Kazekage Ninja: The Rise of the Hidden Sand

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"Good afternoon, Grandpa Ebizō!"

"Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon, Grandpa Ebizō!"

"Good afternoon."

Ever since Ebizō had taken on the role of Minister of Education, he had developed a new habit: standing at the school gates during dismissal to watch the children leave. Over time, many children came to recognize the kind and gentle old man, greeting him enthusiastically as they passed by. He, in turn, always responded with a warm smile.

To Ebizō, these children of Sunagakure were like seeds of hope, destined to grow into towering trees in the future.

Ebizō glanced to the side, where the construction of new school buildings was underway. The scale of the project was impressive, and soon the new facilities would connect seamlessly with the old ones. After Jinghang secured a two-billion-ryō loan from Konohagakure, he had immediately allocated one billion to the Ministry of Education. This substantial injection of funds had filled Ebizō with confidence, giving him the means to realize the grand vision Jinghang had once described to him.

"Minister Ebizō, this is a new message from the Kazekage."

A ninja interrupted Ebizō's daydreams, handing him a slip of paper. Ebizō didn't seem to mind the interruption. Taking the note, he read it over and asked, "Have the accommodations for the teaching ninjas from Konoha been arranged at both the village headquarters and the Lake of the Moon branch school?"

"Yes, everything has been prepared to the highest standards."

"Good. Their treatment should also be top-notch. Those folks from Konoha are quite skilled in education. Notify everyone in the village not to cause any trouble. We're allies now, and they're here to assist us. We should treat them well."

"Understood."

"By the way, where is the Kazekage now?"

"According to the latest reports, he's in the Land of Rain."

"Building a factory?"

Hanzō of the Salamander looked at the document in his hands with a puzzled expression. The title read: Sunagakure Aid and Development Plan for the Land of Rain.

"Rain Shadow-sama, please take a closer look. This project involves a total investment of two billion ryō. It includes purchasing iron ore from the Land of Rain and recruiting workers locally, creating nearly two thousand jobs. Here's the deposit: twenty million ryō worth of gold sand. Rasa?" Jinghang snapped his fingers.

With a reluctant expression, Rasa manipulated a heap of gold sand, piling it onto the table.

"As of today, the internationally recognized price of gold is 402 ryō per gram. The purity of our gold sand is at least 60%. This pile weighs 83 kilograms. After accounting for processing losses, its value still exceeds twenty million ryō. If Rain Shadow-sama agrees and signs the contract, this gold sand will serve as our first payment. Of course, if you have any doubts about its quality or value, feel free to have it examined."

Hanzō ignored Rasa's emotionless tone, his attention focused on the plan in his hands. With a simple wave, he signaled a Rain ninja to inspect the gold sand with a magnifying glass.

Hanzō remained silent as he flipped through the pages of the document. When he reached the last page, he lifted his gaze to Jinghang, who was smiling politely, as though trying to decipher some hidden scheme behind that cheerful façade.

Hanzō had never believed in free lunches, yet the pile of gold sand on the table was undeniably real.

Hanzō had always been a proud and formidable figure. In his prime, defeating the Legendary Sannin had been as easy as an adult handling children. Even against powerhouses like the Second Kazekage or Danzō Shimura, he was more than capable of holding his own. When he received the diplomatic correspondence from the Third Kazekage, he had made all sorts of assumptions and preparations.

In his mind, whether the new Kazekage demanded territorial concessions or political leverage, his answer would be a firm no. He was even prepared to flip the table and go to war if necessary. Damn it, I already bow to Konoha; why should I bow to Sunagakure too?

But to his surprise, this Kazekage didn't play by the usual rules. Instead of making demands, he had shoved a massive cake right into his face.

Seriously? Just a few months ago, our two nations were at each other's throats, nearly tearing each other apart. Your Second Kazekage may not have been killed by us, but he did die here. And now you're telling me you want to invest in building factories in my country? There has to be a catch!

"There's no catch." Jinghang's voice broke the silence, his polite smile unwavering.

"Then why?" Hanzō's question seemed almost nonsensical, yet it encompassed all the doubts swirling in his mind.

"The factories will be built in the Land of Rain. The money will be spent in the Land of Rain. Even the workers will be recruited locally. What's there to worry about?"

Hearing this, Hanzō's expression softened slightly. This was one of the reasons he hadn't flipped the table yet. Still, he remained silent.

"You can investigate if you like. I'm not like my predecessors in the village. I've always been opposed to this war."

Hanzō's demeanor relaxed further. As an elite ninja, Jinghang's past actions were likely documented in intelligence files held by the various Kage. He wasn't lying.

"But the environment in Sunagakure is harsh, and the economy underdeveloped. We need to grow. My consistent stance has been to develop industrial production, strengthen commercial trade, and establish cross-national enterprises." Jinghang pointed to the plan in Hanzō's hands.

"Then why did you invade our country before?" Hanzō's tone grew harsher.

"At the time, I was just a bodyguard, not the Kazekage. My words carried no weight."

"And how can you guarantee you won't invade us again in the future?"

"I believe that when mutual interests are intertwined, countless beautiful bonds will form. If we can sit down and make money together, why resort to violence? Besides, we're both allies of Konoha now. Strictly speaking, doesn't that make Sunagakure and Amegakure allies as well?"

Hanzō pondered this, finding no flaws in the logic.

"But Konoha and Iwagakure are still at war."

Got him! Jinghang exhaled quietly in relief.

"Wars eventually end. But we can start laying the groundwork now. On my way here, I saw many refugees gathering in this area. I suggest selecting some of them to work in the factories. As for the others, our Lake of the Moon base in Sunagakure is under development and in need of manpower."

"How many people do you need?" Hanzō asked, his excitement barely contained.

Years of war had devastated the Land of Rain's economy, leaving more and more civilians displaced. The daimyo of the Land of Rain lacked the resources to provide aid, and Hanzō himself had no money or food to offer. Now, with someone willing to take over this burden, how could he not be thrilled?

"That depends on how many people you have under your jurisdiction."

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

Laughter echoed through the conference room. The Rain ninja inspecting the gold sand set down his magnifying glass and gave Hanzō a slight nod. Hanzō's laughter grew even heartier, and Jinghang's smile widened.

Economic exploitation isn't exploitation, right? You fool. I'll drain the Land of Rain dry! Besides, without refugees, the Akatsuki might never even come into existence. You should be thanking me, Hanzō.

"Where does the Kazekage plan to build the factories?" Hanzō asked, pulling out a map.

"Here." Jinghang picked up a pencil and circled a spot on the map.

"The Shule River? What kind of factories are you planning to build?"

"The first phase will include a ninja tool factory and a canned food factory. It's close to the Sada Iron Mine and has easy access to water. I think it's a suitable location. However, I noticed that the river's flow seems much lower than before. Is there an issue upstream?"