Tsunade rubbed her temples, sighing. "This Mufasa is really a headache."

  "Let's talk about it," she continued, gncing at the gathered council members. "Do we agree to his proposal?"

  "There's nothing wrong with the 'One Country, One Vilge' policy. We can sign the contract," said Danzo unexpectedly. It was rare for him to support anything reted to Mufasa, but here he was, speaking first.

  Danzo had always been a hawk, someone who valued strength above all else. Deep down, he agreed with Mufasa's idea—vilges needed to be strong, not weak and scattered.

  Koharu folded her arms and chuckled. "Even if we sign it, it's just between our vilges. The others won't follow it. The treaty will be nothing more than a piece of paper."

  "Exactly," Homura agreed. "Ninjas from other vilges will still move as they please. This treaty doesn't hold any real power unless everyone is on board."

  "I think the Kazekage just wants to boost his reputation," he added. "This whole thing seems like a fshy but meaningless gesture."

  Tsunade scanned the room. "So, aside from the first cuse, are there any objections to the rest?"

  Koharu and Homura exchanged gnces before shaking their heads.

  "No objections."

  "If the Kazekage wants to do it, let him."

  Danzo scoffed. "This so-called treaty is just child's py. If the Kazekage tries anything funny, I'll handle him myself."

  Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "Danzo, watch your words. We're in the middle of peace talks, and I don't need you making threats that could ruin everything."

  Danzo huffed and turned away, but said nothing more.

  As Hokage, Tsunade made her decision. "I'll speak with the Kazekage myself. We might find a better way to handle this. The other three conditions are acceptable, so we'll proceed with formal peace talks."

  She looked around the room. "I want everyone to be prepared for Mufasa's arrival."

  The council nodded in unison. "Understood."

  As the others left, Tsunade stopped one person. "Jiraiya, stay."

  Once the room was empty, Tsunade leaned against the table. "Jiraiya, what do you think of Mufasa? I need to understand him before the negotiations."

  Jiraiya stretched and took a seat. "Honestly? I can't figure him out."

  Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "You? Not being able to read someone? That's new."

  "I know, right?" Jiraiya chuckled. "But he's not the kind of guy you can predict. He does things his own way. That said, he's not a bad person. A leader who prioritizes feeding his people first can't be all bad."

  Tsunade nodded, slightly relieved. "Then there might be hope for this negotiation."

  Jiraiya grinned. "Speaking of hope, I've been stuck in Sand for too long. I need a hot bath, some sake, and a good night's sleep. Care to join me, Tsunade?"

  She responded with a single word: "Fuck off."

  And a punch to the face.

  Jiraiya stumbled out of the office, a massive lump on his forehead. As he rubbed his head, he noticed Naruto nearby, who immediately burst into ughter.

  "Ha! Pervy Sage, what did you do this time?"

  "You little—get back here!"

  Naruto took off running, and Jiraiya chased after him, leaving the Hokage's office in chaos.

  Back inside, Tsunade turned to her secretary. "Send Kakashi to invite the Kazekage."

  "Understood," the secretary said, jotting down the mission details.

  Meanwhile, Kakashi was already making his way toward the Land of Wind. He had learned from Jiraiya and Naruto's previous experiences and decided to take a smarter approach. Instead of wandering through the desert, he found a merchant caravan heading to Sunagakure.

  A middle-aged Sand ninja, a chunin named Raga, greeted him. "Kakashi-san, sorry, but there's no room inside. You'll have to squeeze in with the cargo."

  Kakashi waved a hand dismissively. "It's fine. I'm a ninja. I can handle it."

  Then he got into the cart—and immediately regretted it.

  The stench of hundreds of live sheep hit him like a punch to the face.

  His single visible eye twitched. "This... is unbearable."

  Without hesitation, he leaped onto the roof of the cart, taking in the fresh air.

  As they moved deeper into the desert, something caught his attention. The cart wasn't rolling over the sand—it was floating.

  He stroked his chin. "Interesting. It looks a lot like Mufasa's floating technology."

  That night, as they rested, Kakashi sat beside Raga and asked, "How does this thing levitate?"

  Raga grinned. "No idea. Mufasa built it. We just follow the instructions. Works like a charm, never breaks."

  Kakashi wasn't surprised. Mufasa was known for his inventions. As long as he had the materials and chakra, he could create all kinds of machines.

  For him, it was all about making the Sand Vilge stronger.

  As for whether anyone understood the technology? That didn't seem to matter.

  "He just builds it and expects people to use it," Kakashi muttered.

