Rasa stood silently, watching Ebizō's slightly stooped figure disappear into the distance. A long sigh escaped him.
This guy… should he say it's exactly what one would expect from the old generation of shinobi?
Even if some of his past ideas were questionable, that earnest dedication to Sunagakure's future was something even Rasa, as the Fourth Kazekage, couldn't fault.
In the end, Ebizō had refused to help whitewash Sasori's record.
Truth be told, with his influence and connections, Ebizō absolutely had the ability to clear Sasori's name and help him escape to another land to live a normal life.
But he didn't.
Even knowing Sasori would have no freedom, living in a tiny room like a prisoner, Ebizō had never once tried to excuse what his nephew had done.
Rasa understood clearly—Ebizō just wanted to ensure that the clan's bloodline wouldn't die out.
Shinobi who had survived three great ninja wars were never soft-hearted.
If Sasori had already had a child by the time he was captured and brought back, Ebizō might've handled things differently—maybe even brought an end to Sasori's life himself in exchange for giving the village closure.
In this world, loyalty to the village often outweighed family ties. That was just how things were in the shinobi world.
Rasa sighed again and turned to look outside the village walls. The streets beyond had finally quieted down.
Most of the visiting ninja had already left.
Even Iwagakure and Kumogakure's shinobi had departed the day before, taking their signed cooperative agreements with them.
At this point, the only foreign ninja still in Sunagakure were those from more remote regions—or ones still arranging their route home.
Of course, Konoha's team was still here too.
They were supposed to leave around this time, but because of the situation with Jiraiya and Kakashi, their departure had been delayed.
Jiraiya's injuries—though they had looked serious—weren't as bad as first thought. According to their head physician, Doctor Kabuto, Jiraiya's body showed clear signs of emergency treatment using medical ninjutsu before he was brought to the hospital.
Once inside, he didn't even need emergency care. After some routine treatment, Kabuto estimated he'd be fit for discharge in four or five days.
Kakashi's case was even stranger.
He had been cleared to leave two days ago, but for whatever reason, he simply refused. He was practically glued to his hospital bed.
And ever since Jiraiya was admitted again, Kakashi only doubled down—almost like he planned to book a long-term stay. He kept asking the medical staff if Tsunade had left the village yet.
So until their whole squad was ready, Konoha's departure remained uncertain.
If anything, it looked like Kakashi was waiting for Tsunade to leave before he made his move.
As for Tsunade…
She had likely burned through her tournament winnings by now. Between her shopping sprees, feasts, and the sheer number of things she had bought, the money was probably gone.
The last couple of days, she'd been laying low inside the Grand Sail Hotel, not venturing out much.
But in just a few more days, the hotel would stop covering her room.
When that time came, she'd probably leave too.
Not to mention Jiraiya's debts…
Even though Tsunade had dialed back a bit on putting expenses under Jiraiya's name, the final bill was still... impressive.
Which meant...
"It's about time Jiraiya got discharged and started earning again."
Sunagakure wasn't running a welfare program.
...
September 10th, Year 52 of the Konoha Calendar
Sunagakure was quiet again.
Most of the visiting shinobi had already gone. Only Konoha's team remained.
That afternoon—
Maybe it was boredom. The village had no pachinko parlors, no casinos. The only thing remotely interesting to Tsunade had been a few gold panners from out of town.
So, just after lunch, Tsunade left the village with Shizune and her pig in tow.
Back to her usual life:
"Living in the Shinobi World, Gambling Till I'm Off the Grid."
That same day, a fully recovered Jiraiya stood by the village gates, watching her leave with a deep sigh.
He turned down the offer to travel back with the Konoha team.
Instead, he set off alone with a simple pack on his back, a lonely figure fading into the desert—off once again to earn money… or more likely, "gather research."
After all, if Tsunade could spend the entire Senju Clan inheritance in just a few years...
Then in these ten short days, the debt she racked up under Jiraiya's name—while not catastrophic—wasn't small either.
So, as a responsible village leader, Rasa personally came out to send off Sunagakure's newly-appointed debt representative—Jiraiya.
With genuine emotion in his voice, he wished him well:
"May your future be bright—and may your interest rate be 6.8%."
You could say, every ryo Jiraiya had earned had already been spent in Sunagakure. And he still owed more.
As for Kakashi—he leapt out of bed the moment Tsunade left.
Full of energy, he even made it to the gates in time to see Jiraiya off.
Then he yawned lazily, stretched his back, and returned to the Konoha team's temporary lodging like nothing had happened.
That very night, the Konoha group quietly left the village.
And so—
On the eighth day after the First Shinobi World 4WD Grand Prix ended, Sunagakure returned to peace.
People went back to work.
Kids went back to school.
Life returned to normal.
Mid-September
The village once again threw itself into development projects.
"Fertilizer supplies are more than enough," Rasa nodded, looking at Tobi, who had already returned to his usual cheerful self.
"We can't use it all locally. Start packaging some for sale outside the village."
The natural, organic kind of fertilizer wasn't produced in large volumes—but it was still enough to sell.
The research division was also working on synthetic alternatives.
Unfortunately, Tobi showed zero interest in the inorganic variety. He only cared about the natural stuff.
He really was a true artist with a singular vision.
And clearly, the beatings he took a few days ago had long faded from memory.
Now he was bouncing around like always, full of cheer.
"Ebizō left the research institute in your hands. That means he trusts you," Rasa said.
"Don't let him down. Later, draft a proposal for a fertilizer plant and give it to me when it's ready."
Fertilizer was bound to have market demand across the shinobi world.
Rasa patted Tobi on the shoulder, offering a confident smile.
"Out of all the White Zetsu clones, I believe in you the most. Just look at the rest of them—absolute idiots. Not one of them managed to detect the other villages were planning to gang up on you! What good are they?"
"And the original White Zetsu isn't even half as good-looking as you, nor does he have your sense of style."
"So work hard. Once this stabilizes, we'll remove the 'Vice' from your title. I believe the research institute's next director will be you."
If you want the horse to run, you've gotta feed it.
A little encouragement never hurts.
Inside the research institute...
Jōseki, a loyal comrade dedicated to Sunagakure's green revolution, was hard at work, focused on every detail.
"Achoo! Achoo!"
He sneezed twice, rubbed his nose, and compared the files in his hand.
Satisfied, he nodded.
"This batch fermented really well. Top-quality stuff."
He looked up at a heroic forty-five-degree angle.
"For the Kazekage and Elder Ebizō to place so much faith in me… I can't let them down."
He would complete the mission assigned by the higher-ups.
And he firmly believed...
The title of Director of the Research Institute would one day belong to him—Jōseki.