Hey guys, here is the new chapter hope you will liked and read thru everything.
If we hit 250 PW I post a extra chapter
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Enjoy the chapter!
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The journey to the capital of the Land of Wind was, to everyone's surprise, peaceful and without any setbacks along the way.
Daigo, wearing the Kazekage cloak that had now become his everyday attire, walked with a confidence that demanded respect.
To his right, Pakura maintained constant vigilance, her eyes scanning every dune with the intensity of a hawk.
To his left, Sasori moved with that unsettling lightness, almost as if his feet did not touch the sand, his hands hidden within the long sleeves of his dark robes.
During his absence, Daigo had taken the decision to leave Rasa in charge of the village, alongside the former Kazekage to assist him.
Many would say Daigo was too trusting or that he had no fear of betrayal, but Daigo knew Rasa would keep his word. As promised, the loser would serve the winner.
Upon crossing the gates of the capital city, the atmosphere shifted drastically. Unlike the architecture of Suna, designed to endure and conceal, the Daimyō's capital was a monument to excess and unnecessary luxury. Crystal-clear water fountains decorated the imperial gardens, and the white marble of the buildings shimmered under the implacable sun, nearly blinding those unaccustomed to such opulence.
It was a visual reminder of where the money, paid by the sweat and labor of the Wind's civilians, ultimately ended up.
Pakura remained on high alert. She expected the usual reception: royal guards looking down their noses at them and long hours of waiting in sweltering anterooms.
However, what they found was a royal welcome.
The head chamberlain bowed until his forehead nearly touched the marble floor.
"Welcome, Lord Kazekage, Lady Pakura, Lord Sasori," the man announced with a trembling voice. "The Daimyō awaits you eagerly. Your private quarters have been prepared with the finest silks, and a banquet will be served whenever you desire. Do not hesitate to ask for anything you may need."
Pakura exchanged a look of heavy suspicion with Daigo, but he only nodded with an enigmatic smile. They were escorted to a wing of the palace reserved for high royalty. The rooms were immense, featuring balconies overlooking private gardens and steam baths that smelled of sandalwood and rare spices.
Once the servants withdrew and the heavy oak door closed, Pakura could no longer contain herself. She approached Daigo, who had sat calmly on a red silk divan, and spoke in a whisper charged with urgency.
"This makes no sense, Daigo," she said, eyeing the door and windows. "The Daimyō has always despised Suna. He sees us as useless, we have always been looked down upon, and now it's like this? It's a trap; I'm certain there is poison in the food or assassins behind the curtains waiting for us to lower our guard."
Daigo looked at Sasori. The puppet master, without a word, flicked his fingers in the air. With surgical precision, he launched four nearly invisible chakra threads toward the corners of the room, activating a series of silence seals.
Instantly, the noise of the capital vanished; the room became an absolute vacuum where only the three of them existed. The silence was so dense they could hear their own heartbeats.
"Relax, Pakura-chan," Daigo said, relaxing his shoulders for the first time all day. "There is no poison, and there are no assassins. It's simply that there is no longer a reason for the Daimyō to hate us."
Pakura frowned, crossing her arms. "What do you mean?"
"Do you remember when we were on the front lines against Kirigakure?" Daigo asked.
"There was a period of a few weeks where Sasori disappeared from the camp. You warned me that playing politics with the Daimyō was dangerous, that if we were caught plotting against the crown, Suna would be economically strangled forever."
Pakura nodded slowly, the memory of her own warning burning in her mind. "I told you the Daimyō is the source of our livelihood. To attack him was to attack Suna. I thought Sasori was doing weapons reconnaissance, not this."
"And you were right. That's why we didn't attack him... we change his way he views us," Sasori intervened with his monotonous voice, which always seemed to lack a soul.
"During those weeks, I infiltrated this palace. The Daimyō and his inner circle of ministers are now under the total control of my jutsu and latent obedience seals.
They aren't dead puppets that I move obviously with my fingers; they are people whose wills have been subtly reprogrammed to believe our ideas are their own.
We came here to maintain appearances so the world believes the Fourth Kazekage is a diplomat so brilliant he managed to settle things with the Daimyō through eloquence and his new power."
Pakura remained silent, processing everything Sasori said before looking at Daigo.
"You hid this from me," she said. "Daigo, how many things have you not told me? Every time I go somewhere with you, there's something new I didn't know has already happened, so many times I can't even count them. What's wrong? Do you not trust me enough to tell me things? Do you think I'm going to go around telling the whole village?"
Daigo stood up and approached her, taking her hands in his with a gentleness he only showed to her.
"I hid it from you because if something went wrong, I wanted you to be able to say with total honesty before any advisor or under any torture that you knew nothing. I wanted to protect you from treason against the village, which is the gravest crime. But now that I am Kazekage, nothing is going to happen. From this day forward, what I know, you will know. There will be no more secrets, I promise you." Pakura sighed, squeezing Daigo's hands.
The annoyance was still there, but the relief of knowing her village would finally have the resources to prosper without begging outweighed any wounded pride.
Though, that didn't mean she would forgive Daigo so easily. Sasori, watching everything from his spot, simply ate the fruit from the table to pass the time.
The official meeting the next day was a perfect theatrical performance. In the grand throne room, the Daimyō, acting with suspiciously convenient lucidity, praised Daigo's "young and vigorous vision" before the entire court.
In front of foreign ambassadors and local nobles, the Pact of the Pink Sands was signed.