  Raga answered casually. "Pretty much. He added some extra csses in the ninja academy to teach the basics, but most people just memorize the instructions."

  Kakashi smirked. "I thought this was some big secret. Guess not."

  The more he learned about Mufasa, the more he realized—this peace talk was going to be interesting.

  Raga smiled and said, "Are you interested in this car?"

  Kakashi nodded.

  Raga smirked. "Lord Kazekage said we're going to develop the automobile industry. If you've got the money, you can come to our vilge and buy one."

  Kakashi froze. "This is for sale?"

  "Of course. Besides this, Kazekage-sama is also pnning to sell ninja tools."

  Raga quoted something Mufasa once said. "In the future, you'll be able to buy anything in the Sand Vilge if you have enough money."

  Kakashi was stunned. So bold. He'd have to see for himself what was avaible.

  "By the way, why are you transporting so many sheep?"

  "To eat, obviously. What else?"

  Kakashi was caught off guard, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Haha, yeah, yeah."

  Kazekage's Office

  Mufasa sat in his office, listening as the heads of various departments reported on the past month's affairs. The primary focus was the business ninja division.

  Temari began with the financial summary. "In the past month, we have sold more than 3.6 million items across over 30 cities in the Land of Wind, generating a total revenue of 3.48 million ryo, with a net profit of 2.16 million after deducting expenses."

  With the sandworm's seemingly endless supply of minerals, mineral resources were never a problem. All the vilge had to do was feed raw materials into the machines and ship the finished products out immediately.

  The biggest challenge, however, was transportation across the vast desert.

  "Even with veteran ninja escorting the caravans, the unpredictable desert terrain still cost us a dozen vehicles and personnel," Temari reported.

  Mufasa tapped his fingers on the desk. If only we had satellite navigation.

  "Any suggestions for improvement?" he asked.

  Temari nodded. "We propose using Earth Release ninjutsu to set up tall ndmarks along critical routes for navigation."

  It was the same method Mufasa had used to mark the location of the oil fields.

  "Good. Gaara, assign some ninjas from the military to assist with this."

  Gaara gave a short nod. "Understood."

  A senior executive, Joseki, then spoke up. "Lord Kazekage, while our ability to generate wealth is impressive, so is our food consumption. I urge you to take this into consideration."

  Joseki had been personally assigned by Mufasa to oversee food imports and distribution. The Sand Vilge had essentially become one rge factory.

  Housing was assigned to all residents, ensuring everyone had a pce to live. With an endless supply of steel and cement, homes could theoretically be built to any size. Yet, the vilge still maintained uniform housing distributions.

  Water, electricity, and even gas were provided free of charge.

  Basic food staples—grain, meat, eggs, and milk—were distributed in rations.

  Since most vilgers spent their wages on drinks, extra food, or clothing, the cost of living was retively low. Given the vilge's isoted desert location, there wasn't much to spend money on anyway.

  To keep morale up, Mufasa had pns to develop entertainment facilities, but that was still in the works.

  Joseki continued. "Purchasing food—cattle, sheep, poultry—alone costs us 1.9 million ryo."

  Mufasa leaned back in his chair. "Every ryo spent is necessary. We can't let our people go hungry after working hard all day."

  Joseki shook his head. "My lord, you misunderstand. I'm talking about food security."

  Food security?

  The room fell silent as the realization hit. The Sand Vilge had one major weakness—it couldn't sustain itself with its own food production.

  Mufasa's high standards meant 95% of their food supply had to be imported.

  Joseki continued. "Our procurement teams have reported rising food prices across the region."

  Mufasa frowned. "Strong demand naturally drives up prices."

  "My lord, reports indicate that merchants are maniputing the market, deliberately infting prices," Joseki said, his expression grave.

  Mufasa's expression darkened. Someone was meddling with the vilge's food supply.

  A low hum filled the room as lightning flickered in his eyes.

  "Gaara, deploy intelligence squads to investigate and track down whoever is behind this."

  Gaara's tone was cold. "Understood."

  The ninja military was divided into specialized units—elite strike teams, covert operations, medical support, vilge defense, and intelligence.

  Mufasa's voice was deadly calm. "Whoever dares to manipute our food supply… I will not spare them. Even if it's a feudal lord."

  His words carried a chilling finality.

  Tojuro, the education official, spoke up next. "My lord, the new semester at the ninja academy is about to begin. Will you be giving a speech?"

  Mufasa smiled. "Yes. Set a time, and I'll be there."

