Naruto: Rebuilding the Hidden Sand Village

Kumogakure's withdrawal didn't mark the end of the war.

Even setting aside Pakura's repeated skirmishes with Kirigakure along the border, a completed battle didn't mean shinobi could simply pack up and go home.

This was another full-scale Shinobi World War—no one could guarantee that the other villages weren't planning to make a move behind the scenes. That's why it was still essential to station a strong shinobi along the border.

As for Pakura… Rasa wasn't particularly worried. According to the original timeline, she pushed Kirigakure so hard that they came crawling for peace. Or maybe it was that Konoha's pressure forced Kiri to halt its war with Suna. Either way, if she drove Kirigakure to the point where they thought killing her was the only way to earn peace, then she must've hurt them badly.

And on the matter of Elder Chiyo… Kumogakure was still neck-deep in conflict with both Konoha and Iwagakure. Even if they wanted to pull a surprise attack, it wouldn't be happening any time soon.

After all, tearing up a treaty takes time. You can't just sign in the morning and betray it that afternoon—doing that would make your village a laughingstock. Who would want to ally with you after that?

Even the Five Great Shinobi Nations have reputations to maintain. Suna included. Every time they've allied with Konoha, they wait five or six years before stirring up trouble again.

So yes, for now, it was safe to say Kumogakure was off their backs. But the smaller nations that had joined the conflict still needed watching. They weren't part of the Five Great Nations, but that didn't make them harmless.

On top of that, the Land of Wind Daimyō had cut off Suna's funding, which had thrown the village into disarray.

They were already poor to begin with. With limited land, scarce resources, and too few missions coming in, just maintaining shinobi training and daily operations was a constant struggle—never mind anything beyond that.

To be honest… Rasa was getting nervous.

Before she left, Elder Chiyo had instructed him to manage logistics and use Kumo's reparations to buy enough food to sustain the front lines and keep the home front stable.

All doable—if you had money.

The problem was...

"Can I get a refund? The law says minors who make unintentional purchases are entitled to one."

But the gacha system was unresponsive—as expected of a soulless, in-game mechanic.

Then again… he was probably already legally an adult.

With no other options, Rasa had no choice but to lead the remaining villagers in a new direction: entrepreneurship. He had to ensure every shinobi on the front lines had enough to eat.

But this was the desert. What sort of economy could you even build out here?

Especially during wartime...

Even if they wanted to sell Sunagakure's local specialty—puppets—not only was the Land of Wind lacking in plant life and materials, but the ongoing war had made everyone suspicious. No other village would spend money on decorative puppets right now. Unless, of course… they also received the chakra threads and puppet-handling techniques that made them usable.

But that was their ancestral legacy. Selling that techniques to outsiders would be the same as handing over your nation's military secrets—it would be treason.

The entire village would spit on you until you drowned.

Of course, Rasa had no intention of selling it. Unless they somehow developed puppet tech far beyond what currently existed, that kind of knowledge was staying locked up.

Farming? Forget it. All they had was sand and rock. What were they going to grow?

Entertainment industry? The world was in chaos—who had time to listen to you rap?

They probably wouldn't even make it into other villages, let alone turn a profit.

Tourism? Completely off the table.

In the end, after eliminating the impossible and thinking a bit harder, Rasa realized there was still one viable option: gold refining.

The shinobi world was just beginning to dip its toes into technology. It reminded him of the 1990s in his past life—everyone was gambling on untested ventures, hoping to strike it rich… only for some miracle item to become worthless trash within a year or two.

Sure, technology wouldn't drastically affect ninja life for another twenty years. Even in the era of post-war peace with Naruto and Sasuke around, plenty of shinobi still resisted tech-based changes.

So realistically, unless Suna specialized in some niche area, they couldn't hope to outpace the rest of the shinobi world's development.

Unless they cheated.

Thinking back to the plans he reviewed last night and Suna's long-term prospects, Rasa sighed, tapped the desk, then clasped his hands beneath his chin. With a serious expression, he declared:

"This plan will be known as the First Sunagakure Economic Recovery and Five-Year Development Plan—for short, the First Five-Year Plan. From now on, our focus will begin gradually shifting away from war and toward rebuilding the economy."

Since they were still in the midst of war, any major changes to the village needed to be handled carefully.

But five years from now...

Around Year 48 or 49 of the Konoha calendar, the major conflicts would have ended. Sure, there'd still be local wars and skirmishes between villages, but Rasa believed that relative stability would give everyone a chance to rebuild.

"There are three primary sectors, and six specific goals."

The three main sectors were: military, agriculture, and economic development.

Military was obvious—they had to win the war. That was the foundation for any kind of long-term growth.

Agriculture… was tricky, given the desert, but…

"We'll select the best seeds and use scientific methods for planting and irrigation."

They could even section off a small area, steal soil from another country, and create enclosed growing zones. Instead of planting directly in the sand, they'd place the soil into special containers and grow crops that way.

Some villagers had already tried something similar on their rooftops. Sure, it wasn't enough to be self-sustaining, but it could help reduce their dependency on imported food.

Households growing small veggies for themselves could go a long way.

"Our goal is to double food production by next year."

Whether or not that actually happened… Rasa wasn't sure. After all, he didn't have the technical knowledge himself. The villagers would have to figure it out on their own.

"In short—refined planting techniques and scientific farming will be the agricultural reform.

Here, his heart sank a little.

The land was all desert. Roads were unpaved. The world was at war.

Besides refining gold, what else could they even do?

Build roads?

Even the daimyō didn't have the money for that.

And expecting villagers to build them for free? Not only was the Land of Wind surrounded by battlefields, but any road they built now might get blown up by a rogue shinobi tomorrow.

Not to mention… trying to pave anything in a desert was basically a joke.

Water was already scarce in Sunagakure. Why waste it on roadwork?

Better to spend every drop wisely.

Rasa turned to the shinobi gathered before him, expression stern.

"You've probably all heard about what happened during the 'battlefield gold rush.'

So, for now, our focus will be on refining gold.

Every day, I'll provide enough gold dust.

Your job is to extract as much pure gold from it as you can."

In times of peace, antiques hold value. In times of chaos—gold is king.

According to the shinobi sent to buy supplies, the exchange rate between gold and silver was skyrocketing.

So why build roads?

Right now, the priority was gold extraction!

Roads didn't get you money. Roads didn't fund your gacha pulls. Roads didn't feed your people.

"This marks a major shift in Sunagakure's economic policy.

It's the foundation for our village's future prosperity and strength.

So every single one of you—refine that gold like your lives depend on it!"

With that—

"Yes, sir!"

The entire meeting room echoed with the unified response of every shinobi present, rallying behind their Fourth Kazekage.