Naruto: Rebuilding the Hidden Sand Village

Konoha, Year 48

In the Hidden Leaf Village…

Ever since the young Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, took office, the entire village had come alive with new energy and vigor.

A self-made man who rose from civilian status to Hokage, Minato's brief twenty-something years had already turned him into a living legend. Even the Fourth Raikage, A, once publicly declared in the shinobi world:

"The Fourth Hokage is my greatest rival in life!"

As for that obscure, backwater village leader down south—well, in the Raikage's eyes, he was just a sneaky little shinobi relying on tricks and traps. The next time they met, A vowed he'd never fall for that bastard's schemes again!

Clearly, the Raikage was still bitter that he hadn't even used his full strength before getting caught in the Fourth Kazekage's forbidden jutsu. He's been itching for a rematch ever since, eager to reclaim his pride!

All of this, though, just shows how powerful the Fourth Hokage truly was. And now that he was entering the prime of his shinobi career, what kind of legendary feats would he achieve next?

No one knew for sure—but many believed he could rival even the strongest of the Hokage so far: Hiruzen Sarutobi, the now-retired Third Hokage.

More importantly, because Minato came from a civilian background, he understood the hearts and needs of ordinary villagers. He valued peace deeply.

Rumor had it that even the notoriously arrogant and stiff Uchiha clan had a great deal of respect for him—and were obediently following his orders?!

One night, after a few drinks, the Uchiha clan head, Fugaku Uchiha, had even shouted in front of everyone:

"Minato is a true friend of the Uchiha clan!"

That alone spoke volumes about Minato's relationship with one of Konoha's most powerful families.

Since his inauguration, villagers found themselves tolerating the Uchiha's stoic faces more easily. After all, if even the Fourth Hokage was on such good terms with them, maybe the Uchiha weren't so bad after all.

Under Minato's leadership, the village had stabilized significantly. The economy had improved, the education system got stronger, and the smiles on villagers' faces became more frequent.

And compared to some cranky old man… the Fourth Hokage was handsome!

So bright, so sunny… how could you not support him?

Among the people of Konoha, Minato had an incredibly strong reputation—especially among the lower class.

But now that he had actually become Hokage… Minato realized it wasn't all as glorious as he had imagined.

Even the personal goal he'd set—to change people's perception of jinchūriki—felt out of reach. And now…

"Orochimaru's human experimentation."

Minato sighed bitterly, glancing at the file on his desk. After the experiments were exposed, the site had supposedly been taken over by ANBU. But when he later asked the ANBU directly, they told him they'd been ordered not to take charge of the facility—that another team would handle it.

When he went to ask the Third Hokage about it in person…

Hiruzen just told him not to worry, and offered a heartfelt lesson:

"Every village has its darkness. As Hokage, you may know of it—but you can't interfere too much. Just focus on leading well."

In other words—

"Some things are best left alone. Knowing is enough—don't get your hands dirty."

As the Fourth Hokage, what could Minato do? He could only sigh in frustration and walk away.

Looking back, he figured the Third had chosen to go easy on Orochimaru out of lingering attachment to his former student.

After all, the bond between teacher and student ran deep.

Minato looked at the investigation report again and chuckled wryly.

"Let's just shelve this for now. Hopefully Orochimaru remembers the bond he shared with the Third—and with our teacher—and doesn't squander that kindness."

At the time the incident broke out, Jiraiya had chosen to leave the village for "research," Tsunade had gone drinking, and the Third had shown restraint, refusing to send anyone to hunt Orochimaru down.

That made it pretty clear: the matter was settled internally, and no one intended to push further.

But then… there was the Uchiha clan.

The Konoha Police Force—their role had always been a thankless one.

If they followed the Hokage's orders and strictly enforced village laws, the people resented them. If they didn't obey the Hokage, ANBU would investigate them.

Damned if they do, damned if they don't.

And to top it off, they always looked pissed while doing it—black expressions, deadpan stares. Not exactly reassuring.

Minato chuckled bitterly.

His friend, Fugaku, always had a stone face. That night, for the sake of calming the clan and preserving peace in the village, Fugaku had to force a smile in front of everyone.

That couldn't have been easy.

Minato had once hoped the Uchiha would integrate better into the village. He even wished they could give up policing altogether and return to regular missions—protecting the village like other shinobi.

The clan had agreed to step back from the police force.

But when they tried, no other clan wanted the job! And clearly, the Third had seen the rift growing between the Uchiha and the rest of the village.

Maybe that's why he always made sure that at least one Uchiha fresh from the Academy was sent on a field mission each year. But… it wasn't enough.

The relationship between the Uchiha and the village was deteriorating fast.

If things kept going like this… it could threaten the peace of the entire Hidden Leaf.

"It has to be addressed. Maybe I could bring in trusted members from other clans…"

Minato shook his head, another wry smile forming.

"Never mind. Right now, the ANBU is the bigger priority. It seems I must cultivate my own trusted subordinates. And the Flying Thunder God… it's simply too difficult to learn. Maybe if I break it down into parts…"

He paused, seeming to hit upon something.

Then, with a quiet smile, he muttered:

"Might be worth a try."

And with that, he lowered his head and moved on to the next document.

"Better finish these quickly. Kushina's waiting at home for me to make dinner."

If he was too late, she'd worry. And letting her go hungry was a terrible idea—especially now that she was heavily pregnant.

But just as he flipped open the next file and skimmed it—

His eyes narrowed in confusion.

"??? A request from the Hidden Sand to establish mutual trade relations with Konoha? They want permission for Sand shinobi to conduct business here?!"

Minato blinked and reread the page.

"What… exactly is the Hidden Sand up to?"

Meanwhile, in the Hidden Sand Village...

Rasa stood frozen, holding his daughter Temari in his arms as he watched the scene in front of him unfold.

He had a sudden, overwhelming thought:

The shinobi world might really be doomed.

Why did they have to go and teach her so many jutsu?

It would've been fine to just teach her a simple Water Release move—why add all this other nonsense?!

Ancestors were meant to be worshipped, fed well, and left alone.

Why go full tutorial mode with her?

Were they trying to buff the final boss just to make life harder for the protagonist?

This was a disaster waiting to happen!

He watched as Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, now sparring with Kana, skillfully wielded shuriken and kunai, then clapped her hands—and instantly summoned a dozen water dragons with perfect form.

Rasa had a grim realization:

"If even her descendants can't outmatch her in raw power… then this girl might really be the one who ends the shinobi world."

Just imagine…

Imagine that time, when the power-up boy meets the BOSS who's diligently learned ninjutsu…

Naruto: "What's up, Sasuke? Where's Dad? Did he go offline? I think we need to spend more money!"

Sasuke: "Naruto, you make a good point."

This scene? Tragic.

The shinobi world was done for.

Rasa knew he couldn't just stand by and watch anymore. He had to intervene.

"Why train jutsu? Isn't shopping, eating, and dressing up more fun?!"

He took a deep breath, eyes firming with resolve.

"Hey! You girls better—"

Before he could finish…

SMACK!

Kaguya clapped her hands—and ten water dragons slammed into his face.

"..."

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