Shiba POV
The clash of steel against steel echoed through the private training grounds, the sharp ringing sound. I swung my katana, the blade made of Elder dragon bone, clashing against the three swords Zoro wielded. Each strike reverberated through my arms, but I pushed forward, matching him blow for blow, pound for pound. It had been a month since we started sparring regularly, and I could feel my skills improving. Zoro wasn't holding back, but neither was I.
His three-sword style was hard to keep up, each movement calculated and devastating, but I kept up, using my druid abilities to sharpen my reflexes, enhancing my speed and strength with bursts of chakra. But even with that advantage, Zoro was still a monster when it came to raw skill.
"You're getting better, Cap'n," Zoro said with a grunt, parrying my latest strike before quickly countering. His swords blurred, and I barely managed to block his next attack, sparks flying as our blades collided again.
"Yeah, well, it's not easy when your teacher's a freakin' demon with swords," I shot back, gritting my teeth as I pushed against his strength.
A sly grin spread across Zoro's face. "You still got a ways to go."
Before I could respond, Zoro's next strike came out of nowhere, faster than I anticipated. My katana was knocked from my hand, flying through the air and landing several feet away in the sand. I froze, feeling the cold edge of one of Zoro's swords resting lightly against my throat.
"Guess I lost," I admitted, breathing heavily.
Zoro smirked and withdrew his blade, sheathing it with a smooth motion. "Not bad, though. You kept up for longer this time."
I let out a long exhale and sat down on the ground. Zoro joined me, pulling out a flask from his belt and taking a swig. He handed it to me, and I took a deep gulp, feeling the burn of alcohol slide down my throat.
"We'll keep training," Zoro said after a moment, looking up at the sky. "But you're not far from getting to where you need to be. A little more, and you'll be cutting down anyone who stands in your way."
"That's the plan," I replied, wiping sweat from my forehead. "But I still have a lot to work on."
We sat in comfortable silence for a while before I stood up, stretching my sore muscles. "Alright, I gotta head to the Kazekage building. Got some paperwork piling up."
Zoro waved me off with a lazy gesture. "Don't let the paperwork kill you before I do."
The walk to the Kazekage building was quick, my mind still buzzing from the training session. A month had passed since I began intensifying my training, and it was paying off. But it wasn't just about my personal growth. Suna had been steadily expanding, and it was about time I checked in on the village's progress.
I made my way through the halls and into my office, where a stack of papers sat waiting for me. I picked up the top sheet, scanning through the details, and a small grin tugged at my lips.
The mass production of low-level elixirs had been growing steadily. The village had started with the basics—healing elixirs, stamina boosters, strength enhancers, chakra regen potions, and a few other useful ones. The production rate was impressive. Each month, more and more elixirs were being created, and they were of excellent quality. The villagers were becoming stronger, and more resilient. Even the ordinary shinobi were benefitting greatly from these potions.
I set the paper down and picked up another, this one reporting on the production of ninja tools. The numbers were higher than ever before. Suna had started manufacturing more advanced weapons and tools, from kunai and shuriken to sealing tags and other specialized gear. These would be essential once the war started. Preparation was everything.
Then, I came across a particular report that made me pause.
The spies.
Two from Iwa, two from Kumo—they had all been captured, interrogated, and promptly killed. I couldn't help but shake my head at their sheer incompetence. They had been total dumbasses. Instead of reporting the most critical information about Suna—things like the gold and metal sand, the Adam Tree, and the elixirs—they decided to hold off on reporting anything, hoping to use the info for personal gain later. Greed had gotten the better of them. They wanted extra money, higher rank, power—basically, everything that would get them killed in a heartbeat.
Good thing they were idiots, I thought to myself. If they had sent that information back to their respective villages immediately, Kumo and Iwa would have launched an attack much sooner. But their greed had saved me from a premature confrontation. I still needed time to grow Suna into an even more formidable force. Once the war started, I wanted to strike hard, reaping the benefits of every fallen enemy.
Satisfied with the progress report, I folded the paper and used the Body Flicker Jutsu to leave the office. In an instant, I appeared in front of one of the elixir production buildings.
The building itself was impressive, one of several that had been built over the past few months to accommodate the growing demand for elixirs. Inside, shinobi worked diligently, cultivating the plants and ingredients needed for the potions. The air was thick with the scent of herbs, and the sound of bubbling cauldrons filled the room as various elixirs were brewed and bottled. I could see racks of potions, each labeled with its specific purpose—healing, strength, chakra regeneration, and many more.
As I walked through the elixir production building, my eyes scanned the work with a critical gaze. The civilians working inside greeted me as I passed, each nodding with respect and a hint of gratitude. They understood the importance of their work—the foundation of Suna's future success. Their hands brewed potions that could save lives on the battlefield, and the tools they crafted would ensure that our shinobi were prepared.
