The crimes Sasori had committed meant that—barring any unexpected miracles—he would never again be able to walk freely under the sun. His entire life… would be spent under guard, contributing to the development of Sunagakure in his unique way.
That old man, Ebizō, hadn't really come to ask the Kazekage to play matchmaker for his grandnephew. He was just sounding him out—testing whether there was still a chance for Sasori to leave behind a bloodline.
After all, assassinating a Kazekage… even clan extermination wouldn't be considered excessive for such a crime~
Just look at what happened to the Uchiha clan later on. Simply because the Mangekyō Sharingan appeared during the Nine-Tails Incident, and there was a chance it came from one of their own, the entire village grew suspicious and ultimately blamed them for the deaths of the Fourth Hokage and his wife, driving them into a corner. Of course… whether someone helped fan those flames behind the scenes—who could say?
In any case, that wasn't Sunagakure's problem.
All Rasa could ensure was one thing—so long as Sasori didn't go looking for death, he wouldn't die.
Looking around at the surrounding landscape… since he'd already been dragged out to this experimental site, he figured he might as well check in on Ebizō's recent research and construction progress.
After Rasa had subtly dropped a few hints, the old man was now grinning from ear to ear, enthusiastically showing him around. He pointed here, gestured there, and explained, "We've got too many people, and traditional sand buildings just don't cut it anymore. But building too many of them wastes manpower, materials, time, and resources—not to mention it looks terrible. That's not in line with your vision for a modernized Sunagakure, Lord Kazekage."
He patted the wall of a large three-story concrete building in front of them and let out a sigh.
"Putting this up wasn't easy. First, we had to find a way to stabilize the surrounding sand, then lay a solid foundation to prevent it from collapsing. Most of the sand and stone in the Land of Wind aren't suitable for tall buildings, so I had to instruct the shinobi returning from the Land of Fire to 'borrow' a big shipment from over there. In the end, it took an insane amount of labor, materials, time, and money to build. Of course… it hasn't been outfitted yet—no electrical systems, no plumbing—so for now, it's just a bare shell."
After he finished…
"…."
The Land of Fire must've racked up eight lifetimes' worth of bad karma to end up entangled with you…
Rasa stared at the eloquently rambling Ebizō in silence, then sighed and shook his head.
"No wonder your budget disappeared so fast~"
This building must've cost a fortune.
"Hehe~" Ebizō scratched his head sheepishly. "Couldn't help it. There are a lot of people working here. If I let them all live scattered around, they'd probably get poached. And the working conditions are harsh, the tasks tedious. People would quit eventually. So I figured—why not build them a comfortable place to rest? It'd boost morale, attract more workers, and save me from having to keep 'recruiting' all the time. And besides…"
He gave a helpless chuckle.
"I doubt I'll be able to recruit people like this in the future anyway. Sooner or later, everyone will choose their own roles. I'm just preparing early."
"Im—Impressive…"
Truly worthy of someone who fought in the First, Second, and Third Great Ninja Wars… To think so far ahead…
Rasa gave a polite smile but didn't say more. Internally, however, he made a quiet decision:
[Cut this old man's funding the moment we get back.]
Besides, this building probably wouldn't be used in the long term. Later, the industrial zone would need a centralized employee housing district. So they'd have to pick a new site and start from scratch anyway.
That said… seeing this building made one thing clear: Sunagakure already had the technology and capability to construct concrete buildings in the desert—just that the costs were astronomical.
They moved past the oversized three-story concrete structure Ebizō had sneakily built with public funds and headed deeper in—toward the original research site for the fruit pits. The area had sprouted quite a few small, squat saplings. Since no transplant destination had been determined yet, they were still being cultivated here.
The perimeter was enclosed by straw checkerboards, and people were busy watering them.
Judging by appearances, the seedlings were growing quite well.
However…
"You'll need to pay close attention to the electrical system installations. And the original north-to-south water diversion megaproject—you'll be in charge of that too. That one's incredibly important."
"I understand. Once things settle down here, I'll personally travel to the Land of Rain," said Ebizō, stroking his beard and smiling as he nodded. "If it succeeds… Sunagakure will never again be constrained by limited water resources."
"Good. Then I'm leaving that task to you." Rasa nodded with a smile.
He was honestly satisfied with Ebizō's work ethic. Yes, the man requested a lot of money—but every mission Rasa assigned, he completed successfully.
At worst, if the project failed, Rasa could just recall Mōmu and send Ebizō off to the Land of Rain to dig ditches.
"Just make sure everything's properly handed over before you leave."
"Of course~ I already have someone in mind. Once I go, someone else will temporarily take charge," Ebizō said cheerfully. "Actually, among the people you brought back from the Land of Rain last time, there was a real gem! Hidden so deep I almost overlooked him. Not only is he hardworking, not afraid of dirt or exhaustion, he even volunteers to collect waste—and never once complains. Every time we do compost prep, he's the first to jump in. He's got a real talent for tree planting too. The only annoying thing is…"
He sighed.
"…he carries a sketchpad around every day. Sometimes when he's supposed to be working, he'll sneak off to draw—can't even find him. But don't worry… I've been drilling some discipline into him recently."
"…"
Someone like that exists? Loves to draw, enjoys poop, and constantly vanishes…
That sounded oddly familiar.
Rasa furrowed his brow slightly and looked at Ebizō, who wore a vaguely regretful expression.
"…And who is it?"
"Tobi! He says his name is Tobi. Neat-looking young man!"
The moment the name dropped—
"…."
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere…
"Huh? Huh~ Why is it suddenly so cold?" Tobi, currently sprawled out at the compost yard, shivered involuntarily. He pulled his clothes tighter, then paused, blinked, and suddenly sprang to his feet, arms flailing.
"No, no—this is bad! I actually felt cold? Should I tell Zetsu?!"
He rubbed his chin with one hand, supporting it with the other as he fell deep into thought. A moment later, he shook his head and grinned at the compost heap in front of him.
"Meh. It's not that big a deal. I won't tell Zetsu yet."
Then, he looked down at the sketchpad in his hand, nodded, and a wide smile spread across his face.
"I… really am a genius!"