Ebizo continued his train of thought.
"Besides, pinning this on Tobirama Senju and Hiruzen Sarutobi is actually quite plausible."
"Tobirama's hatred for the Uchiha is common knowledge, and Hiruzen has always been one to chase glory."
After years of warring with Konoha, Ebizo harbored zero goodwill toward the Third Hokage.
His sister Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law had both died at the hands of Konoha shinobi.
Her grandson, Sasori of the Red Sand, had fallen into a deep depression over his parents' deaths and had mysteriously vanished a few years ago.
They had searched the entire Land of Wind but found nothing. He was likely dead.
The successive blows had disheartened Chiyo, leading her to retire and live in seclusion in a quiet corner of the village.
Ebizo's hatred for Konoha ran deep.
"Furthermore, the Uchiha clan's resentment toward Konoha's leadership isn't a new development. Given their... extreme personalities, if they believe this rumor, they won't just pretend nothing happened."
Ebizo had studied the Uchiha extensively.
"Exactly."
Rasa nodded. This was one of the primary reasons he had crafted this specific lie.
"I'm entrusting this mission to you. Go all out. Hold nothing back."
Ebizo nodded firmly.
"Yes, Lord Kazekage."
As Ebizo departed, the sky began to darken.
Rasa finished processing the documents on his desk before heading home.
Along the way, villagers bowed respectfully as he passed.
"Greetings, Lord Kazekage!"
"Good evening, Lord Kazekage!"
Children watched him with eyes full of admiration.
"Is that the Kazekage? He's so cool!"
"I want to be Kazekage when I grow up! I want to protect the Hidden Sand just like him!"
...
It felt pretty good, Rasa had to admit.
High status, power, wealth.
And in a few days, he'd be marrying a new wife who was both beautiful and powerful.
The only downside was the Hidden Sand's current situation. It was bleak.
But it wouldn't stay bleak forever.
Rasa glanced at his system panel.
[Name: Rasa]
[Identity: Fourth Kazekage]
[Ninjutsu: Eye of Sand, etc.]
[Taijutsu: General Taijutsu]
[Genjutsu: None]
[Kekkei Genkai: Magnet Release - Gold Dust]
[Remaining Activation Points: 0]
[Remaining Points: 6]
"Looks like Ebizo has already started."
"This is the perk of being Kazekage. I give the order, and my subordinates handle the execution. I don't have to do everything myself."
"And honestly, Ebizo is far more reliable than Konoha's Danzo. He doesn't have all those messy, ulterior motives."
Rasa arrived home.
As the Kazekage's residence, the style wasn't much different from other houses in the village, just larger, better furnished, and a bit more luxurious.
The moment he stepped into the courtyard, the wind seemed to die down.
"Father!"
A small figure came running toward him, wobbling slightly as she ran.
Rasa smiled and rubbed her head.
"Temari, did you cause any trouble today?"
Two-year-old Temari shook her head vigorously.
"No! I was very good today. I even helped Mother!"
She looked up at him, practically begging for praise.
"That's wonderful. You're such a good girl."
Rasa didn't skimp on the praise.
Temari's eyes crinkled into happy crescents.
Another figure emerged from the house, holding a one-year-old boy. She had a gentle aura, with sandy-brown hair cascading over her shoulders and wearing soft, comfortable home clothes.
Her features were exquisite, though she looked a bit tired.
This was his wife.
"Karura."
"Husband."
"Put Kankuro down and meet me in the third-floor study. I have something to tell you."
Karura turned back into the room, placed Kankuro in his crib, and closed the door.
Rasa played with Temari and her toys for a bit.
Shortly after, they both went up to the third floor.
Click.
With the door and windows shut, the study fell silent.
Rasa led Karura to the window.
From this high vantage point, they could overlook a small portion of the village. As one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, the Sand had the harshest environment. The land was the most barren, the resources the most scarce.
Yellow sand everywhere. Constant sandstorms.
The air was always thick with fine grit.
Years of war had only made things worse.
"Husband, has something happened in the village again?"
Rasa sighed.
"The situation on the front lines is bad. Multiple villages are eyeing our borders like vultures. To break us, the Hidden Mist spread a divisive rumor within our own walls."
"It was highly destructive."
"It caused endless infighting and destroyed morale. The village has never been in such a terrible state. We were on the verge of collapse."
"For the sake of the village, I proposed that in three days, I will marry Pakura as my second wife."
"It is the only way to quickly quash the rumors, make my stance clear to everyone, unite the village, and restore morale."
Beside him, Karura swayed slightly on her feet.
But she quickly recovered her gentle expression and reached out, slipping her hand into his.
"Husband, I'm fine. I understand."
"You... and Pakura... it's all for the village."
"As your wife, I can't help you with village affairs, but I will absolutely not hold you back or cause you trouble."
"Besides, having Pakura join the family isn't a bad thing."
Rasa looked deeply at Karura, tightened his grip on her hand, and said nothing more.
Karura leaned her head against his shoulder.
After a long silence, a knocking sound came from the door.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Father! Mother! Why aren't you coming out? Kankuro is being bad! He's crying really loud and it's so noisy! I can't make him stop! Can I hit him?"
Hearing Temari's voice, Karura snapped back to reality and hurried to the door.
"Don't hit your brother just because he's crying!"
---
Land of Fire.
An Uchiha veteran, fresh from the battlefield, was drinking sake and cursing the Konoha leadership, ranting about the unfair treatment the Uchiha faced.
Suddenly.
Bits and pieces of a conversation drifted into his ears.
At first, the Uchiha didn't pay much attention. But the more he listened, and the more he thought about it, the more sense it made.
"I always thought there was something fishy about what happened to Elder Kagami. Hiruzen Sarutobi's story is full of holes."
"If Hiruzen was the first to volunteer as a decoy, why did Kagami die? After Tobirama died, shouldn't Hiruzen have been the second one to stay behind?"
"Or does he just say one thing and do another?"
"Whatever the case, they definitely aren't telling us the truth!"
"And Tobirama always hated us Uchiha with a passion. Taking Kagami as a disciple? There had to be a conspiracy. That damn evil Senju bastard!"