Naruto: Kurotsuchi Mayuri

"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"

"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"

"..."

Outside the borders of the Land of Roran, five Konoha shinobi stood in a line, and in perfect sync, they all unleashed the same jutsu toward the desert ahead.

Rumble— 

Rumble—

...

Countless saplings burst from the desert sands and began to grow rapidly. With chakra flowing into them, they quickly matured into tall, dense trees.

The five Senju clan members, all proficient in Wood Style, had forcefully grown a lush forest in the middle of the vast desert.

"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"

Streams of powerful water gushed from the mouths of other shinobi, flowing like rivers and pouring into the newly formed forest.

Rasa stood in the rear, watching quietly, a trace of hope in his eyes.

If more greenery could exist in the desert, it would at least help ease the scarcity of food and resources in Sunagakure.

Yes, in the end, he couldn't resist Konoha's offer. 

The promises made by Kagetsu—those words weren't just tempting to him, but even those within the village who initially opposed this large-scale joint mission had fallen silent.

Whether the mission succeeds or not, or how much investment it would need later—just those promises alone were enough to stir the hearts of the Suna higher-ups. 

That very night, they had selected ninjas with talent in sealing techniques and sent them to Rasa's side.

Jonin, chunin, genin—the old, the middle-aged, and the young—all were present.

"This jutsu takes a lot out of me. The desert really suppresses our Wood Style."

Senju Kai ended his technique and looked at the forest ahead, sighing softly as he spoke to Kagetsu. 

Though his Wood Style couldn't compare to the First Hokage's, it was still enough to grow saplings. 

The area wasn't that big, but even so, the jutsu had drained nearly a quarter of his chakra.

The Senju Clan is naturally attuned to yang chakra, and their chakra reserves are far greater than those of most other ninja. 

After awakening his Wood Release Kekkei Genkai, his already massive chakra increased even more.

But even so, right now, he could only manage to use four large-scale Deep Forest Emergence techniques at most. 

Clearly, the desert environment was greatly suppressing his Wood Release and increasing the chakra cost of his techniques.

As for the other four clan members, two of them were already out of breath.

"Trees created with Wood Release drain energy much faster than naturally grown ones," Senju Kai explained. "Ordinary trees, if left alone, can live for hundreds or even thousands of years."

"But the trees grown with Wood Release rely on the chakra infused into them to stay alive. Once that chakra runs out, they're affected by the environment and begin to wither and decay very quickly."

Seeing Rasa approach with a slight smile, Senju Kai offered this explanation willingly.

"Of course, if it were the First Hokage's Wood Release, the trees he summoned could continue to absorb natural energy and grow like normal trees, even after the chakra inside them ran out."

He added that last part to distinguish the legendary First Hokage, showing that it wasn't that Wood Release was weak—only that they had not reached his level of mastery.

"That's why we need to find a compatible energy source to sustain them."

Rasa nodded in agreement after hearing Senju Kai's words. If they could really harness the power of the Ryūmyaku vein to supply chakra instead of relying on ninja, then this man-made forest might be able to survive long-term and improve the environment.

In that case, even if the Land of Wind couldn't fully become as fertile as the Land of Fire, they should at least be able to fulfill the mission's promise of creating small- and medium-sized oases.

As long as the Ryūmyaku vein beneath the ground can be guided, its energy can be extended and dispersed.

But the Ryūmyaku vein is not like a Tailed Beast. Trying to move and regulate it is a massive undertaking—something that would require the cooperation of two great ninja villages.

Among all things, sealing techniques would definitely be the most crucial.

If guiding the Ryūmyaku vein is like digging a well, then aside from exploration, safely drawing it out like groundwater to benefit the land requires sealing techniques that are absolutely essential.

"How soon can we reach the place you mentioned to test this theory?" Rasa looked at Kagetsu and asked him in a serious tone.

By asking this, it was clear that he had completely accepted the alliance with Konoha. At least until this mission was either completed or failed, the Sand Village was tied to Konoha's wagon.

The previous alliance may have been signed under pressure and could've been broken at any time with betrayal.

But this time, once they got on board, their interests would truly be bound together. 

Not only would the attitude of the Wind Daimyō be a concern, but even within the Sand Village itself, many voices of opposition would rise.

Who wouldn't want to see an oasis in the desert?

The nobles wanted it.

The Sand ninja wanted it too.

No one truly understood the obsession the Sand shinobi and nobles had with water and fertile land. 

That's why, beyond coveting the Land of Fire, the Sand Village had a strange obsession with the environment of the Land of Water. 

Even if they knew that Kirigakure had no real connection with them and that the environment wasn't suited to them either, they still had eyes on it.

At the very least, the secret Water Release techniques and ninja of the Hidden Mist were something that greatly appealed to the Hidden Sand.

With that mindset, Rasa understood the thoughts of the Wind Daimyō and the nobles all too well. 

Even if they currently acted with some restraint, only a few merchants and minor nobles from the Land of Wind were visibly active for now.

As long as Kagetsu can really create a test site in the desert outside of Roran and build a long-term oasis from nothing, then neither the nobles nor the daimyo will continue to sit by and watch. They'll step in decisively and get involved.

Right now, the money being invested is just a trial. Rasa is also hoping Kagetsu will succeed.

Even though that would mean he and the Sand ninja will be tightly tied to Konoha, at least with continued funding, Sunagakure can quickly recover.

Using Kekkei Genkai to mine for gold and cover village expenses—this kind of thing shows that as Kazekage, he's doing his duty, trying every way possible to keep the village running. 

But just look at the other Kage—are any of them this desperate?

Compared to the other four great nations, the Land of Wind really isn't wealthy. But the daimyo and nobles still have plenty of money. 

It's just that the harsh environment made them stingy and unwilling to invest until they see real results.

Sunagakure didn't meet the daimyo's expectations during the war, so the military budget kept getting cut. Some of that money was even redirected to Konoha. 

To Rasa, this kind of behavior is hard to understand.

But as a Kage, to him, there's no doubt—it's a humiliation.

****

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