But my mind wandered to other ventures. The elixirs and weapons were great, but I couldn't help but think about money. War would be costly, and Suna needed funds to sustain its growth and defend itself. My thoughts drifted to one of the desert's most abundant resources: the agave plant. It was everywhere, growing resiliently in the harsh sands, and had the perfect properties for alcohol production. Whiskey hehe my favorite.
A smirk tugged at the corner of my lips. The world's first whiskey, I mused. It was a genius idea—turning a desert plant into liquid gold. And I would monopolize it, just like a true American would. If I could get production up and running, Suna would have a steady flow of income from a product no one else could match. I could already imagine the nobility and the wealthy from other villages clamoring for a taste of it. The thought of turning Suna into the central hub of whiskey production had me feeling pretty damn good and who knows maybe in the future I will make Moon Shines, I will put it on my list.
Time to make some money moves.
As I left the Elixir building, my mind buzzing with plans for distilleries and production lines, I noticed Erza walking out of a newly built bakery nearby. She had a small box in her hands, and from the bright blush on her face, I knew exactly what it was—strawberry cake. She was trying to keep a straight face, but the redness in her cheeks betrayed her. She was caught.
I walked up to her, suppressing a grin. "You're not hiding that very well, Erza."
Her eyes widened as she turned to face me, her entire face now resembling the strawberries on her cake. "I-I wasn't hiding anything!" she stammered, clearly embarrassed.
I chuckled, giving her a teasing smile. "Sure, sure. So, are you going to share, or is that whole cake for you?"
She narrowed her eyes but there was a playful glint behind them. "I don't share cake, you know that Shiba-sama"
I raised my hands in mock surrender. "Alright, fair enough. But I guess if you don't want to hang out and eat it together, I'll just leave you to it." I turned as if I was about to walk away, but before I could take another step, she spoke up.
"Wait," she called, her voice a little softer. "You can… join me. If you want."
I turned back to her, a grin spreading across my face. "I thought you'd never ask."
We spent the rest of the day together, just hanging out. We found a quiet spot near one of the oasis-like areas I had created during my training, where the air was cool, and the water flowed calmly. We sat by the water, eating her strawberry cake, and just talking. She told me stories of her world, of the friends she had left behind, and I shared some of my own experiences, the ones that didn't involve the blood and chaos of being a shinobi.
It was peaceful, something I didn't get to experience often, and I realized how much I enjoyed being around her. Erza is strong, and she has a softness that she doesn't let many people see. By the time the sun began to set, casting a warm orange glow over the horizon, I felt lighter. The war was coming, but for now, I could appreciate the calm before the storm.
"Thanks for hanging out with me today," I said as we stood up to leave, the remains of the strawberry cake left in the box beside us.
Erza gave me a soft smile. "No problem. It was… nice." Her face flushed again, but she didn't try to hide it this time.
As we walked back toward the village, I couldn't help but feel like things were finally coming together. My plans, my training, the people around me—it was all starting to fall into place. But I knew better than to get too comfortable.
Still, today had been a good day. And if I played my cards right, Suna was going to come out of this war on top, with me leading the way and me becoming the next god of shinobi of Suna.
But as I walked through the quiet village, the cool night air brushing against my skin, I couldn't help but notice something. The system—the one that had been guiding me, giving me missions and rewards—had been oddly silent. I hadn't received a new mission in a while. I thought about it for a moment, trying to figure out why.
Maybe it's just because it doesn't hand out missions for every little thing, I reasoned with myself. The system wasn't like others I'd read about. It didn't constantly bombard me with objectives, and in a way, that made sense. The missions I had received in the past were huge undertakings, each one pushing me closer to my goals in a significant way.
And the rewards? They were cracked-out, to say the least. My Elder Dragon Bone Katana was proof of that, not to mention the elixir seed, and the Adam Tree. Each reward was tailored to make me stronger, more resourceful, and more dangerous to anyone who would stand in my way. So maybe the system didn't need to give me missions all the time. If the results were going to be this overpowered, I could live with the slow pace.
'If it isn't broken, don't fix it' I thought with a smirk.
Still, I couldn't deny the part of me that hoped to see more missions in the future. They added a layer of excitement to everything, a sense of purpose. Every time that system dinged with a new mission, ill try to do it the fastest way possible, pushing me down the path to make me the best kazekage. And, if the missions were anything like the last ones, I'd be on my way to unlocking even more insane abilities soon enough.
For now, though, I'd focus on what I could control. There was plenty to do in Suna, and the war wasn't going to wait.