  Baki stepped forward. "My lord, we've received word from Konoha. They are open to peace talks and have sent an envoy to invite you for discussions with the Hokage. Would you consider going?"

  Mufasa didn't hesitate. "Of course."

  "We still have over 200 of our ninjas in their custody. I need to ensure their safe return."

  In his mind, he was already strategizing.

  Once peace was established, Konoha and the Land of Fire would become a prime market for the Sand Vilge's expanding industries.

  Mufasa stood tall in the center of the academy's training grounds, his Kazekage robes billowing slightly in the desert breeze. His presence commanded the attention of everyone present.

  Beside him stood the teachers of the academy, seasoned shinobi who had taken up the responsibility of shaping the next generation.

  Before them, over a thousand young students, eager and full of anticipation, looked up at him with wide eyes.

  This year, the academy had accepted over 1,300 students—more than double the number Konoha had enrolled during the same period.

  This was only the beginning. As Sand Ninja Vilge continued to grow economically, the academy would expand even further.

  Mufasa saw the ninja academy as more than just a pce to train warriors. He had introduced new programs for students who cked chakra control, allowing them to become skilled workers or support personnel for the vilge.

  In his vision, a ninja was not just someone who knew jutsu—they were the backbone of the vilge, capable of contributing in various ways.

  As he scanned the crowd, he recognized familiar faces: Rakka, Tanjuro, Yakasa, and others from the orphanage. Many more were new—children from both ninja and civilian families.

  The tter group seemed especially excited; in the past, only a select few from commoner families had the privilege of attending the academy.

  Now, under Mufasa's leadership, every child of appropriate age was required to enroll, with all expenses covered by the vilge.

  When Mufasa first proposed this, some of his advisors had voiced concerns.

  "Kazekage-sama, isn't this investment too rge?" Joseki asked. "The vilge has money now, but we must be cautious. Expanding the academy's capacity nearly thirtyfold is unprecedented."

  "If we implement this, we'll be enrolling three to four thousand students annually," another official warned. "This will be a significant financial strain."

  Each student required food, training equipment, and supplies—all provided by the vilge. It was an enormous commitment, and it would take years before these students became contributing shinobi.

  "What if many of them fail? Or worse, rebel against the vilge?" someone had asked.

  Some had suggested a more controlled approach, limiting admissions or implementing stricter selection criteria, just as Konoha did. But Mufasa had been firm.

  "No!" he had decred. "Sand Ninja Vilge has gged behind for too long. We must accelerate our progress. The only way to strengthen our vilge is by increasing our numbers."

  He had reassured them, "Money is not the issue. Our industries will sustain us. We are no longer just a military force—we are an economic power."

  Despite initial resistance, Mufasa had used his authority as Kazekage to push the decision through. In Sand Ninja Vilge, the word of the Kazekage was absolute.

  Even Tojuro, who had initially hesitated, eventually nodded. "Kazekage-sama, I have no objections," he had said. "I will ensure the school facilities are built swiftly. But there is one major problem—we don't have enough teachers."

  The current staff was only suited for a few hundred students. Expanding to thousands required a much rger faculty, and ninja instructors weren't easy to find.

  "What do we do about that?" Mufasa had asked, frowning.

  Joseki had come up with a solution. "We can call back retired ninjas who once served as instructors."

  In the ninja world, there was no concept of true retirement. A ninja remained a ninja for life unless they were killed or defected.

  "It's our best option for now," Mufasa had agreed.

  With some effort, they had managed to recruit enough instructors, including Chiyo and Ebizo—elders well into their seventies and eighties—who had agreed to help train the next generation.

  Now, standing before the gathered students, Mufasa could see the admiration in their eyes. To them, he was not just the Kazekage—he was a hero. Under his leadership, their families had food, water, and stable homes. For the first time in history, the vilge provided free education, ensuring that even the poorest child had a chance to become a ninja.

  The students' faces were filled with determination.

  Mufasa smiled, his voice strong and clear. "You are the future of Sand Ninja Vilge. I expect you to study hard, train hard, and grow into shinobi who will protect and strengthen our home."

  His words carried weight, filled with promise and purpose.

  "Can you do it?" he asked.

  A powerful response echoed across the training grounds.

  "YES!"

  "We will work hard!"

  "Yes, Kazekage-sama!"

  Their youthful voices rang through the academy, filled with passion and unwavering resolve.

  Under the bright desert sun, in the newly expanded ninja academy, the future of Sand Ninja Vilge had begun to take root.

  _______

  Word count: 2448