After purchasing Honma's batch of iron sand—the Third Kazekage's legacy—at a price well above market value, Rinjin left Honma's house.
As dusk settled, Rinjin dismissed his persistent shadow Maki and headed home alone.
The situation was crystal clear now.
The Third Kazekage's son had been kidnapped by the Jashin Cult during the chaos and transported to a secret base in the Land of Rain. Then he himself had transmigrated, taking over the boy's body—leaving behind only this vessel and the name "Rinjin." After that came the cult's sacrificial ritual. Based on what the Shinigami had revealed earlier, the core of his immortality was undoubtedly some kind of mysterious seed. Originally, this seed had belonged to the evil god worshipped by the cult. Through the sacrificial ritual, the cult had implanted the seed into his body. While gaining immortality, he'd also acquired another consciousness within him.
No wonder! When he'd used Impure World Reincarnation to revive Tsunade, the monster inside had gone absolutely berserk! Turns out this immortal essence wasn't truly his—it belonged to "K"!
At this realization, Rinjin couldn't help but grin wickedly. His mind was already racing with a hundred different ways to exploit this identity and screw over Sunagakure.
Meanwhile, in the Kazekage's office, Maki knelt on one knee, delivering his formal report on recent events.
Across from him, the Fourth KazekageRasa sat behind his desk, his expression heavy with concern.
He didn't give a damn about some Rinjin, nor whether this guy was connected to whoever had infiltrated the village three years ago. Right now, his sole focus was the Municipal Ministry.
A supposedly unreliable sea buckthorn tea factory had people fighting tooth and nail for shares— Didn't they worry about losing money? More crucially, none of them seemed to care about the shake-up among the Eighteen Seats. Didn't they wonder where former member Sandworm had disappeared to? Were they all brain-dead?
Too many questions and doubts swirled through his mind— And with them came a growing sense of unease.
A few days ago, the Eighteen Seats had convened and the Municipal Ministry resumed operations. The previously chaotic village had suddenly and visibly calmed down. Water prices dropped, electricity was restored, food prices returned to normal, and trade with other villages gradually resumed. Hell, even the dried-up canal outside the village was flowing again!
After investigating, Rasa learned the Municipal Ministry had cleared all outstanding debts in one massive payment.
The thought made Rasa's teeth itch with frustration. These bastards were far wealthier than he'd ever imagined. He worked himself to the bone every afternoon mining gold, barely scraping together enough to cover overdue fees. Meanwhile, these people paid off ten times the overdue amount without batting an eye.
Money meant power. It was painfully obvious now—the Municipal Ministry wielded far more influence than he'd realized.
Lost in thought, Maki spoke up tentatively: "Lord Fourth, perhaps we should start our own tea factory? If they can manage it, surely we could do even better with your backing."
At those words, Rasa—already worn down from being pushed around by everyone—exploded: "Start, start, start—start your grandmother's leg! Do you have any idea who's backing the Eighteen Seats?! You want me to pick a fight with those bastards? Think I don't have enough problems already?! Idiot, use your brain! Join them—then influence their decisions from within!"
As he ranted, Rasa's voice gradually softened. He stood up, walked over to Maki, and sighed with bone-deep exhaustion.
"Forget it, get up. Listen carefully, Maki: we're not facing enemies in the open—we're dealing with fat-bellied vipers hiding beneath the sand. They won't attack you head-on; they'll strike when you least expect it. You're my most important ally, so think everything through carefully. Alright, it's late. Go get some rest."
Maki felt warmth surge through him, his body suddenly filled with renewed strength. He bowed deeply to the Fourth Kazekage, face bright with determination, and left the office.
Watching Maki's retreating figure, Rasa returned to his desk and slumped into his chair, face clouded with worry.
He'd once believed that becoming the Fourth Kazekage would automatically consolidate all power in his hands. Looking back, that notion was laughably naive. Power was slowly gathering around him—but far too slowly.
The senior advisors who'd held their positions since the Second Kazekage's era maintained an iron grip on authority, with their people filling nearly every public office. The Municipal Ministry controlled almost all the village's mid-level management. And after the recent chaos, every commoner in the village knew exactly who really controlled their daily lives.
All his "three fires" as the new Kazekage had accomplished was burning away most of his own prestige.
Honestly, he couldn't entirely blame himself. The Third Kazekage's sudden disappearance, combined with the retirement of his most loyal supporters—the Chiyo siblings— meant the power-hungry old fossils had zero intention of relinquishing control.
A show of force required trusted allies— but Rasa not only lacked new supporters, he'd even lost Yura, one of his best generals. There were precious few truly loyal people left in the ANBU. He couldn't exactly go assassinate the senior advisors himself—he was a "noble long-range mage," after all.
With a weary sigh, Rasa tapped his desk. The next moment, an ANBU wearing a hawk mask materialized beside him.
"Investigate who's really behind the Eighteen Seats! And prepare to resign from ANBU—I need you to replace one of the seats."
The ANBU nodded. After waiting three seconds and seeing Rasa had nothing more to add, he vanished from the office with a Body Flicker Technique.
That very night, just as Rasa was preparing for bed, he received the intelligence file he'd requested.
Seeing his brother-in-law Yashamaru sitting on his sofa, Rasa said nothing and simply unrolled the scroll.
Yashamaru had definitely used family connections—there's no way he could've gathered this intel so quickly on his own. Damn it! A young master from the Suna Clan had better connections than him, the Kazekage!
Muttering under his breath, Rasa examined the scroll. It contained detailed intelligence on all Eighteen Seats of the Municipal Ministry— not just former member Sandworm, but also the newly recruited Taida.
The more he read, the more his shock grew. These people's backgrounds were an incredibly tangled web— some backed by coalitions of mid-level officials, others by ninja organizations, still others by high-ranking elders. The network covered virtually every major power faction in the village. Some even had murky, complicated ties to the Suna Clan itself.
By the time he finished reading, Rasa's back was soaked with cold sweat.
He was terrified.
He'd thought he was picking on a soft target—turns out he'd chosen the hardest rock in the pile. This tiny Municipal Ministry was actually the village's entire treasury!
Thank god Kaza had shown restraint and hadn't caused trouble— otherwise, he'd have completely lost face and authority in one fell swoop.
No way! He had to get a piece of that massive pie!
Damn it! He needed to find opportunities to place both Yashamaru and Maki among the Eighteen Seats. And that Taida guy—he'd have to turn him to their side!
...
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