The six monstrous creatures lunged at each other, ready to clash in a chaotic brawl.
"Stop!"
Mufasa shot into the air, placing himself between them.
His eyes crackled with lightning as he activated his ability.
Magnetic Repulsion!
A sudden force erupted from him, slamming into the six beasts.
They were flung backward like ragdolls, crashing through trees and sending debris flying in all directions.
The ground shook under their impact, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.
The locust-like warrior flipped upright almost instantly, his hardened exoskeleton barely scratched.
He crossed his bladed arms over his chest, his glowing green compound eyes narrowing.
"Hmph, so you're Gamabunta's new backup?" he sneered.
The dragonfly warrior Konchushiro and the horned beetle Konchugeru stepped forward, flanking their comrade, their wings buzzing ominously.
They were ready to fight, but Mufasa stood tall, completely unfazed.
Perched on his shoulders, Fukasaku and Shima looked just as confused as the insect warriors.
To them, it did seem like Mufasa was siding with the toads.
Three massive toads. Three massive bugs.
One human stuck in the middle.
A locust, Konchuhongo glanced at his comrades, considering summoning even more reinforcements.
Numbers had never been a problem for the insect clan of Shuka Valley.
Mufasa raised a hand. "Relax, you've got it all wrong. I'm not with Mount Myoboku."
He turned to Fukasaku and Shima. "No offense, but I'm not interested in being their ally."
Without hesitation, he grabbed the two elder toads and tossed them aside.
"You little brat!" Fukasaku yelled, landing ungracefully on Gamabunta's head.
Gamabunta blinked. "Huh? Who the hell is that guy?"
Fukasaku, seething with frustration, grumbled.
"That's Mufasa. Kazekage of the Sand Village. An absolute menace with no respect for his elders!"
Gamabunta's eyes widened. "Wait… that Mufasa?! The one Jiraiya's always talking about? I thought he'd be more… honorable."
Konchuhongo, still confused by Mufasa's sudden betrayal of the toads, hesitated. "What's your deal, then? If you're not with them, why are you here?"
Mufasa smirked. "I came to talk business."
The insect warriors exchanged glances.
Mufasa continued, "I want Sand Village to form a summoning contract with Shuka Valley."
Now everyone was stunned.
Even Gamabunta.
"Wait, wait, wait. You're telling me," the massive toad scoffed, "that you're skipping out on a contract with the legendary toads of Myoboku… to sign with a bunch of overgrown bugs?!"
Locust Konchuhongo's mandibles twitched. "Care to repeat that?"
Gamabunta raised a webbed hand. "Just saying!"
Mufasa quickly shut them both down by firing an electromagnetic blast at the ground.
The explosion sent dust and rock into the air, silencing both sides.
"Alright, enough," Mufasa said, his tone firm.
"Hear me out. Sand Village is the most technologically advanced nation in the ninja world. We've got the strongest economy, the best infrastructure, and
—most importantly—we always take care of our allies. You want chakra? Resources? Food? We've got it all."
The insect warriors listened carefully, their wings twitching with interest.
Locust Konchuongo crossed his arms. "And what's in it for you?"
Mufasa grinned. "I need powerful allies. Your people are some of the strongest warriors I've ever seen. So let's make a deal."
Locust Konchuhongo considered it. "That's not up to me. You'll have to speak with our leader."
"Perfect. Take me to them."
With that, the three insect warriors led Mufasa away toward Shuka Valley, leaving the toads behind.
Fukasaku, Shima, and Gamabunta stared in disbelief.
"What just happened?" Gamabunta muttered.
Fukasaku sighed. "We'd better report this to the Great Toad Sage."
Back at Mount Myoboku, the Great Toad Sage listened to their report with a blank, unreadable expression.
"So… he left… for Shuka Valley?" the ancient toad mumbled, his voice slow and tired.
"Yes!" Fukasaku repeated. "Kazekage Mufasa! You know, the guy we told you about?"
The Great Toad Sage blinked. "What wind?"
Shima groaned. "Mufasa, not 'wind'!"
The Great Toad Sage stared blankly. "…Who?"
Shima buried her face in her hands. "I swear, you're getting more senile by the day."
Days later, Mufasa returned to the Sand Village, strolling confidently into Knight Academy.
"Students! I have great news!" he announced with a beaming smile.
The students, battered from relentless training, turned pale.
time their instructors had "good news," it usually meant more suffering.
One whispered, "Please, no more surprise exams…"
Another groaned,
"Last time he had 'great news,' we ended up getting ambushed in our sleep!"
Mufasa ignored their looks of despair and grinned even wider.
"We have a brand-new Kamen Rider series!"
The students blinked.
"Exciting, isn't it?!" Mufasa clapped his hands. "More power-ups! More training! More—"
A slow, reluctant round of applause followed.
Mufasa, seeing their reluctance, scoffed and pick his nose with an annoyed expression,
"Tch, you kids don't know how lucky you are."
'Is he a gangster or a Kazekage?' the student simultaneously thought,
...
Time moved fast.
A year passed in the blink of an eye.
A lot had changed.
The expansion of Sand Village was still going strong.
The massive east-to-west water project had finally been completed, thanks to the tireless work of sandworms burrowing underground channels.
Fresh water from the Land of Rivers now flowed into Sand Village, transforming the once unforgiving desert into a thriving oasis.
No longer did people step outside only to be met with scorching winds and endless dunes—now, there were trees, flowers, and the songs of birds filling the air.
With a steady supply of resources, the Land of Rivers also prospered.
