Chapter 43: Three Years
Spring passed and autumn came.
The Ninja World enjoyed another three years of peace.
Of course, a few important things happened, but overall it was calm.
First, Saito's four cubs were born—all little blondes.
Saito named them.
The eldest, Sora, is a boy, born to Momona.
The second, Yuna is a girl, born to Kana.
The third, Souta, is a boy, born to Yui.
The youngest, Hana, is a girl, born to Sara.
To Saito's surprise, the child Sara bore had the best aptitude. While the others perfectly inherited their mothers' bloodline limits, those very limits diluted Saito's Angelic Bloodline—except in Hana, because Sara is essentially an ordinary person.
This let Hana perfectly master Saito's Angelic Bloodline and also inherit her mother's ability to manipulate the Dragon Veins.
Another thing: the Third Raikage became a grandpa.
Saito could take credit for that.
After the Third Raikage repeatedly pummeled Fourth Raikage A to no avail, Saito couldn't bear to watch and mailed over a new product fresh from the Bio-Lab.
That very night the Third Raikage made Fourth Raikage A chug it in one go.
Then the big oaf started craving women.
A month later came news that Fourth Raikage A was getting married—to two women at once.
Much to the envy of some old geezer next door.
Afterward, the Third Raikage sent a thank-you letter in person, offering big money for several more bottles.
Intending to let the rest of the muscle-heads have a taste.
Of course,
there was absolutely no intention of using Fourth Raikage A as a guinea pig—Saito swore it.
Then came Sakumo Hatake's wedding.
Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya cleared the second floor and were about to head back,
they dragged Sakumo Hatake along with them.
But they dragged their feet too long.
A month later, Hidden Sand Village issued a formal condemnation to Konoha.
Claiming that Konoha Ninja Sakumo Hatake had behaved inhumanely at a rest stop.
The rest-stop psychiatrist was now pregnant, and Sand demanded Konoha give an explanation.
The incident caused quite a stir.
After all, as Head of the Hatake Clan, he was famous across the Ninja World.
In the end, the sole surviving clan elder of the Hatake spoke up, finally settling the matter.
After all, the Chinoike Clan is also a bloodline Ninja clan—marrying Sakumo Hatake back was no loss!
Miya Kiko was officially welcomed into the Hatake Clan as Sakumo's lawfully wedded wife.
Word has it that Kiko has now completely taken control of the Hatake Clan through her strength and tactics, while the patriarch Sakumo ranks lower at home than a little pup named Pakkun.
Of course, Kiko also gave birth to a boy—named Kakashi Hatake!
[Giving our lord Kakashi a little boost: the blood eye is already an invincible path—why would he ever need someone else's Mangekyo!]
One last thing: the new city in the Wind-Rain Mountains has been completed.
---
Hidden Sand Village.
Thanks to an endless supply of underground water, it now looks completely different.
Tall trees line the roads, grass carpets are everywhere, and even the surrounding mountains have sprouted buds; some slopes have been turned into terraced fields.
September.
Harvest season—and also graduation season.
Today, the Ninja Academy is especially lively.
Because this marks the sixth year since Saito's succession and the academy's reconstruction,
and it's the graduation day for Nagato and the others—the largest graduating class so far.
At this moment, inside Classroom 1,
laughter and chatter fill the air.
"Great! We're finally graduating—no more daily five-jin stacks of exam papers, no more waking at five a.m., no more running laps around this ever-expanding Hidden Sand Village!"
Yahiko, his orange hair flaring, could no longer hold back and roared at the top of his lungs.
"Uh... heh-heh..."
Nagato, seated nearby, inched away.
While the boys' corner fussed over Yahiko and Nagato's horseplay,
the girls' corner was much quieter.
"Hey, Konan, which department will you apply to after graduation?"
Unlike other villages, graduates here don't immediately take missions.
Five years ago Saito refused to hand over the trade-city revenue from the Land of Rain, giving the stingy daimyo of Wind Country an excuse to cut all funding and mission quotas to Hidden Sand.
These days Hidden Sand no longer talks about missions.
Relying on its unique Puppet Technique, advanced research, and Kakuzu's terrifying money-making brain,
the village has transformed from a mission-fee economy into one profiting hugely from light and heavy industrial products.
Even the other three great trade cities combined can't match the scale of Hidden Sand's Rain trade city now.
