"Are you still planning to recruit them?"
Looking at the tragic state of the Sunagakure Ninjas below, Minato asked Naruto.
He felt that Naruto wasn't truly sincere about recruiting them. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dropped a Spiralling Ring directly on top of the Sunagakure Ninjas.
While fear is the most direct way to gain loyalty, such loyalty is often not absolute. Loyalty that is not absolute is absolutely disloyal.
Naruto smiled. "The system of Ninja Villages is a relic of the old world, the biggest stumbling block for the future of the Land of Waves, and is destined to perish."
"Stubborn elements are destined to be overthrown, but the majority of the ignorant villagers can be guided. Like the great ship of Sunagakure, we can try to prepare a new helmsman for it."
"A new helmsman?"
Minato frowned slightly, but based on Naruto's character, he thought of a bold idea.
"Naruto, are you planning to cultivate a new Kazekage?"
Minato was somewhat surprised, feeling that Naruto's idea was somewhat impossible. After all, how could a Kage of a Ninja Village be allowed to be appointed by someone cultivated by another force?
Naruto also saw Minato's thoughts.
"Survival is the primary principle of a village. For the continuation of the village, as long as this Kazekage has an identity they can accept, under pressure, they will make the right choice."
"Then, guided by this new Kazekage, changes can be subtly made, eventually replacing the old system."
Mainly because Sunagakure is the poorest and most difficult of the five great villages, a single Gelel Stone vein could make Rasa make such a big fuss.
Naruto placed a Flying Thunder God mark on Minato and then said, "I can handle the situation here alone. Since Rasa has taken Sunagakure's elite forces with him, the village must be vulnerable. Minato, you go and bring the One-Tail Jinchuriki to the Land of Waves."
"One-Tail Jinchuriki?"
Minato's expression was somewhat puzzled as he asked.
"Is the One-Tail Jinchuriki still that monk, Bunpuku? If it's him, he must be quite old by now..."
Minato had dealt with Sunagakure before, so he knew some intelligence about them, but it seems a bit outdated now.
Naruto shook his head and said.
"The current One-Tail Jinchuriki is a child named Gaara, about six or seven years old. Although he is not treated well in Sunagakure, he has a very suitable identity."
"What identity?"
"The son of the Yondaime Kazekage, Rasa. There's no one more suitable to be the next Kazekage than him."
Although the Kage of the Five Great Ninja Villages are ostensibly elected by the villagers when they inherit the position, more or less, they are closely related to the previous Kage.
So having Gaara as the Kazekage of Sunagakure would not only increase the village's acceptance of their rule, but also help in reforming the system.
Ninja Villages have a large number of Ninjas, and in the future, they will be the backbone of national construction projects. If possible, it's best not to waste them.
"I see."
After understanding, Minato naturally had no other questions and took out a Flying Thunder God kunai from his Ninja Pouch.
Seeing that Minato was ready to set off, Naruto also nodded.
"With Kurama's ability, it won't be hard for you to find him."
"Hmph! I can smell that stinky tanuki from hundreds of meters away."
Kurama inside Minato showed a look of disgust.
Hearing this, Minato also smiled.
"Then Naruto, take care."
Although he had full confidence in Naruto's strength, he couldn't help but want to remind him.
"You take care too, just take the person away. If there are special circumstances, you can abandon this mission."
Naruto also reminded him, after all, there is still Black Zetsu, the big black hand of the Ninja World, so it's best to be cautious in all matters.
"Understood."
Minato still wore his trademark smile, then he threw the Flying Thunder God kunai in the direction of Sunagakure.
"Goodbye!"
As soon as the words fell, Minato's figure disappeared.
After Minato left, Naruto's gaze returned to the scene in the valley, where new changes had already appeared.
In the valley, a broken gold dust barrier slowly collapsed, revealing Rasa and a few Elite Jonin like Baki inside.
"Cough cough cough!"
They all coughed up a large mouthful of blood, feeling dizzy, as if all their bones had been shattered.
Even with the multiple layers of earth walls and gold dust defenses, which did not cause them external injuries, the terrifying impact still caused them considerable internal injuries.
Rasa, with a twisted face, propped himself up, looking at the tragic scene of the Sunagakure Ninjas around him, his eyes wide with fury.
The gold dust armor wrapped around him also had large cracks, flaking off bit by bit, making his appearance even more ferocious.
"Kazekage-sama..."
Beside him, Baki's trembling voice sounded.
Rasa looked over in confusion, only to see Baki looking up with a face full of fear.
Rasa's heart skipped a beat again, and he also looked in the direction Baki was looking.
Naruto had reappeared above their heads.
A white robe fluttered in the cold wind of the valley, his face still wearing a relaxed and comfortable expression.
As if everything that had just happened was just a trivial matter to him.
"Rasa, do you want to make a choice again now?"
"You damn bastard!"
Hearing this, Rasa let out a roar of anger. The Ninjas present were the result of Sunagakure's years of recuperation and hard work.
So many had died, and yet Naruto dared to ask such a ridiculous question.
Their mission was supposed to bring hope to the village, but after today, even if he survived, he would no longer be able to mine the Gelel Stones.
Moreover, having lost most of its elite, Sunagakure would completely become the weakest of the Five Great Villages.
Close to success, yet so far!
He was supposed to become the greatest Kazekage in Sunagakure's history, being able to completely change the village's current state.
He was so close to obtaining what he had always wanted!
At this moment, Rasa had lost the ability to think rationally.
"Bastard!"
Rasa let out a furious roar, his hands already forming hand seals. He then slammed them onto the ground, his Chakra pouring out like a river.
The gold dust scattered everywhere began to surge again.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Imperial Burial!"
In an instant, the gold dust surged like seawater, converging towards Rasa's position from all directions.
The next moment, the endless gold dust rose from behind him, surging into the sky.
This time, the scale of the gold dust far exceeded when Rasa had blocked the explosion earlier, like a true towering wave.
In the next instant, the gold dust wave, as if blotting out the sky, fiercely attacked Naruto, the overwhelming shadow above carrying the force of a collapsing sky.
Even the Sunagakure Ninja like Baki couldn't help but look up in awe, stunned by Rasa's all-out attack.
Such a sea of gold dust was a power only a Kage-level Ninja could possess, capable of unleashing a force sufficient to annihilate a country single-handedly.
"So eager for a desperate struggle already?"
Facing the towering sea of gold dust, Naruto's eyes showed no fluctuation.
Such a large-scale attack might indeed have the power to turn the tide in war.
But in a one-on-one battle, it was rather superfluous.