Avengers of the Whirlpool Family.

Chapter 403 Waiting for the Opportunity

No matter what the reason is, since the establishment of the Hikari Village and the end of Menma's succession ceremony, the smoke of gunpowder between the ninja villages of various countries has indeed been slowly dissipating.

After weighing the pros and cons, including the Hidden Cloud Village to which the wooden man belonged, after Menma extracted his second tail and then released it.

The Fourth Raikage also suppressed his inner anger.

Just like how his father was surrounded and killed by the Iwagakure ninjas many years ago.

The weak Cloud Village is unable to retaliate, so it can only endure it. This is a basic quality that a Kage must possess.

Moreover, I don’t know what the considerations are.

The Fourth Raikage chose to conceal the news that Bokuto had lost the Two-Tails but was still able to survive for the time being. Perhaps this was something he felt was in the best interests of his own ninja village.

And it was under such a situation that the entire ninja world seemed to have returned to the peaceful atmosphere of the past ten years.

Then time slowly passed by.

May, June, July.

For a full three months, there was indeed no disturbance in the ninja world.

The ninja villages in small countries finally put their minds at ease. Although they knew with their toes that there could be no real peace in the ninja world, according to convention, they should still be able to enjoy at least three or four years of good times.

The leaders of these small country ninja villages were very optimistic in their hearts.

Because of this peaceful situation, the mentality of the ninja villages including Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure has also been slightly relaxed.

Especially Sand Hidden Village.

Maki really can't stand any major war breaking out now.

The Sand Village's weak arms and legs cannot withstand the destruction of other ninja villages. To be honest, it was only because Takigakure and Kusagakure that Menma merged them, otherwise the former Takigakure alone could probably compete with the current Sand Village. If it were in the earlier years, when Hanzo Salamander was at his peak and led the Rain Village, it could be on par with the current Sand Village.

To put it bluntly.

If it weren't for the number of ninjas, the fact that there was still some foundation in the past, and the fact that the two old guys, Chiyo and Ebizo, were still alive, the Sand Village would really have declined.

Now, bearing the name of a great ninja village and the title of Kage is really a bit too far-fetched.

After being defeated in successive wars, the village has not been able to recover after more than ten years, and another Kazekage died inexplicably. The return of the tailed beasts has to rely on the goodwill of other ninja villages. How can such a ninja village become anything great?
Machi himself is well aware of this.

Therefore, the Sand Village is the one that has been dormant the most thoroughly.

See the ninja world stabilize.

Maki was genuinely happy.

Because, in his opinion, he could finally calm down and lick the wounds of his own ninja village.

Maki is now pinning his hopes on the next generation’s growth.

Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari are the best looking among Maki. Even if we put aside the halo of being the fourth-generation wind shadow girl, the talent and potential of Gaara and the other two are among the best in the Sand Village.

Not counting the power of the One-Tailed Shukaku.

Gaara’s upper limit can also reach the level of Kage.

Maki saw all of this.

He just planned to be the 'paperhanger' of the Sand Village. As long as he could ensure that there would be no problems in the Sand Village in the next few years, and then restore its vitality bit by bit, it would be enough until Gaara grew up completely.

Maki planned to unload his burden.

Shadow this location.

Although all-round comprehensive qualities are taken into consideration, personal strength is what comes first in the end. Was Danzo's failure in the competition for the Hokage really due to his hesitation in that one decision?
Do not!
This was obviously just Danzo's own conjecture.

In fact.

That was just Tobirama's final test of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

After all, no matter from which aspect, Sarutobi Hiruzen was the most outstanding young man of that generation, and his personal strength was also the strongest. At the time when Tobirama chose to stay behind, Sarutobi Hiruzen already had a strength that was at least infinitely close to the level of Kage (Sarutobi Hiruzen was still very outstanding when he was young. The title of Ninja Hero was not self-proclaimed by him, but was recognized by the ninja world and was enough to prove Sarutobi Hiruzen's outstanding performance when he was young, and even before his prime).
This is the most important reason why he was chosen as the successor by Tobirama.

