Sunagakure, in the vast desert
"Puff!" A plume of golden sand exploded, causing a golden shower. " Baki! Stop running! Stand your ground." Rasa shouted, riding a floating mass of golden sand.
Beneath him, Baki stood, heaving his chakra reserves low. " Kazekage-sama, please don't do this."
"Unfortunately, I don't have a choice. In the grand scheme, I guess my life is that of a pawn. So, you have to take the mantle after me. My children are too young and naive; they don't have the will of Sand. To suffocate all who stand before you so only you can do it, even if briefly. Do you understand?" Rasa sternly asked.
Baki sighed heavily; he could also see that there was no other choice. Sunagakure was sinking, and no hand was reaching to pull them out, not even their so-called ally Konoha. In fact, Konoha only drove them deeper, so the only thing remaining was what shinobi did, and that was to fight.
"Get ready," Rasa shouted, and Baki immediately flickered his shadow, dancing on the sand. "Sand manipulation: Thorn Castle!" Golden sand shot up from the ground in thorn-like splinters that expanded, carving the air into a region of thorns. Baki, seeing the coming disaster, rapidly puffed his mouth, "Wind style: Wind Dragon wind bullet!" A dragon of compressed air sailed over the sand, its maw open, and a sphere of rotating compressed air shot out, blasting the golden sand thorns apart.
"Be fiercer!" Rasa shouted, "Impose your will!" The sand surged, forming a massive wave sweeping towards Baki. Sand shuriken and Kunai sailed through the air. Baki quickly made a clone; the two held out their open palms. "Wind style: Wild current dance!" A wind blast with small wind blades tore up the sand apparition but barely dented the sand tsunami.
Mobilizing his already exhausted chakra reserves, he shouted, "Wind style: Vacuum spiral waves." The vacuum blades tore up sections of the sand tsunami, allowing him to escape the danger. A couple of minutes later, Baki was still heaving, lying on the sand. Rasa walked over.
"You still have a long way to go, but we only have these short months to get ready. Perhaps back then that was foolish of me." Rasa muttered, looking at the vast plain of sand. Pakura's death, even of it, made his grasp of power easier. It severely weakened them; now he was the only kage-level shinobi in Sunagakure.
The village was drowning in debt, and people were going hungry. Crime was synonymous with survival. His shinobi were hardened by dire circumstances, but the village died bit by bit, its people losing pieces of themselves, something that made his heart weary. 'Since when did I get so sentimental?' Rasa cast his gaze on Baki. "Be back here tomorrow." Rasa disappeared into golden sand.
Baki looked at the overcast clouds. "Lord Rasa," He bit his lip, 'I'm sorry, my lord, for being weak.' In the markets, Sunagakure was synonymous with hunger, so merchants offered them dirt-cheap prices, knowing Sunagakure couldn't refuse. C-rank missions suddenly turned A-rank, but the pay didn't increase. The merchants hid under the halo of the other great villages. Their presence in the bounty market had disrupted things until they got hit with sanctions; now they were present in a limited capacity in the black market.
Baki eventually stood up. Instead of heading back to the village, he started doing Sunagakure taijutsu; his feet that were supposed to sink in the sand glided smoothly over the sand, his footprints barely visible. The sand walk was a primary technique for sand shinobi since they often spent hours in the desert on missions. Baki spent 2 hours going over the katas of his taijutsu; his blows that were like a whisper were now causing massive surges of air as wind-like cannons exploded from his fists, blasting anything near him.
"Arghh." Baki suddenly collapsed, his arms and legs spasming, with some bleeding. "It seems this technique is not yet ready." Baki sighed, massaging his arms. It was an idea that he had had a long time ago, but currently, circumstances needed a stronger Baki. He infused chakra, turning it into wind blasts just near his fists and legs as he fought.
Baki took a soldier pill and immediately headed back to the village. Above, an eye floated high in the clouds; it shimmered briefly, then suddenly went pale, dispersing into golden sand.
In the Kazekage's office;
"Well done, Baki, that is the way," Rasa muttered, his hand withdrawing from his eye. 'Suna needs more capable shinobi. Perhaps I shouldn't attack Konoha yet; can I hold the fort long enough to transform the existing shinobi personnel into effective shinobi?' Rasa eventually shook his head; it was wishful thinking. Konohagakure and the Sand Daimyo were squeezing them; retaliation was the only way. 'The chunin exams, huh… Orochimaru, what wonderful ideas you have. With this, I can weaken Konoha and get rid of the Daimyo if he dares to show up, but that is unlikely; however, it would seem his Lord is about to lose a nephew in the coming months.' Rasa snickered.
"Come in," Rasa said to no one, but seconds later a young boy walked in; it was Gaara.
"Father," Gaara said with open hostility. Rasa looked at his son. His feelings were complex, but he hid them. "So, was it effective?!" Rasa asked sternly.
"Yes," Gaara answered. His eyes, usually tinted with heavy eye bags, were visibly healthier, but his disposition could use work. With the upcoming effort, he needed a stable jinchuriki.
"I guess those monks know their stuff. Return to your siblings; I have work to do." Rasa said, turning back to his paperwork. He had to organize an invasion; that took troop deployment, supply lines, and they couldn't afford to leave their village undefended.
"Kumogakure and Iwakagure are likely to cooperate to test how far Konoha has weakened while they grew stronger. Perhaps the shinobi in the next 10 years will be a new world order."