Naruto: Rebuilding the Hidden Sand Village

Mid-May, Year 48 of the Hidden Leaf calendar.

The Land of Wind was beginning to heat up, and with the growing number of factories outside the village, Sunagakure was feeling hotter and more stifling than ever before.

The villagers were starting to complain.

Working in such sweltering conditions—especially inside the factory buildings—was unbearable. As a result, the newly opened hospital saw a massive influx of patients.

Many factory workers had collapsed from heatstroke. Some fainted outright during their shifts due to the oppressive environment.

Fortunately, nighttime temperatures remained low. Otherwise, Sunagakure might have had to temporarily halt all operations.

The village didn't have a surplus of workers to begin with. If people kept collapsing like this, there would soon be no one left to run anything.

They had no choice.

To adapt to the heat, many factories with harsher working conditions had to adjust their schedules. Morning shifts were pushed into the cooler afternoon hours. Only a few factories—those with lighter workloads—retained morning operations. Most had to suspend their early shifts for the time being.

Although it pained Rasa a little—they weren't even close to reaching a "996" schedule (9 AM to 9 PM, 6 days a week) or proper shift rotations—he had to admit that under current circumstances, this was the best they could manage.

On top of that, as the weather grew progressively hotter, the consumption of water from the mountain behind the village continuously increased.

So lately, it's been tough on Kaguya—every night she's been working hard to replenish the water supply.

Thanks to half a year of specialized one-on-one training from Kana-sensei, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's grasp of shinobi techniques had skyrocketed—so much so that Rasa didn't even want to think about it anymore.

With her insane talent, she'd already mastered the Sand Clone Technique and various water- and wind-style ninjutsu. Who knew how many more jutsu she would learn in the years to come?

It was terrifying to imagine.

Someday, when Black Zetsu successfully cleaved the moon and freed his "mother," and the reincarnations of Indra and Asura finally confronted her…

Naruto: "Rasengan!"

Kaguya: "Rasengan."

Naruto: "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Kaguya: "Shadow Clone Jutsu. Sand Clone Jutsu. Earth Clone Jutsu. Water Clone Jutsu…"

And if she figured out how to use Wood Clone too?

Game over.

A supposed 2-vs-1 might suddenly become a full-on beatdown—with the "children of prophecy" getting clobbered by an army of clones.

What could Naruto possibly do then? Use the Sexy Jutsu?

At her current learning pace, there was no doubt she'd master that too.

So what was the true future of the shinobi world?

Would it be disrespectful descendants beating up their ancient grandma, or a lonely elder schooling her foolish offspring?

Even Rasa didn't know anymore.

He lounged in his chair, letting a nearby Wind Release shinobi fan him with maximum power—setting three, full blast—as he absentmindedly sifted through the paperwork on his desk.

He didn't want to step outside at all today.

As for Karura, she had already moved into the new hospital with their two children. It was cooler there, and the baby—his third child—would be born any day now.

Thankfully, this time wasn't like the tragic memory from his past life: Karura hadn't died after prematurely giving birth to Gaara.

Still, she wasn't as energetic as she had been a few weeks ago. Back then, she'd been so excited she could barely sleep.

This third child… was really taking a toll on her.

It might be tied to Gaara's immense chakra and unique constitution. After all, even with Shukaku removed, the kid still had a remarkable amount of chakra.

It was clear Gaara had a powerful natural body, which meant he was consuming even more nutrients in the womb.

So for now, Rasa figured it was best for Karura to rest in the hospital, where medical-nin could monitor her around the clock.

Later tonight, after gathering gold dust at the alchemy plant, he'd stop by the hospital and bring the kids home.

"Looks like it's about time I start formalizing the education and training of Magnet Release users…"

He couldn't possibly dig up all the gold hidden beneath the desert alone.

Unfortunately, synthesizing kekkei genkai wasn't easy. And both Sand Release and Magnet Release were notoriously difficult to pass down genetically.

They were bloodline limits that didn't transmit reliably.

That was one of Sunagakure's biggest weaknesses.

Rasa stretched, finished reviewing the last of the day's documents, and rose to leave—

Creak.

Advisor Chiyo's brother, Ebizō, barged into the room again.

"Man… It really is cooler in the Kazekage's office!"

He tossed off his sandproof cloak, revealing his bare chest and shorts, and plopped into the seat across from Rasa.

"Out with it. What do you want this time?" Rasa sighed, pouring him a cup of cool water. "I was just about to check on the Stargazing Platform and swing by the refinery."

"No rush! I already stopped by the refinery," Ebizō said cheerfully after downing the water. "They haven't finished processing the latest batch of gold dust. You can go tomorrow."

"Why were you there? What about your experiments?"

"I went to check if the boys had extracted any usable metal. You know how important copper is if we want to electrify the village."

He poured himself another glass, his face troubled.

"But we're still short on copper. Way too short."

"You've successfully converted wind energy into electricity?" Rasa looked at him, surprised.

"Yep! A few areas on the outskirts already have power. I heard Konoha might go fully electric in the next few years—they've got the tech down to a science. Adapting wind turbines isn't too hard. But solar power… that's still tricky."

Ebizō let out a full-bellied burp.

"The generated power is limited, but if we build enough turbines, each household could at least have one working light bulb. The real bottleneck now is just—copper wire."

"Makes sense."

Rasa nodded.

It wasn't surprising they were short on copper. Gold dust was full of random metals, and copper content was relatively low. Systematic refinement and purification had only recently begun. Supplying enough wiring for the entire village was still a pipe dream.

They had a new project underway to search for metal veins. A few scouting teams had been sent out… but so far, they hadn't discovered any unclaimed mines in the vast desert.

"You're here to request funding again, aren't you?" Rasa narrowed his eyes.

"Hahaha! Can't hide anything from your keen eyes, Kazekage-sama."

Ebizō laughed heartily, not even trying to deny it.

"Once we electrify the village, life will get a lot easier. But relying solely on the refinery won't cut it…"

He trailed off, then sighed.

"At this rate, we won't even finish the project in three years."

"That's all you're asking for? Just funds for wiring?"

"Uhh… well…"

Looking embarrassed, Ebizō scratched his beard and pulled out a second document from inside his robes.

"The lab needs funding too. Just a little."

"Alright, alright."

Rasa chuckled, not even letting him finish before snatching the papers, giving them a quick glance, and signing off.

Ever since Rasa had suggested a few new techniques, Ebizō had started pouring himself into research—half scientist, half shinobi now.

He handed back the papers to the now beaming Ebizō.

"If that's all, then I'll—"

Creak!

A jōnin burst in through the door, face serious, and handed Rasa a letter.

"Kazekage-sama! Urgent message from Lord Mōmu!"

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