The Popular Fifth Kazekage

"The Sunagakure has changed a lot," Sakura Haruno said with a faint smile to Gaara.

Her words weren't just a compliment.

At least in her view, after two years of recuperation and learning from Konoha following the battle between Konoha and Sand shinobi, Sunagakure's strength had recovered to some extent.

When I came here last year, it felt a bit desolate; now it has improved a lot, there are many more ninjas and pedestrians on the street, and several new shops have opened.

If Gaara were still in his Kazekage form, he would probably respond to Sakura's praise with a few polite words like, "It's all thanks to everyone's hard work."

He merely chuckled and nodded, saying, "It's not dinner time yet, why don't we go sit over there?"

Having shed his Kazekage robes, Gaara also set aside his status as Kazekage, speaking to the two as a friend. The starkly different tone of voice he used seemed perfectly natural.

Sakura Haruno couldn't help but glance at him again.

This was the first time Sakura Haruno had a friend who was also a Kage. Gaara's drastically different attitude before and after his appointment made her feel both fresh and a little strange. From his almost confessional inaugural speech, Sakura heard many things in Gaara's heart. He wanted to completely sever ties with his unbearable past and become a completely new person. The hardships of his childhood had not destroyed him, but instead made him the resolute young Kazekage he is today.

Having experienced a cruel childhood, witnessed the cold-blooded reality, and been awakened by Naruto, Gaara now possesses both the coldest and the softest side within him—the most important quality of a politician, not just a politician. He will not yield to Konoha just because he is Sakura's friend, nor will he be condescending to his friends because of his status Kazekage.

Gaara is living a very pure life now. Perhaps he will become a great Kazekage.

Sakura doesn't know if Gaara became the Kazekage in the original story.

However, it is extremely rare in the Shinobi World for someone so young and Jinchūriki to become the Kage of one of the Five Great Villages. Besides the saying "necessity is the mother of invention," the Sunagakure clearly sensed the approaching storm and hurriedly sought an umbrella for themselves.

Of course, it must be mentioned that the strength guarantee brought by the Jinchūriki and Gaara's father's status as Kazekage were also important reasons why Gaara was able to break the precedent and become the new generation Kazekage. In this world, the concept of "like begets like" is more widely accepted, and the existence of Kekkei Genkai also provides support for such outdated bloodline theory.

Although the Fourth Kazekage was ruthless towards his son, objectively speaking, his existence still enabled Gaara to ascend to the highest throne of the Sand Ninja.

If Gaara's legendary life didn't have this one regret, following the typical TV drama formula, Gaara could simply say that he achieved his current status entirely through his own efforts.

Capital beyond one's abilities is worthless.

On the other hand, even Sakura Haruno herself doesn't have the right to say such things, does she?

Thinking about this, Sakura Haruno felt a pang of emotion. If the Fourth Kazekage knew about the current situation, what would he think? Gaara's feelings must be quite complicated.

When Gaara spoke, he was pointing to an ice cream shop.

The shop's exterior design is inspired by Konoha's style, but the glass doors and neon lights seem a bit out of place with the traditional style of Sunagakure, making it look like a chain of ice cream shops from the Land of Fire.

However, as far as Sakura knows, Sunagakure does not currently allow such cold drink shops to open in the middle of the village; the shop's name "Shaved Ice" is also very characteristic of Sand Ninja, so it should be run by a local.

"When we came here last time," Sasuke, opening the glass door and walking inside. The brand-new decor indicated this was a newly opened shop, "I don't think this shop was even here yet?"

"It opened a few months ago," Gaara nodded.

The three of them found a place to sit down.

The bright-colored decor is somewhat out of place with the dark and gloomy tradition of the Sand shinobi. Most of the customers in the store are young people from the Sunagakure, many of whom are the new generation of Sand shinobi ninjas. When they see Gaara come in, they all turn their heads, nod or give him a look of respect, and most of them show friendly smiles or even respectful eyes.

Even several girls, including the female ninja, had suspicious blushes on their faces.

Gaara has distinct features, a handsome appearance, a refined temperament, and an imposing presence. He looks like a clean-cut and handsome young man, and with the added advantage of power, it's no wonder that he attracts the attention of many women.

As for Gaara's past bloodthirsty and ruthless personality, it was overlooked; or perhaps, his dark past aroused their sympathy and overflowing maternal love. If it weren't for the superior-subordinate relationship and the girls' modesty, a group of female fans would have surrounded him. With Gaara's current image, the labels of domineering CEO and handsome idol will probably remain on him for a long time.

