Sunagakure (Bonus chapter for [Let Go of That Odie])

Sunagakure)

Located in a desert, the land is barren and the environment is extremely harsh.

Therefore, it is true that bad people often come from poor and remote areas.

--Okay, Sakura admits that these are all her own prejudices.

However, in her memory, the Sand shinobi Ninja were all quite fierce, including the blonde girl Temari she had encountered a few days earlier.

Kankuro, Gaara Kazuma were even more so; their eyes were increasingly fierce and sinister, and their murderous aura was increasingly cold and gloomy.

On the journey from Konoha to Sunagakure, the closer they got to the desert, the more Sakura Haruno could feel the unique temperament of this desert people.

Rugged and unyielding.

"From here on, we've already crossed the border of the Land of Wind." After traveling through mountains and valleys in the wilderness since leaving the Hokage Building, Shino suddenly said as he reached the top of a hill.

From here on, the scenery gradually becomes desolate. The land, devoid of vegetation, is swept by the wind, carrying a dry scent and coarse sand that stings the face.

"Is the Land of Wind... such a barren place?" Sakura Haruno asked, taking Yuzuki's hand as she began to pant heavily and pulling her up to the mountaintop.

"Otherwise, why would they have thought of invading Konoha?" Shino shrugged, glancing back at the somewhat tired Yuzuki, shaking his head and adding, "Yuzuki, even though you're Genjutsu- type ninja, you can't fall too far behind in terms of stamina! As Anbu, you'll often encounter such arduous missions; good stamina is essential!"

Terumi was panting heavily, unable to speak, but she nodded to indicate that she had heard.

Sakura, who was supporting her, chimed in with a few words of support for Terumi: "Shino, Yuzuki- nee is a newcomer to the Anbu, it's normal that she can't keep up with this kind of intense forced march!"

She and Terumi were neighbors after all, so of course she would side with Terumi.

After working together with her for several days, Sakura's impression of her changed drastically. She hadn't had much contact with her before and thought she was the kind of girl who was very aloof, but now she realized that she was just shy and not good at expressing herself.

Upon closer inspection, this short-haired woman is quite cute. If she had long hair, she would undoubtedly be a stunningly beautiful and mature woman of goddess-like status.

However, in the world of Hokage, physical beauty doesn't mean much; Shino didn't pay any attention to what she looked like, and after watching Yuzuki's combat test, his only assessment of this girl was that she was mediocre.

Like an ordinary passerby, utterly unremarkable.

"Alright, let's take a rest!" Shino sighed, looking at Yuzuki's damp hair, and took out some dry rations to give to the two girls. "Eat something to replenish your strength."

The three of them sat down, rested for a while, and chatted for a few minutes.

Most of the time, it was Shino and Sakura present, while Yuzuki listened.

However, after getting to know her better, she wasn't as reserved as she had been at the beginning. Occasionally, she would chime in with a few words, and these words, which she had been preparing for a long time, were often insightful and unique.

The conversation quickly turned to the current mission.

"This mission feels a bit strange!" Sakura said, her mouth full of energy pills, her words slightly muffled.

"Hmm, I think," Yuzuki, who was munching on her rations like a squirrel, glanced at the two of them, swallowed her food, and said, "The biggest problem is, why are we allowed to cross into the territory of the Land of Wind to do missions!"

Her question... was very pointed.

Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometers away from the Fourteenth Squad, in a top-secret conference room in the Kazekage Building of Sunagakure.

Others have raised the same question.

"Why are Konoha ninjas allowed to cross into the Land of Land of Wind's territory to carry out missions?!"

The speaker was Baki, a highly ranked Elite Jonin in the Sand shinobi. He slammed his fist on the table and sternly questioned the people in front of him.

Baki is able to sit here because the Fourth Kazekage was killed, and the leaderless Sunagakure had no choice but to temporarily put him in the position of temporary leader to take charge of the overall situation.

However, both Baki himself and the other Sand shinobi knew very well that Baki was not qualified to be the Kazekage, neither in terms of strength nor prestige. The Sunagakure was actually under the collective leadership of the higher-ups, and there was no Kazekage whose word was law and whose Lord Kazekage was enough to suppress everyone.

In the world of ninjas, this kind of democracy is hardly a good thing! It means that the Sand shinobi don't have a single strong enough protector to safeguard them...

Right now, although Baki's face was gloomy and so depressed that it was almost dripping with water, and he was angrily questioning the Sand shinobi elders in front of him, the Sand shinobi leaders did not even lift their eyelids, their expressions remained unchanged, and they did not take Baki's words seriously at all.

"Allowing Konoha to bring more than zero Anbu into Sunagakure is already a huge concession," Baki said coldly, glancing around at the Sand shinobi leaders sitting at the table. "If we also allow them to carry out missions in our country, where will Sunagakure's dignity as one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages be?!"

For the five great villages, cross-border missions are a very sensitive matter. After all, ninjas are the main force in warfare, and none of the Five Great Nations would sit idly by while ninjas from the other four major ninja villages enter their territory and cause trouble, regardless of whether they are there to complete a mission or just to ostensibly complete a mission...

While it's acceptable for Konoha and Sunagakure, who are allies, to occasionally have cross-border incidents, Konoha's large-scale dispatch of its Anbu into the Land of Wind is somewhat reminiscent of a world police force in a previous life sending troops into another country to maintain peace!

But--

"As a defeated nation, weakened and barely surviving, we have long lost the dignity of the Five Great Nations!" A wrinkled elder coldly revealed the truth. "Letting the Konoha Anbu enter the Land of Wind was a last resort! Did our Sunagakure have the confidence to refuse them?"

"Sunagakure is not Konoha's dog; we don't need to grovel before them!"

"Utterly foolish! In the ninja world, the weak can only survive by bowing down to the strong. Besides, what right do you have to say such things, Baki? Don't forget you're just the temporary leader of the Sand shinobi Village! Before, as the Jonin Commander and the Kazekage's bodyguard, you were always by the Kazekage's side, yet you didn't even realize the Kazekage was Orochimaru in disguise! Our village has fallen to this state, Baki, you bear some responsibility for it!"

He stood up and pointed his finger at Baki's nose.

"Enough, Ebizo, the matter is over. Now is not the time to argue about responsibility, nor are we here to quarrel!" An elderly female elder suddenly stood up, pulled Ebizo's hand down, and a glimpse of youthful sharpness could still be seen in her dim old eyes. "And Baki, you sit down too."

Ebizo taken aback, turned around to look at the person who had grabbed him, suppressed his anger and sat down. "I understand, sis."

"Yes, Chiyo!" Baki lowered his eyelids and obediently sat down as a junior, which eased the tense atmosphere in the conference room somewhat.

Chiyo glanced at Baki and Ebizo, then sat down and slowly said, "If we're talking about responsibility, every one of us here, including Ebizo and me who have already gone into seclusion, bears an undeniable responsibility for the current state of the village!"

She and Ebizo are the only remaining high-ranking figures in the village who have lived from the time of the Third Kazekage to the present. Now they are very old and live in seclusion, isolated from the world. However, they are extremely prestigious and powerful. After receiving the information about Akatsuki shared by Konoha, Sunagakure felt that this was a matter of great importance and decided to invite them out of the mountains.

This seemingly cold but kind-hearted old woman, despite repeatedly claiming that everything in Sunagakure was no longer her concern, still stepped forward despite her old age when she learned of the village's plight.

Several elders and advisors sighed almost imperceptibly upon hearing this.

"However, now is not the time to assign blame, but the time for Sunagakure to unite and forge ahead. No one can hold the village back at this time! Now that the decision to allow Konoha's Anbu to enter the Land of Wind has been made, let's stop arguing about this topic and focus on its implementation," Chiyo said solemnly.

At this moment, a middle-aged advisor who appeared much younger stood up and said loudly, "Let me explain. Our core area is not open to Konoha; we only allow their Anbu to investigate dangers in cities on the Land of Wind. Although it's a bit of a loss of face for one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, it's something we had no choice but to do."

"This is also to show the outside world that our Sunagakure and Konoha are still allies who trust each other. Of course, the fact that Konoha sent elite Anbu to check their route actually shows that Konoha is full of distrust towards us Sand shinobi!"

Chiyo lowered her eyes, focusing on her inner thoughts, and said calmly, "There's nothing we can do. We were the ones who broke the treaty first and attacked Konoha. It's normal for them to be wary of us. Trust needs to be built gradually. The reason we made such a big concession this time is precisely to show Konoha that we have no intention of harming Konoha... However, I maintain my point of view: alliances are the most unreliable thing, and Konoha cannot be completely trusted..."

"Baki, can you understand me?"

(Guaranteed minimum, bonus chapter)

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(An extra chapter for [Let Go of That Odie]!)