Naruto World, Sunagakure, the Kazekage's office.
The stern-faced elders, Chiyo and Ebizō, sat on either side of the seat that symbolized the Kazekage's authority.
And the newly appointed Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, sat bolt upright—formal, composed, and deadly serious.
Behind him stood Temari and Kankurō, both wearing hard expressions.
In addition, a plainly dressed, middle-aged man with an old-fashioned air sat across from Gaara.
He was the daimyo's envoy, here on behalf of the Land of Wind's lord.
Also present were several of Sunagakure's jōnin, as well as the heads of every major ninja clan in the village.
Everyone's face was tense.
All eyes were fixed on the office doors.
Along both sides of the room, dozens of chūnin had gathered in clusters, whispering to one another in low voices.
"Silence!"
Suddenly, Elder Chiyo snorted coldly. "The tribunal begins now!"
Right after that, Temari frowned and barked an order, her voice sharp and clear.
"Bring him in!"
At once, two shinobi moved toward the doors.
At the same time…
Out in the corridor, in front of the Kazekage's office, Teizawa—wearing a Sunagakure jōnin uniform—stared at the tightly shut doors, his thoughts drifting.
Without realizing it, eight years had passed since he'd been flung into the world of Naruto.
In those eight years…
Through sheer effort, he had mastered every ninjutsu he'd been able to get his hands on, refining them until they felt like extensions of his body.
And by a twist of fate, he'd awakened Magnet Release—an ability with enormous significance for Sunagakure.
Of course, none of that was the point.
The point was that he hadn't fought his way to jōnin for Sunagakure's sake.
He'd done it for one reason only: to live longer in this warped, upside-down world.
So Teizawa raised his strength…
And, as much as he could, he built relationships with the people around him.
Because he believed, with absolute certainty…
The world was never just about fists and bloodshed. It was about favors. About ties. About the messy web of human give-and-take.
And that truth held up even here, in a world where strength decided everything.
As he worked alongside his colleagues, Teizawa gradually realized something ugly: the ordinary, bottom-tier civilian shinobi in Sunagakure lived brutally hard lives.
They carried out dangerous missions.
They worried about scraping by.
And worse…
They had almost no access to resources for training.
A single ordinary B-rank jutsu was something many civilian shinobi would never touch in their entire lives.
And because Sunagakure was poor…
The mission payouts were miserable.
Every time that reality crossed his mind, Teizawa couldn't help cursing the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, in his heart.
With all that gold, why not use it to actually keep people alive?
Why waste everything refining Gold Dust?
And Sunagakure's upper ranks always hid behind the same line: "It's for Sunagakure's tomorrow."
Teizawa had no family in this world. No roots. No one relying on him.
He didn't care how big the payouts were—as long as he could eat.
But the shinobi born here couldn't live the way he could, couldn't survive on "one mouth fed, no one else starves."
Once he realized that…
Every time Teizawa received mission pay, he'd quietly help out colleagues who were struggling.
Over time, more and more shinobi became his friends.
Whenever they went out on missions…
The ones he'd helped were always the first to surge forward, throwing themselves into the line of fire.
Building a wall in front of him.
Just to make sure he wouldn't get hurt.
And as Teizawa's strength rose—and his name spread through the village…
He quickly drew the attention of Sunagakure's higher-ups.
Not long ago, during the Konoha Crush, Teizawa had protected Sunagakure's "princess," Temari, and the others, escorting them out while holding off Konoha's ANBU pursuit alone.
Because of that, he'd been promoted to jōnin.
He gained subordinates.
And he gained a measure of authority.
Then Teizawa began to use that authority—and the convenience of a jōnin's position—to rake in money on a massive scale.
And he turned around and poured every illegal cent into the people beneath him who needed help.
Even the orphans of shinobi who'd died in war…
Received condolence payments from his hands.
Not only that—
He even worked with the wandering shinobi who roamed the Land of Wind.
Often, he'd have those drifters harass wealthy nobles.
Then, when those nobles came running to the village…
He'd accept the mission.
Put on a show.
Drive the drifters away.
