The cyan flames continued to burn fiercely throughout the village. To clear them, the Hidden Sand dispatched numerous Sealing Teams, using Fire Sealing Method (Fuka Houin) to extinguish the flames one by one—a process that took several days of grueling work.
"Shiraishi's contributions are more than enough to qualify him for the position of Kazekage."
At the high-level council meeting of the Hidden Sand, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, took the initiative to propose that Shiraishi take over his mantle.
As soon as the words left his mouth, the room fell into an eerie silence. Even Shiraishi looked at Rasa in surprise.
Shiraishi had expected Rasa to cling to the seat for a few more years, but he hadn't anticipated that the Fourth would be so sensible as to hand over the "throne" immediately following the war.
In truth, the combat power Shiraishi had displayed was currently the most dominant in the shinobi world. Having such a figure as Kazekage would serve as a far more effective deterrent against other villages.
The pressure on Rasa had simply become too immense. With a subordinate whose prestige and ability far outstripped his own, Rasa chose to step down gracefully, ending his tenure on a dignified note rather than being forced out.
After Rasa finished speaking, the silence stretched on, becoming somewhat awkward. Finally, Ebizo broke the tension with a cough.
"Lord Kazekage, are you truly serious about this?"
"Of course. He is better suited to lead than I am. The Hidden Sand needs a truly powerful leader to move toward a more prosperous era. Ryoko Yamaji had that realization; why shouldn't I?"
In some ways, you're actually not as noble as Ryoko Yamaji... the elders thought privately.
Upon hearing the proposal, most of the high-ranking officials remained quiet until Ebizo turned his gaze toward Shiraishi.
When the latter gave a slight nod of acceptance, the atmosphere in the conference room suddenly turned vibrant.
"Yes! Lord Shiraishi's strength and reputation make him the perfect choice for the Fifth Kazekage."
"Let us move to a show of hands for the vote immediately."
For Shiraishi, becoming Kazekage was primarily a matter of convenience; it allowed him to act officially in the Sand's name.
Moreover, he possessed a deep interest in the thirty-plus skill cards stored within the Kazekage's private vault.
Of the sixteen members of the Council of Elders (excluding the absent Lady Chiyo), all fifteen—including Ebizo and the heads of various clans—raised their hands in unanimous approval.
Once the preliminary decision was made, the council moved to the logistics: sending invitations to the Five Great Nations and various smaller countries, and filing the necessary reports with the Daimyo.
The entire process, including the tailoring of the official Kazekage robes, was expected to take over a month.
"How are the negotiations with Konoha progressing?"
Since Shiraishi was not yet officially inaugurated and Rasa had lost interest in presiding, Ebizo took over the meeting, focusing on the post-war diplomacy.
The Sand's control over the Land of Rain and the Land of Rivers was, in reality, quite precarious. The remaining strength of the Uchiha clan and Hanzo of the Salamander still posed a major threat to the thin garrisons left in those regions.
While Shiraishi's victory provided a temporary deterrent, the Sand needed to solidify its claims quickly.
"The situation in the Land of Rain is mostly settled."
The negotiations had been arduous. Regarding the Ota District of the Land of Rain, Hanzo had also sent representatives.
After a series of consultations, the Rain issue was resolved first. Hanzo and Konoha conceded the Sand's interests in the region, provided the Sand supplied a certain amount of trade goods annually to help the war orphans.
Shiraishi could see the faint shadows of the Akatsuki behind these terms. Hanzo and the Leaf had no major demands; they were content to maintain the status quo in the west, given that the Ota District was essentially just one small city.
The Land of Rivers was far more complicated. As a vassal state of Konoha, the Sand wanted to annex it entirely.
However, the appetite was too large; the southern thirteen districts previously held were only a tenth of the country. Swallowing the whole Land of Rivers—roughly one-eighth the size of Konoha—would cause the Sand's power to swell too rapidly.
Konoha's bottom line was to allow the Sand to control the twenty-six central districts plus the southern thirteen—a total of thirty-nine districts, or about one-third of the Land of Rivers. The rest, Konoha hoped to keep as a buffer zone.
Shiraishi knew where Konoha's true limits lay. He picked up the proposal and added, "In addition to the twenty-six central districts, we require the four coastal districts."
This move was surgical. It essentially bisected the Land of Rivers and seized the most prosperous regions. As the negotiators left, the elders looked at Shiraishi with newfound reverence.
Though not yet officially inaugurated, his presence exerted a weight that even these veterans found oppressive—especially with the flickering cyan flames still visible through the windows.
The negotiations dragged on for weeks before a final result was reached: Konoha conceded, agreeing to the Sand's partitioning of the Land of Rivers.
Shiraishi did not bother with the finer details of the bureaucracy. As the Kazekage-elect, he spent his time resting in the Oasis Ring, an area unaffected by the war.
The old Hidden Sand Village had been practically leveled by the cyan flames during the battle, and the unique nature of the fire damage rendered the land uninhabitable for the time being.
Fortunately, the construction of the New Oasis District was complete. Together with the Oasis Ring, it formed a brand-new Hidden Sand Village. Having lost a significant portion of its population in the wars, the remaining residents fit comfortably within the new borders.
The only drawback was that the new village lacked the defensive natural barriers of the Great Canyon, being situated on a high-altitude plateau.
However, Shiraishi believed that if a village was strong enough, it didn't need to hide behind geography. A village built on a vast oasis would offer the people a far higher quality of life.
"You're about to be the Kazekage, yet you're still so careless. You forgot to feed Little Orange again."
Maki entered the room, looking at the dejected ginger cat. She laughed and placed a bowl of food in front of it.
"I just fed him this morning..."
The ginger cat had an appetite far larger than a normal feline, demanding nearly six meals a day. Shiraishi had tried to regulate its diet, but Maki could never bear to see the cat go hungry.
As the year Konoha 47 drew to a close, the shinobi world was still reeling from the war's outcome when another momentous announcement arrived: the two major villages would be replacing their leaders simultaneously.
Minato Namikaze would succeed Hiruzen Sarutobi as the Fourth Hokage. "Black Mist," Shiraishi would succeed Rasa as the Fifth Kazekage.
The two villages sent out invitations to all nations, inviting them to witness the dawn of a new era.
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