingly considerate."
"Well, he's Chiyo-sensei's only grandson. Whatever the village decides to do with him later isn't my concern," Kabuto said plainly. "So right now, the least I can do is make sure he doesn't go hungry."
He fell silent again, then asked:
"By the way, Lord Kazekage, how do you plan to handle him? If you're going to act, it'd be better to do it now. Once we return to the village, even if Chiyo-sensei and Advisor Ebizō don't say anything, they'll still hold it in their hearts. But if we take care of it here… I mean, Orochimaru—one of the Legendary Sannin—was just in the area. He'd make a perfect scapegoat."
"…"
This brat… way too sharp for his age~
Rasa gave Kabuto a sideways glance and sighed. He turned his eyes back toward the villagers below, wandering the rain-soaked streets.
"As for Sasori… he'll likely stay in Sunagakure for the rest of his life. Call it the village's way of honoring the contributions of those two old-timers."
And Sasori… a genius. A true engineering genius. No matter what, he was still the one who killed the Third Kazekage.
Let him atone with his mind.
He patted Kabuto on the shoulder.
"So, on the way back to the village, I'm leaving him in your care."
"Of course~" Kabuto's lips curled slightly, a mysterious glint flashing through his eyes as he smiled. "Don't worry. I'll make sure he's well looked after."
Then, his expression turned thoughtful once more.
"But about the Third Kazekage's disappearance…"
"Konoha did it! And our village's genius—Sasori of the Red Sand—he definitely died at Konoha's hands!" Rasa cut in without hesitation, speaking solemnly. "Even if Sunagakure has no solid evidence… it was definitely Konoha."
"…"
Kabuto was stunned at first, then quickly nodded with a matching serious expression.
"You're right, Lord Kazekage. It had to be Konoha."
...
Meanwhile—
Outside Amegakure, at one of the recruitment sites:
"The Kazekage himself came all the way to Amegakure—do you even know who that is?"
"He's the leader of Sunagakure, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages! He helped us end the civil war here in the Land of Rain! Just look at all the food and money—Sunagakure gave us that!"
"I heard Lord Kazekage is handsome and elegant, full of dignity. He's upright, peace-loving, kind and approachable. A real man of the people!"
"And now that such a great person is here, how can we not do our part?"
"Right now—whether you've already been working for a while, just arrived, or haven't even started—you can all apply! If you're selected, you get to follow Lord Kazekage to Sunagakure. You know what that means, right? One of the Five Great Shinobi Villages—great pay, generous benefits, full coverage. It's a rare opportunity! Spots are limited, so hurry and sign up!"
With Sunagakure and Amegakure jointly promoting the campaign, the area outside the village grew lively.
Plenty of ninja and villagers gathered, either out of curiosity or to try their luck at registering.
After all, slots for training missions like this were rare. The last batch had barely a handful of people—and it had already been nearly a month.
"Don't rush, don't rush! One at a time!"
"Line up—no pushing!"
"If anyone dares cut the line… their spot's gone. And they're banned from future missions!"
"Name?"
"Rokusuke."
"Age?"
"Thirty."
"…Next!"
"Name?"
"Muramasa."
"Age?"
"…"
As registration continued, the sun had already started to set.
Yet the line still stretched far back, giving the poor ninja handling the roster a splitting headache. He shook his head and sighed internally:
Why the hell did I volunteer for this job again?
With a sigh, he looked up—only to see a black-haired youth beaming at him with pure delight.
"Name?"
"Tobi!" The boy pointed at himself and waved excitedly. "My name is Tobi, as in Little Tobi!"