At the end of the 41st year of the Hidden Leaf, the entire ninja world began to embrace winter. Even the Hidden Sand Village, typically a sea of yellow desert, was now blanketed with a thin layer of snow.
However, at this moment, much like the cold of this winter, the Hidden Sand Village was steeped in sorrow. The mysterious disappearance of their Third Kazekage had finally come to light!
The Third Kazekage had been missing for over half a year, and no one knew where he had gone—not even Rasa, his direct disciple. Though it had been a long time, and though no one wanted to admit it, most had come to the grim realization that the Third Kazekage had likely met with misfortune.
But…
Who could have eliminated the Third Kazekage so silently?
The Hokage of the Hidden Leaf?
The Tsuchikage of the Hidden Rock?
The Raikage of the Hidden Cloud, or perhaps the Mizukage of the Hidden Mist?
In their hearts, the Hidden Leaf bore the greatest suspicion!
After all, as the most powerful ninja village in the world, the Hidden Leaf had emerged victorious in both of the previous two Great Ninja Wars, a testament to their strength.
To take out their Kazekage so quietly was not something a single Kage could achieve alone. Perhaps…
The Third Kazekage, in order to protect the Hidden Sand Village, had faced the Hokage and the Legendary Sannin of the Hidden Leaf in a battle alone, only to be overwhelmed and meet with tragedy.
Now, with the Third Kazekage missing, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind was continuously reducing the number of ninja and the village's funding, forcing the Hidden Sand's strength to dwindle. And now, with this news spreading to the other ninja villages…
The Hidden Sand Village was in peril!
Moreover, Lord Rasa, devastated by the Third Kazekage's disappearance, had become a shell of himself—dazed, confused, as if he were a different person entirely.
According to Elder Chiyo's diagnosis… he was suspected to have suffered severe mental trauma.
With no leader, the next Kazekage yet to be decided, and Lord Rasa… broken…
The Sand ninja in the village were filled with unease, their faces etched with helplessness. They… could not see a future for the Hidden Sand Village.
---
"Rasa, are you feeling any better?"
"Sorry for making you worry."
Rasa lifted his head, looking at the girl who pushed open the door and entered. She had short, pale blonde hair, a gentle smile on her face, indigo eyes, and wore a casual long dress.
"You don't have to come every day, you know."
Karura, Rasa's fiancée. The two were originally set to marry soon, but due to the Third Kazekage—Rasa's master—going missing, their wedding had been postponed indefinitely.
Of course, Rasa was inwardly fine with the delay. After all, he had only arrived in this world a month ago. For someone who had been a single, struggling writer in his past life, suddenly having a fiancée was… well, thrilling, but also overwhelming. After the excitement came the uncertainty of how to face this gentle woman.
After all, he was both Rasa and not Rasa.
Last month, after being found passed out drunk at home, Karura had started coming over frequently, cooking his meals, tidying his house, and offering him comfort.
But no one knew that his current state wasn't solely due to the Third Kazekage's disappearance.
Thankfully, Elder Chiyo's diagnosis hadn't revealed that he was, in fact, a different person altogether. And fortunately, he had inherited the memories of this world's Rasa—the penniless disciple of the Third Kazekage. Otherwise, he'd likely be strapped to a research table or locked in an interrogation room by now.
"I'm feeling much better. I can manage on my own."
He watched as Karura tied on an apron, preparing to cook dinner and clean the house.
"Really, I'm not lying!"
"Of course~ I believe you," Karura said with a smile, nodding. But as she looked at Rasa's earnest expression—tinged with helplessness and… was that a hint of shyness?—she sighed inwardly. [You never used to make that face before.]
"Today, I caught a fish in the lake up in the mountains. There aren't many fish left there anymore, and the water… Over the past few years, ninja have been surveying it, and the water level has dropped significantly. Some think that in the future, this place might become a true desert."
Karura turned her back to Rasa, her voice still carrying that gentle tone.
"This fish should help nourish you."
"Thank you!"
"You never used to say 'thank you' to me."
"…"
Rasa looked at Karura, who had suddenly sounded a bit displeased, and felt a pang of helplessness.
[How did I end up becoming the future Fourth Kazekage?]
Just look at what the Fourth Kazekage did in the original story!
