Naruto: Rebuilding the Hidden Sand Village

"Have you made up your mind?"

Rasa gently set down his cup of hot tea on the table, smiling as he looked at Kabuto, who was now wearing a new pair of glasses.

"The Hidden Sand doesn't really have any missions suitable for you right now. During peacetime, new genin rarely get sent out on missions. If you're planning to head out… you'll probably only be able to tag along with a merchant caravan."

He noticed Kabuto about to say something, then waved his hand dismissively and sighed with a helpless tone.

"As for going out on your own, forget it. You know… your Aunt Kana would never agree to that. The ninja world's still in chaos—missing-nin, wandering shinobi, and rogue ninja from other villages looking for trouble are everywhere. If you're not accompanied by at least a jōnin, no one will feel at ease."

"I understand." Kabuto nodded with a smile, adjusting his glasses. "I didn't come to say much. Just wanted to bid the Kazekage farewell."

"You really are a slippery one, huh?" Rasa chuckled at Kabuto's playful response and shook his head. "Alright then. If you have any suggestions, pass them along to your jōnin instructor. Don't worry, I've already briefed him thoroughly. And of course… if anything dangerous comes up, be careful."

"Don't worry, Lord Kazekage. I've mastered the sealing techniques and medical ninjutsu that Aunt Kana taught me. Chiyo-sensei also reminded me— as a puppeteer… I must never let the enemy discover where my real body is hidden!"

"Then is the one standing here your real body or a puppet?"

"Lord Kazekage… take a guess!"

"..."

Little brat.

Rasa shook his head again, amused but exasperated. He knew full well this was Kabuto's real body—he wouldn't dare try fooling him with a puppet. After a moment of thought, Rasa looked at him with a smile.

"In that case, how about I give you a mission?"

"...Lord Kazekage, please state it!"

"You already know the state of the village," Rasa said, rubbing his forehead in frustration as he spread out several files in front of him, each from different factories and departments urgently lacking personnel. "Help the village recruit more people, will you?"

"..."

Kabuto furrowed his brow slightly, thinking it over.

"Any specific requirements?"

"Nope. As long as they can run and jump and aren't enemy spies, that's good enough. Of course, if they can rap, even better," Rasa said with a wry smile and waved his hand. "I trust you can handle this, Kabuto~"

"Leave it to me, Lord Kazekage." Kabuto nodded. As for that nonsense about rap, he filtered it out of his brain entirely. Adjusting his glasses, he smiled. "The shinobi world has never lacked people. This'll be easy."

"Well then… I'll count on you. I just don't get it—things are fine here in the village, so why do you insist on running around?" Rasa shook his head, then pulled out a small cloth-wrapped bundle from a drawer and tossed it to Kabuto with a grin. "Take it—your graduation gift. Congratulations, Kabuto. You've officially graduated!"

"This…"

Kabuto was momentarily stunned. But soon, his smile grew wider.

"Thank you, Lord Kazekage."

"Go on, say your goodbyes to your family. I won't set a deadline for your return. If you get tired of the outside world, you can come back anytime."

"Yes, sir!"

"That kid…" Rasa watched Kabuto walk away and shook his head with a slight wince in his eyes. He muttered, "Another gold bar gone…"

Since when did he start gifting gold bars as graduation presents?

He chuckled self-deprecatingly and turned back to the stack of documents. "We really need to emphasize what makes the Hidden Sand unique—plus tourism promotion… and attractions to draw people in. Otherwise, no one's coming back."

As for war and all that… it no longer concerned the Hidden Sand Village.

Meanwhile…

In the Land of Rain, located geographically above the Land of Wind, the situation was buzzing with activity.

After its defeat in the Second Great Ninja War, the Land of Rain had fallen into chaos that lasted for years.

Add to that an aging and confused leader—Hanzo of the Salamander, known as the demigod of the shinobi world—and the country had long since lost the strength it once had, when it could take on three great nations at once. It had never recovered.

The endless rain and poor soil had already made the land's productivity low, and the scars of war remained unhealed. Hanzo's oppressive rule left little hope. If nothing changed soon… the country would truly be doomed.

That's what Yahiko had seen with his own eyes. Having grown up amid war in the Land of Rain, he understood its darkness—and that of the entire shinobi world. That's why, when he first saw that powerful ninja riding a toad, he overcame his fear and climbed out with Nagato and Konan, begging to be taught ninjutsu.

If they wanted to change the world—change the Land of Rain—they had to seize power.

And eventually, they did become capable shinobi. Over the years, they also gathered a group of like-minded comrades who shared the dream of bringing peace to their homeland.

Peace for the Land of Rain… to pierce the darkness and usher in the dawn.

Akatsuki!

That's the name that came to Yahiko when he first saw the sunlight break through the stormy sky.

So…

"Nagato… cough cough!"

Yahiko, bleeding from the mouth, was tightly held in Nagato's arms. Despite the blood, there was a smile on his face.

"I believe we'll succeed… Just like our teacher said… Nagato, with your eyes, you can bring peace to the shinobi world. Cough! Nagato… Konan… I… I'm sorry, I might…"

He didn't finish.

His eyes closed and never opened again. But the smile on his lips never faded.

"Ya… Yahiko!"

Nagato's expression changed instantly as he felt the life slip away from Yahiko's body. Overwhelmed by grief, he let out a heart-wrenching scream toward the sky, shaking Yahiko's lifeless body, desperate for a response—even just one sound!

But no matter how hard he tried… there was no answer.

No one knows how long it took, but eventually, Nagato laid Yahiko down gently—the man he had just killed with his own hands. He turned, rage burning in his eyes, staring up at the masked Hanzo of the Salamander… and Konoha's ninja beside him.

"You… all deserve to die!"

With that, he surged forward. His mind was consumed with one goal—avenge Yahiko.

Avenge Yahiko. And complete his dream: bring true peace to the shinobi world!

But in that moment, he didn't notice…

Someone else had arrived. A member of the Akatsuki, who had just rushed onto the scene. He paused when he saw their fallen leader on the ground, and seemed to understand something. Quietly, he reached into his robes and pulled out a large red bottle, a perverse grin spreading across his face as he sneaked forward.

"Who's that guy?"

Not far away, hiding in the shadows, were a glob of black substance and a masked ninja with a swirling vortex design.

They both looked at the sneaky newcomer.

"And… what the hell is he doing?"

"No idea."

The masked ninja gave the scene a brief glance, then lost interest. Right now, he cared more about those eyes—the Rinnegan—and whether they truly had the power to bring peace to the world, just as someone had claimed.

"The main force has been wiped out. Just one ninja left. If Lady Tsunade were here, maybe he could be saved. But the rest… heh~"

"Lady Tsunade… you still care about Konoha, don't you~"

"Enough talk," the masked ninja said, waving his hand impatiently. His single eye focused intently on the battlefield. "Looks like our plan worked."

As soon as he said that—

BOOM!!!

A terrifying explosion rocked the ground, and a massive, grotesque statue appeared in the middle of the battlefield!

What the hell is that?!

Everyone turned in shock, eyes drawn to the terrifying construct.

Meanwhile…

Behind them, that shady Akatsuki member looked down at Yahiko—now lying on the ground after being force-fed that red potion. He wiped the red liquid from his mouth and stared in surprise as his eyes lit up.

"Mmm… so it actually works?"