Naruto: Rebuilding the Hidden Sand Village

While the world was at war, they were busy panning for gold.

That had been Rasa's plan—a peaceful and stable path to rebuild and develop Sunagakure.

But now...

"Whose idea was it?!"

Rasa slammed his desk hard, glaring at the jōnin who had rushed back from Chiyo's frontlines to report urgent news.

His face was grim, and though he tried to remain calm, the fire in his eyes made it obvious—

He was furious.

"Who authorized this?! Who declared war on Konoha without my permission?!"

This was pure madness. Rasa had worked tirelessly to settle things with Iwagakure and Kusagakure precisely to avoid getting sucked further into the vortex of this all-consuming war. And now?

There were no words for how he felt.

Damn it—who the hell thought it was a good idea to randomly declare war on Konoha right now?!

Sure, Sunagakure had always been known to strike at Konoha now and then, but couldn't they pick a better moment?

Was it really so hard to focus on village development for once?

Couldn't they just stop stirring up trouble and settle down?

Rasa took a deep breath, forcing himself to sit down and compose himself. He stared straight at the jōnin.

"Speak. Who made this decision?"

"Ch-Chiyo-sama…"

"...???"

That old woman again—what the hell was she thinking?

Did she feel there were too many mouths to feed in the village and decided to thin the numbers by sending people to die?

Rasa was stunned. The other jōnin looked equally confused, unable to figure out Chiyo's reasoning.

Before he could voice his frustration, the messenger continued.

"Iwagakure has sent word. They're demanding we cooperate in an attack on the Land of Fire. If we refuse, they'll mobilize the forces stationed on our border and declare war on us directly."

The room went silent.

Then—

"This is outrageous!"

Several jōnin slammed their hands on the table, expressions dark with anger.

"They already lost the last war and now they're threatening us?!"

"Do they really think Sunagakure is that easy to push around?!"

"To hell with them! Let's hit Iwagakure first!"

"Yeah! Let's show them what we're made of!"

But unlike them, Rasa didn't lose his temper. He sat quietly, deep in thought.

Chiyo wasn't the kind of woman to make reckless decisions. She'd been through more wars than most of them had lived years. There had to be a reason.

Honestly, cooperating with Konoha to strike back at Iwagakure would make far more sense than siding with Iwa against Konoha. After all...

The Third Hokage was a decent man.

Even if he wasn't in his heart, he'd still have to play the role. Konoha had a reputation to uphold. If Sunagakure extended a hand in alliance, maybe... maybe they could get an interest-free loan of 800 million ryō or so. That didn't seem too far-fetched, right?

But now...

Under the heavy stares of the jōnin, the messenger grew visibly nervous, afraid they'd take their frustration out on him.

"Chiyo-sama's goal... was to avoid letting the Land of Wind become a battlefield again. She wants to shift the conflict into the Land of Fire instead."

He didn't need to say more—everyone understood.

The room fell silent.

Even Rasa folded his hands and leaned on his elbows, deep in contemplation.

The Land of Wind was already desolate—what difference would more war make? But still... no one wanted to see their home turn into a graveyard again. If they could push the front lines into Land of Fire —and with three other villages attacking from different directions—maybe there was a chance to finally beat Konoha.

Maybe that's what Chiyo believed.

But Rasa knew better. The three previous Great Ninja Wars had all ended the same way—with Konoha victorious, no matter who their enemies were.

Sending people to die just to relocate the front line?

No. He'd much rather cooperate with Konoha, secure a loan, and focus on rebuilding.

He was sure that for the sake of "world peace," that kind-hearted, ever-benevolent Third Hokage would be more than happy to give them an interest-free loan.

Even if they conveniently forgot to repay it later, as long as their hearts were in the right place, surely Konoha would forgive them. Right?

But now…

Rasa rubbed his forehead, sighing in frustration. He looked at the Sand Shinobi. "Have Advisor Chiyo and her forces already departed?"

The declaration had gone out in the second month of the 45th year, and now it was late March. In two days, it would be April.

At this rate...

They were probably already fighting Konoha on the border.

Seeing the hesitation on the jōnin's face, Rasa shook his head with a resigned sigh.

"Never mind. Advisor Chiyo and her forces have probably already launched their surprise attack on the Land of Fire's border."

His idea of a loan would have to be abandoned. But Chiyo…

Seems like Chiyo still hadn't fully accepted his authority as the Fourth Kazekage.

Sure, she'd supported his appointment and upheld his title. But she was an elder—a key figure since the era of the Third Kazekage. She was used to making decisions, and as the saying goes, "Once the general is on the battlefield, not even the lord's commands hold sway."

This boneheaded war wasn't entirely unexpected.

And anyway... attacking Konoha had practically become tradition among the major villages. Launching a raid against the Leaf was just part of the ninja world's cycle.

Chiyo probably assumed he'd agree.

After all, in the eyes of many, "You can lose the war, but you must attack Konoha" wasn't a joke—it was policy.

Rasa let out another sigh.

"What did Advisor Chiyo want you to tell me?"

"Ah… Chiyo-sama is requesting more ninja reinforcements. And food supplies."

The jōnin didn't hesitate—he relayed the request instantly.

Even if it made the Kazekage's face go stiff.

"…And one more thing," he added nervously. "She said… it's time for us to hold the Chūnin Exams again."

"…"

Veins twitched on Rasa's forehead as he glanced at the other jōnin, most of whom were staring off at the ceiling in dead silence. He turned his gaze back to the nervous messenger.

He could only sigh again.

"Fine. Tell Advisor Chiyo I got the message. And…"

His voice dropped an octave, tone turning serious.

"Next time she decides something like this—tell her to at least consider what the Fourth Kazekage might think."

The arrow had already left the bow. It wasn't like he could order a full retreat now.

Backpedaling would only anger both sides—and put Sunagakure in an even more precarious position.

So...

"Don't make decisions on your own next time!"