Talent Is the Village's Future

"With humble sincerity, I hereby swear to devote my life to carrying on the arduous spirit of our predecessors and glorifying the foundation they built from nothing. Let all men and gods bear witness to these words." Keiko cut his finger and smeared the blood across his lips. Then, before the giant stone statues of Reto, the First Kazekage, and Shamon, the Second Kazekage, as well as the representatives and elders of Sunagakure's many clans, Keiko bowed to the Land of Wind's daimyo—a fat man with tiny eyes and a mustache. Smiling, the fat man placed a green conical hat bearing the character "Wind" on Keiko's head and warmly shook his hand. Thus, amid everyone's applause, the succession ceremony came to a successful conclusion.

Keiko had been run ragged these past days. The Second's funeral, talks with the daimyo, meetings with the leaders of every clan and faction, comforting war orphans—he had even used the Shadow Clone Technique. Only today did things finally come to a temporary pause.

"Baki, make arrangements. Have Yashamaru and Watanabe take people to Lishi Fortress and rotate Rasa, Pakura, and the Akasuna couple back. They've been delayed for too long. Neither the ANBU nor the Ninja Academy can function normally."

"Yes, Kazekage-sama. But in a few days, you'll be setting out on a diplomatic visit to the Konoha, and you'll pass through Lishi Fortress on the way..."

"You nearly made me forget. Have Rasa and Pakura wait at Lishi Fortress, then. We'll bring them along when the time comes. Oh, and send them appointments as guards."

"Yes, Kazekage-sama. The Land of Wind's daimyo will be returning to the Temple of Wind shortly. Aren't you going to see him off?" Baki replied.

"See him off, my ass. Don't mention that dead-fat bastard. He's a damn miser, barely even human! Let Elder Ebizo see him off! I don't have time to wait on that lordling!" Keiko cursed furiously.

The relationship between daimyo and ninja was quite interesting in the world of Naruto. Daimyo had existed since ancient times. Before there were ninja in the world, Kaguya's husband had been the leader of a tribe—in other words, a daimyo. Later, when Ninshu emerged, the Sage of Six Paths preached his Ninshu on the lands belonging to those daimyo, and their presence gradually grew weaker. To put it simply, the nominal leaders of the Five Great Nations were the five daimyo. They controlled nearly all the land, wealth, and taxes, yet possessed virtually no armed forces. Military power was entirely in the hands of the ninja villages, while the villages' operating funds were supplied by the daimyo. In other words, ninja were a group of thugs and bodyguards hired by the daimyo, while the ones who truly decided to wage war were usually the Kage of each village. (It really was complicated. It was hard to imagine why those Kage, who could turn the world upside down, had never rebelled against the daimyo. Kishimoto probably never intended to explain it clearly either; he only brushed over the daimyo issue. There was no need to get too hung up on it. Just roll with it.)

On the night before the succession ceremony, Keiko had gone, under the introduction of Elders Chiyo and Ebizo, to visit the Land of Wind's daimyo. Bluntly put, it was to get acquainted and pay his respects. The second purpose was to discuss Sunagakure's future funding. In truth, Shamon, the Second Kazekage, had suffered defeat in the Land of Rain largely because of insufficient funding. And this Land of Wind daimyo was famously stingy and miserly. When Sunagakure had reached its most critical moment and was nearly destroyed, he had only grudgingly produced fifteen million ryo. From Keiko's conversation with Danzo that night, the Land of Fire's daimyo had granted the Konoha two hundred million ryo in war funds in one lump sum! If Sunagakure could win a war like that, it would be a miracle. Sure enough, the daimyo's first words were: "Since the Kazekage has already formed an alliance and made peace with the Konoha, there is no need to maintain such enormous funding." Then, with one stroke, he slashed the thirty million ryo in annual operating funds needed to keep the village running in half. Fifteen million! No matter how Keiko and the two elders patiently laid out the facts and reasoned with him, exhausting themselves with persuasion, he refused to budge. He shook his head like a rattle drum, as though asking for money was asking for his life.

