"So, Rasa's set to be the Fourth Kazekage, huh?"
Far out on the border, Pakura stared at the message passed down by a jonin, the corners of her lips curling into a small, involuntary smile.
"Didn't expect that guy to get this strong… but I guess it makes sense. It's not sustainable for Sunagakure to go without a Kage for this long. Rasa might come off a bit stern and dull, but he really does care about the village."
She lowered her gaze to the jonin kneeling before her.
"We can't pull out from this front just yet. Kirigakure's been acting up lately—raiding Lanb of Wind's borders more and more aggressively. Their offensive has gotten stronger, too. I can't leave right now, so pass this message on to—no, to Kazekage-sama… Pakura of Sunagakure offers her congratulations."
The war wasn't over. As the battlefield commander, there was no way she could abandon her post now.
They likely knew that too. The message was probably sent just to notify her who the next Kazekage would be.
She stretched with a yawn, her ample figure outlined against the rising heat.
"Oh—one more thing. Let the Kazekage know that those 100,000 ryo? Consider them a personal salute from me."
Besides, with the war's impact still settling over the village, things wouldn't be easy for anyone—especially for the poor Kazekage shouldering the fallout. No need to add to his burdens.
The villagers didn't seem to know that Rasa—the hero of the battlefield—had returned.
But Rasa wasn't surprised. Not even a single villager came out to welcome him home. He didn't mind.
In fact, he figured he'd returned a bit too early.
He wasn't the type who liked to draw attention anyway. Honestly, he'd rather people spent that time mining gold for him.
Right now…
He just wanted to top up his in-game currency.
The war had taken a visible toll on Sunagakure.
As Rasa and the other shinobi who had returned from the frontlines made their way into the village, they saw how desolate it had become—and they couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion.
With resources funneled into the war effort, civilian life had stagnated. Trade was restricted. Outsiders banned from entering. Most villagers remained holed up in their homes.
But to be fair… the economy of a desert-locked village had never been that great to begin with.
Still—
Rasa furrowed his brows. Something felt off.
All around the village, it was dead quiet—except for one place.
His front door.
There was a huge crowd gathered there. Some people were even kneeling.
The shinobi behind him looked just as confused.
Wait… are they mourning me? Rasa wondered. I'm not dead… right?
Did some rumor get out? Or is this an enemy plot?
Why the hell are they all gathered in front of my house… eating sand?!
He recalled the gate guard earlier, who looked like he wanted to say something but didn't.
Then he heard voices from the crowd up ahead.
"It's a divine omen! This is a blessing from the heavens!"
"Maybe it means our environment will finally recover?"
"Bull! If it were that simple, why aren't there trees anywhere else—just in front of Lord Rasa's house?"
"Exactly! Why would two trees suddenly sprout in the middle of a damn desert?"
"It must be the heavens acknowledging Lord Rasa! A sign of approval! I mean, come on—ever since he left for the battlefield, those trees started growing. And the man's a monster!"
"…You know what, that actually makes a lot of sense."
Of course it did.
Lord Rasa had single-handedly beaten down Grass ninja, crushed Stone ninja, and even captured the Raikage from Kumogakure.
Say something bad about him?
You're getting reported as a spy.
Nobody in Sunagakure dared speak ill of Rasa now. Nobody.
"I heard he's coming back? That jonin said he'd be returning to take over as—"
"Rasa~!"
A clear, excited voice cut through the chatter.
"It really is you! I thought I was seeing things!"
"…Karura?" Rasa blinked, then smiled as he turned to the dusty young woman running toward him with a water bucket in hand. "What are you doing?"
"Watering the trees, of course!"
She jogged up to him, her eyes narrowing into happy crescents. Her cheeks were smudged with dust, but her face was radiant.
"I heard you were coming back, but I didn't expect it to be this soon."
"Elder Chiyo and the others were pushing pretty hard. And the front's stable now, so I figured I'd return early. But…" Rasa looked over her shoulder at the villagers frozen in place, "…what the hell's going on here?"
"Oh! That? It's just…"
Before Karura could finish—
"Lord Rasa! It's Lord Rasa! He's really—he's really back!"
The crowd suddenly erupted with excitement. Some looked like they were about to throw themselves at him.
Karura realized the problem right away. Rasa had won them a brilliant victory, and now, with two trees sprouting outside his house in the middle of the desert… these villagers practically worshipped him.
She shoved the water bucket into the arms of her younger brother, who'd just arrived.
Hmm… looks like he got tanner. And buffer.
But now wasn't the time to think about that.
Just as the mob looked ready to rush them, Karura grabbed Rasa's wrist and hissed, "We run. I'll explain later."
"…Huh?"
Before he could ask anything, she took off—dragging him behind her.
And as the villagers' cries echoed through the streets, the once-quiet Sunagakure burst into life. Heads popped out of windows, people leaned out of sand-worn doorways.
When they saw the pair sprinting through the streets—
"Lord Rasa!!!"
Backpedaling alongside Karura, Rasa started to panic. Something felt seriously wrong. He took the lead, pulling her by the hand now, heading for her house instead.
Back at the scene—
Yashamaru and the other shinobi stared blankly at the unfolding chaos.
"…So, uh… what exactly happened?" someone asked.
But even as they voiced the question, smiles spread across their faces as they watched their new Kazekage get chased through the village like a rockstar.
"Looks like Lord Rasa's finally earned the love of the whole village."
Yashamaru looked down at the bucket in his hand, then up at the sister who'd ditched him without a second thought.
He sighed and shook his head.
Then he froze, eyes landing on the front of Rasa's house.
"…Why are there two trees here?"
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin