Let's make a harem in Naruto- CH-23. The Fourth Kazekage!

The shuriken that Aoki was holding tightly in both hands suddenly struggled free from his grasp! Two shurikens flew to Rasa's side, then aimed themselves at Aoki simultaneously. When Aoki saw this, he swallowed hard, his heart skipping a beat as a possibility dawned on him. His pupils shrank in realization.

"No, that's impossible, right?"

After saying this, Aoki's face showed an expression that was hard to decipher—somewhere between laughter and tears.

It seemed he was both hoping his inner guess was correct and dreading that it might be true.

"It's exactly what you think." Rasa ruthlessly shattered Aoki's illusions.

"Huh? Ha! Hahahaha! Haha!!" Upon hearing the answer, Aoki burst into strange laughter, his voice filled with a mix of emotions.

After laughing, he grinned at Rasa, "Hee! You truly are the only disciple of the Third Kazekage. You've mastered the Iron Sand! It's no shame losing to you. No shame at all!" Rasa watched Aoki's crazed expression quietly. He shook his head slowly and said:

"Do you really think my master's Iron Sand could control iron tools and puppets to this extent?" Aoki was stunned. He stared at Rasa blankly, pursed his lips, and then laughed again, this time so hard that tears streamed down his face.

Everyone on the sand dune looked at each other in bewilderment; they had never expected this.

A forty-year-old veteran who had survived two Ninja World Wars, collected corpses on the battlefield at the age of five, and faced countless life-and-death battles, had now completely lost his composure.

As the saying goes, men don't shed tears easily. As a ninja, how could he cry while laughing? After laughing for more than ten seconds, Aoki, still bound by the sand cocoon, could only blink his eyes, trying to wipe away the tears.

Once he composed himself, Aoki wore a complicated expression, a mix of a smile and a grimace.

"Oh, you brat! Yes, the Third could only control Iron Sand, but you can control weapons and puppets freely. You've surpassed the Third, even surpassed the master! No wonder you're so confident!"

"Hehe, what sin have I committed? First, he suppressed me for decades, and now, just as I thought I was free, you come along—an even more outstanding talent!"

The dozens of ninjas close to Rasa overheard the conversation between Aoki and him. They were stunned at first, then ecstatic! The people on the sand dunes heard the conversation a second later. Their reactions were identical: shock, followed by joy. Some ninjas even shed tears of excitement!

The Sand Village had never been a ninja village favored by fate. Though these ninjas often dreamed of a savior emerging to rescue the Sand Village, they had never seen one. Now, with the disappearance of the Third Kazekage, they thought it was the end for the Sand Village.

But unexpectedly, it seemed as if the heavens had finally heard their pleas and answered. They had just witnessed the birth of a super genius who surpassed the Third Kazekage!Pakura looked at Rasa with admiration, her red lips parting as she smiled.

"Humph, this is more like it. You're worthy of being my best friend!" Yasha hugged Karura excitedly, even clinging to her sister. Karura gently stroked her sisters's hair, her eyes tender and filled with tears.

"I've already told you that Mery Rasa is the savior of the Sand Village! But you just wouldn't believe me!" Mery placed her hands on her slender waist, turning to lecture the members of the Shadow Guard beside her.

The Shadow Guard members exchanged glances, then looked at Rasa simultaneously. The only visible part of their faces—their eyes—were filled with excitement.

Rem stared at Rasa, her breathing rapid. Her ample chest, restrained by layers of bindings, rose and fell dramatically. She was so excited she couldn't speak, her mind completely blank.

After a sigh, Aoki's face showed a puzzled expression as he asked, "Then why didn't you use the Iron Sand from the beginning? If you had, I would've lost immediately, and you wouldn't have had to fight for so long. Winning quickly would've earned you even more respect. Don't you know that?"

Rasa smiled, looking up at the sky. He raised his right hand to shield his eyes from the direct sunlight, "The Ninja World War is inevitable. When the war intensifies, as the Kazekage, I'll have to personally lead our forces against the elite of other villages. So, I wanted to know how many moves it would take to defeat an elite jonin using only half my strength. As for respect and obedience? The fact that I defeated you is proof enough."

With that, Rasa moved his fingers slightly, and the sand cocoon binding Aoki dispersed.

Aoki didn't bother to stretch his numb limbs. He simply stood up straight and looked at Rasa with a frown. This was the first time Aoki had truly looked at the young man seriously. Rasa met Aoki's scrutinizing gaze without flinching, his face calm and composed.