The River Country Development Company invested heavily in infrastructure, purchasing advanced tools from Sand Village and hiring shinobi as security personnel to maintain order.
Bandits were being hunted down one by one, and for the first time in ages, the region knew peace.
Highways and railways were nearing completion.
In just three more months, Sand's expressway would link up with Konoha's, making travel between the two villages faster than ever.
The railway was progressing a bit slower—it wouldn't be done until year's end, mainly because Konoha's pace was lagging behind.
Meanwhile, preparations for the annual Kamen Rider assessment were underway.
Any student who achieved ten S-rank evaluations would officially graduate, receiving their own custom belt, motorcycle, and combat gear.
They would earn the title of Kamen Rider, defenders of the road and warriors of justice.
In other news, after a year of back-and-forth negotiations, Iwagakure had finally agreed to trade ore with Sand Village.
In exchange, they would receive advanced technology and support for industrial development. However, there was still one roadblock—literally.
The two sides couldn't agree on a freight route.
Should the railway go through the Land of Birds or the Land of Bears?
These two small nations lay between the Lands of Wind and Earth, and each had its own interests to protect.
Every time Kurotsuchi came to Sand Village, she had something to complain about.
"My grandpa and his old cronies are impossible!" she groaned.
"I'm running back and forth so much I think my legs are shrinking."
Mufasa glanced at her. "They don't look any thinner to me."
She glared. "Gee, thanks."
"Why not go through the Land of Rain?" Mufasa suggested.
He'd been eyeing the Land of Rain for a while now.
The current plan was to divert water from there, but why stop at just water?
If they built roads and railways too, it would be an even better deal.
Nagato might not like it, but once the roads were built right up to his doorstep, what could he do?
Slam the door in their faces?
He wasn't that kind of person.
Kurotsuchi frowned. "If we add another option, it's just going to make everything more complicated."
"Not necessarily," Mufasa countered.
"Look at a map. If you go through the Land of Rain, it's actually a straighter shot to the Land of Fire and beyond. You'd be setting up a major trade route."
Kurotsuchi sighed. "Fine, I'll bring it up. But don't blame me if this turns into a political mess."
Eventually, after more lobbying from Kurotsuchi, Iwagakure agreed to start road construction.
At the same time, Mufasa pushed forward with his own project to build roads toward the Land of Rain, whether Nagato liked it or not.
With so many large-scale operations happening at once—new roads, railways, waterways, and trade routes—Sand Village's workforce was stretched thin.
Most of its population now consisted of elderly citizens, women, children, students, and security personnel.
Luckily, automation was in full swing.
The puppet drones created by Sasori had replaced most of the human workforce in the industrial sector.
Outside of maintenance and technical oversight, the factories were practically self-sufficient.
Giant mechanical arms processed raw materials, assembling goods and loading them onto transport vehicles, all with relentless efficiency.
It was an eerie yet mesmerizing sight—an industrial beast silently devouring resources and spitting out products in an endless cycle.
This was the sight that greeted Terumi Mei and Ao as they arrived at the Sand Village train station.
They had taken the railway from the Land of Rivers, opting for the new, high-speed route.
Their mission was simple: meet with Kazekage Mufasa and negotiate a deal to purchase supplies for Kirigakure.
Their journey had started in the Land of Fire, from where they traveled to the Land of Rivers.
Originally, they had planned to cross the desert on foot, but a helpful hotel owner suggested an alternative.
"You should take the bullet train," he told them. "It's much faster and more comfortable. You'll be in Sand Village before you know it!"
"Wait, there's a bullet train to the Land of Wind?" Terumi Mei asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course! And if you had a car, you could even drive there yourself. The highway's almost done."
Neither Mei nor Ao owned a car—nor did they know how to drive—so they took his advice and bought train tickets instead.
The moment they stepped onto the train, they were surprised to find it packed.
Every seat was taken, filled with travelers heading to the Land of Wind for business, tourism, and trade.
As the train sped forward, Mei watched the scenery blur past the window.
"The industrial strength of Sand Village is no joke. It's no wonder they can build massive iron warships."
Ao nodded but looked concerned. "Their alliance with Konoha is strong. Sand Village is even helping them build new defensive systems. Do you really think Kazekage Mufasa will help us?"
Mei smirked. "You've met him before, haven't you? What do you think?"
Ao grumbled. "Yeah, I met him… when he arrested me."
Mei raised an eyebrow. "And?"
Ao hesitated. "If I had to guess… he's the type of man who values money above all else. If we offer him the right price, he'll do business with us."
Mei chuckled. "Then let's make sure our pockets are deep."
The train slowed as it reached the Wind-River border.
A voice echoed through the speakers:
"All passengers with chakra abilities, please register. Failure to comply will result in immediate detainment."
Due to the massive number of ongoing projects, Sand Village had a critical shortage of engineers.
Any unregistered chakra user caught sneaking through would be promptly 'recruited' to work on construction sites.
Officials wearing the uniforms of Sand Village's Shinobi Army boarded the train, carrying registration boxes.
Seeing everyone else register, Mei and Ao followed suit, listing their names, nationalities, and chakra levels.
Once cleared, they continued their journey, eventually arriving at Sand Village Station.
Waiting for them on the platform was a man in crisp attire, wearing white square-framed glasses and leaning on a cane.
He smiled. "Welcome to Sand Village. My name is Zenitsu. I serve as the liaison officer for the Kazekage's office. It's a pleasure to have you here."
Mei and Ao exchanged glances before stepping forward.
"Please," Zenitsu gestured. "Come with me."
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Word count: 1963
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