"Ji-chan! Ji-chan!"
Little Naruto excitedly waved the registration form for the 4WD Tournament as he beamed at his kind old grandpa, who'd just given him money again.
"I registered! I signed up, Ji-chan! I'm gonna enter the Shinobi World 4WD Grand Prix!"
"Hahaha~"
Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a hearty laugh and gently patted Naruto's head. "Grandpa already heard. Naruto, you're amazing!"
After a brief talk with Danzo, the matter was settled.
Ever since his last failed attempt to assassinate the Hokage, Danzo had been lying low. As expected—only by grabbing his weak spot could you get him to genuinely work for the village.
Where there is light, there will always be shadows. Some things had to be handled by Danzo. Especially after the Fourth Hokage died in service, it was crucial to prevent unrest within the village—Danzo's cooperation became even more essential.
And besides… he had once been Hiruzen's comrade. Deep down, Hiruzen couldn't completely harden his heart against him.
So in the end, despite the severity of the situation, he had chosen to spare Danzo.
Of course, a big part of that was thanks to Kakashi.
If Kakashi hadn't eventually come clean about the darkness in his heart—and reported Danzo's conspiracy—Hiruzen might've really been caught off guard.
Hiruzen removed the pipe from his mouth, a kind smile on his face. "So, Naruto really wants to compete, huh?"
"Mm!" Naruto nodded firmly, eyes bright with determination. "If I get first place, everyone will finally notice me! Then I'll be recognized by everyone!"
But as soon as the words left his mouth, he lowered his head, a little downcast.
"But they're all so strong… I snuck a look at some of the others racing. I didn't even recognize their cars—they were all amazing. They must've modded them themselves. My Dash Charger is way too weak."
"Is that so…"
Hiruzen furrowed his brow and rested the stem of his pipe against his mouth, deep in thought.
According to the flyer, the kids' division and the regular adult division weren't allowed to use chakra. Only the ninja division would be more difficult and specialized.
Still, that didn't mean kids and civilians wouldn't spend money to upgrade their cars.
He glanced at the Mini 4WD that Naruto was clutching so carefully in his arms.
This little guy probably dumped a ton of money into this again today…
Helplessly, Hiruzen gave a soft laugh and removed his pipe.
"Did you spend it all already?"
"Uhh… yeah…" Naruto scratched his head in embarrassment. "Ji-chan, I…"
"What is it?"
"Could I… maybe borrow a little more money?"
"You rascal~" Hiruzen chuckled, amused that a four-year-old was asking to borrow money. He thought of the estate Minato and Kushina had left behind, sighed, and then said in a serious, firm voice:
"Ji-chan will give you some more, but this time you can't waste it, okay?"
As for Minato and Kushina's savings… after the Nine-Tails incident and the subsequent war, Konoha had suffered badly.
So the upper council had ultimately decided to temporarily tap into the Fourth Hokage's estate to help maintain village operations, support injured citizens and shinobi, and rebuild the village.
It was, after all, part of a Hokage's duty.
He patted Naruto's head, seeing how happy he looked.
"You really can't waste it again. If you run out this time, Ji-chan won't give you any more."
"Got it, Ji-chan!" Naruto turned his head to the side with a pout. "I won't waste it! But… if I don't spend money on upgrades, I'll lose…"
"Well…"
The other kids had parents and teachers helping them. Naruto was at a real disadvantage.
And Hiruzen couldn't just follow him around all day.
He frowned and took a puff of his pipe, thinking for a moment. Then he smiled and winked.
"How about this—Ji-chan sends someone to help you?"
"Who?" Naruto's big eyes sparkled with curiosity as he stared up at Hiruzen. "Do they know how to play Mini 4WD? Are they strong?"
"Hahaha!" Hiruzen laughed again. "You'll find out soon enough. He's a really amazing shinobi~"
After everything that had happened, this was the perfect chance to unwind a little.
...
The number of available shinobi in Sunagakure wasn't very high to begin with. A large group had been dispatched to the Land of Rain, another to the factories, and with the upcoming construction of new racetracks, even more would be sent out.
Although more Amegakure shinobi had joined to foster friendly ties, once they entered the desert, their power dropped sharply. And when it came to infrastructure construction… most of them weren't all that useful.
So if Advisor Ebizō wanted to speed up the construction, shinobi from Konoha and Iwagakure were indeed much better suited for the job.
