Chapter 30: Sandcastles and City Plans
If someone told me Gaara of the Sand would become an architecture enthusiast, I would've told them to stop licking paint.
And yet, here we were—Gaara, Shino, and Shikamaru, walking through the shining marble streets of Alabasta's capital like three very judgmental art critics on a sightseeing tour.
I tagged along in spirit, or rather, from a shadow clone I posted on a rooftop eating melon skewers.
They thought they were subtle.
They were not.
"Look at the symmetry," Shino said, adjusting his sunglasses as if the bugs living inside him were analyzing the stonework. "These arches are structurally advanced… They allow for excellent airflow and natural cooling."
Shikamaru let out a low whistle. "Yeah, and those aqueducts—they're designed to channel the desert winds. It's smart engineering. Makes you wonder how long this took to build."
Gaara was silent at first. He didn't say much unless it was worth saying.
Then he finally murmured, "They built beauty… in a desert."
That hit different.
See, Gaara's hometown—Sunagakure—was functional. Stone. Sand. Sharp lines. Defensive. It was made for survival, not joy.
But this city? It was alive. Golden domes, sky bridges with flowing cloth banners, pools of water reflecting light like liquid gems. Every alley had murals. Every shop had colors that looked like they had personality.
Even I wanted to stay.
Gaara stopped at a fountain shaped like a blooming cactus with water spouting from crystal petals.
"…They smile here," he said quietly. "I want my people to smile too."
Shino nodded. "You could implement an oasis hub. Designate it for art and community events. Local craftsmen could help shape the structures."
"You're suggesting a civilian-led reconstruction?" Gaara asked, actually considering it.
"Yeah," Shikamaru added. "Let them choose what they want the city to look like. Give them ownership. It'll help rebuild trust too."
Gaara stared at a child playing with her sandals in the water.
"…We grew up with survival. These kids are growing up with dreams."
And man, hearing that from Gaara, who used to be one psychotic sand coffin away from villain-of-the-year material?
It made me smile. Because that's what this whole mission was about.
Changing things.
Making a world worth protecting.
One mural. One smile. One redesigned sand village at a time.
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When I heard Gaara, Shikamaru, and Shino were talking about urban planning, I did the only sensible thing a responsible future Hokage should do.
I jumped in like a cannonball into a hot spring.
"Oi! If we're talking city designs, you better believe I got ideas!"
Shikamaru groaned immediately. "Here we go…"
Shino just gave me a respectful nod. I think the bugs inside him braced for impact.
Gaara tilted his head, interested. That guy's like a monk—he listens to everyone, even when he knows it's about to be insane.
So I cracked my knuckles and activated full-on Naruto pitch mode.
"First of all," I said, arms flailing like I was drawing the future in the sky, "every desert city needs a Ramen Road. Like a legit street, paved with golden tiles, lined with food stalls. Day and night, sizzling snacks!"
Shikamaru blinked. "That sounds… sweaty."
"Bro, everything's sweaty in the desert."
"…Fair point."
Gaara, weirdly enough, was writing something down in a notebook. He was taking me seriously!
"Second idea," I said, turning to him. "Use chakra stones to power underground cooling tunnels. The wind from the surface pushes down and cools the whole city. I saw something like that in the Land of Rivers with Pervy Sage."
Shino nodded thoughtfully. "That could work. A natural ventilation system powered by wind release. Minimal chakra expense."
I grinned. "And here's the kicker—the Great Sand Slide. A recreational sand park for kids! Soft dunes, chakra-charged so you don't get sandburn."
Shikamaru looked at me like I had grown a second head. "Why do you sound like you've been planning this your whole life?"
"I have," I said seriously. "You think I traveled with Ero-sennin for three years and didn't dream about the perfect hidden village?"
Gaara looked at me.
Really looked.
And then he said something I didn't expect:
"Would you help me design the new Sunagakure?"
I blinked.
"Wait, seriously?"
"You've seen more of the world than most ninja. You know what people want—not just what shinobi need."
I rubbed the back of my head. "I mean, I'm not an architect…"
"You're a builder of dreams," Gaara said simply.
And dang it, that was cool.
So just like that, we sat down in the middle of Alabasta's capital with snacks, blueprints, and sand. Ninja architects. Desert dreamers.
And if you ever hear about a golden Ramen Road in Sunagakure?
Just know.
That was all me.
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Alabasta's sun blazed golden as usual, but today its light shone upon something new—something magnificent.
Six colossal towers, each carved from Gaara's living sand, had risen from the desert like sentinels from an ancient age. They formed a perfect hexagon around the capital, each standing like a proud guardian shouldering the responsibility of an entire kingdom.
These were no ordinary watchtowers.
These were Naruto's Towers of Seal.
"Gaara, lower that one a little—I need to get the seal aligned," I shouted, balanced on a floating platform of wind chakra.
Gaara didn't say a word. The tower dipped like it was bowing to me.
With practiced hands, I carved the Fuinjutsu Matrix into the surface—ancient symbols woven together with a special ink made from powdered chakra stones and my own blood. I placed a chakra gem the size of a football into the heart of the seal, then stepped back.
The tower pulsed blue.
One down. Five more to go.
Shikamaru watched from the palace balcony, arms folded. "You're basically giving this city an automatic defense system. You've gone full Hokage."
I gave him a thumbs-up mid-air. "Only the best for our desert allies!"
When all six towers were done, the hexagon shimmered. A barrier dome, faintly visible to the eye, shimmered into place with an almost holy glow. Not even a Sea King could break through it now.
But I wasn't done.
"Gaara—bring out the Sand Guardian."
Gaara raised his hands and channeled his chakra. The Sand Guardian, a massive humanoid warrior made entirely of reinforced chakra sand, emerged from beneath the city like a titan rising from the deep. Now, with a chakra gem embedded in its core and a tether to each tower, it had near-unlimited power and the invincibility of a deity.
But I wanted something more.
Something inspiring.
While everyone was cheering the success, I gathered the desert winds.
I called upon every lesson Fukasaku-sensei had drilled into me during sage training.
And I shaped the winds into something majestic.
A Wind Golem—massive, proud, and soaring.
A Desert Eagle, thirty meters tall, its wings spread across the city skyline, feathers made of cutting wind, body glowing faintly with the same chakra flow as the towers.
It landed on the highest tower like a immortal descending.
The crowd gasped.
"Behold!" I said dramatically, standing on its back. "Your national guardian—Simurgh of the Sands!"
I might have made up the name, but no one questioned it. Probably because I looked cool. Or maybe because I yelled it with enough conviction.
Vivi wiped away a tear. "It's beautiful…"
Gaara nodded solemnly. "You've given them hope, Naruto. Not just safety."
I grinned, heart full.
"That's the point."
Alabasta was no longer a kingdom that merely survived.
Now, it thrived—watched over by towers of sand, protected by guardians of wind and chakra, and blessed by friendship forged through fire and battle.
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You'd think being the Hero of the Leaf Village would mean people liked me everywhere. Nope. In fact, as of last month, the entire country of Iwagakure decided I was a walking disaster.
And to be fair, they're not totally wrong.
See, this all started because Shikamaru asked one, one innocent question while we were putting together the giant chakra eagle golem of Alabasta.
"Hey Naruto," he said, arms folded and watching the eagle stretch its wings like it was alive, "where the heck did you learn the golem jutsu? That thing's not in our archives."
I blinked. "Oh, that? Yeah, uh… funny story."
Then I grinned. And like any good storyteller, I put two fingers to my forehead and said, "Lemme show you."
FLASHBACK TIME.
Okay, so here's the deal: a year ago, during my training with Ero-Sennin—uh, Jiraiya-sensei—I was kind of on a solo mission to scout around the Earth Country border. Just a little recon. Nothing too crazy. Except... you ever get that itch where you know you're about to do something monumentally stupid?
Yeah, I scratched that itch.
I might've overheard some Iwa ninja talking about a super-classified golem jutsu. Top tier. Ancient. Used to protect entire fortresses. Naturally, I had to see it. For educational purposes, obviously.
So I infiltrated the Tsuchikage's Tower.
Like, straight up walked through the place disguised as a delivery boy. I even had a hat and everything. Talk about commitment to the bit.
I got into the archives room, unsealed a scroll labeled "FOR TSUCHIKAGE ONLY" (seriously, why do they even write that stuff on it if they don't want people to read it?), and BAM—there it was. The Earth Golem Creation Jutsu.
Now, I'm not a thief. I didn't take the scroll. I just copied the jutsu formula into my own notebook.
Okay maybe that technically counts as stealing, but still.
Anyway, just as I was finishing, I felt this massive chakra presence behind me.
"You shouldn't be here," said a gravelly voice like two mountains grinding together.
I turned.
There stood Onoki, the Tsuchikage himself.
Tiny old dude, hunched over, but don't let that fool you. Guy could melt a man into atoms with a finger.
"Oh hey," I said. "Cool building you got here. Very rocky. Real earthy. Gotta go!"
And I ran.
Turns out, Onoki can fly too.
So here I am, dashing through Iwa airspace with a grumpy Kage lobbing Particle Style cubes of doom at me like he's throwing dice at a casino. One of those things hit a hill behind me and the whole thing disintegrated into sparkling dust.
Yeah. No pressure.
So I did what I do best. I made a dozen clones, sent them in all directions, and then shot Wind Release: Vacuum Blades in a criss-cross pattern from every angle.
It didn't hurt him—he blocked them easily—but it slowed him down enough for me to go Sage Mode and ZIP.
I turned the wind around me into a vortex and launched into full-speed flight. Not jump. Not hover. Straight-up jet mode.
I broke the cloud line in three seconds and left Iwa behind in the dust.
Later, I heard rumors from Jiraiya.
Apparently, Onoki was so mad he ordered Iwagakure to mark me S-Rank. Kill on sight. Codename: Wind Demon.
Honestly?
Could've been worse.
At least I didn't get "Scroll Bandit" or "Orange Menace."
BACK TO THE PRESENT
So I finished my flashback and watched Shikamaru, Gaara, and Kankuro just stare at me.
"You realize you stole a Kage-level forbidden jutsu from one of the most dangerous men alive?" Shikamaru asked.
I shrugged. "I also didn't die. So… success?"
Gaara actually smiled. "Wind Demon. That fits you."
Kankuro was laughing. "You realize Iwa probably blames us for training you now, right? Suna's gonna get some nasty letters."
"Tell 'em I said hi," I said, grinning.
And that's how I ended up building a chakra-infused golem eagle in Alabasta while being internationally wanted for jutsu theft. Sage life is wild, man.