After calming Gaara and ensuring he fell into a deep sleep—a state where Shukaku temporarily dared not stir—Lady Chiyo and the others finally gained a moment of much-needed rest.
Back at the Kazekage's office, Shiraishi received word from Maki that the Daimyo's special diplomatic mission had arrived in the Hidden Sand.
They were to accompany Shiraishi on his journey through the Land of Grass and to the Land of Iron.
A Kazekage's diplomatic visit was a major event. Every detail of the journey had to be handled by the Land of Wind's Foreign Affairs Bureau.
Any breach of etiquette would make both the Hidden Sand and the Land of Wind a laughingstock among other nations.
While Shiraishi himself cared little for such formalities, the Daimyo placed great importance on these "prestige projects."
Ninjas did not engage in production or civil administration. In many logistical areas, the village required the assistance of the Daimyo's bureaucracy.
The relationship between the Hidden Sand and the Land of Wind was far more complex than a simple economic transaction.
History had seen small nations where the hidden village overthrew the local Daimyo to rule directly, only for the results to be tragic.
Ninjas were simply not trained to manage a state. They excelled at military conquest, but without a professional civil service, public administration collapsed into chaos.
Furthermore, the sheer number of ninjas in a village was nowhere near enough to fill the bureaucratic void left by a nation's governing class.
The existence of the Daimyo and the feudal hierarchy acted as a stabilizing force. Changing this status quo was not something that could be achieved without decades of careful planning.
Sometimes, Shiraishi wished the entire burden of the village didn't rest solely on his shoulders. However, the reality was that the Hidden Sand lacked qualified administrative talent.
There was a reason most village councils were composed of retired ninjas over fifty. Yet, even so, had these elderly shinobi ever truly managed a village well?
Take Konoha's Danzo and the other advisors, for instance—they were experts at intrigue and shadow-play, but tasking them with the actual governance of the village would be a struggle.
And that was just a single village, not an entire nation. This was why the dual-governance system of "One Country, One Village" remained unbroken for years.
Shiraishi never intended to be a micromanager, but the sheer volume of affairs—especially with the establishment of five new sub-districts under Sand control—forced him to oversee everything personally.
On the other hand, the exploitation by the noble class was severe. Countless aristocrats lived in luxury while squeezing the common folk dry.
Deep-seated class conflict was a primary driver of the era's constant warfare.
"Unifying the Shinobi World" was a broad term. If these fundamental contradictions weren't resolved, the world would simply descend back into the chaos of the Warring States period once the current generation of powerhouses passed away.
Thus, deep within his heart, Shiraishi's goal was to break this thousand-year cycle of violence and build a peace that would last for generations.
Outside the Hidden Sand, several envoys from the Land of Wind's capital sat solemnly, awaiting the Kazekage's arrival.
Their posture was one of absolute respect; none showed the slightest irritation at Shiraishi's tardiness.
As the Hidden Sand grew stronger, Shiraishi, as the nation's military head second only to the Daimyo, commanded the most powerful armed force in the land. The envoys naturally dared not show any negligence.
Soon, Shiraishi emerged wearing his Kazekage hat, flanked by Arakawa Arashi and Jogaki Shikasa. The two men walked in silence, a clear sign of the rift that had formed between Shiraishi's two "left and right hands" after their recent disagreement.
"I apologize for keeping you waiting, My Lords."
"Not at all... it is our duty to wait."
The elderly envoys knelt to greet Shiraishi, according him the highest etiquette—second only to that shown to the Daimyo. It was a clear indication of the Fifth Kazekage's prestige.
The Daimyo had prepared a palanquin for Shiraishi—specifically, a "Warm Sedan" style with silk hangings, designed to be carried by four men.
"Heh, it seems I'm finally getting a taste of the treatment reserved for royalty and nobility," Shiraishi remarked with a smile.
However, he didn't move an inch toward the sedan. This caused beads of sweat to form on the envoys' foreheads.
One envoy nervously explained, "Lord Kazekage, you joke. Your military achievements for the Land of Wind cannot be compared to those people. This is a 'Two-Flower Tier' sedan; ordinary nobles are not even qualified to use it."
The Daimyo rode in a One-Flower Tier. The Two-Flower Tier was legally reserved for the heir to the throne. The Kazekage was entitled to this treatment, but over the years, only the First and now the Fifth Kazekage were deemed important enough by the Daimyo to actually receive it.
Arashi, born of a noble clan, understood these nuances perfectly. He stepped forward to explain the significance to Shiraishi.
Eventually, Shiraishi stepped into the sedan, and the procession began its journey toward the Land of Grass.
Meanwhile, at the Hozuki Clan Ruins in the Land of Water...
The Hozuki estate was a massive area. During the clan's peak, it had been the premier noble estate of the Hidden Mist. Now, it was a wasteland of rubble—a silent testament to a faded era.
Hozuki Haigetsu had been lurking here for days. Besides collecting a few Skill Cards, he was scouting the ruins.
As the former top clan of the Mist, there was always a chance of finding something valuable. Currently, with the Hidden Mist in civil war, Haigetsu was looking for ways to further sow chaos and drain the village's strength.
Just as he was preparing to leave with a stack of discovered documents, a black shadow flickered across his path.
The newcomer was equally surprised to find someone else in the ruins. The masked figure in black wasted no time, attacking immediately with a flurry of Water Threads!
These water threads—strands of water-natured chakra—were similar to the Sand's traditional chakra strings, used to control weapons or puppets.
Haigetsu blocked the threads with one hand, his fingers manipulating a subtle flow of water to expertly deflect the opponent's offensive.
"You're a Hozuki? Damn it!"
Haigetsu's Hydraification technique instantly gave away his identity. The masked man's attacks grew more vicious.
A black current pulsed in his palms, radiating a chilling killing intent. Under the shroud of dark chakra, the water threads condensed into a blade of black water, reflecting a cold, murderous gleam.
Haigetsu grew wary. Anyone capable of projecting this level of killing intent had to be a master of Taijutsu.
There were only a handful of such experts in the Hidden Mist, but Haigetsu (and Shiraishi's shared memory) could find no record of a ninja matching this description.
What is going on?
In the midst of the swirling black water strings, the masked man's techniques seemed to hint at the darkest secrets within the Hidden Mist.
Suddenly, the black water sword flashed with a technique that pushed the limits of Taijutsu. It was a masterful strike, but within its rhythm, Haigetsu saw a shadow of Shiraishi's own Kenjutsu style.
Haigetsu parried the strike with his white jade ruler. As he neutralized the sword's momentum, the masked man launched a Whirlwind Kick with his free hand. The sheer power and speed of the blow forced Haigetsu back several steps.
This person... must be a graduate of the Sand Ninja Academy who studied under Shiraishi's system. Otherwise, they wouldn't be this proficient in thread control and the Whirlwind technique.
The Sand had not sent any new operatives into the Mist recently. This meant this person was acting alone, infiltrating the ruins for their own ends.
"You should be honored to die by the techniques of the Fifth Kazekage!" the masked man hissed.
Faced with the relentless assault, the light in Haigetsu's Regeneration Core began to flicker. Connecting to the "Supercomputer" system, he entered a state of high-speed calculation and tactical deduction.
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed. Claim early access on Patreon: Patreon.com/kazama677
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter🔷 60 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.