And afterward, he'd split the mission payout with them.
As time went on…
The number of Sunagakure shinobi who'd received Teizawa's help surpassed several thousand.
Among those thousands, many had been spared crippling worries because of him.
They had no hesitation left—only the desire to stand with him, to share the same boat.
Some became his direct subordinates.
Others, out of gratitude, began to treat him like a living faith.
But good times don't last.
When Teizawa cooperated with the drifters again—this time using them to pressure the daimyo himself in order to extract an enormous payout—
Something finally went wrong.
The result was simple: the Land of Wind's daimyo learned everything.
He sent an envoy personally, demanding Sunagakure punish Teizawa severely.
Sunagakure couldn't defy the daimyo.
So…
Teizawa was arrested and thrown in prison.
Back to the present.
As Teizawa stood before the shut doors, lost in thought…
The doors abruptly swung open.
Two chūnin hurried out toward him, their attitude respectful—almost reverent.
"Teizawa-sama!"
They didn't avoid him even though he was a criminal now.
Their eyes were full of admiration.
Shhk—shhk—shhk…
Before Teizawa could respond, the dozen or so shinobi standing in a neat line behind him all stepped forward in unison.
Teizawa only glanced back, his gaze sweeping over their feverish faces.
Then he smiled.
And with calm, unhurried composure—chin lifted, shoulders straight—he walked into the Kazekage's office.
The moment Teizawa entered, the room erupted into noise.
Shinobi lined along both sides turned their heads almost simultaneously.
Dozens of eyes locked onto him.
Some looked fanatical.
Some clenched their fists.
Most simply watched, holding their breath.
Of course, a few had sweat beading on their foreheads, their tension visible.
The fanatical and hopeful ones were the people Teizawa had helped.
The nervous ones…
Were the ones who had maintained "gray" partnerships with him over the years.
If Teizawa said the wrong thing—
They'd be headed for prison right alongside him.
Teizawa didn't bother reacting to any of them.
He walked straight to the desk.
Only then did he tilt his head slightly, looking at the envoy whose face was dark as storm clouds.
At the same time, nearly every shinobi in the room turned to look at that man.
"Teizawa!"
Under the invisible pressure bearing down on him, the envoy swallowed hard.
He forced himself to stand firm, voice deep and tight.
"Teizawa, the evidence is conclusive that you colluded with wandering shinobi to threaten and coerce the daimyo."
"Also, according to ANBU investigations, from the day you became a shinobi until now, you embezzled a total of five billion ryō."
"Do you admit it?"
"Yes."
Teizawa merely nodded.
The envoy visibly relaxed, as if he'd finally found his footing.
"In that case, please hand the money over."
"ANBU searched your home hundreds of times and found only two hundred ryō."
"So you need to explain where the five billion ryō you stole went."
"Or is there someone else involved—someone who shared the spoils? Speak honestly!"
The moment those words fell, the room went deathly quiet.
In that silence, it felt like something was brewing—heavy and volatile.
When people heard Teizawa had embezzled five billion ryō, yet had only two hundred ryō at home, their expressions shifted.
Nearly everyone knew how much Teizawa had helped them over the years.
But they hadn't expected that after stealing that much money…
He'd left himself with nothing.
At the same time, others went pale at the envoy's demand for accomplices.
Their hearts hammered.
"No one shared the spoils."
Teizawa's answer was absolute, without the slightest hesitation. "I spent it all myself."
"Teizawa, take this seriously."
Temari's voice was tight. She looked anxious, her expression complicated—like she was trying to fight the verdict with her eyes.
"According to ANBU, you have no assets under your name. The house you live in was assigned by the village. Even your furniture hasn't been replaced in eight years…"
"Someone like that… there's no way you could've spent five billion ryō alone."
She was speaking too fast, almost like she was arguing on his behalf.
Worry crowded her face.
But even the Kazekage couldn't refuse an order from the daimyo.
And Temari certainly couldn't.
Teizawa rolled his eyes and said lazily, as if bored of the entire proceeding.
"I like using money to light my cigarettes. Got a problem with that?"
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