Chapter 92: The Will of Sand
Land of Wind, Sunagakure
The festive sounds of firecrackers and drums echoed throughout Sunagakure's skies.
Dressed in his Kazekage robes, Rasa stepped onto the rooftop terrace of the Kazekage Building's third floor, his expression spirited and determined.
Below, an enormous crowd of Sunagakure citizens erupted into cheers.
"It's the Kazekage-sama!"
"Kazekage-sama looks so cool!!!"
"Long live Kazekage-sama!"
Behind Rasa, Chiyo, Ebizō, Pakura, and Michikawa stood together, watching the overwhelming display of support from the villagers. They were visibly shaken by the sheer magnitude of admiration for Rasa. However, none of them spoke, because today, there was only one true protagonist, Rasa, the Kazekage.
Taking a few steps forward, Rasa raised his hand and made a downward pressing motion. Instantly, the entire village fell silent, waiting for him to speak.
His voice, infused with power, resonated across the square.
"From the moment I was born, I have pondered a question: Why did the First Kazekage choose to build Sunagakure in such a barren land?
A land where endless yellow sand covers the ground, unable to nurture even a single blade of grass. A land plagued by relentless sandstorms and the merciless heat of the sun. A land where the very essentials of life, water, food, fertile soil, are scarce, and all around us stretches nothing but an endless, deathly desert."
The crowd listened, enraptured.
"Compared to us, Konoha has fertile lands and lush forests. Kumogakure possesses vast lakes and rivers. Kirigakure thrives near the ocean. Even Iwagakure, though surrounded by mountains, does not lack the land and water needed for survival.
But Sunagakure? We have nothing but endless dunes and the silence of the desert."
The weight of his words settled over the villagers. But then…
"Yet today, as I stand here, looking at all of you, our shinobi who have fought for the village, I finally understand. The First Kazekage saw something within us.
A will forged by the desert's hardships. A strength born from this unforgiving environment.
From this day forward, we will show the entire shinobi world the power that resides in our hearts and bodies. We will prove to them that even in the harshest desert, the most beautiful flowers can bloom."
At this moment, Rasa closed his eyes before opening again.
"This is the Will of Sand, the unbreakable resolve within every Sunagakure shinobi!"
He raised his hand high.
"And you, all of you gathered here today. You are the desert's flowers! Thys, I officially declare the start of Sunagakure's 'Desert Flower' Festival!"
"Ohhhhhh!!!"
"Long live Kazekage-sama!!"
"Long live the Will of Sand!!"
The deafening cheers erupted once more, blending with the sound of drums, fireworks, and joyous celebrations. Sunagakure had truly become a sea of festivity.
---
As Rasa stepped back, he turned to see Chiyo, Ebizō, Pakura, and Michikawa looking at him with newfound admiration.
Pakura smiled charmingly.
"Well said!"
Ebizō nodded in approval.
"The Will of Sand… The idea is interesting!"
Michikawa also nodded.
"These words should be engraved into the minds of every child in the village."
Rasa, feeling both proud and a little shy, let out a breath of relief. All those sleepless nights spent crafting this speech had been worth it.
As a person from the modern era, if there was one thing he understood well, it was the importance of ideological construction.
Konoha had the Will of Fire. Iwagakure had the Will of Stone.
Kumogakure had the legacy of "A", passed down through generations.
Only Sunagakure and Kirigakure had nothing to call their own. But from this day forward, that would change.
Unlike Konoha's Will of Fire, which emphasized self-sacrifice from one generation to the next, Rasa envisioned a different future for Sunagakure, one where every citizen could bloom into their own unique beauty, just like the resilient flowers of the desert.
---
Though the speech had ended and the festival had begun, Rasa's work was far from over.
His next task as Kazekage was to personally visit the ninja academy, hospital, and orphanage, alongside Pakura and Michikawa.
Meanwhile, Chiyo and Ebizō returned to rest.
Their first stop: The Sunagakure Ninja Academy.
---
Sunagakure Ninja Academy
Since the First Kazekage had modeled Sunagakure's academy after Konoha's, it was centrally located within the village, situated just southeast of the Kazekage Building.
However, due to Sunagakure's unique environment, its academy resembled a modern-era school rather than Konoha's traditional wooden buildings.
Constructed from stone and brick, the academy's structures stood tall, resembling circular towers built to withstand sandstorms. Enclosing walls shielded the buildings, leaving only rows of windows for ventilation.
In the past, due to Sunagakure's elite-focused education policy, the academy had been relatively small, consisting of just a four-story building.
But now, a new six-story tower stood proudly beside the original.
Additionally, the training grounds had been significantly expanded, now equipped with various target dummies and ninja training tools.
This year's incoming class alone had 600 students, bringing the total number of enrolled students across all grades to over 1,000, ranging from six-year-olds to twelve-year-olds.
Both students and teachers were visibly excited, yet nervous about their distinguished guests.
By the time Rasa arrived, he was no longer accompanied only by Pakura and Michikawa.
His wife, Karura, his assistant, Sēramu, and the Minister of Education, Goshima, had also joined them.
Though these individuals held high positions in the village, they were not quite on the same level as Chiyo, Ebizō, Pakura, and Michikawa.
With Goshima leading the way, Rasa's school tour began.
Much like government officials inspecting schools in his past life, he visited each classroom one by one.
In every class, he would step inside and deliver a brief yet inspiring message, reinforcing the Will of Sand he had just introduced.
"Work hard, children. I hope you will uphold the Will of Sand and grow into the desert's most beautiful flowers, the future of Sunagakure!"
"Yes, Kazekage-sama!"
The young students, their worldviews still forming, were thrilled by Rasa's words.
Their teachers, too, carefully noted his speech, these words would become guiding principles in their future lessons.
As Rasa continued his tour, he struck up a conversation with his assistant, Sēramu.
"Sēramu, I heard you enrolled Sara into the academy?"
Sēramu was momentarily surprised but then smiled and nodded.
"Yes, she's in Class 1-A."
In the past, as a mother, Sēramu would have never wanted her daughter to become a ninja, it was far too dangerous. But after spending the past month serving as Rasa's assistant, she had come to understand the reality of life in a ninja village.
She now knew how low the status of non-shinobi was in Sunagakure. Even she herself had started learning ninjutsu, under Karura's guidance.
Soon, the group arrived at Class 1-A.
There, Rasa immediately spotted Sara, a young girl with deep crimson hair, seated in the front row. When she saw her mother, her face lit up with pure excitement. However, what truly caught Rasa by surprise was the black-haired boy sitting beside Sara. His expression was far too mature for his age, serious, disciplined, and composed.
Looking closely, the boy bore a striking resemblance to Michikawa, at least 80% similar.
(AN: Another OC. Know that the author is taking sources from another fanfic and also included its own OC characters.)
In that instant, Rasa realized the truth, and his smile grew wider.
Yet, just when he thought the surprises had ended, upon reaching the second floor and stepping into the third-year classroom, Rasa laid eyes on three more children…
And at that moment, he knew. Everything he had worked for in the past month had not been in vain.