Sasori wasn't lying—he did know a Ninja skilled in Wind Release.
That person was none other than his colleague in the Akatsuki, Kakuzu. While Kakuzu's proficiency in Wind Release wasn't on par with the Kazekage, he was at least at the level of an elite joNinja, more than capable of instructing a young girl Temari. More importantly, Kakuzu was a Ninja who worked for money. As long as the price was right, Kakuzu would do anything… except for assassinating the first Hokage. Also, Sasori didn't dislike such a person.
Temari nodded slightly, silently accepting Sasori's decision. However, she kept her distance from him, believing that his approach toward her and her two younger brothers was merely an attempt to win favor, to present himself as a benevolent figure to the Sand Ninja.
To Temari, this was neither entirely good nor entirely bad.
After all, even when their father, the Fourth Kazekage, was still in Sunagakure, they never received warmth from him. Now, they had gained another guardian.
Just as Temari had this thought, Sasori approached Gaara, extended his hand, and said, "I've finally delivered the old woman's message. So, do you have some time now? Let's find a quiet place outside. The village is still too noisy."
Gaara grasped Sasori's hand and nodded in response.
Watching the two of them leave, Temari furrowed her brows and glanced at Kankuro beside her. The siblings exchanged a helpless smile.
"Kankuro, don't you think the acting Kazekage is strange? He doesn't seem like a Kazekage at all."
"You're right, sis. I feel like he and Gaara are the same type of person—kids who were never accepted. How did our village end up with such a troubling acting Kazekage?"
---
Several hundred meters away, Byakuya and the Fourth Kazekage stood atop a tower, witnessing everything.
When the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, saw Sasori taking Gaara out to play, he also noticed the genuine smile on Gaara's face. That smile made his own expression grow extremely solemn.
For the first time, he began to question himself as a father. He always thought what he did as a father was all for the village and his family. Surely, his children should understand, but why did Gaara look so happy? Had he failed as a father?
If Byakuya knew what the Fourth Kazekage was thinking, he would have laughed out loud. If Rasa was considered a competent father, then the Shinobi world had no unqualified fathers. After all, ordering an uncle to assassinate his own son wasn't something an average person could even imagine.
After a brief silence, the Fourth Kazekage turned to Byakuya and asked, "Byakuya, did you bring me here just to show me Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara—just to prove that they can live better without me?"
"If you want to see it that way, I can't stop you…" Byakuya raised a brow to which Rasa sighed.
"I truly am not a good father…" The Fourth Kazekage crossed his arms and continued, "But I consider myself a competent Kazekage. If I had to choose between the village and my family, I would choose the village."
Byakuya gave him a pitying look and said, "I don't want to break it to you, but you're neither a good father nor a good Kazekage."
The Fourth Kazekage's expression darkened. "How am I not a good Kazekage? Do you have any idea how difficult it is to lead Sunagakure? If I hadn't exhausted myself mining for resources, the village's finances would have collapsed long ago."
Rasa began to explain how hard it was to manage a village devoid of any plant life but sand and wind.
"The Land of Wind Daimyo's military funding is limited. The Kazekage, Sasori, you're supporting will eventually have to rely on my methods to solve Sunagakure's financial crisis."
Byakuya shook his head. "I'm not denying your contributions to the village, but your entire approach has been flawed from the start. No matter how much effort you put into the wrong path, you'll only get the wrong results."
The Fourth Kazekage stared at Byakuya, signaling him to continue.
Byakuya took a sip of water and explained, "The financial crisis of Sunagakure is due to a combination of geographical disadvantages and war losses. Solving it requires the collective effort of the entire village, not just reliance on a single powerful Ninja. In the years after the Third Great Ninja War, you temporarily stabilized the situation through mining, but the moment something happens to you, the village will face an even greater crisis and become completely dependent on Konoha."
Hearing this, the Fourth Kazekage unexpectedly replied, "You're not wrong. Sunagakure has already become the vassal of another power—not Konoha, but the Akatsuki."
Byakuya remained unfazed. "If you truly want to resolve the crisis, there are only two solutions: developing chakra technology or utilizing the natural resources within the Land of Wind. Sunagakure has already fallen behind in biological research. If it wants to catch up, the only way is through puppet technology—creating various puppets to compensate for the village's population shortage."
"This is why you let Sasori replace me?" The Fourth Kazekage began to seriously contemplate.
"That's part of the reason…"
Byakuya glanced at him and continued, "Apart from puppet technology, Sunagakure can also rely on the natural resources of the Land of Wind. Before arriving here, I deliberately investigated the underground regions of the Land of Wind's desert and discovered a vast reserve of oil and gas. With these resources, Sunagakure won't have to worry about finances for decades to come."
"Oil and gas? What's that?" The Fourth Kazekage didn't understand.
Byakuya sighed and explained, "It's an alternative energy source to chakra. While it hasn't been widely used yet, many within the Five Great Nations have already begun utilizing it."
Hearing this, the Fourth Kazekage began to grasp the significance of oil.
With Byakuya's explanations, he realized he no longer needed to worry about Sunagakure's future. As long as they had puppet technology and oil, the village's future would be bright. However, what unsettled him was that the one leading Sunagakure to prosperity wasn't him—it was the Sasori of the Red Sand.
Under Byakuya's guidance, the Rasa reluctantly left Sunagakure and met up with Orochimaru outside the village.
Seeing the dejected Fourth Kazekage, Orochimaru couldn't stop smiling.
He had been framed and exiled from Konoha, but Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, had actually been forced into becoming a rogue Ninja. The Ninja world was becoming more and more amusing.
After calming himself, the Rasa asked, "Byakuya, what should I do next?"
Byakuya rested his chin on his hand, pondered for a while, and said, "You're a rogue Ninja now, and rogue Ninjas have their own way of survival. Stay with Orochimaru in Land of Rice for now—he has a few mines there if I recall correctly…"
How did he end up a rogue Ninja, only to go back to mining? The Fourth Kazekage was speechless.
Sensing his frustration, Byakuya continued, "Mining is just to train your Magnet Release. Once the time is right, I'll have you and Orochimaru make a move against Konoha, freeing Sunagakure from its shackles once and for all."
Hearing this, the Fourth Kazekage's eyes lit up.
If he was doing hard labor, he would question his life choices. But if it was for the sake of the village, that changed everything. If he couldn't be the Kazekage in the light, he would become the Kazekage in the shadows.
At least, as a rogue Ninja, he could finally attack Konoha without restraint.
From this perspective, maybe being a rogue Ninja wasn't so bad after all.