Sunagakure, Ninja Academy
"Rasa, stop daydreaming. School's over."
Karura's voice snapped Rasa out of his thoughts as he was still browsing his system interface. Only he could see the system, and activating it required nothing more than a thought, making it incredibly convenient.
"Yeah, let's go. I'll walk you home," Rasa responded.
Unlike Kumogakure and Iwagakure, which ranked second and third among the Five Great Shinobi Nations, Sunagakure was considered the weakest. However, at this point, it had yet to decline.
Sunagakure did not have bloodline clans like Konoha's Uchiha or Hyuga, but it did produce unique Kekkei Genkai through individual talent. Pakura's Scorch Release, the Storm Release of Kumogakure, and the Explosion Release of Iwagakure were not inherited through bloodline clans but were results of individual shinobi achieving their unique chakra fusions.
The Second Kazekage, Shamon, had developed Magnet Release by studying the One-Tail, Shukaku, and through extensive experimentation, he managed to grant this ability to select individuals in Sunagakure. However, awakening Magnet Release was as difficult as awakening Ice Release in Kirigakure's Yuki Clan—only a rare few succeeded.
Despite its difficulty, Magnet Release had an extremely high floor. Any shinobi who awakened it could, at the very least, become an elite jōnin, and those who trained diligently had a strong chance of reaching Kage-level. The Third Kazekage himself had ascended to power using Magnet Release, earning the title of the strongest Kazekage in history.
As the future Fourth Kazekage in the original timeline, there was no doubt that Rasa could also awaken Magnet Release. However, unlike in the original story—where the exact timing of his awakening was unclear—this Rasa had already awakened it and had been personally taken in as a disciple by the Third Kazekage.
A Genius Shinobi in the Making
As a transmigrator, Rasa was naturally different from other children. After familiarizing himself with this world's written language, he began studying ninjutsu at the age of three.
Both of his biological parents had been high-ranking jōnin in the village but had perished during the First Shinobi World War when Rasa was just one year old. His father's teammate, Gadessa, a loyal friend and ally, took him in as his own.
Rasa displayed exceptional intelligence from an early age, quickly learning to read and fully comprehending shinobi textbooks by the time he was three. Recognizing his remarkable talent, Gadessa never discouraged his pursuit of knowledge.
At three and a half, Rasa attempted to extract chakra—and, to the shock of the entire village, immediately awakened Magnet Release. The Third Kazekage personally accepted him as his apprentice and took him under his wing. From that point on, Rasa lived in the Kazekage's residence.
Gadessa had little choice but to accept this, though he frequently sent his daughter, Karura, to spend time with Rasa under the pretense of "not having enough time to care for his own family."
In reality, Gadessa was fully investing in Rasa's future. He even went as far as encouraging his daughter to grow close to him, seeing him as a valuable figure for Sunagakure's future.
In the world of shinobi, children mature early. As Rasa was widely acknowledged as a prodigy, Karura—who grew up with him—had long developed feelings for him. Her unwavering admiration was comparable to Hyuga Hinata's devotion to Naruto Uzumaki.
The Sand Clan's Support
Karura belonged to the Suna Clan, Sunagakure's only clan known to possess a secret jutsu—the ability to manipulate sand, as later demonstrated by Gaara. This made the Suna Clan the most influential family in the village, even in the absence of a bloodline limit.
Unlike other major villages, where clan status often dictated power, Sunagakure's ninja families primarily distinguished themselves through training and exclusive jutsu rather than inherited abilities.
As the head of the Suna Clan, Gadessa had a vested interest in Rasa's success. He not only supported Rasa because of his friendship with Rasa's parents but also because of the boy's overwhelming potential.
By the age of six, Rasa had already secured the backing of both the Kazekage and the Suna Clan.
A Daily Routine
After escorting Karura home from the Academy, Rasa gently patted her head.
"We're here. Get some rest early. See you tomorrow," he said.
"Mm, Rasa-kun, see you tomorrow~" Karura replied softly, watching him walk away.
Rasa was still preoccupied with thoughts of his system as he made his way home, absentmindedly retracing his steps through the village.
Karura, having known him for years, could sense that his mind was elsewhere. Unlike her usual playful self, she refrained from trying to keep him around and instead stood by the entrance, watching his figure disappear around the corner.
