Land of Wind, Sunagakure.
From high above, the sight of Sunagakure had completely changed.
Once cradled in a massive canyon surrounded by steep cliffs, endless dunes, and harsh terrain, the village now stood alone on an open, scorched plain. The only remnants of the old landscape were two jagged cliff edges, each barely ten meters thick, framing what remained of the village's original position. Without those, no one would believe this had once been a hidden village nestled within the heart of the desert canyon.
There was no mistaking it. The destructive power of the Tailed Beast Ball had been utterly devastating.
Even though Rasa had absorbed most of its chakra using the Kāma, the sheer force of the explosion had still reshaped the entire terrain around Sunagakure. The blast hadn't just destroyed buildings. It had erased mountains, cracked the bedrock, and sent shockwaves so intense that sand had turned to glass in places.
From even higher above, Sunagakure still appeared to lie in a canyon. But now that canyon stretched more than thirty times its original size.
Though the village core had been protected by Rasa's final technique, the damage to the surrounding area had been unavoidable.
The cost had been immense.
The iconic Kazekage Tower, once the proudest symbol of Sunagakure, now stood in ruin. Its peak had been torn away, its foundation cracked, its outer walls scarred and scorched.
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On the rooftop of the damaged Kazekage Tower, Rasa stood with his arms crossed, eyes scanning the broken skyline. Around him were Chiyo, Ebizō, Pakura, Michikawa, Baki, Sēramu, and other core members of Sunagakure's leadership. Each of them carried deep anger and grief on their faces as they looked down upon the wounded village.
From their high vantage point, the devastation was all too clear. Nearly half the buildings had collapsed, their remains scattered like crushed bones. Those still standing were cracked and leaning, barely held together. Smoke rose in thin spirals from multiple locations, and hundreds of tents had already been set up across the cleared ground.
Pakura's hands were clenched tight at her sides, her voice filled with frustration.
"Damn it. If we had arrived just a little earlier, maybe the village wouldn't have suffered like this..."
But Rasa shook his head firmly.
"No. This wasn't your fault. Not even your presence could have prevented this level of damage. Against such power, the outcome would have been the same."
He turned his attention to Sēramu.
"Do we have the casualty report?"
Sēramu's expression darkened. He gave a heavy nod.
"During the tailed beast attack, we lost 324 people. Another 623 are seriously injured, and 2,656 have minor injuries. All available medical-nin have been mobilized. Lady Karura and Hana are personally assisting at the healing stations."
"Good. Make sure no effort is spared. Use everything we have to save them."
"Yes, Kazekage-sama."
"And the buildings?"
"We haven't completed the full survey yet, but early reports indicate that about one-fifth of the village's structures suffered some degree of damage. One-third of those are no longer safe to live in. Tents have already been set up for the displaced. Fortunately, the supplies we secured during our last raid on Konoha are enough to maintain temporary living conditions."
"You've all done well."
Rasa's voice was calm, but the weight in it was unmistakable. Even with all his strength, he had not been able to fully protect the village. The destruction was a bitter reminder of the power they now faced.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, then asked,
"Has the ANBU uncovered the reason the Four Tails and Five Tails broke free?"
The question caused visible discomfort among the group. Baki hesitated, then stepped forward.
"Forgive me, Kazekage-sama. The exact cause is still unclear. But according to the ANBU stationed at the holding site, it may be connected to one of their own… a man named Kuroishi."
At the mention of the name, several expressions shifted. Rasa's eyes narrowed slightly. Baki glanced toward Chiyo before continuing.
"Kuroishi once served as the personal guard to the Third Kazekage. Based on interrogations conducted on his known associates, it appears he had been investigating the cause of the Third Kazekage's death."
He trailed off there. For a moment, no one said anything. Even the sound of the wind seemed to fade as silence took hold.
After several long seconds, Rasa finally spoke again.
"Controlling a tailed beast isn't something Kuroishi could have done alone. But this will not be ignored. Continue the investigation. Strengthen our inner security. We must ensure that nothing like this ever happens again."
Everyone nodded. Their village may have been shattered, but their will had not.
"Understood!"
Baki exhaled in relief and bowed his head.
Rasa stepped forward, slowly walking to the edge of the rooftop. His gaze swept across the battered village and the vast plain beyond. Then, in a tone unexpectedly light, he spoke.
"Although this rampage from the tailed beasts brought great loss to Sunagakure, at least it didn't destroy us entirely. In a way, you could call it a blessing in disguise."
Hearing him speak like that, Chiyo, who had been weighed down by guilt since learning the disaster was somehow tied to her grandson, lowered her head slightly. Her voice was quiet but filled with sincerity.
"It's all because of you, Kazekage-sama. If you hadn't been here, Sunagakure wouldn't have survived this at all."
The others nodded solemnly.
Rasa didn't reply to the praise. He kept his eyes fixed on the horizon, the endless desert stretching beyond the ruined canyon walls. His voice turned thoughtful.
"The tailed beast attack left behind something unexpected. The canyon surrounding Sunagakure has expanded thirtyfold. If nothing else, we don't have to worry about space anymore."
His tone shifted slightly, regret flickering in his eyes.
"It's just a shame about the vegetation we worked so hard to cultivate…. Sēramu."
Sēramu immediately straightened up.
"Starting today, don't cluster the village buildings too tightly. Keep them low and spread out. We've got more than enough land now, so let's make use of it."
"Yes, Kazekage-sama!"
Rasa lifted his hand and pointed to the far edge of the canyon. Though the surrounding terrain had opened up drastically, a third of it was now nothing more than scorched, ruined land.
At the center of that area was a crater—a monstrous wound in the earth, formed by the detonation of the Five Tails' final Tailed Beast Ball. It stretched for kilometers and dropped hundreds of meters deep.
"I'm planning to turn that into a lake."
"A lake?"
The sudden declaration caught everyone off guard.
"Yes. I've been thinking about how to improve Sunagakure's climate and transportation. Originally, I considered building a train system that could move across the desert. But after seeing that crater… another idea came to me. With the right jutsu, I can dig a channel that brings seawater in from the coastal edge of the Land of Wind. The crater would become a lake. We would no longer suffer water shortages. The desert's harsh climate would soften. And more importantly, we'd gain a direct water route linking us to the outside world."
Everyone stood stunned.
None of them had expected such foresight. Not when the village was still blanketed in smoke and sorrow. Even now, after all the destruction, their Kazekage was planning the future with clarity.
Pakura's eyes flickered. She looked at Rasa with admiration and spoke slowly.
"Having you as Kazekage is not just our fortune—it's the village's salvation."
Rasa blinked, then looked at Pakura with a small smile.
"You complimenting me? That's rare. In that case, I definitely can't afford to let everyone down."
Gold dust rose beneath Rasa's feet, lifting him gently into the air.
Below, Sunagakure's villagers and shinobi were already hard at work—clearing rubble, erecting tents, treating the injured. They moved with weary limbs and tired eyes, but when they looked up and saw the golden cloud rising into the sky, all voices hushed.
"It's Kazekage-sama…"
Hope shimmered in those gazes as everyone paused, watching silently.
Rasa raised one hand.
"Sage Art: Limit Release: Wood Style—Springtime of All Things."
Only moments earlier, the land had been stripped bare. A year's worth of greenery, nurtured in the unforgiving desert, had been wiped away in a single night. But now, life began to return from the cracked and scorched earth.
Fresh blades of grass emerged from the soil. Buds opened into colorful blossoms. Saplings took root, growing taller with every passing second.
Green spread rapidly, a sea of vitality chasing away the dead silence of the ruins.
Sunagakure, shattered and bleeding, began to breathe again.