Keiko eventually grew fed up as well. He could not be bothered to waste any more words. Fifteen million it was, but he had one request: the daimyo had to give him ownership of the land around Moon Lake. He could farm the land himself, right? Otherwise, there was simply no way to keep things going. The little fat man calculated that Moon Lake did not seem to bring in much tax revenue, so he nodded in agreement. Without hesitation, he signed the land transfer document and even allocated two years' worth of military funds. He added that these were difficult times and hoped Lord Keiko would manage Sunagakure well over the next two years and not disappoint his high expectations. The way he feared Keiko might change his mind... If Chiyo had not held him back, Keiko would have nearly cut the fat man down with Iron Sand: Drizzle.

Dead fat bastard, just wait. Your day to cry will come!

After quite a while, Keiko calmed down and handed the green conical hat on his head to Baki. He had hated the hat at first sight. From now on, he would avoid wearing the damned thing whenever possible.

"Baki, I have a task for you next. Later, I'll allocate fifteen million from the funds to you. Go do something for me."

"Please give the order, Kazekage-sama."

"A great war is coming. When it does, the people of every nation will surely be displaced. You are to guide them to Moon Lake. On one hand, it will increase the population; on the other, it will strengthen Moon Lake's development."

"Yes."

"This war has cost Sunagakure dearly. Many outstanding ninja and bloodline inheritors have died. We must spare no expense to bring in outstanding ninja and bloodline clans living in exile—even rogue ninja. Sunagakure needs fresh blood."

"This..." Baki was a little startled. This project seemed rather enormous.

"Heh, of course I won't have you do this alone." Keiko smiled and patted Baki on the shoulder.

"I'll have Elder Chiyo support you. She and I will clear away any discordant elements within Sunagakure for you. I'll establish a new department called the Immigration Bureau, and you will serve as its first director. The fifteen million I just promised you is merely startup capital. Afterward, whether you need people or money, as long as it is something I can provide, just ask. I'll do everything possible to satisfy you."

Baki froze, unable to speak for a long while. How much power was that?

Keiko smiled. "Brother, the burden on your shoulders is heavy. Talent is the village's future. Recruitment, resettlement, internal security, household registration files, urban construction, counterespionage—in short, you and Garukei must turn Moon Lake into the most vibrant city in the Shinobi World. I'm entrusting half the village's future to you."

"And the other half?" Baki asked foolishly.

"Education, of course." Keiko pointed in the direction of the Ninja Academy.

Ebizo looked at the two books before him, Sunagakure Education Reform Plan and Will of Wind, and could not help sighing. Keiko's ambitions were no small thing.

Education was extremely important to every nation. This was especially true for ninja villages centered around ninja. One careless mistake could easily lead to tragedy. In the Shinobi World, the destructive power wielded by ninja was terrifying. Yet even the Konoha, with its so-called Will of Fire, constantly produced rogue ninja. Why? In peacetime, ninja still had to complete missions to support themselves. In wartime, did anyone expect a group of children who could barely fill their stomachs and trained every day in the art of killing to become model students? Dream on.

When Keiko had met with him alone last night, he had immediately appointed Ebizo as the first director of the Education Bureau and allocated ten million for educational funding. A large amount of funding would follow afterward. He had made his position clear with one sentence: no matter how bitter things became, children could not suffer; no matter how poor they became, education could not be neglected. In an instant, this old revolutionary who had followed Reto, the First Kazekage, through mountains of blades and seas of fire was overcome with emotion. He immediately accepted the appointment letter and vowed to fight to the end for the village's educational cause.

Keiko believed that the first step was to shape the children's core values. Will of Wind began with how the people of the desert had struggled to survive and fought unyieldingly against their harsh environment. It continued until Reto, the First Kazekage, subdued the powerful, founded a ninja village, maneuvered skillfully at the Five Nations Conference, and secured a place among the Five Great Nations... It was a perfect inspirational read, more than enough to become a beacon for the children's minds.

Sunagakure Education Reform Plan, meanwhile, proposed dividing education into two branches: the Ninja Academy and technical schools, with two campuses each in Sunagakure and Moon Lake Base. Children with ninja talent would attend the Ninja Academy, while those without talent could learn a trade and still serve the village. The plan also included scholar exchanges and study-abroad programs to places such as the Konoha and the Land of Crafts. The detailed arrangements would be decided after Keiko completed this diplomatic visit.

After reading the two books, Ebizo threw back his head and laughed. Two streams of tears spilled from his eyes.

"Brother-in-law, Sunagakure has hope!"