Naruto: Rebuilding the Hidden Sand Village

With the implementation of new policies encouraging production and innovation, several new industries had recently sprung up in Sunagakure.

Take, for example… the alchemy facility slated for expansion. In addition to processing gold, it would soon handle other precious metals and even some metallic by-products. For now, thanks to the water supplied by that underpowered projection of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, they had just enough to support operations.

As for long-term environmental restoration… they would eventually need a sustainable, self-sufficient water source to establish a natural cycle. They couldn't exactly summon her every time the village ran low on water, could they?

They had to be reasonable—this was the Mother of Chakra, the Sage of Six Paths' own mother, and the matriarch beloved by a certain blob of black goo. Sure, she looked young and beautiful, but she was practically the grandmother of the entire shinobi world. Making her the village's glorified water-dispenser… felt wrong on a spiritual level.

So yes—stable water resources were essential.

Still, for now, it wasn't urgent. Kaguya's projection was only a two-star summon, right? So what if they asked her to top off the tanks now and then? Was that too much to ask?

Absolutely not!

Thanks to this water surplus, the alchemy plant's efficiency had noticeably improved. And next year, if all went well, Ebizō's proposals for glass and cement factories would also break ground. After all, those were critical for his experimental agricultural project. Sure, they could import the materials, but producing them locally was far more cost-effective for test runs.

The village remained relatively peaceful at present. Despite the lack of missions or commissions coming in, there hadn't been any unrest or instability among the shinobi.

At least, for now...

Rasa stood there, visibly impressed, as he looked at the bright-eyed young shinobi before him—Baki—who was staring up at him with admiration. After a moment of thought, the Kazekage smiled and nodded approvingly.

"Not bad at all, Baki. I like how you think."

Baki was considered one of the more gifted young shinobi of his generation, about two years younger than Yashamaru, and currently serving under Pakura. Thanks to his outstanding performance on the battlefield, he'd been promoted to chūnin.

And in the future...

His youngest son—Gaara—would eventually become the Fifth Kazekage. That wasn't just because the village lacked elite shinobi. A big part of it was due to this very man: Baki. He had defied popular opposition and firmly supported Gaara's appointment as Kazekage.

Even though Gaara had been his student, Baki had never tried to leverage the village's instability for personal gain. Instead, he backed Gaara—a jinchūriki and the son of the previous Kazekage—because it was what the village needed.

Back then, Sunagakure had no better options. Despite how hated Gaara was, he was undeniably the most qualified. His status as the One-Tail's jinchūriki, his lineage, and his combat power left little room for debate. Choosing anyone else would've likely sparked civil unrest.

Also… Baki eventually succeeded Yashamaru (after his untimely death) as caretaker of Rasa's three children, fulfilling his duties so thoroughly he may as well have been a real nanny.

But right now—this boy was thinking outside the box.

Baki had realized something important: the way things were going with gold harvesting, Sunagakure was bound to run into trouble sooner or later.

After all, the Kazekage couldn't spend every day out in the desert magnetically extracting gold dust. Magnet Release wasn't something just anyone could learn. And once the refinery plant expanded further, unless they had chakra levels on par with a literal god, the raw material supply wouldn't be able to keep up with demand.

Sure, Rasa was confident that one day, through sheer gacha-style perseverance, he'd reach the level of a chakra deity—but other people didn't know that.

So Baki had come up with an idea.

Why not mix trace amounts of gold into regular sand, then export it to other villages and countries? Let them enjoy the thrill of panning for gold. It didn't matter how much gold was actually in there—what mattered was the experience.

Spending money and wasting water just for the chance of discovering a tiny speck of gold? That joy… was priceless.

And hey, it didn't even have to be every batch. After all, raw, unprocessed materials weren't guaranteed to contain gold. That was just… the nature of nature.

Even if the Kazekage didn't have time to gather gold dust, they could still generate profit by selling sand alone.

Rasa could see the bigger picture. Not only would this create a brand-new export industry, but it would also raise Sunagakure's reputation. They could brand themselves as the "Golden Land"—a place where gold was hidden in the very earth. It might even lay the foundation for a future tourism industry.

At the same time, it would help reduce the Wind Country's overwhelming sand levels. It really was a brilliant idea.

But—

Rasa furrowed his brow slightly as he looked at the visibly excited Baki.

"But what if a Byakugan user or someone with a special dōjutsu peeks inside the sand and sees through it? Wouldn't that be cheating?"

"Uhh…"

Baki blinked, clearly stumped. He hadn't thought of that. After all, this was the shinobi world. Who knew what kind of peeping-jutsu or god-tier eyeballs were out there? If someone used that kind of power to expose the scheme, they'd lose big.

"I'm sorry, Lord Kazekage. I didn't consider that…"

"It's not your fault," Rasa reassured him with a soft chuckle. "Sunagakure isn't exactly known for its sealing techniques."

He glanced over at Yashamaru.

"Have him take you to see if you can get help from Kana."

A basic concealment seal shouldn't be too hard to figure out.

And even if someone did cheat—so what? It wasn't like this was a life-or-death battle. No one would burn through all their chakra and eyeball strength just to find a few flecks of gold in a pile of sand.

What if they ruined their eyesight?

"You mean Kana-senpai?" Yashamaru blinked.

"That's right," Rasa nodded. "Since this was your idea, Baki, I'm putting you in charge of it. This new industry is yours to manage. Don't worry, it'll be fine. Just do your best."

He gave Baki a firm pat on the shoulder.

"Make a proposal—let us know how many people you'll need, what kind of support, and the village will fund it."

Maybe this kid really was a commercial genius—just one who'd been trapped in the babysitting industry until now.

With that, Rasa turned and walked off, leaving a stunned Baki and an excited Yashamaru behind.

It was getting late. The raw sand-gold stock at the alchemy plant was probably running low again. Time for another round of gold dust extraction.

And once Baki's operation was up and running, those "merchant caravans" currently made up of information-gathering shinobi… could finally become actual businesses.

Yes—there was still much to reform in Sunagakure.

Spring, Year 48 of the Hidden Leaf Calendar

The Fourth Hokage of Konoha is officially inaugurated.

The elderly Third Hokage, now lacking the strength and stamina to continue overseeing the village, stepped down at the peak of his career. After leading Konoha to three victorious shinobi world wars and earning the title of the "Professor of Ninjutsu," he chose to leave while still at the top.

The Fourth Hokage… was none other than the legendary civilian-born shinobi—Namikaze Minato.

He had become a symbol of hope for all young, non-clan shinobi in Konoha. Even shinobi from other villages admired him.

So what if he wasn't born into a powerful clan?

He still rose to become the leader of the greatest shinobi village in the world.

With this young, energetic new Hokage taking the reins, Konoha—previously weakened by the war—was once again rejuvenated, brimming with new life.

Author's Note:

Well, even if the stats aren't looking good, I'm still content. If you're just here to hate-read, save your breath. I'm not trying to make this a hot-blooded battle-fest. If you're here for meat-grinding clashes, this novel probably isn't for you.

The MC is getting stronger, alright? Chakra and physical constitution are the foundation.

He's only a two-star summon right now! Not everything is as useless as you might think. This story is focused on village building—not non-stop fighting.

Sorry, but that's how it is. (= _ =)