章節 65: 65 - How to Build an Empire [Interlude]
When the news of Orochimaru's injury and Tsunade's defection reached Suna, the entire village was filled with a celebratory atmosphere.
Ebizō and Chiyo eagerly discussed how to exploit the situation, plotting ways to gain a decisive advantage for Suna on the front lines. Maps were spread across the Kazekage's desk, marked with potential strike points against Konoha's weakened defenses.
"If we move our forces here," Chiyo pointed to a spot near the border, "we could cut off their supply lines completely."
The conversation got so heated that Rasa removed his Kazekage hat, slammed it on the table, and seemed ready to leap onto the table to battle. "With Orochimaru crippled, we can push back against their forces once and for all!"
But just as the discussion was reaching its peak, an ANBU suddenly appeared with a Body Flicker, kneeling to report and interrupting the high-level meeting.
"Kazekage-sama, there's trouble!" His mask couldn't hide the urgency in his voice.
"What happened?"
"Pakura has returned!"
How dare she show her face here after what she did?
The room temperature seemed to drop several degrees. Rasa, still fueled by his passionate emotions, slammed the table and shouted, "That traitor dares to return?"
No sooner were the words spoken than the office door was kicked open with enough force to crack the wood.
Pakura strode in boldly, carrying a massive scroll on her back and dragging a cocoon-wrapped humanoid figure behind her. Her aura was overwhelming.
"And who," she demanded, "are you calling a traitor?"
In an instant, the previously lively meeting felt like someone had hit the pause button.
Everyone turned their heads toward the door. The ANBU's hand moved to his weapon pouch, but he didn't draw.
"Are you here to surrender yourself?" Rasa's gold dust stirred restlessly around him, reflecting his agitation.
However, Chiyo and Ebizō, instantly noticed that something was off. Chiyo quickly signaled to Rasa to calm down. The guards should have stopped her... unless...
They knew Rasa had been rash in labeling Pakura a traitor. A small faction of ninjas in the village still supported her. Their loyalty to the renowned Scorch Release user remained unshaken, even after her supposed betrayal.
But that couldn't explain how she managed to walk unhindered straight to the Kazekage's office.
Moreover, there were hardly any signs of battle on her. The only sign of exertion was the slight drag marks from the cocoon she pulled behind her.
What happened outside? How did she get this far?
Ebizō steadied the Kazekage's shoulders while Chiyo made a subtle hand gesture to the ANBU at the door, signaling them to investigate the situation outside.
Before the ANBU could go, Pakura spoke up, "Why should I surrender myself? And who are you to brand me a traitor?" She kicked the cocoon forward slightly, letting it roll to a stop in the center of the room.
"Because I am the Kazekage now!" Rasa declared, stepping forward with pride and authority.
"And who decided you would be Kazekage?"
"Ahem."
Ebizō cleared his throat, quickly stepping in to mediate. His old eyes darted between the growing crowd at the door and the cocoon on the floor. We need to control this situation before it explodes.
"It's well known that the Third Kazekage's sudden death plunged the village into a crisis," he said. "That's when we, the elders, recommended Rasa as the Fourth Kazekage. The decision was also approved by the jonin council."
"Pakura, if you have concerns about the village's leadership, we'll hear them. You chose to return today—we can discuss this properly. But openly defying the Kazekage? That's turning your back on Suna itself!"
Ebizō's words were far more measured than Rasa's. He skillfully defended the Kazekage's authority while offering Pakura an out.
You think you can talk your way out of this, old man?
Unfortunately, his skilled rhetoric was destined to be useless today. No matter how he maneuvered, Pakura had a move to end it all.
She strode to the center of the room and brought her heel down on the cocoon.
"And why," she retorted, "do you two get to decide the next Kazekage? Did you even find out how the Third Kazekage died?"
By this time, a crowd had gathered at the Kazekage's office entrance. The elders noticed that nearly all the jonin left in the village had come.