Aoki studied Rasa silently. He suddenly realized that the quiet, unremarkable young man from his memory was now so composed, his eyes hiding depths Aoki couldn't fathom.

This kind of expression was something Aoki had only seen in the Second and Third Kazekage. But there had always been a hint of uncertainty about the Sand Village's future in their eyes. This young man, however, showed no such doubt.

As for the First Kazekage, Aoki had no memory of him, as he had died shortly after Aoki was born.

"Rasa... Rasa, I take back what I said to you before. You are indeed the most suitable person to lead the Sand Village in the coming war." After saying this, Aoki's expression softened, and a hint of shame appeared on his face. He continued, "I am truly no match for you." With that, Aoki turned his head away, falling silent. His eyes fixed on the sand, as if deep in thought or preparing for something.

A long moment passed, though it felt like only a second. Aoki steadied himself, turned back to Rasa, and his expression became solemn and serious. After a few seconds of silence, Aoki slowly and firmly knelt on one knee before Rasa.

His head, which had never bowed, lowered until his forehead touched the sand.

"Jonin Aoki, greets the Fourth Kazekage!"

Rasa showed no change in expression, as if he had expected this. He calmly observed Aoki kneeling respectfully, then nodded. Placing his hands behind his back, he slowly scanned the people on the surrounding sand dunes.

The ninjas on the dunes had recovered from their initial shock. Soon, they all reacted in unison, kneeling on one knee toward Rasa.

"Jonin Pakura, greets the Fourth Kazekage!"

"Jonin Karura, greets the Fourth Kazekage!"

"Jonin Rem, greets the Fourth Kazekage!"

"Jonin Mizuon, greets the Fourth Kazekage!"

…

"Chunin Yasha, greets the Fourth Kazekage!"

"Chunin Mery, greets the Fourth Kazekage!"

…

Though not in unison, their firm voices echoed across the sand dunes for a long time. Rasa took a deep breath, trying to suppress his inner excitement. He dug his fingernails into his palms, his hands still behind his back.

Yes, Rasa wasn't as calm as he appeared. But he knew he had to conceal his emotions now. He looked up into the distance, the breeze causing his black robe to flutter behind him.

"Don't worry. As long as I'm here, the Sand Village will never fall. We will move forward and thrive!"

_______

"What did you say? Rasa dealt with Aoki in just five minutes?"

In the Kazekage's office, Chiyo, seated nearby, widened her eyes slightly. She patted her ears, as if doubting what she had just heard.

"The Fourth... no, Rasa, indeed defeated Jonin Aoki within five minutes, and with ease. Moreover, he has mastered the Third Kazekage's Iron Sand and has surpassed him." Standing not far from the office, a plump woman wearing an eagle mask tried to suppress her excitement, speaking in a calm tone.

An unfamiliar middle-aged man's voice echoed in the office.

"Fourth? Are you calling him that already?"

Seated in the Kazekage's chair was a middle-aged man with blue hair and yellow eyes, wearing a white Kazekage robe over a blue ninja suit.

Mery nodded slightly, "Yes, everyone present at the time knelt before Rasa and acknowledged him as the Fourth Kazekage."

The middle-aged man nodded, a hint of regret in his voice, "Really? It's a pity I couldn't be there. From your description, it must have been a breathtaking scene."

Chiyo patted her ears again, ensuring she wasn't hallucinating. She suppressed her excitement and shot a glare at the middle-aged man, "Brother, stop talking. There's a pile of documents on your desk waiting for you. Finish them quickly so we can head to the village this afternoon."

The middle-aged man was Ebizo, who had used a substitution technique to disguise himself as the Third Kazekage. Ebizo shook his head helplessly. At his age, he should have retired long ago, yet here he was, still working.

He wanted to say something, but seeing Chiyo's stern expression, he quickly buried himself in the documents. Once Ebizo was focused on his work, Chiyo pondered for a moment before addressing Mery.

"Go tell Rem to inform all the ninjas on the dunes to refer to Rasa as they did before. No mention of the title 'Fourth' yet. For now, we still need the Third Kazekage to stabilize the situation. When the time comes in a few months, we'll officially declare Rasa as the Fourth Kazekage. Also, call Rasa over."

Mery nodded slightly, relieved, "Yes."

Ebizo, still focused on a document, suddenly asked, "Sister, why do so many people suddenly know about the Third's disappearance?"

Chiyo picked up her teacup, took a sip, and snorted coldly.

____________

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