Let's make a harem in Naruto- CH-36. Financial Crisis

Although some of these ten individuals were senior jonin, and even included veterans who had survived the First and Second Great Ninja Wars with over 40 years of service, Ebizo couldn't believe they were undercover agents.

But out of trust in Rasa and a sense of caution, he nodded carefully.

"I'll have these ten people secretly monitored." Rasa didn't say much. He finished his tea and then suddenly remembered something.

"How are the war preparations going?" As the quasi-Fourth Kazekage, expected to take over at any moment, Rasa was naturally qualified to ask such questions. After finishing another document, Ebizo lowered his voice.

"We've gathered enough supplies to sustain 2,000 ninjas for 30 days. These supplies have been sent to the Fire and Lightning defense lines. The village's usual stockpile has also tripled. If war breaks out, prices won't fluctuate much for at least a month."

"Training for students at the Ninja School has also been intensified. We're teaching them more offensive ninjutsu, which they'd normally have to seek out on their own later. Students who were originally slated to be expelled have also been retained."

The teacher-student relationship in Sunagakure's Ninja School wasn't as selfless as Konoha's. It was more transactional. Sunagakure's education system paled in comparison to Konoha's mature and comprehensive model.

Given the village's poverty, they could only imitate what they could. The so-called Ninja School was more like an advanced version of a Boy Scout camp. It only taught basic literacy, chakra principles, and how to refine it, along with basic techniques like substitution and shurikenjutsu.

If a student was lucky enough to become a Genin after graduation, the rest depended on their own efforts. However, this system resulted in a high mortality rate among Sunagakure's Genin. Those who survived, though, were often the elite—a brutal form of natural selection.

Hearing this, Rasa frowned. Sunagakure had made some preparations, but they were far from sufficient. Supplies for 2,000 ninjas for 30 days might sound substantial, but in a full-scale war involving thousands of ninjas, it would barely last. Considering how long ninja wars typically dragged on, these supplies were woefully inadequate.

The Fourth Great Ninja War, which ended in just three days over a decade later, was an exception and couldn't serve as a reference. As for the village's stockpile, stabilizing prices for a month was better than nothing, but it wasn't enough.

Rasa found it strange as he knew Chiyo and Ebizo were well aware of the horrors of war. They wouldn't prepare so little unless there was a reason. Given their personalities and positions, they wouldn't cut corners on something so critical.

So he probed further, "Logically, we should have been better prepared by now."

Ebizo noticed Rasa's dissatisfaction. After a moment of silence, he spoke, "Rasa, we know these preparations are insufficient, but the village is out of money." With that, Ebizo, playing the role of the Third Kazekage, slumped in his chair. His tone was a mix of resignation and sorrow.

"Given Sunagakure's current finances, it's a miracle we could even afford these supplies. The village only has 5 million ryo left. While that seems like a lot, we have thousands of ninjas waiting for mission payments. Even if we prioritize paying the jonin, we can't delay the chunin and Genin payments for too long. If we keep buying supplies, it'll cripple the village's operations." Ebizo's tone grew more helpless.

"You know how the Daimyo feels about us. He's been cutting funding for years. The number of missions we receive is dwindling. Clients prefer Konoha or even Kumogakure." The Daimyo only saw Sunagakure as a tool, but he had other priorities.

Rasa didn't know what the saddest thing in the world was, but he knew the current situation was dire. Knowing war was imminent but lacking the funds to prepare was a nightmare.

Though Rasa had always known Sunagakure was poor, experiencing it firsthand drove the point home. He hesitated before speaking, "I'll go pan for gold later. That should help ease the financial strain." Then he added, "As for the Daimyo, I'll visit the Wind Daimyo's capital in a few days."

Ebizo's face lit up at first, but his expression shifted when he heard Rasa's next words. He took a deep breath and asked cautiously, "Rasa, how do you plan to convince the Daimyo?"

Rasa saw the doubt and fear in the old man's eyes. He waved his hand dismissively, "Don't worry. He's the Daimyo. I won't resort to extreme measures. I'll just have a... frank discussion with him." Without waiting for Ebizo's response, Rasa stood and walked out.

Ebizo frowned, watching Rasa's retreating figure, but eventually shook his head. He trusted that Rasa, who had always been well-behaved, wouldn't do anything drastic.

But he was wrong. If it were the original Rasa, he wouldn't have. But this Rasa, who had replaced the original, didn't care about such things.

______

As Rasa walked through the village, returning greetings from civilians and ninjas alike, he pondered his next steps. Natives of the ninja world revered the Daimyo and nobility, even as the Daimyo slowly strangled their village.

They endured without protest. This wasn't unique to Sunagakure. The other four great villages, including Konoha, were the same. Ninjas, who prided themselves on strength, bowed to those without power but with "noble blood."

Rasa didn't understand it, but he knew how to exploit it. As an outsider, he had no such reverence. Directly killing or threatening the Daimyo was irrational, but Rasa didn't need the system to handle this. He could arrange "accidents" for the Daimyo's guards, leaving him vulnerable.

Or subtly influence one of the Daimyo's neglected sons while eliminating the others.

Once the Daimyo was incapacitated, the rest would fall into place. Rasa had plenty of such methods. The ninja world's obsession with reputation and bloodline had blinded them to resistance.

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire had created the Twelve Guardian Ninjas, and Konoha had obediently complied. Even Asuma Sarutobi, the Third Hokage's son, had joined them. For decades, Asuma had been torn between Konoha and the Daimyo, his loyalty divided.

If even the Hokage's son was like this, what hope was there for ordinary ninjas? But Rasa didn't care about noble bloodlines or centuries of tradition. If the Daimyo was an obstacle, he'd replace him with someone more compliant.

As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Rasa left the village. He traveled dozens of miles into the desert and began refining gold from the sand.

By noon, he returned to the village and dumped a dozen bulging sacks of gold sand in front of Ebizo. Ebizo's eyes widened as he looked at the sacks. Before he could speak, Rasa vanished, leaving only a parting remark.

"I have urgent matters to attend to. I'll be back later."

Ebizo could only exchange a wry smile with Chiyo, who had just arrived. Chiyo set down her teacup and sighed, her tone complex.

____________

Thank you all for supporting me.