The heavy door of the Kazekage's office closed with a soft thud. Rasa remained seated behind his desk.
His face stayed calm, but his mind moved fast as he watched Shota leave.
The boy hid his feelings better than most adults, yet he was still only ten. When Rasa mentioned the Assassination and Hunter-nin departments, Shota's left eyebrow had twitched. His pupils had grown a tiny bit larger. His fingers had curled for half a second. Small signs, but clear to someone who spent years reading faces. Those signs indicated that the boy did not like the new job.
Rasa almost smiled. The reports were true. The child really hated work.
Good.
A shinobi who dreamed only of naps would never try to climb the political ladder. He would never join an elder's faction and upset the careful balance of power Rasa had built. No elder would gain a weapon strong enough to challenge the Kazekage seat.
If Shota had been in the room, he would have rolled his eyes and said something like, "Sure, Lord Fourth, you are protecting the elder council balance, not your own hat. Totally selfless. Ten out of ten acting."
Rasa allowed himself one quiet exhale that might have been a chuckle.
He leaned back in his chair and looked out the window at the village below. Children played in the streets again. Merchants shouted about new prices. The ceasefire had brought life back to the sand.
Shota would stay in ANBU for at least two years. Standard Anbu training would teach him how to hide every emotion, every thought. It would teach him how to kill quietly and disappear. That was necessary.
The boy was talented. His last mission against the explosion corps had already proved that. His ability was something that would even give him trouble.
How did he know that? Simple, he had the boy test his ability on him and that day, he knew how it felt to be powerless without his control over the gold dust.
The boy ability made him a threat and the Anbu training would cover the basics that the boy currently lacked.
But two years would not be enough. The boy's ability was terrifying, yet the boy himself was still weak. One lucky kunai or one clever poison and his Erasure would be gone forever. Rasa could not let that happen. Suna needed the weapon to stay sharp and alive.
Someone had to train Shota personally after the basic ANBU years. Someone strong. Someone clever. Someone who could turn a ten-year-old prodigy....twelve considering it would be after two years, into a real monster.
Rasa thought about the choices.
Pakura was perfect on paper. They both shared the same chakra natures. Young enough to keep up with a child. Strong enough to push him hard.
But giving her the boy would make her too powerful. The council already whispered her name when they talked about the next Kazekage. Rasa was not ready to hand her that much support.
He could not teach the boy himself. Magnet release would be useless to Shota. They did not have any chakra affinities in common. Besides, the Kazekage had a village to run.
The honoured elders were the best option.
Ebizo could teach the boy how to speak, how to listen, how to make people do what he wanted without raising a hand. Politics and negotiation were weapons sharper than any blade.
Lady Chiyo was the real prize. She had forgotten more about fighting than most shinobi ever learned.
Medical knowledge. Poison mastery. Puppet techniques that could dance around any defence. And most important, she had lived long enough to understand strange bloodline abilities. If anyone could find the limits of Shota's eyes, it was Elder Chiyo.
There was only one problem. Elder Chiyo had locked herself away after Sasori left.
Rasa knew that Shota and Chiyo had some relationship before. And she even saw her grandson in Shota, the cute and talented side.
The resemblance with Shota was painful for her. She had not visited the orphanage once since Sasori became a missing-nin.
Rasa tapped his fingers on the desk. Two years. He had two years to change her mind. Ebizo owed him favours. The old man could help soften his sister's heart.
He decided. The plan was set. Basic ANBU training first. Then the honoured elders would take over. By the time Shota turned fifteen, he would be untouchable.
The boy would hate the extra lessons, of course. More work. Less sleep. Rasa almost felt sorry for him.
Almost.
---
Shota walked behind the silent ANBU. The black cloak of the operative fluttered slightly in the wind as they moved across rooftops. No words. No names. Not even a nod. Just quick, quiet steps toward whatever underground base waited below the village.
Shota tried to start a conversation in his head. But the Anbu never slowed down for it.
Shota sighed and stuffed his hands deeper into his pockets. The new mask hung from his belt, heavy and cold.
An hello would have been nice.
-------Author Notes---------
For every 250 power stones. I would be posting an additional chapter. So gimme those power stones!!!
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