Mastermind of the Akatsuki

In Sunagakure, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, wiped sweat from his brow as he exited the underground mines. A nearby Suna-ninja rushed forward, offering him salted water and a towel. 

Rasa accepted the water gratefully, drinking deeply before wiping his face and heading toward the Kazekage building. 

Once inside his office, Rasa wasted no time. Sitting down, he began addressing the endless pile of documents detailing the village's affairs. As the leader of Sunagakure, he knew he couldn't afford even a moment of negligence. 

This was the harsh reality of Sunagakure's position. 

Though officially one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Sunagakure lagged far behind Konohagakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure in both strength and numbers. 

These three villages not only boasted more elite shinobi but also far outstripped Suna in sheer manpower. The only thing keeping Sunagakure from being overrun by its neighbors, Konohagakure and Iwagakure, was its possession of Shukaku, the One-Tail, and its meager wealth. 

Even so, Sunagakure suffered a humiliating defeat to Konohagakure in the last Great Ninja War, forcing it into a subordinate alliance with Konoha. 

While officially allies, in truth, Suna had become little more than a vassal state. Merchants from the Land of Fire moved freely through the Land of Wind without paying tariffs. Mission requests that once belonged to Suna were now funneled to Konoha. 

Even the daimyo of the Land of Wind had begun questioning the necessity of Suna's existence, considering replacing it with Konoha as the nation's protector. Military funding for Sunagakure had been drastically reduced as a result. 

These measures choked the village's development, limiting the number of shinobi Suna could sustain. If this trend continued for another decade or two, Sunagakure would inevitably decline into a second-rate village, eventually fading from history altogether. 

Rasa, as the Fourth Kazekage, was determined to prevent that outcome. He had fought hard to defeat his rival, Pakura, and ascend to his position—not to lead a failing village. 

Thus, he shouldered the immense burden of revitalizing Sunagakure, carefully allocating its limited resources to maintain a viable shinobi force. 

With insufficient students in the academy, Rasa implemented an elite training system. No student could graduate without demonstrating skills near the level of a Chūnin. 

When the daimyo's resources proved insufficient to sustain a large shinobi force, Rasa personally worked in the mines, using his Magnet Release to extract gold to fund the village. No matter how exhausting it was, he refused to stop until the village regained its strength. 

As he sorted through intelligence reports brought by the Suna ANBU, Rasa's attention lingered on updates about Konoha and Iwagakure. 

He had always closely monitored Konoha's affairs. During the Nine-Tails attack, he had sent a letter of condolence to the Third Hokage while secretly hoping Konoha would collapse under the chaos. 

When conflict broke out between Konoha and Kumogakure, Rasa sent reinforcements and restricted the activities of Lightning Country citizens in Sunagakure. 

Despite these measures, Suna remained at a disadvantage. Even after losing the Fourth Hokage and the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, Konoha's strength was still overwhelming compared to Suna. 

Konoha's ranks included the legendary Sannin, the Hokage, Danzō, and powerful clans like the Hyūga and Uchiha. Against such a lineup, Suna couldn't hope to compete in a direct confrontation. 

However, recent developments sparked a flicker of opportunity in Rasa's mind. The Uchiha clan's massacre had destabilized Konoha internally, and Iwagakure's border skirmishes with Konoha suggested cracks in its exterior. 

Rasa began to consider whether now might be the time to strike. A well-timed attack could put enough pressure on Konoha to force concessions. Even if they couldn't seize territory, breaking free from Konoha's economic grip would be a significant victory. 

High risk and high reward plans like this were typical for Suna shinobi. Life in the desert had taught them that survival often hinged on bold gambles. 

But Rasa faced a unique challenge that his predecessors hadn't. 

Sunagakure lacked younger elite jōnin to take his place if something happened to him. If he fell in battle, the village would be left leaderless. 

Moreover, previous Kazekage gambles had all ended in disastrous losses. Another failure could spell the end of Sunagakure altogether. 

For now, Rasa could only continue to weigh his options, determined to protect his village at all costs—even if it meant risking everything.

Pulling his wandering thoughts back into focus, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, abandoned his plan to backstab Konoha. He certainly didn't want Sunagakure to become a casualty in the ongoing conflict between Konoha and Iwagakure.

Moreover, Sunagakure currently didn't have a suitable Jinchūriki, and they didn't have the strength to launch an assault on Konoha.

Thinking of the Jinchūriki, Rasa furrowed his brows and called out to the surrounding air, "ANBU, how is Gaara doing? Is he still unable to control his temper, unable to manage Shukaku inside him?"

A moment of silence passed before the ANBU responded, "Kazeka-sama, Lord Gaara still cannot control Shukaku…"

After a brief pause, the ANBU agent hesitated before continuing:

"Kazeka-sama, don't you think it's a bit too much to keep provoking Gaara-sama? Over the past few months, he's already killed many of our own ninjas. We're worried that Gaara-sama will be overwhelmed by this pressure and be consumed by Shukaku."

"Are you trying to teach me how to do things?" Rasa's expression hardened as he narrowed his eyes.

"Also, stop calling Gaara 'Gaara-sama.' He is the Jinchūriki of this village. The Jinchūriki is nothing more than a tool for expanding our power, and tools don't need to be worried about others' opinions."

"But Gaara is your and Karura-sama's child…"

The Suna ANBU spoke cautiously, seemingly trying to convince Rasa to reconsider his harsh treatment of Gaara.

With a cold expression, Rasa responded, "Yashamaru, since you're so intent on defending Gaara, I'll make myself clear: I have already lost faith in Gaara. I'm planning to replace him with a new Jinchūriki. Tonight, you're to assassinate Gaara and tell him you hate him. If he manages to control Shukaku's power this time, I might consider letting him remain as the Jinchūriki."

With those words, Rasa made a gesture signaling the end of the conversation.

Yashamaru shot one last, lingering glance at Rasa before slowly stepping back and leaving the Kazekage office. He couldn't help but feel disappointed in the Fourth Kazekage.

Rasa might be a competent leader, but he was certainly no good father or husband, or perhaps, a person.