Naruto: Rebuilding the Hidden Sand Village

Kirigakure's sudden offensive took Sunagakure completely off guard.

The Third Great Ninja War was already winding down. Konoha had stabilized the last of its battlefronts, and if the fighting continued now, the only outcome would be mutual destruction. There was nothing left to gain.

And yet… out of nowhere, those bastards launched another full-scale assault?

Sunagakure was low on water, sure—but it wasn't like they weren't low on people too. Still, holding off an attack from Kirigakure alone wasn't impossible. It was just pointless. Neither side would get anything from dragging this out.

What were they even thinking?

Did they really believe they could use Sunagakure's dependence on water—specifically their need for Kirigakure's Water Release specialists—to force a surrender?

What a joke.

Everyone in the village knew that the Kazekage had already issued a standing order: "If they want to fight, bring it on." As for the water shortage, Rasa had said he had a plan.

What that plan was, no one had a clue.

But that was par for the course. Rasa always had a way of surprising people.

At the coastal frontline…

Pakura furrowed her brow, scanning a freshly delivered mission report. Then her lips curled into a rare smile as she muttered, "That Rasa… he really does act like a Kazekage now."

All that poetic nonsense—'No hero should shed blood and tears,' 'No one will be abandoned,' 'No one will be left behind.'

It gave her a headache just reading it. But if you boiled it all down, it really meant one thing:

"Screw it. Hit them back."

She sighed wearily, but her smile remained.

"Honestly… this is probably the best thing I've heard in weeks."

Deep down, she was touched. After all, she had already heard from the jonin messengers about the threats Kirigakure had made. Maybe… handing her over really would've been the safest option for the village.

But…

Reading Rasa's message warmed her heart. At the very least, he hadn't offered her up like some kind of bargaining chip.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. She was exhausted after so many battles, but… she felt oddly happy.

Looking over at the jonin standing nearby, she asked casually, "So? Where's that backup I requested?"

"Ah… about that…" The jonin scratched his head awkwardly. "Kazekage-sama says… the village is out of people."

"…Excuse me?!"

"Please don't be mad, Lady Pakura! Kazekage-sama's not lying," the jonin said quickly, panicking a little as her expression darkened. "After the battle at Kikyo Pass, we got totally screwed by Iwagakure. The losses were brutal. If Kazekage-sama hadn't rushed in personally to negotiate the release of our captured shinobi from Konoha, the village would be in even worse shape right now."

He slapped his thigh hard.

"That war… it was a massacre."

"…Whose genius idea was it to ally with Iwagakure in the first place?" Pakura muttered, rolling her eyes. "Whatever. Fine. What about supplies? I asked for food, explosive tags, shuriken, kunai—where are they?"

"Food's no problem. The village stockpiled a massive supply."

"Stockpiled? With what money?"

"Kazekage-sama's been leading the villagers out at dawn every day for gold refining work. They don't come back until nightfall. He's… exhausted," the jonin said, shaking his head in admiration.

Pakura froze for a moment, then sighed.

"Well… he's Kazekage. It comes with the job. What about the other stuff—explosive tags? Kunai?"

"Uh…"

"Hmm?"

"…Not much." The jonin shrank back as Pakura began forming hand seals. "W-wait! It's not that I didn't request more! The village just doesn't have them! Kazekage-sama actually overruled the elders to send us what little was left. It's not a lot, but… it's practically the entire stockpile!"

He gestured helplessly.

"Explosive tags are nearly impossible to get right now. Even with all the agents Kazekage-sama's sent out to buy more, the market's bone dry. Oh—right!"

He snapped his fingers.

"Kazekage-sama said this was also his way of repaying Lady Pakura 's old favor—the 100,000 ryo you loaned him back in the day."

"Took him long enough. Not afraid Karura will be pissed?"

"They're married now. Just had a baby girl, too. The village is celebrating!"

"…A kid, huh?" Yakura blinked, then smiled faintly. "Fine. Let's just say I'm doing it for the baby."

She stretched languidly, her curves accentuated by the movement.

"Get the supplies distributed. I'm going to rest. Kirigakure's been absolutely rabid lately."

Autumn, Year 46 of the Hidden Leaf Calendar

Kirigakure had yet to give up on its assault of Sunagakure, but their attacks were losing steam.

Especially after news broke of Konoha's successful surprise attack at Kannabi Bridge in the Land of Earth—cutting off Iwagakure's logistics network. The tide of war was turning.

Everyone could feel it: this war was nearly over.

Though the Battle of Kannabi Bridge had laid the groundwork for Konoha's eventual victory, the cost was steep. Combined with earlier assaults from three of the Great Nations and the bloody battle at Kikyo Pass, Konoha was running on fumes. If they didn't end the war soon, recovery would take years.

Spring, Year 47

A new star rose on the battlefield—Minato Namikaze, a gifted shinobi from a civilian background.

He revived the long-lost Flying Thunder God Technique, once used by the Second Hokage, and used it to slaughter nearly a hundred Iwa shinobi single-handedly. He even developed his own hand seal–less jutsu and fought the infamous A–B Combo of Kumogakure to a standstill.

The entire ninja world was stunned.

"Truly… Konoha is the cradle of geniuses."

Same year, Summer.

One of the Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru—pupil of the Third Hokage—was discovered conducting unethical human experimentation.

The Third Hokage himself prepared to personally execute him. But Orochimaru escaped—alone.

To escape the hands of the most powerful Kage in history… even his enemies had to admit: he lived up to the title of 'Sannin.'

Not long after, another of the Sannin—Jiraiya, the Toad Sage—left the village to search for his fallen comrade.

Later that spring, the last Sannin and the final survivor of the Senju clan, Tsunade, quietly left the village as well.

And so, the Legendary Three—once the pride of Konoha—were gone.

Between the weight of war and the losses suffered, Konoha found itself suddenly hollow once more.

Early Autumn, Year 47

Kirigakure started acting up again.

PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin