Naruto: As Rasa

"Hello, Uncle Ron, Uncle Luoze!"

Rasa greeted the two Kazekage Guards warmly as he entered the Kazekage Building.

"Hello, little Rasa!" the two uncles replied enthusiastically.

Rasa visited the Kazekage Building every day, and he was intimately familiar with the eight guards stationed there. All of these guards possessed Jōnin-level strength; among them, Uncle Ron—the commander—boasted the prowess of an Elite Jōnin. Although the Anbu were officially charged with protecting the Kazekage, these eight guards were assigned to safeguard the building itself. Each had sustained severe injuries during the First Shinobi World War, which limited their suitability for field missions. In recognition of their contributions, the village arranged for them to serve as Kazekage Guards—a comfortable post with excellent benefits. After all, the Kazekage Building had never been attacked since its construction. Unless Sunagakure itself were breached, it was unthinkable that anyone would dare assault the building. This was a view commonly held among the village's senior leadership.

Rasa thought to himself, "Logically, that makes perfect sense."

With practiced ease, he pushed open the door and strode to the Kazekage Office. After knocking three times, he stepped inside.

At that moment, Shagu was buried under a mountain of documents. Without looking up, he mumbled, "Hold on a moment—I need to finish this document before dinner."

Hearing this familiar refrain, Rasa moved over to the table. He glanced at the empty lunchbox with satisfaction, then carefully removed it before methodically arranging the food he'd brought onto the spacious desk. The Kazekage Office desk was large enough to accommodate everything with ease.

Seeing that Shagu was still absorbed in his reading, Rasa mentally activated his system.

"Yumi…" he thought.

"I am here," the system replied promptly.

"Open backpack."

"Okay, host."

On the virtual display, his backpack inventory materialized: six Poké Balls, one Skill Disc, 100 Poké Foods, and two Pokémon Eggs. Rasa first clicked on the blue-quality Pokémon Egg, and a window filled with numerous Pokémon options appeared.

"Yumi, are there any Starter Pokémon available?" he inquired.

"Host, the three Starter Pokémon belong to purple quality and are currently unavailable for selection," the system replied.

With that option closed, Rasa sighed inwardly.

Living in the desert, Sunagakure demanded careful planning. In his previous life as a devoted Pokémon fan, Rasa had once considered choosing a fire-type Starter—Charmander being his top pick—simply for the thrill of evolving into a dual-Mega Charizard. However, in the harsh desert environment, many types of Pokémon would struggle to thrive. Although an oasis lay within the desert—and indeed, there was one just behind Sunagakure where Elder Chiyo often swam and fished—it was more advantageous to select a Pokémon of the Rock, Ground, or Fire type that could flourish in the desert. Moreover, one had to consider whether a Pokémon could perform effectively in other terrains. With that in mind, Rasa had already devised his contingency plan: the Sandstorm Team!

The Sandstorm Team would consist mainly of Rock, Steel, and Ground types—Pokémon known for their low maintenance and resilience in arid environments. In the vast desert, even the soil could suffice as sustenance. Rasa chuckled at the thought: if a Pokémon like Bangira ever got hungry enough, it might even start raiding the village's mines! (Not that he'd allow it—after all, his family owned those mines, and the entire village was counting on the future "Rasa, the Golden Miner" to bolster its prosperity.)

Without hesitation, Rasa set the attribute filters on his system for Rock, Ground, and Steel types, then clicked confirm. Pokémon options scrolled by: Geodude, Omastar, Rhydon, Magcargo… then his attention fixed on a sturdy rock-type candidate—Roggenrola, his clear first choice.

He knew that more powerful options such as Steelix, Pteranodon, and Boskodora were of purple quality and thus regrettably unattainable at the moment. Among blue-quality Pokémon, Roggenrola stood out as not only an indispensable weather setter for his envisioned Sandstorm Team but also as a robust and reliable fighter. Though typically unassuming, in this system Roggenrola's stats had been bolstered—making it a practical and formidable physical attacker.

Rasa tapped on Roggenrola's image. The system prompted him to choose between two inherent abilities: "Sturdy" or "Sandstorm." Without hesitation, Rasa selected the "Sandstorm" trait using his mind, then confirmed his selection.

Sandstorm: When this Pokémon enters battle, the weather becomes a sandstorm. In reality, Pokémon do not automatically alter the weather with each appearance; activation is controllable. In combat, Roggenrola can trigger its Sandstorm trait as needed, whereas during routine training, the ability remains dormant.

"Ding, congratulations to the host for obtaining the Roggenrola Egg. The Pokémon Egg has been added to your Backpack and can be hatched when removed," the system announced.

Still in the Kazekage Office, Rasa chose not to hatch it immediately. Instead, he clicked on the next option: the Divine Choice Pokémon Egg (orange quality). After reviewing the available options, he selected Tyranitar, with the ability Sand Hide.

Sand Hide: In sandstorm conditions, this ability increases the Pokémon's dodge rate by obscuring its silhouette. Given Tyranitar's modest speed, the true benefit of Sand Hide is to make it harder for opponents to pinpoint its position within the storm.

Rasa confirmed his selection.

"Ding, congratulations to the host for obtaining the Larvitar Egg. The Egg has been added to your Backpack and can be hatched when removed," the system confirmed.

Finally, Rasa allocated 100 portions of Poké Food to the Rock-type category, ensuring his future Pokémon would receive the ideal nutrition to thrive in the desert. With his selections complete, he exited the system interface, ready to resume his duties.

Rasa glanced over at Shagu, silently wondering why that document still hadn't been finished. Shagu, seemingly aware of Rasa's curious look, set his pen down and gave him an awkward sideways glance—because while Rasa was busy checking his system, Shagu had inadvertently skimmed through two extra files."Ahem, let's eat," Shagu announced nonchalantly as he reached for the meal on the table and began devouring it. After all, eating quickly was the motto—time was too precious when there were so many documents left to review! He thought to himself, "I've only managed to finish that one file—the complaint letter from Aunt Wang next door."Aunt Wang had commissioned a Genin squad to search for her missing "fat chicken." However, it turned out that the chicken's disappearance was somehow connected to that very squad. One of the squad's food-loving Genin, named Xiao Hei, had been on patrol when he spotted the plump chicken darting by with a series of "cluck-cluck" sounds. Its adorable yet frantic scurry brought an uncontrollable tear to Xiao Hei's eye. Feeling pity for the lost chicken, he had promptly captured it and roasted it for a quick snack. When the truth later emerged, Aunt Wang penned an impassioned thousand-word complaint letter, each sentence dripping with sorrow. Even Shagu shook his head at it—after all, that chicken was the best egg-layer in Aunt Wang's flock!After some careful thought, Shagu had forced the Genin to compensate Aunt Wang 2.5 times the chicken's value. That was the only file he managed to finish before lunch—he hadn't even gotten to the marriage proposal letter from the "Golden Widow." One must admit, the Golden Widow was quite eloquent in her writing. But Shagu grumbled that he worked tirelessly—pulling 996 shifts as the Kazekage's right-hand man—just to fight against the inefficiencies of "007 work" (as if real work were even possible under those conditions).Noticing the slightly strained expression on Shagu's face, Rasa couldn't help but think, "Come on, Old Deng—who are we kidding? Don't play games with me. It must be another letter from some pretty lady." Shagu, a confirmed bachelor and high-ranking official, had long been the coveted prize for all the older single women, widows, and even some married ladies of Sunagakure. Yet, due to past heartaches, Rasa knew that Shagu had long since closed off his heart. Every year on April 9, Shagu would solemnly take Rasa to his late wife's grave—a ritual that hinted at the secrets of his past.Rasa picked up his chopsticks and sat down directly across from Shagu, beginning to eat while his mind wandered elsewhere. After a few moments and a loud "crunch," Shagu put down his bowl and, in a flash, returned to his documents.With a resigned sigh, Rasa finished his meal, cleared the table, and grabbed his lunch box—ready to head home and tend to his Pokémon. He had yet to share with Shagu his plan to harness Pokémon as the future trump card and defining trait of Sunagakure. That discussion would only come once Shagu truly understood their value. Only then would Rasa propose that the village vigorously develop the "Trainer" profession—much like how the Second Kazekage once championed the puppeteer arts—to once again lead Sunagakure to greatness.

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