The Daimyō not only restored the original funds third kazekage had lost but also granted a massive subsidy for the Medical Research Department and the modernization of commercial tunnels.
In exchange, Suna promised exclusivity in protecting the continent's wealthiest trade routes, leaving any other village o mercenary out of the Land of Wind's most lucrative contracts.
It was a masterstroke that secured the village's wealth for decades. The Daimyō even seemed happy to gain more fortune by not having to pay Sunagakure as much though it was the opposite a testament to Sasori's terrifying talent.
Upon returning to Sunagakure, Daigo did not stop to celebrate. He knew real change came not from money, but from the people.
Having already spoken with the village advisors about the economy, it was time for the ninjas and their military power. He called another meeting, though this time not with the councilors.
There, sitting in a stone semicircle, the leaders of the only clans left in Sunagakure by name awaited him.
Something Daigo had noticed was the scarce presence of clans in Sunagakure, so he investigated with his new position and discovered what had happened.
During past wars, many of Suna's largest clans had gradually disappeared, either killed in action or retired from ninja service.
Now, only a few members of each clan remained, forcing Daigo to take action to prevent any clan from dying out.
Daigo walked before them, his Kazekage
cloak billowing with a pink crystal aura that illuminated the room.
He stopped before the current leader of the Museifu Clan.
"Clan Museifu," Daigo said firmly. "I don't believe I've spoken with you... you must be Shizuka's father, right?" Daigo asked, looking at the man, who nodded.
"I am very sorry for your loss. It hurt me too; she was my teammate, and I didn't want her to leave us so early. That is why I called you here, Sokir," Daigo said.
"What do you mean I am here because of her, Kazekage-sama?" Sokir asked, confused.
"That's right. I remember Shizuka once told me her dream was to revive her clan, and when she died, I felt that responsibility passed to me. I want to help you revive the clan and, if possible, have you attempt to pass your techniques to new members within your clan," Daigo explained.
"But Kazekage-sama, I don't think that's possible, as only members of our families have been capable of using it."
"Perhaps that's true, but I believe there is a possibility that a skilled Wind user could learn it and become part of your clan. Would you be willing to try that? Not just for your Kazekage, but for your daughter," Daigo asked.
"I don't see why not, if that was what Shizuka wanted. With you helping us, I will accept your offer, Kazekage-sama," Sokir said, bowing.
Nodding to Sokir, Daigo moved to look at the other leader, the Houki Clan, a young man whose family barely numbered three active ninjas.
"Clan Houki, although I don't think I've ever crossed paths or been on missions with you, I've informed myself of your capabilities.
Your eidetic memory and mental processing are far too good to waste. Are you interested in an offer I have?"
The leader of the Houki clan, a fairly ordinary man with glasses, nodded. "It is a pleasure to be in your presence, Kazekage-sama. I am Koi; I would be glad to hear it."
"Perfect. I have a vacant seat on the council regarding the economy; would you be interested? Obviously, that isn't the only thing. I want you and the remains of your clan, if possible, to start creating a new generation. We cannot lose you. If you don't have partners, we could find women or men willing to serve the clan."
"I would love to be part of the council. Regarding the other matter, I don't know if it would be possible; I would have to speak with the others. Besides, we wouldn't want to force anyone to have children with the few of us left."
"Don't worry, I will see to that. I won't force anyone, though I would like you to think of the good of your clan. I want the new generations to serve Suna as the brain the village needs to avoid being deceived by fraudulent contracts and to maintain a strong economy."
Finishing with the Houki clan, he moved to the next. Upon reaching the leader of the Hako Clan, Daigo nodded.
"As with the others, I have an offer. With your detection barriers, I want you to be the shield of Suna. I have an idea for the future that will require your help. Although you are few, if you wish, we will do the same as the Houki clan, but your talent is unmatched. No one, not even an Aburame insect, will enter Suna without your sensors detecting them."
The leader of the Hako clan nodded; he had no problem with that. He was even happy that the village took them with such importance that the Kazekage himself came to a meeting to speak with them.
Finally, Daigo reached the representative of the Dokuhebi Clan. The man had bite scars all over his body, and beside him, two Desert Komodo Dragons, with golden scales and forked tongues, hissed softly. This clan was the smallest of all; only the leader and his son remained.
"Well, I believe only you are left, Clan Dokuhebi. In truth, I don't know much about you; all I know is that with your dragons and poisons, you will be the fangs of Sunagakure in the future," Daigo stated.
"We understand what you say, Kazekage-sama, but only my son and I are left, and I do not want to enter into that deal you offer about creating new members quickly," the leader said.
"I see. I imagine you have enough respect for your late wife. That is fine, though I would like you to reconsider. At the very least, your son must be nearly twenty; he could be the future of your clan, and I assure you that you will be a force that keeps the clan alive for a long time.
So you don't have to choose now; I will give you time to think," Daigo said, finishing with the Dokuhebi clan.
Daigo returned to the center and looked at Pakura, who stood by his side, representing the power of the Shakuton, being the last of her kind herself.
"This is the New Suna," Daigo declared before the leaders who watched him. "As the only official clans of Sunagakure, I want you to try to expand your numbers for the next generation.
I will ensure you have a place along with funds so you can begin," Daigo said, looking at them all. "All I want is for you not to fail me and to swear your total loyalty to Sunagakure."
The leaders struck the ground with their fists in a sign of absolute loyalty. Daigo had restored their honor and the hope of survival.
The board was finally set. With the Daimyō under control and the loyal clans in place, Daigo could focus on his next moves.
End of Chapter