It had been nearly three weeks since Rinjin stepped down from his position as Minister of the Municipal Department.
During those three weeks, Sunagakure didn't exactly turn upside down, but it definitely suffered a serious blow.
Every morning at six, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, would wake up and immediately dive into paperwork until noon.
After lunch, he'd head out to dig for gold dust, trying to pay the so-called late tribute to Amegakure and patch up the village's external trade shortfalls.
Most days, he'd be busy until seven or eight at night. Then he'd grab a quick dinner and get back to the mountain of documents that had piled up.
By the time he was finally done, it'd be one or two in the morning.
Only then would he take a hot bath—the only fifteen or twenty minutes in his entire day that actually belonged to him.
That was his miserable routine. And the villagers weren't any happier.
The electricity was gone. The water was gone. Food prices had skyrocketed.
They used to be tough enough to survive these harsh conditions, but now all they wanted to do was curse the world.
It's easy to go from rags to riches, but going back to poverty? That's hell.
On the twenty-first day without water or power, Rinjin returned.
His first order of business wasn't to whip the Municipal Department back into shape, but to have the ANBU restore his office to its original state.
As he put it, he'd grown attached to that office—every desk and chair had been handpicked by him.
Obviously, even this simple request was too much for Lord Kazekage.
All those expensive desks, chairs, and bookshelves had been sold off by Yura to help subsidize the village.
Who knows where those things ended up? There was no way Rasa could get them back.
Still, Rinjin was understanding. He showed up to work every day, quietly doing his job.
But he never called for the so-called Eighteen Seats meeting, nor did he show any intention of restarting the factories.
Finally, after a full month of no water or electricity, Rasa couldn't take it anymore.
He called a meeting of the top brass, invited the clan head of the Suna Clan, and led the group to the Municipal Department.
Inside the office, Rinjin was hunched over a scroll, studying it intently.
Behind him, Taida stood as always, holding his folder with a calm expression.
If you looked closely, aside from a few differences in the color of the furniture, the office was almost exactly the same as it had been a month ago.
Knock, knock, knock—
Someone rapped on the door.
Looking up, Rinjin put away the scroll and called out politely, "Come in."
As soon as he spoke, Rasa marched in, followed by a line of old men.
Seeing this, Rinjin immediately put on a show, jumping up and quickly circling his desk to greet the serious-faced Rasa.
"Lord Fourth, please, have a seat.
Everyone, I apologize for not greeting you at the door."
At his words, the group's faces finally softened a bit as they each found a seat.
Barely had they sat down when Rasa spoke up.
"Minister Kaza, we're all here today for a simple reason.
Please convene the Eighteen Seats council immediately. The village needs your department back in action!"
"My department? No, no, no—the Municipal Department is a public office for the village. How could it be called mine?
Lord Fourth, you're joking again~"
No sooner had he finished than the white-bearded, long-mustached head of the Suna Clan coughed lightly and interjected:
"Young Kaza, you're not that old, so why are you acting as confused as this old man?
When Lord Fourth gives you instructions, just follow them.
And if nothing else, you've got your clan behind you!"
Hearing this, Rinjin smiled and nodded.
"You're absolutely right, Clan Head. I'll do as instructed.
It's just that..."
As he spoke, Rinjin glanced at Rasa, a hint of barely perceptible mischief flickering in his eyes.
"Just say it," Rasa said.
"Alright, Lord Fourth, I'll be direct.
I'm turning fifty this year, so calling myself an old man isn't much of an exaggeration.
In five years, I plan to retire.
What do you think, Lord Fourth?"
At these words, Rasa instinctively started weighing his options.
This old fox wants to milk it for another five years? Greedy bastard.
But five years from now, I'll only be in my mid-thirties—plenty of time.
By then, I'll be at the peak of my career, and with those five years, I'll be able to gradually wrest power back from these old fossils.
When the time comes, I'll reclaim the village's economic lifeblood and win over most of the middle class. It won't be too late.
Thinking this through, Rasa slowly nodded under the expectant gazes of the old guard.
"I have just one condition."
"Name it."
"I want to send someone to learn from you—how to run such an efficient and advanced department."
"Absolutely."
"Good. Maki, from today on, you'll follow Uncle Kaza.
Not only will you protect him, but you'll also learn from his wisdom. Understood?"
From outside the door, Maki responded loudly and seriously.
"Uncle Kaza, we've talked it out. I just hope you won't go back on your word in the end."
"Of course not. With the Clan Head here, I wouldn't dare break my word even if I had a hundred lives~"
The Suna Clan head looked utterly pleased at that.
He knew Kaza was flattering him, but honestly, who doesn't like a little flattery—especially from someone so crucial to the village's future?
Stroking his beard in satisfaction, the clan head stood up, gave Rinjin a friendly pat on the shoulder, and was the first to leave the office with a hearty laugh.
Seeing this, Rasa didn't linger either. He said his goodbyes and followed the others out.
For a moment, everyone who'd just gotten the inside scoop left the office in high spirits.
At the very least, they now knew that Kaza would hand over his power in five years—crucial intel.
Now, the main thing on their minds was how to position their successors to grab a piece of the pie.
Watching them leave, Rinjin's lips curled into a dark smile.
You want to pick my peaches? I'll bake you all into one big cake and eat the whole damn thing.
He'd gone to all this trouble just to ensure Amegakure wouldn't have any more chaos at their backs.
Snapping his fingers, Rinjin waved to Taida, who still didn't dare look up.
"Taida, gather the Eighteen Seats. We're having a meeting.
Oh, and get ready—you might have to get your hands dirty this time."
At those words, Taida's knuckles went white as he gripped his folder.
After hearing about so many fights, is it finally my turn?!
Oh yes!
I've secretly learned so many insults and mastered so many alliance tricks—finally, I get to use them!
First up, I'll try out my moves on that greedy, despicable old worm Sandworm!
"Oh, and Maki, you'll be shadowing me and taking over Taida's duties after he steps down."
...
In the meeting room, the old Sandworm himself didn't show up—much to Taida's disappointment.
To reassure Sunagakure, Rinjin was ready to sacrifice some minor interests.
He planned to hand over the entire wind power company to the village.
Because of that, the electricity faction represented by Sandworm didn't need a seat at this massive dining table.
Besides, that old Sandworm had been way too active lately.
It was about time to remind the Eighteen Seats that even the chef wields a knife.
As always, Rinjin made his entrance by slamming open the meeting room doors and striding in with his head held high.
Behind him, the expressionless Maki followed, clutching a folder and matching his every step.
"Ahem... It's been a while, everyone!"
His deep voice echoed through the room, and everyone stood up, nodding politely.
"Lord Kaza, welcome back to your throne!"
"I always knew Lord Kaza would return to lead us."
"That's right—without Lord Kaza, the Municipal Department has no soul."
"Kubo, as much as I'd like to strangle you, I have to agree with that statement for once."
"..."
For a moment, everyone was talking at once, congratulating Lord Kaza on retaking the helm.
Rinjin just smiled at all the hollow flattery.
He knocked on the table, signaling for silence, and launched into his usual opening speech once again.
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