Konoha's grain prices have dropped again and again, yet they're still higher than Hidden Sand's.
With Obito around, Hidden Sand's crops and fruit can be harvested weekly.
How could Konoha possibly compete!
Saito could say without the slightest exaggeration that, with the current grain reserves in Hidden Sand Village, they could feed every citizen of the Land of Wind for three full years.
Remember—that's the entire Land of Wind, not just Hidden Sand Village itself!
As for weapons, the village labs have produced automated forging furnaces: feed in the raw materials, key in the specs, hit start, and wait for the finished blade—what other village can compete?
And with exploding tags, other villages charge a hundred ryō apiece; Hidden Sand sells them two-for-one and throws in a festival-season twenty-percent discount!
In short, Hidden Sand's products have now infiltrated every industry.
Except seafood and Kumogakure's beef.
Nothing to be done—geography won't allow it.
Hidden Sand doesn't have a coastline, after all.
As for Kumogakure beef, the village once… ahem, imported some, but the home-raised stock never tasted quite right, so they simply dropped the project.
It's only beef—how much money could it possibly rake in?
Thus, with its complete industrial system, Hidden Sand achieved financial freedom long ago.
So—missions?
Let whoever wants them take them; Hidden Sand certainly won't, and sometimes even posts requests of its own.
If Ninja don't take missions, what are academy grads supposed to do?
Saito's answer: Finance, Commerce, Intelligence, Logistics, Education, Medical, or Military—pick whichever you fancy!
Finance tallies every ryō earned or spent across the village's sphere of influence, personally overseen by the Kazekage.
Commerce handles external revenue, directed by Kakuzu.
Intelligence, under Ebizo, is all about information gathering.
Logistics, run by Bunpuku, is tasked with mining, farming, and keeping supplies plentiful—Shukaku can't sit still, so he doubles as subterranean surveyor.
Education falls to Shamon, while Medical is Chiyo's domain.
These are non-combat divisions, open to students with limited battle aptitude or special talents.
Of course.
Most students still choose the Military Division.
Because the Ninja World remains what it has always been: a place where the strong rule.
Many department heads are former officers who transferred after retirement.
Only those who distinguish themselves in the Military Division land the choicest posts upon retirement.
"I'll probably join the Military Division first, then maybe Commerce or Education later."
Konan heard Uzumaki Kyōko's question beside her and answered.
"Makes sense! With your strength, Konan, you can make so many exploding tags—not enlisting in the Military Division would be such a waste."
"Oh, stop, I'm just—"
"A-hem! Everyone quiet, please!"
Without anyone noticing, Uzumaki Shirozu stepped into the classroom and called from the podium.
The chatter ceased instantly as students hurried back to their seats.
Every one of them held Uzumaki Shirozu in the highest respect.
Once they were seated, he continued.
"First, congratulations on graduating and earning your own Ninja forehead protectors.
When I call your name, come up to receive your forehead protector and flak jacket and fill in your department preferences. Remember, list three choices—no blanks! Got it?"
"Got it!" (chorus)
"Excellent. First up—Oishi!"
"Congratulations, Oishi. Over six years you've mastered the basic Three Clone Techniques, two D-rank ninjutsu, and one C-rank ninjutsu, with a taijutsu score of 79. You meet the graduation requirements—well done!"
"Thank you, sensei!"
Taking the forehead protector and vest from Uzumaki Shirozu, Oishi grinned like a child—
well, he was a child, after all.
"Right, next—Konan."
After Saito's reforms, Hidden Sand's Ninja Academy no longer settled for teaching only the three basic Clone Techniques.
To graduate, every student now has to master those three plus three additional Ninjutsu and score at least 60 in taijutsu.
Of course.
If you're heavily lopsided, you can apply for a special exam: last thirty minutes against a Chunin and you still pass.
Yes, a Chunin.
With ample funding and open access to jutsu scrolls,
tuition is free, there are nightly medicinal soaks, and celebrity Ninja guest lectures are routine.
Given those perks,
if you can't survive thirty minutes against a Chunin, why bother graduating?
Therefore,
Hidden Sand no longer fields the traditional 'weak' Genin.
Fresh graduates possess the all-round ability of Chunin from other villages, lacking only real combat experience.
What about the old Genin?
Don't forget Hidden Sand has another academy.
Anyone below Chunin level is sent there for a second round of intensive training.
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