The same is true of the Sand Village today.

The only person who can inherit the title of Kage is Gaara.

It can be said that during this period when the war is far away, and even for a long time in the future, in addition to focusing on handling the internal and external affairs of the village, Maki will use all his remaining energy and time to train Gaara, and he has intentionally arranged a series of tasks of special significance for Gaara.

The purpose is to hone Gaara while improving his prestige and popularity in the village. Of course, this is also based on the premise that Gaara's personal character has obviously undergone positive changes. Otherwise, given Gaara's previous attitude, no matter how much Maki thinks highly of Gaara, he would never train him to be the next Kazekage.

"Well, very good. This mission was completed very well. Let's continue at this pace. The next mission requires us to communicate with the daimyo. We need to wait for the daimyo's order. You can take a rest for the next few days."

The first year of the Hikari Village, the 62nd year of Konoha, May 5th, in the Land of Wind, the Hikari Village, in the Kazekage Building that also towers in the core area of ​​the ninja village.

Maki sat upright on the main seat reserved for Fengying.

Looking at Gaara, Temari, and two other young Sand Ninjas wearing the standard vests and clothes of the Sand Village below, he said with a smile.

Let’s not mention Temari.

For now, as long as it is a mission carried out by Gaara.

Maki can either arrange Temari or Kankuro to go together. One of the two siblings must accompany Gaara.

The rest is to select the best young Sand Ninjas from the village to participate.

Cultivating the relationship between them and Gaara is also a very important part.

It is obvious that this strategy is effective. Although it is not clear whether Gaara's personality has changed drastically due to the stimulation he received after being captured by Konoha, the Gaara who has become willing to communicate with others and whose temper has become stable is the Gaara who best conforms to the righteousness and interests of the Sand Village.

Just like the previous Jinchūriki of their ninja village, Lord Fubuku.

That is the most perfect Jinchūriki.

"Yes, Mr. Maki."

Gaara still looked calm, nodded slightly and said.

As the son of four generations.

He is also a member of Machi Squad.

It was even with Maki's personal permission.

Gaara can directly call Maki "teacher", just like Naruto calls Jiraiya and Tsunade, and there is no need to care about their special status.

This is the advantage of bloodline identity.

"Well, go ahead." Maki waved his hand.

"Yes."

Gaara left with Temari and two other young Sand Ninjas.

"Are you really ready for Gaara to be the next Kazekage, Maki?"

After Gaara and the others had completely left.

At the far left side of the office, Chiyo, who had been resting with her eyes closed from the beginning, now slowly opened her eyes, looked directly at Maki who was sitting in the main seat, and asked softly.

"Yes, Master Chiyo, I have always felt that Gaara is the most suitable, no, the only suitable candidate in our village. The title of Kage cannot be tarnished. My strength and ability are not worthy of this position. Gaara meets the standards in terms of his current strength, future potential, and bloodline. It won't take too long. I have a feeling that in five or six years at most, Gaara will become a qualified Kage. By that time, I will retire directly and fully push Gaara to the position of Kazekage. I think you should agree with this, right?"

Maki took a deep breath, turned around, looked into Chiyo's extremely cloudy eyes, nodded heavily and said.

A shadow of the upper position.

It requires support from all sides.

Being strong is only the most basic and fundamental condition.

Specifically in the Sand Village, if Maki is optimistic about Gaara, he still needs to gain the recognition of Chiyo and Ebizo. The status of these two in the Sand Village is just like that of the previous master in the Mist Village. Maki can quickly stabilize the hearts of the people in the Sand Village because of the support of Chiyo and Ebizo.

He is a ninja from the same period as the Third Kazekage.

To put it bluntly, he is a 'veteran of three dynasties'!
Back then, her puppetry skills shocked the entire ninja world. It was indeed an exaggeration to say that Chiyo had the strength of a Kage, but relying on her status as a top puppeteer, Chiyo was definitely the most powerful quasi-Kage at her peak, the kind of ninja who could fight against Kage-level ninjas.

