"I believe we should begin preparing for war immediately. We should quietly stockpile combat supplies in small amounts, gather elite ninjas, and deploy them to various borders just in case."
"At the same time, we should double the training load of the reserve ninjas and train them according to wartime standards."
Having said that, Rasa looked toward Ebizo.
"Master Ebizo should publicly play the role of the Third Kazekage, but without appearing too often. The more frequent the appearances, the easier it will be for others to notice flaws."
"Showing up once or twice at irregular intervals each day will be enough. That way, no one will suspect anything for at least ten days to half a month."
"Even if other ninja villages grow suspicious, they won't dare act rashly."
Rasa paused, realizing that the Sand Village didn't have the benefit of hindsight and didn't know the Third Kazekage was already dead. So he added:
"Of course, finding the Third Kazekage remains a top priority."
"We can send reliable idle ninjas out without affecting the village's defenses."
"On the surface, their missions will have legitimate reasons, but in reality, their true goal will be to search for the Third Kazekage."
After hearing this, Pakura's passionate expression shifted, her beautiful eyes flickering with an unusual light.
Her chest rose and fell with her breathing, even tightly wrapped as it was, and her long, flawless legs instinctively pressed together.
At that moment, in the dark corner of the office—
A slender woman in a black windbreaker stood with her arms crossed, her curves emphasized by the pose.
A mask concealed her face, but her lavender eyes revealed everything. In them, she clearly saw Rasa's confidence and determination.
She watched him quietly. For a brief moment, a spark of excitement lit her calm gaze before fading away.
The woman nodded slightly, agreeing with Rasa's words, then turned her head gracefully to observe the others.
Chiyo's expression shifted into open approval and relief.
She subconsciously glanced at Ebizo beside her, and they both nodded in silent understanding.
Originally, Chiyo had summoned the senior ninjas still in the village to discuss the matter. Her goal was simply to make everyone aware of the situation and work together to search for the Third Kazekage.
But she hadn't expected this from Rasa—the quiet disciple who, in her impression, had always devoted himself solely to training.
Now, he was displaying intelligence, courage, and foresight beyond her expectations, though perhaps a little too calm.
His master had vanished under mysterious circumstances and was likely dead, yet Rasa showed not a hint of grief.
For an ordinary person, this would be a flaw. But for the Kazekage, the leader of the village, it was an invaluable strength.
It proved he would never act recklessly out of anger, nor make impulsive decisions that could endanger the entire village.
Although this quality seemed simple, anyone familiar with the battlefield knew it was rare.
Because the Sand Village's resources were scarce, and impatience for quick results infected every part of its culture.
The result was a village full of hot-blooded, rough warriors.
Chiyo and Ebizo exchanged another glance and nodded again, having silently reached a decision.
"Rasa, you are extraordinary. I am glad to see a genius like you among the younger generation of the Sand Village."
"But you must not lower your guard. In the near future, the Sand Village will depend on you!"
This time, Chiyo's words weren't hints but a clear declaration.
If it weren't for the need to maintain the title of the Third Kazekage to deter the other villages…
She might have appointed Rasa as the Fourth Kazekage right then and there.
After Chiyo finished speaking, she looked around.
"You are all experienced jonin. Speak freely—don't be afraid of saying the wrong thing."
The jonin exchanged glances. When it came to war, they were veterans. One by one, they began adding their own suggestions.
As for Chiyo's statement?
Rasa was already recognized as the most talented and strongest of the younger generation in the Sand Village.
And his clear, logical analysis from start to finish had only strengthened his standing.
Most of the senior ninjas present had already acknowledged him.
The few who still held doubts dared not speak against him in the presence of Chiyo and Ebizo.
Jonin Aoki, however, remained silent, bowing his head slightly to conceal the emotions in his eyes.
Rasa's words had convinced him, but that didn't mean he accepted Rasa as the future Fourth Kazekage.
He thought to himself:
"Rasa may be the most talented and strongest of his generation… but talent alone is not enough. What the Sand Village needs right now is a powerful Kazekage, not just a promising one."
The thought set Aoki's blood burning.
