All In

The location of Sunagakure was a rare strategic point in the Land of Wind.

The towering rock walls, hundreds of meters high, served as the village's natural fortification, broken only by a crack tens of meters wide on the southeastern side.

Perched along the perilous terrain, the shinobi of the Sand had fortified their village to be as impregnable as iron walls.

It was here, favored by nature, that over a dozen underground springs supplied the entire village with water.

Near the heart of Sunagakure, in the subterranean palace, Chiyo and Ebizo had not ventured out for some time.

Hidden behind the scenes, quietly controlling the village's major policies, the siblings were, as usual, indulging in fishing.

The vast underground water system flowing through Sunagakure gave birth to a gentle subterranean river here, where blind fish, nearly devoid of sight, managed to exist.

These creatures, unlike those above ground, became the pastime for Chiyo and Ebizo during their idle moments.

Not far from them sat Rasa, usually concealing his true face beneath a straw hat and mask.

With short brown hair and dressed in a black ninja outfit with a netted undershirt, Rasa lacked his usual air of mystery, appearing instead as an ordinary middle-aged man, awaiting guidance from his seniors.

Chiyo was silent, seemingly lost in the joy of fishing.

Ebizo, with half-closed eyes, pondered deeply before sighing helplessly.

"Have you made up your mind?"

"Yes! We can't wait any longer."

Rasa's resonant voice was decisive.

"It's not that you can't wait, is it?"

Ebizo put away his fruitless fishing rod and sat facing Rasa.

"You, who turned the tide on the battlefield against the invasion from Kumogakure, the one who became Kazekage not long after, you're not young anymore."

Decades ago, Sunagakure was like a village trapped in a nightmare. The Third Kazekage disappeared without a trace, and the Third Great Ninja War ended in a disastrous defeat. Iwagakure was ever watchful, and Kumogakure seized the opportunity to invade.

Sunagakure, besieged on three sides and at odds with Kirigakure, was in turmoil.

With Chiyo and Ebizo's support, Rasa became the Fourth Kazekage. He led the apprehensive Suna shinobi to defeat the Cloud shinobi, handed the infamous Scorch Release ninja, Yekura, over to Kirigakure to settle old scores, and signed a humiliating peace treaty with Konohagakure in exchange for support, before finally focusing on the northern nemesis, Iwagakure.

As many criticized Rasa's weakness, just as many were relieved that Sunagakure finally had a Kazekage who knew when to advance or retreat.

Whether it was the disgraceful treaty with Konoha or the betrayal of Yekura for Kirigakure's concession, Sunagakure weathered the storm.

Each time Rasa visited Chiyo and Ebizo, it marked a significant upcoming move for Sunagakure.

"Whether we can't wait or don't want to wait, the result is the same!"

"Have you considered the consequences if you fail?"

"Fail?"

Rasa's stern face showed resolve,

"By then, I would have already died in battle. Let the life of the Fourth Kazekage calm the fury of Konoha. If that's not enough, my three children can join the offering."

Hearing Rasa's reply, Ebizo's eyebrows twitched,

"Each generation of Kazekage in Sunagakure doesn't seem to fare well."

Carrying the staggering village forward was the duty of the Kazekage.

"The evil seeds I planted, I shall uproot them myself."

Sunagakure, which hadn't bared its fangs in a long time, was struggling to maintain its status among the Five Great Shinobi Countries.

The powerful Takigakure and Amegakure were restless, eager to test whether Sunagakure, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, lived up to its reputation. Even the opportunistic Kusagakure dared to show its fangs to the Sand.

The urgency to change the village's dire situation was a consensus from top to bottom.

Waiting for an opportunity, Rasa pressed to extract potential from within, hoping to quickly recover the strength lost due to the Third Kazekage's disappearance and the failure of the Third Great Ninja War.

His youngest son, Gaara, became a sacrifice, turned into the one-tailed jinchuriki.

The next few years would mark the peak of Sunagakure's strength; any further delay, and the bravery and spirit of the Sand shinobi would wane.

"Since you've made up your mind, proceed as you planned. If you need our cooperation, just command us. After all, you are the Kazekage!"

"Thank you for your understanding!"

Rasa bowed deeply with respect, just as he did when he first ascended to the throne of the Fourth Kazekage,

"If I do not return from this mission, please look after Sunagakure."

With that, Rasa rose and departed.

After a long while, Chiyo put away her fishing rod,

"I'm tired of this for today, Ebizo. Let's go back."

"Hmm."

"That Rasa, he's finally starting to look like a Kazekage."

"He's always been the Kazekage, sister. It's just that you've always seen him as a little brat who never grew up."

In Chiyo's eyes, were there any shinobi of Sunagakure who weren't immature?

...

Most missions for Sunagakure's Genin were within the Land of Wind, and most of them had never seen what lay beyond before becoming Chunin.

The outside world hired Suna shinobi too seldom, and due to geographical reasons, many troublesome missions were avoided by the Sand.

Many Genin yearned for the chance to witness Konohagakure during the joint Chunin Exams.

With some time before departure, it was too late to take on C-rank missions, and the uninteresting D-rank tasks held little meaning for candidates like Daimaru, who were about to take the Chunin Exams.

Most of the Genin qualified for the exams were silently preparing, Daimaru included.

In terms of talent, Daimaru was not lacking, though he was not exceptionally brilliant.

He couldn't match Rock Lee or Ziro in terms of effort, and the self-aware Daimaru knew his body couldn't withstand such rigorous training.

Senza and Yoru had their plans and had gone off to special training somewhere.

Their team leader, Otofuku, had been too busy to look after his nominal students.

But that was fine. Daimaru had always been his own master on the path of training.

Besides crafting puppets and routine hard practice, he wandered the village whenever he had time.

Feeling his strength had reached a plateau, he struggled to find the breakthrough to ascend further.

Unlike those born with legacies, who could learn secret techniques, contract powerful summoning beasts, or inherit divine weapons to dominate the battlefield, Daimaru didn't have such luxuries.

Doubts were natural, even when one had chosen their path, hesitating whether it was viable.

The Chunin Exams were an excellent opportunity to gauge his strength.

"Ninja activity is on the rise, ration pills are often sold out in the weapon shops, the war machine is starting..."

Daimaru's heart chilled as he pondered that it might be time to prepare some life-saving tricks.