Even the ANBU they had sent to investigate remained at the door, ignoring their signals, as if they were all waiting for the truth to be revealed.
What happened? They seems to know something we don't.
Finally, Pakura revealed her trump card.
She unwrapped the cocoon's head and activated the scroll behind her, summoning a unique puppet.
In that moment, the scene outside the Kazekage's office exploded in an uproar.
"Th-that's...the Third Kazekage!"
"The Third Kazekage was turned into a puppet?! Who did this?!"
"Isn't that Sasori? Chiyo-sama's grandson!"
"Sasori killed the Third Kazekage?! Pakura-sama was telling the truth?!"
Why had Pakura been able to walk unhindered into the Kazekage's office without a scratch?
The answer was now clear. The jonin's expressions, the ANBU's hesitation—they had all been waiting for this moment.
She held the key to breaking the stalemate.
"So, how did the Third Kazekage die? Chiyo-sama, Ebizō-sama, can you really claim you didn't know?"
The puppet's polished surfaces caught the light, every intricate joint and modification a signature of its maker's craft.
Pakura stood silent, letting the truth before them speak for itself.
"Your grandson killed the Third Kazekage, Chiyo-sama, and you concealed it." Her words fell like stones. "Yet you presume to select our next leader?"
Ebizō placed a steadying hand on his sister's shoulder, his fingers trembled against her robe.
Pakura's gaze shifted to the current Kazekage. "And you, Rasa? How do you justify holding this position, supported by those who shield a murderer?"
She pulled out a chair and sat, one arm resting on the table, one foot planted on Sasori's cocooned form. The growing crowd pressed against the doorway, ninjas straining to witness what was unfolding.
"I didn't return today to parade Sasori's capture. I came to reclaim what was taken from me."
Rasa took an involuntary step back. His gaze fell to the Kazekage hat on the table—the one he'd cast aside mere minutes ago. The hat lay there like a crown waiting to change hands
The pieces had aligned perfectly, as if guided by an unseen hand.
Hidden observers in every corner of Suna rushed to report what they had witnessed, their messages flying out like desert hawks into the gathering dusk.
In just two days, two Kages had stepped down—not due to death or retirement, but forced abdication. Such an extraordinary event had never occurred in the past fifty years.
When Pakura finally relished her moment of glory, basking in the pinnacle of her life, in the neighboring Land of Rain, Shin was taking stock of the gains from his journey.
The first acquisition he addressed was Hiruko—the boss-level character worthy of starring in his own movie.
After moving through emotions like resentment, venting, despondency, and despair, the imprisoned Hiruko had finally found calm.
At least, he no longer muttered "Tsunade" and "Orochimaru" like a lovesick fool in the dungeon.
"Have you reached a decision?" Shin asked directly as he entered.
Though Hiruko had calmed down, his expression still darkened at the oppressive demeanor of Akatsuki. His chains clinked softly as he shifted.
"The conditions you're offering are absurd! II've sworn my loyalty to the organization, yet you keep me caged like some common prisoner? Do you also belittle my work?"
"How many times must I repeat myself? The Chimera Jutsu could revolutionize the entire shinobi world! Those short-sighted fools in Konoha—they cast me out because they feared true power! Support my work, and I'll share every breakthrough. This jutsu could rival even the power of a Tailed Beast! What more proof do you need?"
Konan scoffed dismissively at his outburst. Beside her, Kakuzu was equally unimpressed, his arms crossed as he leaned against the damp wall.
But Shin? Perhaps the only one in the room who truly acknowledged Hiruko's potential.
Yet ironically, he was also the one who rejected him most decisively.
He tapped his knuckle against the table to interrupt Hiruko's desperate pitch. "I don't doubt your capabilities. But I've made it clear—how you spend your spare time on research is up to you. But during work hours, you must prioritize my tasks."
"Your first assignment: help establish a shinobi research division."
