Her ability to manipulate sand, and Rasa's ability to manipulate gold dust, both originated from the Third Kazekage. By combining Wind Release with Earth Release, they could easily control specific types of matter.
This could be Iron Sand, gold dust, or even regular sand, depending on the practitioner's mastery of Earth Release Nature Transformation.
The Sand Village already had a complete talent selection mechanism in the Magnet Release field, designed to maximize the discovery of qualified individuals within the village. There was no need for her or Rasa to establish it, as the Third Kazekage had already taken care of everything.
While Karura was still deep in thought, the Third Kazekage subtly noticed the change in her expression. After glancing in Karura's direction, he gave Chiyo a look and said, "Elder Chiyo, please help Qingshui plan this out first. Afterwards, just have Qingshui submit a proposal to me. I have some new tasks I need to assign to Rasa and Karura."
Chiyo immediately understood and moved aside.
She had already gleaned the Third Kazekage's attitude from him.
Qingshui came from a reputable background, having been mentored by Chiyo and Ebizo. He was definitely considered a direct descendant of the Sand Hidden, and if his strength met the requirements, he was absolutely qualified to be a candidate for Kazekage.
All Chiyo needed was for the Third Kazekage to give Qingshui a fair chance to compete, unlike how Hiruzen Sarutobi deliberately suppressed White Fang.
Based on ability, Rasa's chances of surpassing Qingshui were slim.
Of course, if the Third Kazekage truly had such intentions, Chiyo and Ebizo weren't just for show. As long as the Third Kazekage remained the Third Kazekage who prioritized the village above all else, he wouldn't allow such a situation to occur.
That would represent a factional split within the Sand Hidden, something no one wanted to see.
And the answer Chiyo received from the Third Kazekage left her very satisfied.
His favoritism was already quite clear.
Choose the one who could bring a brighter future to the Sand Village.
Of course, this didn't mean the Third Kazekage had given up on Rasa.
Rasa still had the qualifications to compete at the table; it was just that his hand and skill were inferior to his opponent's.
Among Kage-level powerhouses, Rasa might not be considered strong, but he was still qualified to be a Kage. Against other non-Kage-level opponents, he was still a dimension-shattering force.
He and Karura were, after all, important combat forces for the Sand Village, and the Third Kazekage needed to appease them in an appropriate manner.
...
...
DC Universe.
Gotham City Hall.
"I solemnly swear that I will be loyal to the citizens of Gotham, protect their rights, and uphold the law..."
In the assembly hall of City Hall, billionaire and renowned Gotham entrepreneur Bruce Wayne sat in a chair, next to Commissioner Gordon, listening intently to the inauguration ceremony taking place above.
Surrounding them were many more of Gotham's political and business elites, the upper crust of society.
For instance, Gotham's new mayor, Mr. Hamilton, who had taken office last year, was the most attentive listener among those present.
"Gotham was once the most prosperous city in America, with an incredibly glorious history. Whether in the past or present, this city has always had good citizens striving to build it. I will do everything in my power to make her shine again, to make her more prosperous, and to instill even greater confidence in her.
Let Gotham be great again!"
As his voice faded, accompanied by applause in the assembly hall, Qingshui put down his speech, bowed slightly to the assembled Gotham dignitaries, and offered an elegant salute.
The oath and speech concluded, signifying that he had officially become a council member of the Gotham City Council, holding a public office.
Even if this office had a four-year term limit.
The total number of council members in Gotham City was forty.
Every two years, according to local law, half of Gotham City's council members would undergo re-election.
A council member's power was neither small nor large.
Not small, because city council members had the power to directly influence city legislation, participate in budget review and management, and deliberate on various local bills.
Not large, because the power of the city council was dispersed among so many members. Even if their power exceeded that of the police chief and other heads of municipal agencies, the actual power of a single individual was certainly not greater than the latter.
However, in terms of actual status, a city council member was still quite high.
At least after Qingshui became a city council member, his Fortune progress bar increased by a small increment, surpassing 50% and reaching 51.83%.
"Come on, everyone, smile."
After the inauguration speech, Qingshui remained in place and took a group photo with other municipal officials and Gotham dignitaries.
Then came the tedious but necessary celebration.
"Congratulations. What do you plan to do next? Run for mayor again in two years?"
Bruce Wayne, holding a glass of red wine, casually sat on the sofa next to Qingshui.
"Hard to say. We'll see how these two years develop."
Qingshui picked a piece of fruit with a toothpick and popped it into his mouth, mumbling.
He was able to push Hamilton into the mayoral position because Hamilton had been cultivating his influence in Gotham politics for several years and already had a certain foundation. Before Qingshui approached him, he had already garnered the fourth-highest number of votes in the election when Sharp was elected.
But Qingshui couldn't push himself into such a position.
In the underworld and in business, he had a considerable status, but in politics, he relied on groups like the League of Assassins for some influence, and this wasn't due to his own identity.
Unless he could directly use underhanded tactics like the Donkey Party and tamper with data.
He might be able to manipulate his way into the mayor's office, but going any higher than that would likely be extremely difficult.
He became a city councilor as an independent. It's not impossible for non-party members to reach high positions in politics, but the difficulty would clearly increase by several, or even dozens, of times.
As for whether to join one of these parties, Qingshui hadn't decided yet.
"That's good. I was worried you'd be too hasty, like some people in the past. Now that Gotham's underworld is being cleaned up under your leadership, the crime rate has decreased. But I'm sure you also know that gangs are just one of the reasons for Gotham's high crime rate, not the root cause."
Bruce Wayne set down his red wine and spoke to Qingshui.
"So, how do you suggest we solve it? You've been working on this for years, and I haven't seen much improvement."
Qingshui glanced at Bruce Wayne.
"It's a very complex problem. You should have realized by now that the municipal institutions are actually controlled by those prominent families. Changing mayors, changing officials, or amending policies won't make much of a difference. Even Commissioner Gordon doesn't have complete control over the Gotham Police Department.
Gangs and corruption are symptoms; there are deeper reasons at play."
"Like secret societies such as the Court of Owls?"
Qingshui chewed on a toothpick, looking at the dance floor in front of him.
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// beta.randomtranslator.com/
Read 1111+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский at: https:// beta.randomtranslator.com/
Join our Discord: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------