Naruto: Rebuilding the Hidden Sand Village

"Lord Kazekage, I… Wait, what's wrong?"

Momu opened the door and was instantly taken aback. Rasa was standing there, staring at him with an odd expression. Blinking, Momu scratched his head. "Do I have something on my face?"

Cough, cough!

Rasa cleared his throat and quickly smoothed his expression back to calm neutrality. "It's nothing. Speak—why did you come find me so late?"

"Ah, right, it's just…"

Moum snapped back to attention, not dwelling on why the Kazekage's gaze had been so strange. He quickly pulled out a piece of paper from his chest pocket with "Appointment Letter" written boldly on it, his eyes filled with doubt.

"Lord Kazekage, this… appointment?"

"Oh, that?" Rasa nodded with a straight face. "Is there an issue?"

"It says here I've been appointed as the Captain of the Sunagakure Security Patrol Unit… to oversee all comings and goings from the village," Momu said, scratching his head and chuckling. "My pay's been doubled… but so has my work schedule?"

He looked surprised, but pleasantly so.

"This is real? I mean, it's definitely a cushy position. I won't have to do outside missions anymore, and I'll have more time to spend with my wife and little Daimaru. But… does the village even have a 'Security Patrol Captain' position?"

As far as he remembered, the shinobi stationed at the village gate were always directly assigned by the Kazekage himself. After all, the gate's security was critical to village safety—if an enemy infiltrated and caused damage, the consequences would be dire. Those responsible for overseeing the gate guards were usually trusted Jōnin sent by the Kazekage personally, ensuring he'd be informed immediately if something went wrong.

Still, long hours or not, it was a relaxed job.

And most importantly, it was safe. Low risk. No running around on the battlefield.

Wait a minute...

Does this mean Lord Kazekage already sees me as a trusted subordinate?!

Maybe encouraging his son to get close to the Kazekage's daughter had been the best decision he ever made.

Face glowing with emotion, Momu looked at Rasa with stars in his eyes.

"Lord Kazekage, I… I won't let you down!"

He slapped his chest proudly.

"I'll make sure my son protects Lady Temari just like I protect you!"

Lord Kazekage is truly good to me!

And yet…

"…"

This face… is disgusting!

Rasa stared at Momu, who looked like he was about to cry from gratitude, completely speechless.

Ungrateful bastard!

This "Security Patrol Captain" was something he'd come up with on the spot. His daughter had been complaining for days now about how an annoying little snot-nosed brat kept following her around.

So Rasa thought, if Momu's job got a little more demanding, maybe he'd keep a better eye on his kid. What business did a tiny brat have constantly sticking to his daughter's tail anyway?

But now it seemed… he'd underestimated just how committed Momu was to pushing his son on Temari.

Sighing, Rasa shook his head and patted Momu on the shoulder.

"You've been with me for years now. Your contributions to the village haven't gone unnoticed. As Kazekage, I've always kept them in mind. You're a true Suna-nin who embodies the Will of Sand passed down from the First Kazekage."

Honestly, there aren't many in the village with a thicker face than yours.

"I've always trusted you."

"Thank you, Lord Kazekage! I swear, I won't let the village—or you—down!"

"Good, good. You truly are the Jōnin I trust most."

Rasa nodded in satisfaction and clapped Momu's shoulder again, his face glowing with approval.

"There's a—"

Creak~

The door opened again.

Rasa froze, suddenly remembering something. He turned and saw her: the stunning woman with rabbit-like horns standing at the entrance.

He shivered violently.

Dammit! How could I forget something so important?!

…

Today… was Temari's birthday!

As her father, he'd actually forgotten. And now it was already this late—she was probably furious!

And worse… he forgot her gift!

She must be so heartbroken right now…

But why was Kaguya Ōtsutsuki here?

Could it be… Temari had already become a full-fledged Kaguya summoner? Was she now capable of commanding Kaguya in battle?!

SLAP!

Rasa swatted Momu aside without hesitation, his tone sharp. "What?!"

That weird expression was really getting on his nerves.

"Lord Kazekage, that woman showing up so late at night…" Momu smirked meaningfully, then sighed. "Tsk, tsk. Even though you resolved the situation with Lady Kana, you still have to be more careful with your conduct. I mean, I saw it, but what if someone else—"

He cut himself off, shivering suddenly. He rubbed his arms.

"Why does it feel so cold all of a sudden?"

Like… something terrifying was staring at him.

"Must mean the temperature's going to drop again soon."

"…"

Rasa glanced at Kaguya's expressionless face.

Yeah, she was pissed.

He sighed and patted the still-bewildered Momu on the shoulder, giving him a pitying look.

"Remember what I said earlier?"

"???"

"There's a very important secret mission the village needs you to carry out."

For your own safety… it's probably best if you get the hell out of the village for a while.

Do you even realize that one careless joke of yours might've just doomed the entire shinobi world?

You think a thousand-year-old goddess is someone you can mock like that?

Even if Kaguya can't die and never ages… she still has that deeply devoted son working behind the scenes. If he ever finds out you disrespected his divine mom like this…

Tsk, tsk.

Even the guy with a Buddha carved into his chest got played by him like a fool.

"Remember… if you ever run into a guy covered in black goo… treat him real nice."

"…"

Almost like she heard that, Kaguya slowly retracted her killing intent, expressionless as ever.

"Temari is crying," she said calmly. "She said she hates Daddy the most."

"…"

So she really was mad.

That girl had been excited about her birthday for days, pestering him nonstop about what present she'd get.

Rasa turned to glance at Momu, who still looked dazed.

He must be thinking, Wait, I just came to ask about an appointment letter—how did I end up on a secret mission?!

"Don't worry. I'll make sure the village takes care of your wife and kid while you're gone," Rasa added meaningfully.

For the sake of his promising little boy—who might one day become a pillar of the village—it was time to load him up with a ton of homework.

That way, he wouldn't have the time to go running around chasing girls.

With that, Rasa gave Momu one last pat on the back and said nothing more. He turned toward the door.

He had a daughter's birthday to attend.

As for the present…

Forget it, this will do.

He was the Kazekage, after all. For someone constantly burdened with village responsibilities, forgetting a gift was totally understandable.

Surely his sweet little princess would understand her dear old dad.

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