Naruto: Rebuilding the Hidden Sand Village

Rasa wasn't the least bit surprised when Kirigakure suddenly pulled out of the war against Sunagakure and pivoted to target Konoha instead.

After all, if the standoff between them dragged on any longer, neither Sunagakure nor Kirigakure would come out ahead. Meanwhile, Konoha—after that outrageous performance by Minato Namikaze—was once again in the crosshairs. And with that genius kid from the Hatake clan, Kakashi, stepping up... the other Hidden Villages had more than enough reason to worry.

It was exactly as expected.

You could lose the war, but you still had to beat Konoha.

If no one kept that so-called "Cradle of Geniuses" in check, who knew how far the Leaf would rise?

Back during the Second Great Ninja War, had it not been for Sakumo Hatake's sudden and mysterious death, things might've turned out very differently. Add him to the Sannin and Minato? No other village could've come close.

Now, the Sannin had gone their separate ways, Sakumo was long dead, and although that blond kid was showing promise, Konoha's next generation hadn't fully matured yet.

There was still time to act.

The war had dragged on for nearly five years. Konoha had faced the onslaught of four major villages and was finally starting to wear down. If Minato hadn't shown up when he did, Konoha might have already lost.

So really, if not now, when?

Winning the war was already out of the question. The best anyone could hope for was to drag Konoha down with them.

Of course, after everything that had happened, Sunagakure and Kirigakure were locked in a blood feud now. Especially with how many Kirigakure shinobi Lady Pakura had cut down.

Our hero is their villain.

Word from Kirigakure was that their shinobi were furious—raging to the point of shouting, "I'll kill those Sand bastards with my own hands!"

Unfortunately, just when the Third Mizukage was about to make his move, news broke of Konoha's success at Kannabi Bridge, where they'd obliterated Iwagakure's supply lines.

And for the sake of the larger war effort… well, grudges would have to wait. Kirigakure needed to turn its blades toward the Leaf instead.

As for Sunagakure? That broke-ass village probably wouldn't recover anytime soon. Let them struggle for now—there'd be time to settle the score later.

No rush.

But Rasa knew better.

The moment Kirigakure retreated, their fate was sealed. Kannabi Bridge was down, and he knew exactly what came next:

Uchiha Obito—a boy who'd soon be twisted into darkness, betray his master and best friend, and eventually earn the scorn of the entire shinobi world before being forgiven by that very same friend—would come for Kirigakure.

And he wouldn't stop until it burned.

Unless someone intervened, Kirigakure wouldn't recover until Mei Terumī became the Fifth Mizukage—at least ten years from now.

What confirmed it was a report from one of Rasa's agents who had stayed behind in Kirigakure:

"Kazekage-sama, that girl who used to follow the White Fang's kid—she's been captured. Current status unknown."

At that moment, Rasa knew: Kirigakure was doomed.

So from his point of view, whatever feud they had with Kirigakure? It ended the moment those idiots turned tail and ran.

As for saving Obito, or Rin…

What the hell did that have to do with the Kazekage of Sunagakure?

Black Zetsu might be pulling strings behind the scenes, but none of that had anything to do with his desert village. Aside from the One-Tail, the Akatsuki and the Uchiha messes barely affected them.

Even when Sasori came to take someone, he only killed a few guards before taking Rasa's youngest son. He didn't even cause much damage.

But Kirigakure's suffering? That all started with a boy who watched the girl he loved die right in front of him.

So in the end, you reap what you sow. Kirigakure had no one to blame but themselves.

Rasa figured… if people wanted the One-Tail, they could just sit down and talk. No need for violence.

And as for the Third Kazekage—his teacher—well, he'd understand. After all, the older generation of Kage were all the same. They'd sacrifice anything to protect their village.

Even themselves.

Rasa took a deep breath and reassured himself that what he was doing… it's what his teacher would've wanted.

All for Sunagakure.

"It's all for the village," he muttered aloud.

And just as the words left his mouth—

"Papa!"

Rasa immediately snapped out of his thoughts, looking down at the tiny, drooling girl clinging to his pant leg, wobbling unsteadily as she tried to stand.

He smiled, bent down, and scooped her into his arms.

His eldest daughter.

Nearby, Kabuto was gently holding a swaddled infant in his arms.

Tonight, Karura was off having "woman talk" with Kana. Ever since getting pregnant with their third child, she'd been more volatile—possibly from absorbing too much of Kana's chakra—and was, frankly, terrifying.

Rasa didn't dare argue.

So now, stuck on daddy duty, he'd dragged Kabuto and the two little ones out for a walk.

Kabuto had started attending the academy and was already studying medical ninjutsu with Kana and, occasionally, Chiyo—who was supposed to be retired. Kana said the boy had remarkable chakra control and a sharp mind. He'd even begun dabbling in puppet techniques, and rumor had it Chiyo was considering passing down her personal scrolls to him.

Kabuto the Puppet Master? Rasa couldn't even picture it.

He glanced down. "How's school?"

"Good, Kazekage-sama," Kabuto said calmly, gently patting the infant's back. He looked like a little grown-up, even smiling as he added, "But… the stuff they teach there? Granny Chiyo already went over all of it with me. It's boring."

"Too bad," Rasa chuckled, ruffling Kabuto's hair. Though, lately, the kid had started dodging his hand. Growing up already, huh?

"Granny Chiyo and Aunt Kana are worried you'll grow up too antisocial," he added. "They want you to stick around the academy for at least two years."

"Two years?" Kabuto tilted his head, then smiled softly. "That's not long."

"Of course, if you want to graduate, you'll have to prove to Kana that you're already a qualified ninja."

"Shouldn't I be proving that to you, Kazekage-sama?"

"Your Aunt Kana pulled strings. She's in charge of your development now. I owe her a huge favor. Don't come whining to me—take it up with her."

Rasa sighed dramatically and looked down at Temari, still staring wide-eyed at the night sky.

Cradling her in one arm, he raised his other hand and activated a peculiar gadget.

"Look at that sky," he said, pointing up. "There's Altair and Vega—see the triangle shape with Deneb over there? Huh?"

"Three…angle star?" Temari tilted her head, her pudgy cheeks adorable as ever. "Cowboy… Girl star?"

"...Yeah, close enough," Rasa smiled helplessly. Still not the clearest speaker, but she was trying.

He pointed again. "That's Sagittarius. And look at the moon—it kinda looks like a woman's silhouette, right? With bunny ears? Could that be…"

Using the [Constellation Legend Simulator] he'd pulled from a gacha draw, Rasa projected the constellations in the air, explaining each one to Temari.

"See? Taurus."

"Tow-rus."

"Sirius."

"Silly-us?"

"…"

Yeah, time to go home.

He started deactivating the display when Temari suddenly tugged on his hand, wanting to try the simulator herself.

Before he could stop her—

"Yaaah!"

With a little squeal, Temari mashed a button on the device.

And then…

A cold sweat ran down Rasa's back as a shimmering figure appeared before him.

A stunning woman with pale skin, refined features—and a pair of bunny ears on her head.

Rasa froze.

Holy shit.

Did I just summon the Final Boss?!