The prestige and qualifications accumulated in all aspects.

This is what led to the current handover of the Kazekage in the Sand Village, and it would be impossible without the support of Chiyo and Ebizo.

Gaara's identity is still a little special after all.

There is only one example of a Jinchūriki becoming a Kage in the history of the original five great countries, and that is Yagura Karitachi. However, he was the type who came to the position first and then became a Jinchūriki, which is not so common, not to mention that the Hidden Mist Village has always been a singularity among the original five great countries.

Not to mention the facial numbness.

The Hikari Village was built by the people themselves.

Therefore, there are still many obstacles for Gaara to ascend to the position of Kazekage.

But Maki firmly believed that Chiyo would agree with his judgment, just like two years ago, when the Fourth Hokage died unexpectedly in battle and his own ninja village was defeated, Chiyo directly stood up and pushed him to the top, but later did not fight for any real power.

Maki believed that such a highly respected senior from the Ninja Village would definitely make the most correct judgment and would definitely not be limited by so-called secular views.

Gaara's succession as the Sixth Kazekage is the key to the resurgence of their Sand Village, at least that's what Maki thinks.

"Haha, you are still the same as before, Maki. Indeed, Gaara is the most outstanding one among the next generation of our Sand Village. It is possible for him to be the Kazekage, but there are many issues involved. Maki, you must be mentally prepared."

Chiyo first smiled lightly, then looked at Maki with a solemn expression and said.

Ever since her son and daughter-in-law died in battle and her only grandson defected, Chiyo's heart is actually half dead. The remaining half is merely the obsession left by an old veteran who has fought for the village for decades as a Sand Ninja.

That is to see the Sand Village return to its former glory.

At the very least, we should try to be on the same level as other ninja villages.

Chiyo is not an idealist, nor does she have fantasies. Therefore, she knows that it is extremely difficult to achieve this. The problems of the Sand Village cannot be solved overnight. The fact that the village has never been victorious in a war over the past few decades not only explains many problems, but also proves the weakness and failure of the Sand Village.

We need to break this situation.

Their Sand Village is about to undergo a decisive change.

Gaara's promotion to Kazekage is the most crucial step.

But this step is also very difficult. Although the Sand Village seems to have nothing, the larger the ninja village is, the more complicated the internal struggles will be. As the saying goes, the smaller the temple, the more evil spirits there are; the shallower the water, the more turtles there are.

"Yes, Master Chiyo, I have already made preparations. Gaara will definitely become the Kazekage one day in the future. I also firmly believe that Gaara can lead our Sand Village out of the predicament!"

Maki straightened his body and spoke loudly with a very determined look.

"Well, I am looking forward to that day."

Chiyo also spoke softly in a very gentle tone.

"Just watch!"

Something that must be said.

There is no problem with Chiyo and Maki's judgment.

As a ninja village that has been in decline for nearly thirty years, Gaara is indeed the only hope for the rise of their Sand Village. It is indeed difficult for a person to lead a country or a ninja village unless he is as powerful as Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha.

But an outstanding leader can at least make a force show an upward trend.

Gaara in the original work is a good example of this.

Of course, it was also thanks to that 'Uzumaki Naruto'.

No matter how different Gaara's experiences are in this life, judging from his personal performance and future prospects, the Sand Village still needs to rely on him.

If the future development of the ninja world remains the same as the past few ninja wars, the Sand Village may not be without a chance to rise again.

Change little by little.

Gaara is getting stronger little by little.

You will become the backbone and mainstay of the Sand Village!
Super strong personal talent.

With the support of Shukaku.

There will be no problem for Gaara to become a powerful and advanced Kage-level being.

however.

Menma's arrival and everything he did broke this situation.

The ninja world will no longer be as silent as before.

Menma will use his own actions to realize his ambitions, regardless of success or failure. The future that Maki and Chiyo envision is almost impossible to come true.

And this is after more than three months of precipitation and preparation.

Menma has already made the corresponding preparations.

He was about to take the first and all-important step into the starry sky.

(End of this chapter)