My Journey as Fourth Kazekage

Ever since Rasa had arrived in the world of Naruto and ascended to the role of Fourth Kazekage, the leader of Sunagakure, he quickly realized that he couldn't live like some of his predecessors—selfishly acting alone, detached from everything. His personal interests were now deeply intertwined with those of the village.

To put it simply, the Hidden Sand Village had become like a large corporation, and Rasa was the owner of it. While it's true that with enough money, he could amass power in the ninja world and perhaps even establish a new ninja village, Rasa had already succeeded in creating one of the world's top five ninja villages (Sunagakure being one of them) and held a substantial portion of its control. Starting from scratch would be a foolish move.

Fortunately, Rasa was no fool. That's why he'd generously shared the power of the Star Chakra Mode with Michikawa, Pakura, and Baki—and he planned to pass it down to others in the future as well. The stronger his village's overall strength, the more resources Rasa could command.

Although these new powers might not have a significant impact during the final battle, they'd be more than useful in the time leading up to it, saving Rasa considerable trouble. This is why he was so committed to strengthening Sunagakure.

From his month-long experience as Kazekage, Rasa identified the most significant issue preventing Sunagakure from thriving like Konohagakure: the harsh environment of the Land of Wind, or more specifically, the entire region itself.

At first glance, this might seem odd. What does the strength of a ninja have to do with the environment? Shouldn't a harsh environment produce stronger ninjas? But this overlooks one critical detail: ninjas need food!

It may seem trivial, but it's an undeniable fact. As the old saying goes: "Before soldiers march, provisions must be prepared."

If ninjas can't even get enough food to sustain themselves, how can they expect to summon the energy to fight? Without that energy, how can they generate chakra? And without chakra, how could they hope to compete against ninjas from other villages?

So, what was the situation like for Sunagakure and the Land of Wind?

From Rasa's understanding, aside from the unforgiving climate, Sunagakure was wholly dependent on external sources. Over 80% of the Land of Wind was desert—barren and lifeless. This meant the Land of Wind was constantly battling food shortages, and the very idea of exporting food to Sunagakure was out of the question.

In reality, Sunagakure didn't lack money. Thanks to his Gold Dust Technique, Rasa could easily extract endless amounts of gold sand from the desert. What the village truly lacked, however, was food—a basic need that even money couldn't solve.

Thus, Rasa had always been focused on finding ways to change the village's harsh environment. This was also why, during the meeting just days ago, he had instructed the village's ninjas to come up with ways to use their unique skills to alter the village's landscape.

At that moment, Rasa's mind naturally drifted to the legendary Wood Release techniques of Hashirama Senju.

With the power of Hashirama's Wood Release, a single Wood Release Secret Technique—Nativity of a World of Trees—would be enough to transform the barren desert surrounding Sunagakure into a thriving forest. Once a forest was established, it would help retain moisture in the soil, slowly turning the desert into fertile land perfect for farming.

In an ideal world, not only could Sunagakure become a lush forest, but it could even be transformed into a vast oasis. Surely, that would be within reach.

But Rasa quickly dismissed the thought.

This dream was impossible. For one, Hashirama Senju was dead. Even if he were still alive, why would the Hokage of Konohagakure offer his help to Sunagakure? And as for awakening the power of Wood Release through Hashirama's cells—Rasa wouldn't even entertain such a notion.

After all, he was now the Kazekage of Sunagakure, not the Hokage of Konohagakure—and definitely not from the Hidden Leaf.

Yet, as he reflected, the words of Sēramu suddenly sparked a flicker of hope in his heart.

"Yes, the power of the Dragon Vein Chakra… in some ways, it's a form of natural energy. Using natural energy to reshape the environment makes sense, doesn't it?"

But then, another issue arose: the Dragon Vein was located in Rōran.

How could he possibly transplant such a vast source of chakra to Sunagakure?

It was out of the question to move Sunagakure's entire location, especially considering its easily defensible terrain. Rōran, on the other hand, was an open and exposed region, vulnerable from all sides.

Sēramu, who had been quietly observing Rasa, noticed the confusion on his face. She could tell he was deep in thought, struggling with the dilemma.

Thankfully, Rasa's indecision didn't last long. He exhaled deeply and finally spoke.

"Next, please step aside."

Sēramu, though still a little puzzled, nodded in acknowledgment and slowly moved away from the area.

Once she was out of the way, Rasa stepped closer to the sealing formation.

At first, he hadn't sensed the full magnitude of the Dragon Vein Chakra, likely due to the sealing barriers in place. But as soon as he stepped onto the formation, the chakra beneath him began to swirl like molten lava, and his expression shifted dramatically.

"This is an enormous amount of chakra!"

The power he could feel was massive—nearly on par with the chakra of the Tailed Beasts.

The realization filled him with excitement. The Dragon Vein Chakra could grant him untold power.

Without hesitation, Rasa pressed his right hand firmly onto the central stone eye of the sealing formation.

Boom!

A diamond-shaped symbol appeared on his palm, and with it came a powerful, irresistible pulling force.

In an instant, the chakra beneath the altar condensed into massive, serpentine chakra dragons, which coiled and gathered from every direction, flowing into Rasa's palm.

---

Sēramu was a woman of great intelligence.

After Rasa asked her to step aside, she made the decision to leave the high tower where the Dragon Vein Chakra was being sealed.

Outside, on the ground below, her daughter, Sara, waited anxiously, surrounded by a crowd of concerned Rōran citizens.

"Your Majesty, are we really leaving Rōran?"

Some of the Rōran citizens couldn't help but voice their unease. After all, this was the land where they had spent their entire lives.

Sēramu understood their hesitation. It was a difficult decision to accept, but for the future of Rōran, she had no other choice.

"Please trust me," she said with determination. "I'm doing this for Rōran's future. Compared to the outside world, we are far too weak. We have no choice but to rely on such a powerful ninja village if we are to survive."

The expressions of the Rōran citizens tightened, but in the end, they chose to trust their queen.

"We trust you, Your Majesty!" one of them called out.

"I'll go home and pack my things right away!" another exclaimed.

This overwhelming show of trust made Sēramu's eyes water. There was no greater encouragement for her as a queen than the unwavering faith of her people.

---

Meanwhile, far below in the underground palace, where the Dragon Vein Chakra's source resided, Rasa stood frozen, his expression shifting into something strange.

Following Rasa's gaze, it became apparent that the vast chakra within the cave had been completely absorbed. In its place, floating in front of his right palm, was a peculiar fruit. It shimmered with a radiant purple light and was adorned with spiral patterns. The fruit was roughly the size of his palm.

Rasa, of course, didn't entertain the thought that he had somehow stumbled into the world of One Piece.

There was only one possible explanation for this mysterious fruit.

"A Chakra Fruit…"

His memory was a bit hazy, but he recalled something from the Naruto films: Otsutsuki Kaguya, a powerful figure, had possessed similar abilities, where chakra could be condensed into fruit-like chakra aggregates.