This clash of priorities had been the core issue between him and Hiruko since his defection.
Hiruko felt that offering all his research was already a great concession. A genius should enjoy complete freedom. His chains rattled as he leaned forward. Why can't he see the brilliance of my work?
But Shin placed greater importance on Ame's overall development than on one man's research.
"Why? Why waste so much energy on mediocrity? Don't you want to gain the power to upend the shinobi world?"
At that, Shin chuckled.
"You so-called 'villains' have such predictable goals—why is 'upending the world' always your ultimate aim? What's the point? To prove your greatness?"
"And then what? Let the world fall back into chaos?"
Hiruko was momentarily stumped, uncertain why Shin suddenly referred to him as a villain.
Revenge on Tsunade and Orochimaru, vengeance against Konoha, proving himself superior to the Sannin—that was clear. But after that?
He hadn't really thought about it.
"You know Danzō, don't you?"
Hiruko nodded blankly. His research, like Orochimaru's, had always pushed boundaries. And like his former teammate, he'd found an ally in Root.
"Then what's the difference between me and Danzō?"
Hiruko hesitated, unsure how to answer.
Seeing this, Shin answered himself, "We both have personal ambitions. But the biggest difference is this: I never deceive my subordinates with false ideals. Every promise I make to my people, I fulfill."
"You've heard, haven't you? Ame wasn't originally ours. We claimed it through war."
"Why do so many follow me into battle? Because when bread cost 50,000 ryō during famine, I promised to lower the price, and I did."
"I promised every meal would include bread and milk, and I delivered."
"I promised every ninja who joins Akatsuki would have the chance to learn jutsu, and I kept my word."
"I vowed to bring life to this nation and end its suffering, and I will achieve that future."
"That's why they fight for me. Even if faced with hellfire, one command from me, and Akatsuki's ninjas will charge through the flames without hesitation—because they believe I'll fulfill every promise."
"Even in death, we remain an unstoppable force."
Shin leaned forward, staring Hiruko down with intense gravity.
"Do you understand now? Upending the ninja world is merely a means to an end for me, never the ultimate goal."
"I admit your Chimera Jutsu is impressive, but right now, I need Ame's first comprehensive research institute more than I need your jutsu. That institute is the key to fulfilling my promises. Do you get it now?"
In that moment, Hiruko felt as though his pride and convictions had been shattered by sheer vision and perspective.
He finally understood why Shin mocked him as a villain. Indeed, even if he perfected the Chimera Jutsu, what then? At best, he would wreak havoc briefly, only to fade away like a fleeting meteor.
If his earlier pledge to Akatsuki was a desperate act of survival, this was the moment Hiruko began to genuinely respect Shin.
"Understood. I'll help you build this research institute as you wish."
Danzō, you didn't lose to Ame unfairly. You were simply outmatched.
Shin gestured, and Kakuzu stepped forward to remove Hiruko's restraints.
With his bonds removed, Hiruko flexed his wrists and ankles, the metal cuffs leaving red marks on his skin. He stood for a moment, adjusting to the feeling of freedom, before asking, "What's the first project for this institute?"
Having secured Hiruko's commitment, Shin no longer withheld information. He pushed two items forward across the rough wooden table. The items seemed mundane at first glance, almost disappointing for a discussion between powerful shinobi.
"This is fertilizer—already in limited use in parts of the ninja world. And this—an improved crop variety with higher yields." At least the seed incident gave me something.
Hiruko blinked in surprise. "These seem unrelated to ninjutsu or chakra."
Shin nodded. "But they'll ensure everyone in Ame has enough to eat. When every child has a full belly, more will be able to refine chakra. Over time, this land will produce more ninjas, warriors, and geniuses."
Hiruko didn't reply immediately. His eyes moved from the samples to Shin and back again.
"I'm starting to believe you really can upend the ninja world."
Shin smiled faintly.
"I've always believed I could."
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