Naruto: Rebuilding the Hidden Sand Village

"Why are you always messing with that old man?"

Rasa looked at the irritated woman walking down the hill with arms crossed—her chest heaving slightly—and sighed.

"He's only got a few years left anyway, and you're clearly fine now, aren't you? Don't worry. As long as I'm the Kazekage, I'll never sell out my own comrades."

There were better ways to ensure the village's peaceful development. Why go to extremes?

Killing people… was only ever a last resort.

Besides, their village didn't have many people to begin with. Unlike Konoha, filled with clans large and small, Sunagakure's shinobi didn't even have surnames—that said enough. A poor village, with no noble families, no clan disputes.

"Just let him be. Let him enjoy his final years in peace. Look at his gray beard, those half-shut eyes, that hunched back… It's a miracle he's survived this winter, honestly."

And even if he does make it through, what's left—ten? Fifteen years tops? You—yeah, you—you can afford to wait. Just outlive him.

"I didn't do anything to him~," Pakura said casually, waving it off with a big grin. "It's just that the temperature's been dropping, and I didn't want his old bones to freeze stiff, so I used my Scorch Release to help him stay warm. He should thank me for ensuring he survives a warm, cozy winter! Didn't you see how pale his face got after I stopped? Totally frozen!"

"…"

You call that helping him stay warm?

You were practically roasting him alive!

As for why Elder Ebizō looked so pale—it wasn't from the cold, it was from pure fear! The old wooden hut was literally burned to ashes—anyone would be blue in the face!

But trying to reason with a woman was like talking to a sandstorm. Who knows? If she wanted to prove she "respected her elders," she might end up scattering his ashes to the wind tomorrow just to prove a point.

Rasa sighed in defeat.

"Alright, what's it going to take for you to leave the poor man alone? Your 'respect for the elderly'—I don't think his body can handle much more."

Any more of this and… even weeds wouldn't grow on Momu's grave.

"Forget it, forget it. I got my revenge, I'm not going back." Pakura flung a hand dismissively and pouted. "You think I want to be here?"

Besides, as a shinobi of Sunagakure, she'd only been scaring the old geezer—she never actually hurt him.

If she'd really wanted to, Ebizō would never have survived three days of "roasting." He knew she wouldn't take it too far, so he just ignored her. As for why he'd called Rasa over today…

Maybe it was because she accidentally burned the house down just now~

If no one rebuilt it before nightfall, that old man's brittle bones were definitely going to suffer!

Pakura pouted, muttering under her breath, "Tch, I'm the real victim here. I was nearly served up as a 'gift' to Kirigakure. So what if I burned down his house?"

"…"

You have a point.

You know what? Go back and burn it again. It's winter anyway—one gust of cold wind and poof, ashes scattered. Done.

Rasa looked at her blankly as she sulked like a child. Just as he was about to say something—

"Anyway, enough about that. Thanks for what you did on the battlefield," Pakura said, dropping her tantrum as quickly as it had come. Her tone was relaxed again, casual and blunt. "If you hadn't backed me up and rallied the entire village, even if you didn't ship me off to the Mist, they might've come to claim me themselves."

"That had nothing to do with me. You earned that peace with your own strength," Rasa replied with a smile, shaking his head. "Your reputation in Kirigakure is probably blacker than tar now. If the Third Mizukage weren't so reckless, causing them huge losses, he might've shown up himself demanding we hand you over."

"Well, that's war for you—kill or be killed." Pakura sighed deeply, her face uncharacteristically solemn. "Sunagakure didn't have many troops left. If I hadn't gone all out, I would've died on the battlefield too."

She had to be more ruthless than the Mist ninja. Only by thinning their numbers and increasing their pressure could Sunagakure stand a chance at victory.

Victory had been within reach. Iwagakure had retreated, Kumogakure had surrendered. With only Kirigakure left, they could've won. But… some idiot had lost at Kikyo Pass Battle and thrown everything into chaos. Sunagakure had been plunged into crisis again.

"Let's not talk about war anymore," she said, brushing it aside. "Now that I'm back in the village, I don't want to dwell on that stuff."

"Then let's talk about something happier… You saw Karura and Temari, right?"

"I did. What a cute little girl. She even asked me for a gift, haha! And you—how could you not invite me to Temari's birthday?"

"You just got back. You needed time to rest."

"Rest, my ass." She waved it off, then smirked wickedly, that mischievous gleam back in her eye. "One kid a year? Seriously? You've got stamina. And that Kana girl… not bad~"

As she spoke, she casually let out a flicker of Scorch Release chakra in her hand. With that threatening look in her eye, Rasa knew—

She was probably mad on Karura's behalf.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I just saved her life, that's all," Rasa said righteously, his face composed. "I'm not that kind of guy."

"Then what about that fair-skinned beauty who keeps sneaking around at night? Momu told me all about her."

"Ask Temari. Not my business."

Momu, you bastard… guess it'll be me planting grass on your grave.

"Alright, alright. I'm not accusing you." Pakura gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder. "Just don't let Karura down."

Then, with her hands behind her head, she strolled past Rasa.

"I'm heading back to rest."

"This woman…" Rasa shook his head with a wry smile, watching her walk off. Then he suddenly remembered something and shouted, "Oh right! What about that academy position? Have you thought about it?"

"Later. Let me rest for a few days."

"Two days enough?"

"Get lost!"

"…"

Geez, you said "a few days," and now you're yelling at me?

Rasa just chuckled, watching her disappear into the distance. A moment later, he stood quietly where he was, then said softly—

"Yashamaru. You can come out now. What do you want?"

Right on cue, a shadow stepped out from the corner—it was Yashamaru, his skin noticeably darker than before.

"Heh~" Yashamaru scratched his head, sheepishly grinning at Rasa before quickly switching to a serious face.

"I wasn't eavesdropping or anything. It's just… when I saw you and Sister Pakura talking so seriously, I thought maybe it was something important, so I…"

"Enough. You've gotten a lot chattier since I last saw you," Rasa interrupted with a wave of his hand. Then he looked at the other person standing beside Yashamaru, someone about a year or two younger. "Chūnin Baki… what brings you here?"

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