It was late at night, yet bright light still shone from the window of the Kazekage's office in Sunagakure.
At this hour, Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage, still sat behind his broad desk, buried in a mountain of documents.
Reports, budgets, diplomatic papers, border outpost briefings, ninja mission evaluations... All manner of scrolls and papers nearly swallowed his figure whole.
If nothing unexpected happened, tonight would likely be another all-nighter.
As the youngest Kage in Sunagakure's history, Gaara bore an exceptionally heavy burden. The village's top-tier combat strength was lacking between generations, voices within the village questioned his qualifications, and most fundamentally, Sunagakure had long suffered from its chronic ailment—harsh conditions and an extreme scarcity of resources.
When he had first taken the position of Kazekage, pressure from every direction, both inside and outside the village, had once left him suffocated and sleepless.
Yet whenever he felt weary or lost, that warm figure, like the sun in his heart, would always appear at just the right time, giving him encouragement and strength.
To live up to that trust and friendship, and to fulfill the goal he had built within his heart, Gaara gritted his teeth and made it step by step to this day.
More than half a year ago, a turning point had quietly arrived. A new staple crop had been introduced to Sunagakure at an extremely low price and with astonishing environmental adaptability. It could grow tenaciously in barren sands and mature quickly, greatly easing the village's food shortage and finally lightening the burden on Gaara's shoulders somewhat.
Though the number of documents requiring his personal approval did not seem to have decreased because of it.
"Gaara, I'm coming in."
There was a gentle knock on the office door before it was pushed open. Kankuro entered carrying an insulated