"You're heading back?"
Pakura, the Fifth Kazekage, asked.
"Yeah. Things are settled now. I'm going back."
Kiyosuke pulled on his cloak and covered his face with a mask.
"Pakura, make sure to be a responsible Kazekage."
"I will."
A gust of wind blew by, and she pressed down on the brim of her conical hat.
"Asakawa..."
"Hmm?"
"...Take care on the road."
"Yeah. Do your best."
"Mm."
Watching Kiyosuke's figure fade into the blowing sands, Pakura stood silently for a long time.
"He already has someone he likes... what's the point?"
She told herself that and turned back to the Kazekage's office. Facing the mountain of documents piled on her desk, she sighed.
As expected, being a Kage meant dealing with endless paperwork.
And the most pressing matter was still the village's economic problems.
Ever since they lost Rasa, searching for gold dust had become much more difficult. Right now, they were surviving on the previous stockpiles, but that wouldn't last forever.
She recalled what Kiyosuke once mentioned about sustainable development.
After a moment of contemplation, she said, "Maki, inform the elders. I want to hold a meeting."
"Yes, Sensei."
Maki's voice came from outside.
Pakura took a deep breath.
The future... I'll change it with my own hands.
I will lead Sunagakure down an entirely new path.
...
A few days later, Kiyosuke returned to Konoha, covered in dust from travel.
Without wasting any time, he went straight to the Hokage's office and submitted his report.
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't waste words either—he simply approved two S-rank missions and handed him a confidential document.
"Take a look."
"What is it?"
Kiyosuke opened it.
It was a formal request from the Land of Wind to establish trade with the Land of Fire.
In the past, trade between the two nations was nearly nonexistent. There were hardly any merchants willing to travel between them—after all, the Land of Wind was mostly desert, and the environment was brutal. Even if they had goods to trade, merchants weren't exactly lining up.
But now, this trade proposal would greatly ease the logistics between the two nations, attracting business and boosting both economies.
"The Land of Wind wants to establish trade? That brain-dead daimyo actually agreed?" Kiyosuke asked, puzzled.
If the Land of Fire's daimyo could be considered shrewd, then the Land of Wind's was a complete idiot—constantly slashing Sunagakure's funding, suppressing them, and treating them like they didn't matter. Rasa had to put up with it just to maintain his political position. If it had been the Third Kazekage, the daimyo probably would've been replaced by now.
Ninja might be tied to their countries, but they still had tempers.
If you made life hard for them, they wouldn't make life easy for you either.
"This request was made jointly by the Fifth Kazekage and the daimyo of the Land of Wind to both the Land of Fire and Konoha," Hiruzen said. "The large-scale trade between the two countries will stimulate economic growth. Konoha and Sunagakure will provide security, and both will benefit. What do you think?"
"I think it's great. Why wouldn't we do it? I didn't expect Pakura to move this fast. I barely left and the paperwork beat me back."
He set the document down.
Hiruzen nodded. "This Fifth Kazekage is far more capable than Rasa. Rasa wanted to support the village all by himself, but that's not sustainable. Pakura knows how to use the daimyo of the Land of Wind to secure more missions for the village. That's a smart move."
By initiating trade through the daimyo, Pakura opened the door for many escort missions, providing both training and income for her shinobi.
A win-win.
Hiruzen took a puff of his pipe.
"Kiyosuke, what do you think of the Fifth Kazekage?"
"She can cook, has a great body, she's beautiful... just not that gentle. Sometimes she hits me."
"..."
Are you looking for a wife?
His expression darkened.
"Why are you telling me this? I'm asking you—can we control the Fifth Kazekage?"
"Why would we need to control her? As long as she doesn't make a move against Konoha, it's fine. I've got info on both the Fourth Kazekage and her. If she betrays us, we'll deal with it then."
"That's good," Hiruzen said with a nod, unaware that Kiyosuke had no intention of acting against Pakura. He only said this to ease the old man's worries.
After asking Kiyosuke to submit another report, Hiruzen dismissed him.
...
When Kiyosuke got home, he collapsed into bed.
The past few days of travel had worn him out. Even his trip to the Land of Water hadn't been this exhausting. He had no desire to visit that giant desert ever again.
By the time he woke up, it was already dark.
Rin had already sent Haku and Naruto to bed.
Kiyosuke grabbed something to eat and began writing his mission report.
Once submitted, that meant another S-rank mission payout.
...
And so the days went by, one after another.
Before long, it was time for Naruto to start school.
But with Haku around, Kiyosuke wasn't too worried.
Haku had quickly become the most popular boy at the Academy.
Konoha's kids were maturing fast—boys confessed to him all the time.
Yes, boys.
They mistakenly thought Haku was a cute girl.
Some girls confessed too, but Haku gently turned them all down.
Still, it didn't hurt his popularity. If anything, his reputation grew.
Under Kiyosuke's guidance, Haku was also learning to use Ice Release.
Even though Kiyosuke specialized in fire, both fire and ice involved manipulating temperature. He could still teach Haku the basics and help him build a strong foundation.
...
One day, while out buying snacks, Kiyosuke ran into Itachi.
Then the boy said something surprising.
"Eh? You're joining the Anbu?" Kiyosuke stared at him in disbelief.
He was still so young, yet already entering the Anbu?
Suddenly, Kiyosuke thought of something.
"Who recommended you to the Anbu?"
"It was Danzo-sama," Itachi replied, fully aware of the tension between Kiyosuke and Danzo—but he had no intention of hiding it.
"Oh, that old bastard? He wants you to be his spy, huh? To monitor the Anbu and the Uchiha?"
"You really do see through everything." Itachi gave a bitter smile.
In truth, it was even worse than that.
"Let me guess—you're helping the Third Hokage monitor Danzo and the Uchiha, while also helping the Uchiha keep an eye on the Anbu. Am I wrong?"
"You..."
Itachi was stunned.
He had only mentioned Danzo's name, and Kiyosuke had already figured out that much?
As expected from Kiyosuke-sama.
"Don't look at me like that. You getting into the Anbu at such a young age clearly means something's going on."
"When I joined the Anbu, same with Kakashi, there were special reasons."
"Of course, it's also a sign of strength."
Kiyosuke said calmly.
"With your unique status, you're bound to be used as a spy the moment you join."
"So I just took a wild guess—a triple agent."
"You really are incredible. That's exactly right."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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