The sunlight was perfect that day.
Every villager and ninja in the Sand Village had gathered, their eyes fixed on a single point. A young man, bathed in sunlight, walking slowly forward amid the enthusiastic cheers of the crowd.
Their village's new Kazekage.
On the stage, Chiyo and several others were already standing. Among those who had traveled a considerable distance was the slender Daimyo of the Land of Wind.
Chiyo and Ebizo's speeches had already set the atmosphere and created the right mood. They were simply waiting for him to deliver his address and lift everyone's spirits even higher.
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind spoke first, as was appropriate, but he appeared remarkably indifferent throughout, offering only a few casual compliments. His tone and demeanor were entirely different from Chiyo's, who spoke with the genuine emotion of someone whose entire life was bound to this village.
Clearly, in the Daimyo's eyes, who became Kazekage was a matter of relatively little personal concern.
Yuji, wearing his Kazekage robes, walked to the edge of the stage. From this position he looked down at the crowd below.
The crowd seemed to extend to the end of every street with no sign of thinning. Many Sand Village ninja had made space for the villagers, some actively jumping onto rooftops to clear room below, and some ordinary people had even been lifted up onto shoulders to see over the crowd.
The faces looking up at him included the elderly, young men and women, and children.
Every face was lit with excitement and radiant smiles.
Many young faces gazed up at him with open adoration. Everyone was eagerly waiting for his words.
"Hahaha..."
Until this moment, he had always considered himself reasonably composed in front of people. Now he discovered, somewhat to his own surprise, that he was a little flustered. Under the gaze of so many people at once, he let out an embarrassed laugh first.
Then he cleared his throat.
To be honest, he had once imagined what it might feel like to stand in this position. Now that it had become real, the weight of it was something entirely different from imagination.
"Lord Kazekage, you can do it!"
"Don't be shy. You are our hero!"
"Nothing to worry about. As long as it is Lord Kazekage speaking, whatever you say, we will all love it. Is that not right, everyone?"
An old man in the crowd was the first to call out encouragingly. Then a man carrying a small child on his shoulders chimed in with a grin. These two voices triggered an immediate chain reaction, and the crowd erupted in fierce and continuous cheering.
Applause rolled through the gathered mass.
Standing behind the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, holding a paper fan that covered half his face while a servant held a sunshade beside him, the Daimyo's eyes showed a flicker of genuine surprise.
He had witnessed a similar scene when the Third Kazekage had assumed office. But the people's connection to the Kazekage seemed to have grown considerably deeper than it had been in that earlier time. The phrase "the will of the people" was being expressed here with a vividness that was impossible to dismiss.
It was worth noting that the Hidden Sand Village was currently in the middle of reconstruction, with many recently buried.
Logically, the Daimyo might have expected a more subdued and grief-heavy atmosphere given the Hidden Cloud Village's recent attack. Instead, what he saw was an entire village that, as long as it still had breath in its body, was surging forward with everything it had.
"To be able to become the Kazekage is my honor."
"I also thank everyone for the trust you have placed in me."
The moment Yuji began to speak, the previously roaring crowd fell silent on its own, spontaneously and completely, as though the noise had simply decided to stop.
"I know everyone holds different expectations of me. I will certainly not let anyone down, even if I cannot excel in every single aspect."
"We will all do our utmost, and I will do my utmost, to lead the village toward a better tomorrow and to repay the trust everyone has shown."
His expression gradually became more serious as he spoke.
He felt a pressure that had nothing to do with the grand spectacle around him. It came from the genuine affection visible in every face looking up at him. A sense of responsibility that only became fully tangible in this moment, standing where he stood, seeing what he could see from here.
Facing the villagers' sincere feelings, he let his own show in return.
Some in the crowd were crying. Some had red eyes.
Since the Second Great Ninja War, the village had come to this point together. What they had experienced, what difficulties they had faced and survived, was something no outsider could fully comprehend.
He spoke a few more words.
Finally, he bowed to the crowd, and concluded solemnly.
"Finally, once more."
"Thank you all for your trust."
"I will do my absolute best."
Boom.
The moment the words left his mouth, the crowd erupted into a deafening roar. Cheers and congratulations followed one after another in a continuous wave. The response was fervent and genuine and overwhelming.
The inauguration ceremony was held, but because the village was in a special period with many Sand Village members fighting on battlefields outside and most senior officials absent, it was not a grand formal affair by conventional standards.
However, for this young Fourth Kazekage, the villagers gave him the most genuine and wholehearted welcome they were capable of giving.
The ceremony ended.
He returned to the familiar office in his Kazekage robes and sat in the chair that had once belonged to the Third Kazekage.
It felt slightly unreal.
He decided he did not want to go through anything like this again if he could help it.
He felt that participating in the ceremony had been more exhausting than fighting a bloody battle on the battlefield. Not to mention the speech itself, the entire series of preparations leading up to the ceremony had drained him thoroughly.
Looking back on it now, it reminded him somewhat of the election campaigning he had read about in his previous life.
"I am genuinely not suited for this job."
Yuji slumped forward and rested his head on the desk, completely abandoning any pretense of composure, and pouted at the empty room.
Knock, knock.
Someone rapped loudly on the door. Yuji immediately sat upright, composing his expression in an instant.
"Come in."
The door swung open and an administrative officer entered carrying a towering stack of documents that almost completely obscured his face.
"Lord Kazekage. These are the tasks Lady Chiyo previously handled. She wishes to transfer them to you and asks for your attention."
Yuji looked at the stack. The more he stared at it, the more his head seemed to expand in anticipation.
"Set them there. I will look through them."
"Yes, Lord Kazekage."
The thick heavy stack of documents landed on the desk with a thud.
"Lord Kazekage, Lady Chiyo also asks that when you have a moment, you meet with the Daimyo. It seems there is something important to discuss."
"Understood."
Yuji nodded.
Right. The Daimyo of the Land of Wind. He had almost forgotten about this particular person in the chaos of recent days.
His eyes went cold.
He had been wanting to find a suitable opportunity to deal with this Daimyo for some time. Now the man had come directly to him on his own initiative. Although the official reason given was attendance at the inauguration ceremony, Yuji felt certain the Daimyo's visit carried another purpose entirely.
A man like this did not get up early without a benefit in mind. Most likely he had come with something aimed at the village's resources or revenues.
The business was arriving right on schedule.
"It is time to settle this matter."
He thought this to himself quietly.
That evening, after finishing the day's work, he made his way toward the place in the village where the Daimyo was staying. The meeting location was not the formal administrative hall.
When he arrived, he found only three people present: himself, Chiyo, and the Daimyo.
No one else.
This was already wrong.
...
STONESSSS 💎💎
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