Sakura Haruno was all too aware of the fervor of fans.

Having experienced two different genders in her two lifetimes, she has a good understanding of both men and women.

If Gaara ugly, the women present would likely have either hated and loathed Gaara eyes would be incredibly kind-hearted girls, one in a million.

Men are the same.

Beautiful women can whitewash any bad deeds they commit. As long as they have fair skin, a pretty face, big breasts, and long legs, even if she's a world-destroying demon, there will always be a group of people licking her boots.

Gaara wasn't the only one enjoying this special attention; Sasuke, who was standing beside him, also received some.

The two handsome men with contrasting styles stirred up a commotion among the girls.

In terms of looks, Sasuke has the edge. In terms of charisma, Kazekage, now the Gaara, with his deeper and more profound gaze, wins the argument. Overall, Sasuke seems a little shallow; after all, this boy who used to constantly talk about revenge hasn't completely shaken off his adolescent phase. Even now, he's somewhat resistant to deep thought—because once he delves deeper, he has to confront the possibility that his clan once plotted against Konoha and started a war. Influenced by Sakura Haruno, Sasuke is well aware that such treasonous behavior is unjustifiable anywhere.

Family or village, relatives or companions? Using insufficient evidence as an excuse, Sasuke was subconsciously trying to avoid these sharp, conflicting questions.

However, he will have to face it sooner or later.

In comparison, women generally prefer men who can give them a sense of security, and the refined and gentle Gaara is more to their liking.

Watching the excited girls whisper amongst themselves, covering their mouths, about who was more handsome and who would be a better boyfriend, Sakura Haruno couldn't help but want to laugh. Regardless of gender or world, humans share many common flaws, such as indulging in fantasies that have no basis in reality. Knowing Sasuke and Gaara as she did, it was no wonder they wouldn't be interested in these chattering girls.

However, her smile quickly faded, because as the girl following behind two handsome men, Sakura also received attention. The gazes cast upon her by both boys and girls were piercing. She could understand the former's feelings, but the collective envy, jealousy, and hatred from the girls was something Sakura was experiencing for the first time.

It's as if the sentiment is, "How could that vixen stay next to those two handsome men!"

The subtle feeling left Sakura Haruno somewhat bewildered and amused.

If this were in Konoha, there would be virtually no ninja who didn't recognize her. Given her status and strength, they naturally wouldn't dare to make such a rude move. The Sand shinobi, however, didn't know her, so their gazes became somewhat blatant.

Gaara and Sasuke have experienced similar incidents many times, developing the ability to ignore female admirers and remain calm. Sakura, on the other hand, is a little uncomfortable. Sitting in the chair, feeling the desire of the girls around her to take her place, she always feels like she's sitting on pins and needles.

After chatting for a while, the conversation turned to Naruto —a topic that all three of them were very interested in.

"Is Naruto still training hard with Jiraiya?" Gaara asked.

"Hmm, he's not back yet," Sakura Haruno said with a smile. "We can only contact him by letter every few months, so we don't know much about his current situation, but I guess everything is going well?"

"Sakura, you're not just sending letters, are you?" Sasuke, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes. "You're even sending him clothes... I don't understand what you're thinking."

Sakura Haruno pouted, "Isn't this better than sending a scroll? He wouldn't even look at it anyway. At least he knows how to dress, and Hinata and I have better taste Jiraiya that unkempt old man Jiraiya!"

Last time, Sakura received so much information, but Naruto only read the first page before falling asleep. After hearing about that, Sakura was speechless.

Sasuke, however, refused to believe it and sent Naruto a lot of Wind Release materials he thought Naruto could use from the clan library... In comparison, a few new clothes would be a more suitable choice—this was something Hinata reminded her of after Naruto returned to the village last time. The observant girl noticed that there were patches on the hem of his clothes, and she figured that training in the wild would inevitably damage his clothes, and it would be quite difficult for two grown men to do needlework.

She herself didn't even understand the amazing skill of needlework.

Sakura Haruno's eloquent rebuttal left Gaara speechless with a laugh; behind his calm smile lay a hint of envy hidden deep within him, for he had never encountered a companion who cared for him in such a way.

People always cherish what they can't easily obtain. Gaara always longed to have normal interpersonal relationships, companions, and friends like Naruto.

However, as Gaara became the Kazekage and began to shoulder the responsibilities of the village on his still somewhat immature shoulders, the people around him in the village would only form a superior-subordinate relationship with him, and fewer and fewer people would be qualified to care for him as a comrade...

(1/. My laziness is still not cured!! I will make up for the missed updates~~~)