Naruto: Rebuilding the Hidden Sand Village

Early in the morning, a large number of villagers had gathered in Sunagakure.

Yesterday, the Kazekage had issued his new First Five-Year Plan, ordering that all shinobi and civilians within the village follow unified directives and be assigned roles by the administration.

The people of Sunagakure didn't fully understand what their Kazekage intended. But when they thought about the two trees planted at the village gates… and how the Kazekage had turned the tide of war and brought victory to their village—what reason did they have to doubt him?

"Lord Kazekage must have his reasons for doing this!"

That was what everyone believed—especially the shinobi who had returned with him from the front lines. Those who had struck gold, literally, on the battlefield believed in him more than ever. After all, back then… they'd been just as confused. Why had the Kazekage suddenly ordered them to pan for gold mid-battle? Some had even suspected he was just trying to make a quick fortune.

But once he boldly declared war on Kumogakure and captured one of their top figures… they understood. There was a bigger picture.

None of them truly knew what secrets he was hiding behind all of this. But that didn't stop them from admiring him.

Just as Lord Mōmu once told them:

"You don't need to understand why Lord Rasa does what he does. You just need to know that what he does will bring us victory."

Lord Mōmu had fought beside the Kazekage on the battlefield, his most trusted aides. If even he didn't fully understand, how could they? But Mōmu had always obeyed without question. Whatever orders the Kazekage gave, he carried them out—even if it meant chasing after corpses in the middle of a burning battlefield, dodging deadly jutsu and flying kunai without flinching—until, finally, he helped secure a decisive victory.

It was incredible.

That's why they all believed the Kazekage must have a purpose. Even if they didn't get it yet.

Even if they didn't understand, they would obey.

After all, would the Kazekage really be doing all this just for money?

Impossible.

Mōmu had said it himself: almost all the funds Rasa gathered went into village development and day-to-day operations.

So there was no way he was acting out of personal greed.

Now, all the shinobi and villagers stood before him, clad in the village's signature white, sand-resistant cloaks, their eyes filled with trust and determination, awaiting their assignments.

"You've all been at this a while," Rasa said sternly, eyeing the core group of shinobi who had returned with him from the front. Among them stood Yashamaru, upright and silent.

"You already know how this works."

These individuals would act as supervisors for the gold refining operation. Each would form a team and oversee their own group of gold miners. With experienced leaders guiding the process, even the newer recruits would adapt quickly.

Of course—

The refinery itself couldn't be located too close to the village. Pollution and heat were already potential issues in a desert environment, and while it was just a desert and there wasn't much to ruin, Rasa figured they should at least try not to cause unnecessary problems. Who knew? Maybe in the future, they'd find better ways to manage it.

No need to create avoidable messes.

To conserve water resources, he'd also streamlined several steps in the refining process. The end product didn't need to be ultra-pure—just good enough. The market price for gold was sky-high right now due to the war. They needed to cash in while they could.

Besides, the entire village was here right now.

But obviously, not everyone could be assigned to gold refining. Who would guard the village? Handle administrative work? Clean the Kazekage Tower?

This morning's mass gathering was simply a way to coordinate logistics efficiently. The agriculture teams still needed to be organized, too.

Rasa cleared his throat and addressed the assembled shinobi:

"Well then… let's get moving."

After all, he still had to burn through that accidental eighty million ryō he'd dumped into his gacha system.

Ten thousand ryo per pull, eighty million ryo meant eight thousand tries. Based on the average drop rate, he should get something decent every hundred or so pulls.

This time… he refused to believe he'd get nothing but junk again. No way he was as cursed as that four-eyed loser who kept trying to pull SSRs and only got trash.

All that grinding, all those saved-up materials… and what did he get? A bunch of junk.

Even pulled that geography teacher from the Earth release scroll.

And somehow… they'd even summoned Kazekage Windomaru, the not-yet-born "Crimson Sandstorm" of Sunagakure.

At this rate… was he just like Kabuto? A cursed gacha puller who needed over a hundred rolls per drop?

"I really need to start being more careful…"

Rasa watched the villagers march proudly out of the village gates.

The gold refinery was still quite a distance away.

And as for him—of course he had to go too. Who else would gather gold dust for them?

Late autumn, Year 44 of the Hidden Leaf Calendar.

Sunagakure officially shifted its internal policies, pivoting toward economic recovery.

Meanwhile, the rest of the world—

—was still engulfed in war.

Kumogakure and Iwagakure were clashing hard. Both sides were taking losses. But an unexpected incident had pushed the Raikage over the edge. Desperate to clean up after his son's mess, the Third Raikage launched an all-out assault on Iwa—seeking a crushing victory to reassert his authority.

In response, the Third Tsuchikage was forced to bolster their defenses—and cussed him out royally in private.

"Why the hell don't you go attack Konoha?"

"Konoha's the real target, idiot!"

"Why send your whole damn army to us? Go fight the Leaf!"

But maybe Kumo thought Iwa was the easier target. They ignored the Tsuchikage's warnings and kept pressing the attack, fanning the flames of Iwa's rage.

Iwa took it as an insult. As if Kumo saw them as weak.

So they escalated. And the battle between them only grew fiercer.

The fighting between Kumo and Iwa had reached a boiling point.

And as for Konoha—no matter how hard those two fought, it didn't lessen the pressure on them.

The Leaf was still under tremendous strain.

Between the chaos outside and the problems festering within, the Third Hokage had no choice but to take special action.

At the Hokage Tower, Hidden Leaf Village.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood in his robes, puffing gently on his pipe as he spoke, his voice heavy with thought.

"I understand that Kakashi's trauma over his father's death has made him emotionally rigid. He believes completing the mission is a shinobi's top priority... but I still believe he carries the Will of Fire within him."

Before him knelt a blond-haired jōnin on one knee—Minato Namikaze.

"That incident back then… I bear some responsibility. I let too many things slip through the cracks, never imagining it would snowball to this extent. That's why I'm entrusting him to you, Minato. I want you to guide him—make sure he doesn't lose his way."

"He's an extraordinarily gifted shinobi. He has the potential to become one of Konoha's greatest. But he must understand this—while completing the mission is important…"

"The bonds between comrades… are even more important for a shinobi of the Leaf!"

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