His wife died young, his questionable decisions nearly drove his children to madness, and though he was later redeemed by Naruto's barrage of heartfelt punches, he remained a widower for life—what a tragedy!
Then, to prevent the Hidden Leaf from growing too powerful and leaving the Hidden Sand in the dust, he allied with Orochimaru.
Didn't he know Orochimaru was the Third Hokage's disciple?
Orochimaru orchestrated the "Konoha Collapse" plan, which only served to make the Hidden Leaf's Twelve Genin stronger, while the Hidden Sand Village was left with nothing!
The Fourth Kazekage died unexpectedly, the village was left in disarray, the older generation either passed away or retired, and a twelve-year-old child was orphaned… The village's strength plummeted to an all-time low.
Just look—his youngest son ended up becoming Kazekage at such a young age, a clear sign of how far the Hidden Sand Village had fallen.
But none of that was the priority now. The real issue was… with the Third Kazekage's disappearance, another Great Ninja War was looming.
"Fake sake harms people~"
Why would a perfectly good disciple of the Third Kazekage drink cheap, fake sake?
It's not like he was so broke he had to buy a case of cheap liquor from some shady online store.
Two people drinking fake sake ended up crossing paths.
The result? He survived, and Rasa's memories became his own.
Looking at the beautiful, gentle fiancée before him, he thought, [Why did it have to come to this?]
But…
The Hidden Sand Village had nothing—eating a fish was a luxury, their income relied solely on ninja missions, and the Land of Wind's Daimyo was steadily cutting funding to the village. Water and soil erosion was severe, and while the birth rate wasn't low, the death rate was high!
So…
Why had he come here?
A college student sent to support the western desert?
And to top it off, he'd transmigrated here—what a leap!
Before long, Karura finished preparing the fish soup, paired with some simple wild vegetables. That was dinner.
Life in the Hidden Sand Village was truly tough~
Even this fish soup, with its pleasant freshness but lack of salt, wasn't something they could eat every day.
"Time to eat~"
Rasa was indeed hungry. He picked up the fragrant bowl and began eating. Despite its simplicity, Karura's cooking was delicious. Watching her prop her chin on her hand, smiling as she observed him eat, Rasa paused, glanced at the bowl in front of her, hesitated, and then served her some vegetables.
"Why aren't you eating?"
It's kind of embarrassing with you watching me like that.
"Mm, I'll eat too~"
After Karura's response and seeing her pick up her bowl to eat, Rasa didn't dwell on it. He continued eating while glancing at the "golden finger" (cheat system) that had come with him to this world.
[A lottery pool?]
As long as you spent money, you could draw anything from the pool—small things like apple cores or grand things like aircraft carriers.
Of course, as a one-star "pay-to-win" player, an aircraft carrier was out of the question. Most of what he got were apple cores—utter garbage. Slightly better rewards might include items that boosted various attributes.
He'd spent his entire fortune—100,000 ryō—on the lottery, earning two points in vitality, two in strength, two in chakra, and… four apple cores.
The drop rate was abysmal. One draw cost 10,000 ryō, and 100,000 ryō got him ten draws. This was the result of a ten-draw pull.
As for why 100,000 ryō was his entire fortune… Well, the Hidden Sand Village was genuinely poor. Most of the income from ninja missions went toward maintaining and building the village. Even as the Third Kazekage's disciple, Rasa wasn't exactly swimming in wealth.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have resorted to drinking fake sake just to save a few coins.
After finishing the meal, Rasa took the plain water Karura handed him and sat cross-legged on the tatami mat, watching her bustle about again.
[Actually… this isn't so bad.]
A slight smile tugged at his lips as he gazed at Karura's back. After a moment's hesitation, he spoke, "Karura… do you prefer the old…"
But before he could finish—
Whoosh!
A ninja dressed in Hidden Sand attire suddenly appeared in the courtyard outside the hall's entrance.
"Lord Rasa, Elder Chiyo requests your presence at the Kazekage Building for a meeting."
(End of Chapter)
Translator's Note: I don't know if someone has already picked this up, but whatever.
This is by the same author as Naruto: The Rise of Uzumaki Kingdom, which has already been translated. Look it up — it's a beautiful translation, and the translator reduced the annoying interactions between the system and the MC that originally spanned two chapters.