Naruto: Rebuilding the Hidden Sand Village

"I'm back."

With the Kazekage's full support behind him, Ebizō cheerfully returned to the small lake in the rear mountains. There, he saw Chiyo sitting alone, eyes closed, quietly fishing. His gaze scanned the surroundings curiously.

"That kid Kabuto—he already left?"

"It's getting late. What would he be sticking around for, to fish with us two old fossils?" Chiyo opened her eyes, reeled in her line, then sighed. A hint of concern flickered in her eyes. "Seems like the fish really are becoming fewer… And what about the water issue? What did the Kazekage say?"

"The Kazekage said he has a plan. We old folks don't need to worry about it anymore." Ebizō seemed to notice his sister's lack of enthusiasm. With a chuckle, he sat down beside her and casually cast his own line into the water. Trying to lighten the mood, he asked, "So, you've decided to pass on the White Secret Manual to Kabuto?"

Chiyo nodded and calmly tossed her hook back into the water. "That boy's incredibly gifted. His chakra control is exceptional. Add a sharp mind on top of that, and giving him the White Secret Technique isn't exactly a disgrace to the technique."

"What about Kana?"

"If that girl weren't from the Uzumaki Clan with their special constitution… she wouldn't even come close to Kabuto."

Chiyo closed her eyes again.

"She's just not suited for the White Secret Technique."

"Haha, you always complain about the Kazekage taking in suspicious outsiders," Ebizō laughed. "But clearly, you care about them."

"Well, they're my students, after all." Chiyo allowed a faint smile at the corners of her mouth, then shook her head with a sigh. "Let's change the subject. What about your research?"

Desert reclamation had always been a stubborn issue for the Land of Wind. Though the country wasn't smaller than the other great nations in terms of territory, it lacked inhabitable oases. And without water, desert control was impossible.

If Ebizō's experiment worked—even if it only led to small-scale medicinal herb cultivation in the short term—it would still be a major breakthrough.

"What did the Kazekage say?"

"He takes environmental restoration seriously," Ebizō said with a smile, keeping his grip steady on the fishing rod. "And just like you suggested, the first round of experiments will be applied to the medical sector."

"Good. Otherwise, even if we used that land to grow grain, it wouldn't be enough to feed Sunagakure." Chiyo nodded. "There's still the old research on desert control. Certain plants can stabilize sand, retain water, and enrich the soil—but the number of viable species that can survive desert conditions is extremely limited. That's something we'll need to be mindful of."

Most of those plants offered little return for the effort—too costly, too slow, too demanding. For a village as chronically underfunded as Sunagakure, it just wasn't practical to keep experimenting blindly.

"So we still need to keep researching. If only we could find the right kind of plant that actually suits Sunagakure's climate…"

"If you care that much, why not step up and help out again?" Ebizō chuckled. "Ignore the headaches and politics. The work itself is pretty rewarding. And the Kazekage wouldn't mind. You're still hung up on what happened at Kikyo Pass, aren't you? But that battle—while not ideal—really was the most fitting solution for the Land of Wind at the time."

Who would've thought that after peace returned, the Wind Daimyō would betray them by surrendering outright—leaving Sunagakure hanging—and then get tricked by Iwagakure?

"No, no. I'd better not go wandering around again." Chiyo refused without hesitation, shaking her head. After a brief silence, she muttered, "I… did have some selfish motives back then."

She'd thought about Konoha. Thought about the Third Kazekage. Thought about the corner Sunagakure was backed into. Thought about her… brilliant grandson. And so, to end the civil war quickly and shift the burden outward, she chose to target Konoha.

But now? She was old. What business did she have meddling in things anymore?

As for Sunagakure's future… she probably wouldn't be around to see it.

"If there's nothing else, I'd rather spend the rest of my days quietly, right here."

"Big Sister…" Ebizō opened his mouth to argue but stopped when he saw the resolve in her eyes. With a helpless smile, he shifted the conversation. "It's not just water we need to worry about—sunlight is important too. So it looks like we'll need to custom-make some glass panels."

"Aren't the guys at the refinery already working on materials? Just have them adjust the process a bit—making glass shouldn't be too difficult," Chiyo said, glancing at Ebizō as he fell into thought. "Besides, the Land of Wind's glassworking is pretty advanced these days. Worst case, we send someone to the capital to place a special order."

"Yeah, I know. Glass won't be an issue—we can handle that in-house," Ebizō chuckled. "It's just… we may need to rethink the design of the new medical facility."

Most buildings in Sunagakure—and throughout the Land of Wind—were made like sandcastles. Not exactly ideal for plant photosynthesis.

"Oh, right—"

Ebizō suddenly smacked his forehead, remembering something.

"The Kazekage also mentioned a few strategies for dealing with sandstorms. We might be able to test them out soon."

Though the methods weren't well-detailed… maybe they'd lead somewhere.

Ōtsutsuki Kaguya was a goddess who didn't understand human customs.

Sunagakure had saved her, provided food and lodging—so what was the big deal about asking her to fill a small lake with water?

Granted, this wasn't her complete form—just a two-star projection—but even so, something as simple as filling a lake shouldn't be beyond her capabilities. Yet after all these days, every time he brought it up, she would simply look at him in silence, saying nothing.

Rasa understood… that meant she was refusing. Maybe she felt something like that was beneath her divine dignity?

So this time, he decided to change his approach.

Surely someone who had experienced such a tragic family past would crave a sense of warmth and belonging, right?

He looked at the woman sitting cross-legged on the tatami next to little Temari. It was Kaguya again, summoned as always by the girl. Ever since he'd confirmed that she wasn't much stronger than him, and that her projection vanished each night, Rasa had stopped worrying about her causing trouble.

That, of course, made Temari her full-time summoner. The little girl once said, "This big sister feels kinda lonely!"

And she wasn't wrong. Temari was speaking more clearly every day and quickly learning how the world worked.

Maturity came early in the shinobi world.

Not long ago, she'd toddled up to Rasa and grumbled in her sweet little voice, "I don't like that snot-nosed kid from Uncle Mōmu's house. He's gross!"

Which made Rasa seriously consider assigning Mōmu to gate duty indefinitely.

"You want your brat chasing after my daughter? Dream on!"

But this wasn't the time for petty grudges.

Right now, seated before him was the enigmatic Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, quietly leaning beside Temari.

Rasa was confident. After this meal together… surely she wouldn't say no again.

After all, as the saying goes—a mouthful of kindness is hard to refuse, and it's awkward to turn down a favor when you've already accepted one.

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