During peacetime, it wasn't unheard of for two villages to hire each other's ninja or cooperate on certain projects. It was rare, but not totally unprecedented.
Still, for something like the "South-to-North Water Diversion Project."—a critical undertaking for Sunagakure—it was better to limit foreign ninja involvement. Otherwise, the entire infrastructure blueprint might be leaked. That would be dangerous.
Rasa furrowed his brow. After nodding at the Suna-nin guarding the seal room door, he stepped inside.
Ever since Bunpuku's death, the One-Tail Shukaku hadn't found a suitable jinchūriki. So for the most part, it remained sealed inside a tea kettle—secured in the sealing chamber under heavy guard.
Though the beast wasn't exactly top-tier—it could barely take on half a Kyūbi—it did know fūinjutsu. During recent jinchūriki experiments, it had repeatedly escaped from the seal and caused chaos in the village.
That's why Rasa had to be cautious.
Inside, the chamber was dark. Sealing jutsu drawn by Suna's sealing squad lined the walls, and in the center stood a table crafted by Suna's top puppet masters. Upon it sat the sealed black tea kettle containing Shukaku.
Rasa frowned, stepped closer, and placed his palm on the kettle, mentally connecting to the seal and focusing his spirit.
In an instant… he entered a narrow, pitch-black inner space.
"Fourth Kazekage?!"
Shukaku, who had been dozing off, abruptly snapped open its eyes and glared at Rasa with murderous intensity.
It remembered vividly—the last time it went berserk, this man had pinned it down in the desert and sealed it away.
"Filthy human! When I get out, I swear I'll kill you and destroy Sunagakure!"
"Tone it down a bit. We're pretty close right now, no need to yell."
Rasa didn't mind Shukaku's roar. After all, it had been locked up for so long—wasn't it only natural to let off a little steam?
Otherwise, it'd just be cruel.
He scratched his ear, unfazed by the snarling beast.
"I came to make you a deal."
"GET LOST!"
"Don't be so cranky. I really came with sincerity this time."
"Stupid human! Tailed Beasts don't make deals with humans!" Shukaku bared its fangs and snarled. "Get lost! I don't want to see your face!"
It figured this was just another scheme to use it as someone's power source again.
"There's no way I'm agreeing to this! Get lost!"
It turned its head away and shut its eyes.
"You sure you don't want to hear it? I came to set you free this time."
Rasa's voice took on a temptingly smooth tone. "No joke."
"GET LOST!"
"All you have to do is help dig a tunnel for the village. Nothing long—super short. Should be done in no time. And as long as you don't stir up trouble or wreck the environment, I won't lock you back up."
He was completely unfazed by the tantrum.
"Not kidding, seriously."
"I'm not a person!"
"Then… I swear I'm not lying to a beast!"
"GET LOST!"
"You're really not gonna consider it?" Rasa sighed. "If you refuse… don't blame me if I…"
"What, beat me up?" Shukaku scoffed.
"Of course not~ I'm a gentleman. I solve everything with logic!"
Rasa shrugged. Sure, he could pin Shukaku down with just one of his remaining 997 metaphorical arms…
But work shouldn't be forced. What if the beast half-assed it?
So instead, he squinted, face darkening.
"Wanna see what I do to you tonight?"
"Heh~" Shukaku sneered. 'Go ahead and try, bastard.'
You gonna wait until night just to "discipline" me?
What, need some moonlight for dramatic effect?
You think I'm stupid?
Shukaku closed its eyes, ignoring the fuming human. It was in a great mood today.
Until…
"Just you wait! You hear me?! You better not run tonight!"
Rasa turned and stormed off in a huff.
"I'll bring someone over later. And even if you beg me to let you help, I won't… pay you a salary!"
With that, he disappeared from the sealed space.
Shukaku snorted.
What a pain.
It leaned back against the wall and closed its eyes again.
Hmph. I've even met the Sage of Six Paths himself. Who in this world am I supposed to be scared of?
You think I, Shukaku-sama, am so easily intimidated?
Even if the Sage of Six Paths showed up in front of me right now… what of it?
I'd just call him "Old Man."
Threaten me? Ha.
I've never been afraid of anyone.
What—are you gonna call the Sage's mom next?
Pfft.
Childish.