"Rasa-kun has been lost in thought all day... I wonder what he's thinking about. But... he looks so handsome when he's thinking," she murmured to herself before closing the door.
The Kazekage's Residence
Back at the Kazekage's home, Rasa entered, removed his sandals, and headed straight for the kitchen.
The household servants had already prepared dinner, but the Third Kazekage was constantly occupied with his duties and often skipped meals.
As usual, Rasa packed the food into a lunchbox and made his way to the Kazekage's office.
Since there was no kitchen in the Kazekage's building, Rasa always personally delivered dinner to his master. It was his way of ensuring the Kazekage ate properly, especially since the man was known to work himself to exhaustion.
Lunch was usually delivered by the household staff, but dinner had become Rasa's responsibility. This also allowed him to monitor whether the Kazekage had eaten at all that day.
If he hadn't, Rasa would make him eat both meals at once.
The Third Kazekage had learned this the hard way. The first time Rasa caught him skipping lunch, the young boy had stared at him with teary eyes and a pitiful expression, refusing to let him off the hook until he ate two meals in one sitting.
From then on, the Kazekage never dared to skip lunch again.
Rasa, the Academy Award-Winning Actor: Mission accomplished.
The Third Kazekage's Past
The true name of the Third Kazekage remained unknown. He had been an orphan, rising to prominence through sheer talent. As a civilian-born ninja, he had no clan to rely on, but his strength and ambition carried him far.
Determined to gain power, he had willingly participated in the Second Kazekage's Magnet Release experiments and had become one of the only two successful cases at the time.
Now, as the leader of Sunagakure, he ruled over the Land of Wind, and Rasa was his chosen successor.
But Rasa had his ambitions, and with the system on his side, he was determined to take Sunagakure to heights never seen before.
One of the successful participants in the experiment was the Second Kazekage, Shamon himself. The other was his chosen successor, who would later become the Third Kazekage. After proving his worth, the young ninja was adopted by Shamon and given the name Shakō, eventually inheriting the title of Kazekage after Shamon's death.
As the Third Kazekage, Shakō was a diligent and hardworking leader, wholly dedicated to the prosperity of Sunagakure. Unmarried and without children, he regarded Rasa as his son.
Although Rasa awakened the Magnet Release ability two and a half years ago, he was forbidden from extracting chakra to train under Shakō's orders. The Third Kazekage strictly prohibited Rasa from using chakra before the age of five, believing it would hinder his long-term development. As a result, Rasa had ample free time over the past two and a half years, allowing him to focus on theoretical knowledge.
In addition to fundamental books like Ninja Basics and Five Years as a Chūnin, and Three Years as a Genin, Rasa dedicated himself to studying fūinjutsu (sealing techniques) and medical ninjutsu.
Sunagakure's proficiency in sealing techniques was lackluster. Beyond a handful of C-rank and B-rank seals, the only advanced sealing technique was the Illusory Dragon Nine Seals, an A-rank jutsu developed by the Second Kazekage specifically for sealing Shukaku, the One-Tail. However, this seal was far from perfect, allowing Shukaku to exert influence over its Jinchūriki with relative ease. As the biggest victim of this flaw, Gaara would come to understand its shortcomings all too well.
On the other hand, Sunagakure excelled in medical ninjutsu. At this point in history, before Tsunade had solidified her reputation as the greatest medical ninja, the Five Great Shinobi Villages did not place much importance on medical ninjutsu. Most treatments relied on traditional medicine rather than healing jutsu.
Medical ninjutsu was not yet refined enough to be decisively effective on the battlefield. However, Sunagakure had a secret weapon—Elder Chiyo. While advancing her mastery of poisons, Chiyo also developed an array of B-rank and C-rank medical ninjutsu, making Sunagakure one of the most medically advanced villages of the time.
Knowing what the future held, Rasa frequently emphasized the value of medical ninjutsu to Shakō, painting a vision of how it could revolutionize Sunagakure's strength. He believed that investing in medical ninjutsu could significantly elevate the village's combat effectiveness and help it rise to the top among the Five Great Nations.
While Shakō agreed with Rasa's vision, Sunagakure's financial limitations prevented immediate action. As a result, the large-scale research and development of medical ninjutsu, along with the training of medical ninjas, were put on hold for the time being.
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