Shota stepped out of the hospital doors and into bright sunlight. The bandages were gone. His ribs still ached a little when he breathed too deep, but the doctors had finally kicked him out to his regret.
He carried a small paper bag with medicine and a new box of sweet rice balls from the Matron.
He walked slowly through the streets of Sunagakure. For the first time in a while, people were smiling. Real smiles, not the tired ones they wore during war. Children chased each other around the fountain.
Old women gossiped happily at the market stalls. A group of merchants clapped each other on the back while counting coins. Someone had hung colourful banners across the main road that read PEACE WITH IWA in big red letters.
Shota watched a little boy fly a kite shaped like a hawk. The gloomy atmosphere that had covered Suna for so long was finally gone.
He understood why everyone was happy. The ceasefire meant open trade routes again. Caravans could travel safely through the Land of Earth and Land of Wind.
Merchants would bring cloth, fruit, wood, and metal. Money would flow into the Land of Wind. Missions would increase because Suna was now the only great village not fighting a major war. Clients always picked the village that could finish the job fast and without extra war risks.
Shota kicked a small pebble and watched it roll. The village would grow stronger. People would eat better. Kids would have new sandals. Maybe the orphanage would finally fix the leaky roof.
But for Shota, peace felt different.
He already missed the days when nobody knew his name.
Now Konoha knew. Iwa knew. Soon every village and every bounty hunter would know. His face was printed in bingo books across the world. One hundred million ryō if someone dragged him back alive. That kind of money made people do very stupid things.
He sighed loudly. "Great. Now I can't even take an afternoon nap without worrying about some assassin dropping from the ceiling. There goes my beauty sleep. My future wrinkles are crying already."
A passing grandma heard him and laughed. "Boy, with that face you don't need beauty sleep!"
Shota gave her a lazy wave and kept walking.
He passed a group of genin near the academy. They were reading a big notice board. Someone had pinned up the official ceasefire announcement and, right next to it, a copy of his Iwa bounty poster. The kids pointed and whispered.
"That's the Eraserhead!"
"He's only ten!"
"My dad says he made the entire Explosion Corps cry!"
Shota pulled his hood lower and walked faster.
He knew an ANBU squad was following him from the rooftops. He could not see them, but he felt their eyes. The Kazekage had probably ordered round-the-clock protection for him and his house.
That made him feel a little better about Shizu and Yorii. Nobody would be stupid enough to attack him with hidden ANBU watching.
Still, regular missions were over for now. He was too big a target. Until he grew stronger and older, the village would keep him inside the walls or well, there was Anbu.
That meant he had to join one of the village departments.
In Suna, things worked differently than in other villages. There were almost no big clans. Instead, powerful elders controlled different groups.
Each elder collected jutsu scrolls, weapons, money, and secrets. Shinobi who wanted training or resources joined one of these groups. It was like choosing a team or a political party. Every group served Suna, but they also competed for influence.
Shota knew he would never be allowed to join any elder's group.
The Kazekage wanted him directly under his own control. If Shota joined an elder, that elder would become too powerful. The balance in the council would break. Rasa needed to stay the strongest voice in the village.
Shota understood. He was not angry. Making choices was hard work anyway. Being told where to go saved him a lot of thinking.
He was almost certain he would end up in ANBU. It was the only department that answered only to the Kazekage.
As he walked past the puppet workshop district, he thought about the Fourth Kazekage. Rasa was smart and careful with power.
In the original story, Rasa had let Pakura die just to remove a rival. Shota remembered watching that flashback episode and yelling at the screen. Pakura was strong, popular, and a hero. Letting her die in a fake betrayal had been cold.
Shota kicked another pebble harder. That would not happen this time. He would make sure of that. He won't let Suna weaken itself.
Kiri had already stopped most fighting with Suna early in the war, but there was still no official peace.
According to him in a few years, they would try again. When that happened, Shota would make sure Pakura came home safe. Suna needed every S-rank shinobi it could keep. Especially with Akatsuki waiting in the future.
He was not worried that Rasa would kill him to remove a threat. From the first day in the academy, Shota had told everyone the same thing. He wanted to become strong enough that nobody would attack Suna. Then he wanted to retire, drink tea, and sleep all day. He had never shown any interest in power or the Kazekage hat.
Most people thought he was joking. Some thought he was strange. Only a few believed he was serious.
Shota was very serious.
He finally reached the orphanage. The younger kids saw him and ran over shouting his name. Shizu tackled his legs carefully this time. The Matron stood at the door with her arms crossed, but she was smiling.
Shota spent the afternoon playing with the kids in the courtyard. He let them climb on his back. When the sun started to set, he sat on the roof with Yorii purring in his lap. Both Yorii and Shizu were in the orphanage whenever Shota was away from the village.
The village lights came on one by one. The wind was cool. For a moment, everything felt peaceful.
He scratched Yorii behind the ears and looked at the stars.
Being leader of the village sounded terrible. Meetings all day. Paperwork all night. Everyone complaining to you. Enemies trying to kill you from both outside and inside the village. The pay was okay, but you could never relax and the pay was still not that great.
You could also never just nap on the roof without bodyguards watching your every breath.
Shota yawned and closed his eyes.
"Only idiots take that job," he muttered. "Give me a pillow and a quiet corner any day."
Yorii meowed in agreement.
-------Author Notes---------
For every 250 power stones. I would be posting an additional chapter. So gimme those power stones!!!
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