Chapter 1: Gaara, Keep Going! Digging Oil Will Prosper the Sand Village
Ninja World.
Land of Wind.
Thirteen years have passed since the Third Great Ninja War.
Time seems to hold no significance for the Land of Wind.
The Sand Village remains barren and impoverished.
The scenery of the Demon Desert remains unchanged for eternity.
Endless yellow sand stretches as far as the eye can see.
Hot and fierce winds howl.
Year-round temperatures soar above forty degrees Celsius.
Taking a breath feels like inhaling fire.
At this moment, twelve-year-old Gaara is working in a certain part of the desert.
Using his Ninjutsu, Desert: Antlion Sand Burial, he continuously digs sand, turning it into sand hands that burrow deeper into the ground.
The massive sand hands scoop up sand and scatter it into the air.
He has already dug more than thirty meters deep.
To prevent the sand from flowing back down, he must maintain the Ninjutsu, Desert Wave, forming a sand wall.
As a Jinchuriki, his chakra is abundant, but he is still sweating profusely, exhausted.
This is not an assignment from the Ninja Academy.
It is someone employing child labor.
A lazy voice comes from above Gaara's head.
"Gaara, keep going! If we dig out oil, the Sand Village will prosper."
Gaara looks up.
Above his head, a man rests his head on his hand, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, suspended in mid-air.
Under the scorching sun.
The high temperature distorts the air.
Yet, the man doesn't have a drop of sweat on him.
A faint smile lingers at the corner of his mouth.
Gaara feels furious, but he knows that even with Shukaku, the One-Tail, he cannot defeat him.
Mukaze.
The wealthiest person in the Sand Village.
Owner of the Faraday Ninja Tool Company.
Substitute teacher at the Ninja Academy.
One of the only two users of Magnet Release in the village.
His Magnet Release...
No.
He claims himself to be incredibly strong in Magnet Release.
His physical skills are also unbelievably powerful, to the point where he can send Shukaku flying with a single punch.
Shukaku often ends up being badly beaten by him.
Gaara can only throw a handful of sand at him to vent his frustration.
Countless grains of sand soar into the air.
As the sand particles touch an invisible defense, they emit a crackling sound, accompanied by a puff of smoke as they fall.
Countless sparks fall.
Inside the pit, Gaara can only awkwardly gather sand above his head to protect his skull.
Mukaze finds it amusing to see Gaara suffering from his own actions.
"Gaara, haven't I told you? When it comes to science, can an electromagnetic force field isolate physical and chakra attacks?"
"If you want to break through my force field, you'll need to double your efforts."
Gaara is puzzled and resentful.
He is frustrated.
"Mukaze-sensei, shouldn't effort be dedicated to training? Why do you make me dig sand and search for oil?"
Mukaze looks at Gaara's expressive face, filled with anger, and feels pleased inside.
Due to Shukaku's rampages, Gaara has been isolated by the villagers and treated like a monster, causing his personality to become withdrawn.
Mukaze once promised Gaara's mother, Karura, to protect him and ensure his physical and mental well-being. It is Mukaze's responsibility.
"As the ancients said: 'Heaven will burden a person with great responsibility; first, they must suffer hardships and toil their muscles and bones.'"
"Scientifically speaking, digging sand is a very good exercise."
"Just keep digging, and if we happen to find oil, everyone in the Sand Village will be rich, with a white cloth on their heads. I'll be the wealthiest in the world."
Gaara's expression grows darker.
Mukaze-sensei always enjoys making up nonsensical and bizarre statements, inventing things that don't exist, like oil.
Helplessly, Gaara continues digging the sand.
Mukaze exhales a puff of smoke.
The smoke touches the force field and cannot escape, disappearing with a few crackling sounds.
It's true.
He is a time traveler.
He ended up in the vast desert of the Land of Wind after his time travel.
He wanders aimlessly in the desert.
Before long, the high temperature, thirst, and dehydration cause him to fall into a coma.
On the verge of death...
Gaara's mother, Karura, appears and rescues him, helping him establish himself in the Sand Village.
"Karura, I can never repay your great kindness. If you have any requests, please let me know. I, Mukaze, promise to fulfill them for you."
Karura smiles lightly.
"Mukaze, then become a powerful ninja and protect the child in my womb and the village."
Shortly afterward, she passes away due to complications during childbirth.
Mukaze silently swears to protect Gaara and the Sand Village with all his might.
Through the system and his own efforts, Mukaze eventually surpasses the Kage level in strength.
But that's still not enough.
The Akatsuki organization will undoubtedly target Gaara, the Jinchuriki, to obtain the Tailed Beast.
To repel the invasion by the Akatsuki, Mukaze needs to further enhance his strength.
The Sand Village is currently facing a financial crisis and requires urgent attention.
All of these issues need to be resolved by Mukaze.
The idea of digging for oil is not only for Gaara's training but also to find a way to develop industrial production for the Sand Village and lead it towards prosperity.
Lost in his thoughts, an unusual phenomenon occurs underground, accompanied by rhythmic vibrations.
Sand dunes rise and fall like waves.
Continuously undulating.
And the direction of these waves is right where Gaara is located.
Gaara senses the disturbance.
And then...
He immediately understands what it is.
It's the most secretive and terrifying killer in the desert—the colossal sandworm.
This majestic creature, hundreds of meters long, with its towering mouth and densely packed sharp teeth, mercilessly devours everything in the sea of sand.
Even high-level shinobi would only evade it if they encountered it alone, rather than engaging it in a solo battle.
Gaara stops in his tracks.
He looks up, excitement gleaming in his eyes as he gazes at Mukaze.
Mukaze, his teacher, happens to be raising three sandworms.
A smirk curls up at the corner of Mukaze's mouth.
He looks toward the direction from which the sandworm is approaching, revealing a joyful expression.
This is precisely the living material he needs for developing industrial production and constructing an automated ninja tool factory.
It took him three years to capture just three sandworms.
Encountering one today is truly fortunate!
Mukaze adjusts his magnetic field and flies towards the approaching sandworm.
Using the principles of electromagnetism from his hometown, he successfully combines Wind Release and Lightning Release to develop his unique Electromagnetic Release.
Unlike the Magnet Release used by the Third and Fourth Kazekage, Mukaze, with the support of scientific theories, has unlocked even deeper potential in Magnet Release.
He has developed entirely new ninjutsu techniques such as manipulating iron elements in the human body, creating magnetic fields, generating force fields, utilizing bioelectricity, magnetic levitation, magnetic railguns, electromagnetic barriers, and invisibility.
With his mysterious and uncanny Electromagnetic Release ninjutsu and a variety of innovative ninja tools, he shines as the main force in the Sand Village, displaying remarkable prowess when the village is attacked unexpectedly from the rear.
He defeated the invading enemy and saves the village in his capacity as a ninja tool specialist.
Because his catchphrase is "science."
He also earns a unique title.
The Unscientific Ninja Tool User.
Gaara steps on a sand clump and emerges from the sand pit.
He looks towards Mukaze.
Mukaze flies above the waves of sand.
Boom!
A loud noise echoes.
The desert beneath Mukaze erupts like a volcano.
A large amount of debris spews out, creating a towering sandstorm that obscures the sky.
The ground cracks open, forming a massive fissure.
In the midst of the sandstorm, the sandworm reveals its fangs and enormous mouth, lunging towards Mukaze to bite him.