Among the hundreds of official jonin in the village, he considered himself among the very best.
At just over forty, his body was still at its peak. He was in his prime. If…
Aoki's thoughts trailed off as he raised his head to glance at Chiyo, then quickly looked down again.
Though her words suggested Rasa was the future Kazekage, he dared not oppose her openly.
But if he challenged Rasa to a sparring match and defeated him…
Then surely, Rasa wouldn't have the face to claim the Kazekage's seat.
At that moment, Rasa exhaled quietly in relief. He knew that his path to becoming the Fourth Kazekage was nearly secured.
Before he could think further, a series of system prompts suddenly appeared in his mind.
Rasa focused slightly, checking the messages while still paying attention to reality.
"Successfully changed the original plot. Gained 300 skill points!"
"Pakura's favorability increased by 5 points, reaching 21!"
"Pakura's favorability increased by 8 points, reaching 29!"
"Chiyo, Ebizo, Benizuki, and others' favorability increased!"
"All characters' favorability increased by a total of 80 points. Gained 80 skill points!"
The rewards didn't surprise Rasa. But what did surprise him was the relatively small number of skill points.
He had expected that altering such an important plot would earn him thousands, not just 300.
After thinking it over, he understood.
His actions had only reduced the village's passivity and improved their preparations.
When war broke out, the frontlines wouldn't collapse immediately from being caught off guard.
But the Third Ninja World War was inevitable. At most, it had only been delayed by a month or two.
Pakura's rising favorability, however, was exactly what Rasa expected.
Though he hadn't had time to study her expression closely while he was speaking, he had certainly noticed the eagerness in her eyes.
Even an ordinary person would feel it if someone stared at them long enough.
And he was standing so close to Pakura.
Now, with her favorability reaching 29 points, Rasa guessed that according to the system's standards, they were already good friends.
With a little more effort… well.
As for the others' favorability, Rasa gave it only a passing glance before turning his focus elsewhere.
Three interfaces appeared before him:
Host
Character Favorability
Exchange
Rasa tapped on the host interface, and data instantly filled his mind:
Host name: Rasa
Age: 23
Overall Combat Power: Ordinary person
Chakra Attributes: Wind, Fire
Skills: None
Skill Value: 420
Items Owned: None
Everything was as he expected, except for one thing: the chakra attributes.
He hadn't thought his reincarnated body would possess both wind and fire chakra.
As for the 420 skill points, Rasa wasn't sure if it was a lot or a little.
It wasn't until Rasa opened the exchange interface that he realized just how valuable his skill points really were!
Exchange:
Page 1 (1/900 billion pages)
Lightning Attribute Chakra (10 skill points)
Wind Attribute Chakra (10 skill points)
Fire Attribute Chakra (10 skill points)
Water Attribute Chakra (10 skill points)
One Tomoe Sharingan (100 skill points)
Two Tomoe Sharingan (200 skill points)
…
Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan (two random abilities, 20,000 skill points)
A pair of Rinnegan Eyes (30,000 skill points)
Low-quality Favorability Fruit (1 skill point, usable on any target. After use, the target's favorability immediately increases by 2 points)
Medium-quality Favorability Fruit (2 skill points, usable on any target. After use, the target's favorability immediately increases by 5 points)
…
Medium-quality Favorability Doubled Fruit (20 skill points. Using this fruit doubles the designated character's favorability once per day, capped at a certain limit)
Top-grade Favorability Doubled Fruit (40 skill points, can double the target's favorability once per day, capped at 200)
A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold (20 skill points, grants a random stunning beauty with 100 favorability and a random identity)
One-click Full Favorability (600 skill points, raises the target's favorability to 300 within three seconds. Note: can only be used in person when facing the target)
Never Give Up (100 skill points. When used on any woman, it immediately raises her favorability to a fixed level within seconds. Reducing favorability afterwards becomes exponentially more difficult. Can only be used in person.)
Eternal Companion (700 skill points. When used on any woman, it raises her favorability to 300 within ten seconds. Reducing favorability afterwards is 100 times harder. Effect applies even to reincarnated characters. Can only be used in person.)