There were indeed Water Release users in Sunagakure—but not many.
Most of them hadn't been born with the affinity, either. They had developed it through chakra nature transformation training later in life. But talent like Kana's… the kind that let her draw water at will even in the middle of the desert… that was nearly unheard of.
That said…
Just because a village's dominant chakra nature wasn't Water Release didn't mean Water users didn't exist at all. After all, genetics can be unpredictable. Mutations happen.
Most of the medical-nin trained by Elder Chiyo, for example, happened to have water affinities.
The problem was… drawing water in the desert was still incredibly difficult.
Rasa let out a deep sigh. His head was full of Chiyo's nagging voice—an old woman rambling endlessly in his ears. To be fair… she did talk about things he had little knowledge of. From the founding of Sunagakure by the First Kazekage, through the Second Great Ninja War, and into the present day… she'd practically recited the entire history of the village.
Not that it was all useless. He could tell that Chiyo was conflicted—on the one hand, she valued talent. Sunagakure was short on exceptional shinobi, after all. But on the other hand, she was wary. If Kana turned out to be a spy, and all that knowledge she'd absorbed got passed on to another village, it would be a disaster.
So in the end… it all came down to time.
After all, unaffiliated shinobi—those who had lost both village and country—were extremely rare. And incredibly valuable.
"So remember this, Kana," Rasa said seriously, watching her approach again. "You need to work hard."
Elder Chiyo wouldn't be able to stay on the front lines much longer. This time, she'd only come because circumstances left her no choice.
"Don't mind how foul-mouthed, rash, or sarcastic she seems. Her medical ninjutsu really is top-tier."
"Um…"
Kana hesitated before responding. She shook her head slightly, then looked up at him with a serious expression.
"Elder Chiyo's actually pretty nice."
Even though… she'd been stuck doing grunt work under Chiyo this entire time…
"I mean it!"
Kana's wide eyes stared up at him, nose scrunched adorably.
"She's really been good to me!"
"Oh come on. What village elder treats an outsider kindly?"
Especially when that outsider was an Uzumaki, a survivor of the fallen Land of Whirlpools—and the only village that still bore the Uzumaki emblem was Konoha.
Basically family.
That's why shinobi with a known background—even without a current affiliation—were usually avoided by other villages unless absolutely necessary.
"I heard Elder Chiyo's been—"
He paused as Kana shot him a wide-eyed look and blinked rapidly. Rasa froze, stiffening as realization dawned. He cleared his throat and quickly changed his tone.
"I mean… Elder Chiyo has been teaching you with the utmost dedication. She's been generous with her knowledge. Make sure to listen to her well, complete every assignment seriously, and do your best to become a valuable asset to the village."
As he finished, he turned—and sure enough, there was Chiyo behind him, arms folded, face dark.
"…Elder Chiyo! What brings you here? Did something slip my mind again?"
"No."
The one-word reply was sharp, the glare cold. She was clearly not in a good mood.
Rasa chuckled awkwardly, about to say something else when—
"I'm just here to remind the Uzumaki girl," Chiyo said, giving Rasa a brief glance before turning to Kana. "Be sure to come early tonight. Medical ninjutsu isn't something you can master overnight."
With that, she looked back at Rasa, shook her head in resignation, and turned to leave, hands clasped behind her back.
"Some people," she muttered, loud enough to hear, "can't even stick to the bowl they're eating from—already eyeing the plate across the table. Honestly… disgraceful."
"…"
That old bat.
She had to be doing this on purpose.
Rasa stared wordlessly at her retreating back, then turned to Kana's smiling face and sighed.
"Just ignore her… She's gone senile."
"Mhm~" Kana smiled sweetly, then tilted her head. "Is Lady Karura your fiancée, Lord Rasa?"
"Yes," Rasa nodded without hesitation. "We grew up together. The engagement was arranged a long time ago. If it weren't for… what happened to our sensei…" He trailed off for a moment. "We probably would've married already."
Thinking of her younger brother…
As if on cue, Rasa suddenly felt someone's gaze. He turned and saw a young shinobi with short, sandy-blond hair, wearing the standard Sunagakure forehead protector.
He froze for a moment.
"Yashamaru… what are you doing here?"
Why… did he have a bad feeling about this?
What now…?
"…"
Watching his future brother-in-law stand so close to another woman…
What should he do? Should he tell his sister?
Yashamaru stood stiffly, torn between reverence and suspicion.
He'd already heard the rumors in the village—stories of how Rasa had boldly raided the Kusa shinobi camp and decimated an Iwa vanguard unit. He had been thrilled when he received the order to join the front lines, even more so to be deployed under Rasa's command.
But there were also rumors… about Rasa's heart wandering.
Still, his sister had firmly insisted: "Rasa isn't that kind of man!"
And Yashamaru—who had looked up to him since childhood—believed that, too. Or at least… he wanted to believe it.
Do I trust him… or not?!
Conflicted, Yashamaru stood rooted in place, unable to speak.
Not even during his Chunin Exams had he been this mentally torn.
Should I tell my sister?
Expression shifting back and forth, he glanced between Rasa and Kana. Finally, he let out a sigh.
"…Big Brother Rasa."
"You little brat…" Rasa frowned. "What's with that look?"
He looked like he was ready to throw hands.
Just then—
"Hello!" Kana stepped forward with a warm smile. "I'm Uzumaki Kana. Lord Rasa saved my life."
She bowed politely to Rasa, then to the wide-eyed Yashamaru.
"I won't disturb you any longer, Lord Rasa. I'll be going now."
And with that, she turned and walked off—leaving the two men staring awkwardly after her.
"…You didn't seriously misunderstand something just now, did you?" Rasa raised a brow and smacked the back of Yashamaru's head. "What nonsense were you imagining?"
"But, brother-in-law…" Yashamaru rubbed the back of his head, looking wronged. "The other shinobi here have been saying that you and—ugh, okay, fine! I believe you! Really! Just stop hitting me!"
"Don't listen to village gossip," Rasa sighed. "I was about to tell you the whole story—how I heroically saved a poor orphan girl—but seriously, there's nothing—"
"Enemy attack!"
A shout rang out across the camp—Suna shinobi on high alert.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin