"What?! The Hidden Leaf is launching a massive open recruitment of talented individuals—and not just from the Land of Fire, or even limited to shinobi?!"

Inside a private room at Heaven on Earth, Rasa exclaimed in shock. He completely lost his composure, because the news he had just heard from Sarutobi Mizuki was simply too astonishing.

Mizuki's face changed. He immediately got up, peeked outside the door to confirm no one was there, then shut the door tightly and cast a soundproofing barrier before slumping back into the recliner with a look of dismay.

"Rasa-dono, could you not be so loud? That information is top secret. I only heard it through confidential channels—it hasn't been publicly announced. If someone overhears us, I could be accused of leaking classified intel."

"Sorry, Mizuki-dono. That was careless of me," Rasa quickly apologized with a guilty expression.

Mizuki waved it off. "It's fine. Your reaction was expected. We were just as stunned when we first found out. Who would've thought the higher-ups had the guts to push something this bold?"

He let out a sigh, full of emotion, clearly still reeling from the implications despite having known for some time.

And indeed, the shock hadn't been feigned. Everyone at their intelligence bureau had been floored when the news first broke.

Rasa played along, giving an exaggerated look of awe, then smoothly pulled out five 100,000-ryō silver notes and slipped them to Mizuki with a smile.

"Thanks for sharing this with me, Mizuki-dono. Care to go into more detail? I'm genuinely interested in how this will impact the shinobi world."

Mizuki accepted the money without a word and patted Rasa's shoulder with a knowing smile. Rasa, in turn, gave a modest laugh and gestured deferentially. The two chuckled together in mutual understanding.

Clearly, Mizuki had trained Rasa well—or rather, Rasa had earnestly studied the *way of officials*. He had thoroughly grasped the subtle arts of political maneuvering, something that had nothing to do with traditional shinobi skills but was essential for someone in a high-ranking position in Sunagakure.

Once, he had admired the Third Kazekage. But now…

Hmph. Don't underestimate my loyalty! I, Rasa, will always serve the Third Kazekage!

The village? That's a different story. After all, blindly serving something that's ultimately yours doesn't align with the way of power!

After some more polite formalities, Mizuki, having been paid, began explaining Konoha's recruitment plans in detail.

Much of the information would be publicly announced in the coming days, and analysts from every village would eventually deduce that the Hidden Leaf was severely understaffed.

In fact, every nation's delegation had been discreetly given these details ahead of time—as leverage.

Yes, every nation.

Not just Rasa. Any envoy with the right connections could obtain this information from Konoha's corrupt bureaucrats.

This wasn't double-dipping. It was *multi-dipping*. Konoha's intelligence bureau was raking it in.

And the other nations? They were thrilled. Getting early access to such important intel was more than worth the bribes.

Rasa grinned while listening to Mizuki's breakdown of the recruitment edict, inwardly marveling at how effective this "way of power" was. Compared to the old days of sneaking around and risking one's life for intel that might not even be reliable, this method was pure genius.

Real intelligence work should be like this—smooth, effortless, and so effective you could even bond with enemy leaders over drinks.

Sure, it cost money—but as Mizuki-dono had said, high-ranking shinobi were meant to steer the tides from behind the scenes, not charge mindlessly into battle like brainless samurai.

Once Mizuki finished speaking and took a sip of his drink, he turned to Rasa with a flushed face.

"That's the full picture. Any questions, Rasa-dono?"

Rasa shook his head. "No, you explained it clearly. I understand everything now."

Inwardly, though, he sneered. The Hidden Leaf was straying further down a misguided path—sacrificing everything in the name of commercial development. How foolish.

To him, the recruitment edict was a thinly veiled ploy to boost Konoha's industrial and economic strength. And that, in Rasa's eyes, was a fatal mistake.

They were recruiting not just shinobi, but anyone with skills—even carpenters were being welcomed.

That meant no real growth in military strength—just economic gain.

Which, to Rasa, was as good as digging their own grave.

Worse still, it opened the door wide for spies. With such a broad net, it would be easy for any major power to plant operatives within Konoha's infrastructure.

These spies wouldn't even need to act suspiciously—just show up, clock in, do honest work, and then wait. When war broke out, they could become ticking time bombs from within.

That's what professionals called infiltration.

So again—if this wasn't Konoha digging its own grave, what was it?

Sending spies had always been hard. Planting one in a rival village required immense resources. But now? Thanks to the recruitment edict, spies could stroll right in.

Rasa's blood was burning with anticipation. He could already start mobilizing. The sooner the better.

He thought of a perfect candidate from his own delegation: Yakura.

A young shinobi with the will of wind. Known throughout other villages, yes—but still young enough to manipulate.

Rasa already had multiple plans in mind to sneak Yakura into Konoha. All guaranteed success.

Beaming, he raised a glass to Mizuki and promised to cover the evening's expenses.

Mizuki, pleased, continued tutoring Rasa in the *way of power*, even sharing what Rasa would later call a profound truth:

"Those who think, govern. Those who labor, are governed."

Rasa savored those words, his eyes glowing with admiration.

This was a rare kind of knowledge—something only shinobi clans with deep connections to daimyō and nobility could possess.

Mizuki was a greedy, corrupt man—but he was generous with his knowledge after being paid.

Sunagakure had no one like him. And even if they did, that wisdom would be hoarded within bloodlines, never shared.

Rasa now viewed those clans with distrust.

But the feeling faded quickly—after all, the fewer people who had this knowledge, the better.

He'd boarded the train. It was time to weld the door shut.

That night, reeking of alcohol, Rasa sobered up with detox tea and immediately summoned a jōnin.

He wrote a scroll-sealed letter to the Third Kazekage, reporting the Hidden Leaf's impending recruitment edict and laying out a detailed spy plan.

Of course, he left out everything about Mizuki's teachings. As the *way of power* stated, subordinates should only show what their superiors want to see.

And Rasa's current persona?

The Third Kazekage's most loyal follower.

He had already walked a long, long road down the path of power.

After finishing, he summoned Yakura—who arrived wearing a mask.

Rasa blinked. "Yakura, why are you wearing a mask here?"

Yakura answered smoothly, "Rasa-sama, I believe that despite its flaws, the Hidden Leaf conceals many secrets. I wear this mask to remind myself to remain vigilant—as a shinobi of Sunagakure should."

Truthfully, her expression had become strained lately—ever since playing *Tales of the Shinobi*.

She was horrified to realize she'd fallen for three fictional girls in a game.

The mask was to hide her face—to prevent others from seeing that she'd become a giggling wreck of a fangirl.

Rasa, of course, didn't know this. He simply nodded in approval, growing ever more confident that Yakura was the right shinobi for the job.

With her abilities, she could easily embed herself into Konoha's mid-tier ranks. Once there, so many secrets would be hers for the taking.

And when the next Great Shinobi War erupted—boom. She'd be the detonator buried deep within.

Rasa explained everything.

Yakura, stunned, reacted just as he had: this was Konoha digging its own grave.

After all, spycraft was one of the most fundamental shinobi skills.

Sure, Rasa now saw it as crude and lacking finesse—but it remained essential.

He told her the village would be sending spies to Konoha under the guise of the edict, hoping they'd rise through the ranks and become embedded assets.

Yakura understood. She knew why she had been called.

And she didn't resist.

She saw it as a duty. An honor.

But she had one question.

"Rasa-sama, Konoha knows who I am. If they recognize me, they'll either detain or interrogate me. How can I possibly infiltrate and rise to a position of influence?"

Rasa gave her a sly grin and began to explain.

Yakura listened intently, her masked face slowly transforming with awe.

This wasn't shinobi thinking. This was daimyō-level scheming.

And Rasa wasn't just a high-ranking shinobi—he was Sunagakure's next Kazekage.

Yakura bowed. "Understood. I will complete this mission. I won't fail you or the village. But… this plan will tarnish your name."

Rasa waved it off. "It's worth it. All for the sake of Sunagakure."

Yakura was deeply moved. She saw divine light shining from him.

This… this was Rasa-sama. A man who would sacrifice everything for the village.

She bowed low.

Rasa was pleased.

After all—he wasn't protecting *the* village.

He was protecting *his* Sunagakure.

Like this story Leave a review ; it would really help me out a lot.

Want to Read Ahead in Advance?

Join my Patreon!

+75 Chapters

Support me in

Patreon.com/BestElysium