The Desert

In One Piece, the most striking feature of the New World, the second half of the Grand Line, was its unpredictable weather and the vastly different terrain of each island.

The terrain across the countries of the Ninja World varied just as greatly.

After several days of preparations, a large group formed by the Sunagakure and Konoha delegations and the exam candidates set off for Sunagakure in a grand procession.

The entire party numbered over a hundred and had two or three dozen carriages. If not for the many accompanying Ninja wearing Sunagakure and Konoha Forehead Protectors, they would have looked more like a band of merchants who traveled far and wide.

No ordinary bandits or wandering Ninja would dare provoke a group like this.

They traveled smoothly for several days, crossed the Land of Rivers, and finally reached the border of the Land of Wind, where they saw a real desert.

Sunagakure had an outpost there. As was customary for Sunagakure merchants, they first had to go to the outpost, leave their carriages there, transfer their goods onto the camels kept at the outpost, and continue on to Sunagakure by camel.

One thing worth emphasizing was that although storage scrolls existed in the Ninja World, conducting business was still far from convenient. Sealing items into scrolls was not something every Ninja could do, and scrolls capable of storing items were not cheap.

Even a Ninja who knew some Sealing Jutsu and owned storage scrolls couldn't seal very much without a Space-Time Talent. Such scrolls could only serve as portable backpacks.

The reason Tenten could seal so many Ninja Tools into her scrolls was her exceptional Space-Time Talent.

So, transporting large quantities of goods still required more primitive means of transport, such as carriages and livestock.

Horses could hardly survive in the desert, not even specially bred Ninja Horses. After changing mounts, the group continued on its way.

The hundred-strong party wound across the vast desert beneath the blazing sun like a long, twisting serpent.

Even the physically strong Ninja, whose tolerance for extreme cold and heat surpassed that of ordinary people, were starting to struggle. Yet not a drop of sweat could be seen on them. Any moisture their bodies released evaporated instantly in the scorching weather.

"Have some water, Rin."

Obito eagerly held out his canteen to Nohara Rin.

The weather in the Land of Wind was so hot he wished he could take off every last piece of clothing he had on. Even so, Obito was still happy, because Kakashi wasn't there.

Kakashi, who had long since become a Chunin, naturally wasn't part of this expedition.

"Thanks."

Nohara Rin took a small sip, then handed the canteen back to Obito.

"Hehe."

Obito grinned foolishly. To him, Nohara Rin's thank-you was sweeter than the sweetest honey in the world.

After grinning, Obito looked at the Sunagakure people around them. "I really don't know how these Sand Ninja manage to live in the Land of Wind in weather this hot."

Compared to the Konoha Ninja, whose tempers had grown short from the oppressive heat, the battle-hardened people of Sunagakure were much more composed. Each of them wore a resolute, expressionless face.

They had been fighting this desert and its harsh climate since birth. You could say they had already conquered the desert.

But they weren't the most unbothered people in the group. Some had not only conquered the desert, they had even come to enjoy it.

Jiang Feng, Konan, and Kurenai Yuhi strolled through the desert beneath parasols. Every now and then, they would stop to admire some unusual rocks, then pick up the pace and catch up with the main group, only to fall behind again.

Not a hint of urgency showed on their faces, nor did they seem affected by the heat.

Jiang Feng had cultivated the Bright Jade Technique to the thirteenth level, making him a walking air conditioner. A little effort was all it took to lower the temperature around him to the mid-teens Celsius.

With a parasol to block the blazing sun, it was even cooler and more pleasant than a midsummer night.

As one of the participants in the Chunin Ninja Exams, Kurenai Yuhi naturally spent her days following Jiang Feng around under the pretext of enjoying his air conditioning.

The sky was clear and the breeze gentle. What could be happier than admiring the desert's wonders alongside the person you loved?

For Kurenai Yuhi, there was one thing: if only Konan, that shameless woman, weren't there.

Before the group set out, Konan, who had nothing to do with the Chunin Ninja Exams or even Konoha, had suddenly asked Jiang Feng if she could accompany him to Sunagakure. Her reason was, "Yahiko wants you to look after me."

Even Jiang Feng, who had seen plenty in his life, was stunned when he heard Konan make that request.

Until then, he had thought of Konan as gentle and considerate, like an orchid growing in a secluded valley, and not particularly opinionated. Only then did he realize he had underestimated her.

A girl with little of her own mind would never use a flimsy excuse to actively ask to travel to a foreign country with a man.

Jiang Feng naturally didn't refuse. What could be more delightful than having beautiful women for company?

The three of them leisurely caught up with the main group once more.

The sun sank in the west. Not long after it set, the heat that had left people dizzy and dazed vanished, replaced by bone-chilling cold. The deeper the night grew, the colder it became.

Even though the vast majority of the group were Ninja, the cold forced them to work together to set up camp, pitch tents, and build campfires.

On a freezing night that could kill a person through exposure, Sunagakure and Konoha mingled freely. The younger people asked their elders for advice on pitching tents, while the older ones taught the younger generation how important it was to protect themselves from insects...

People from the two villages gathered around campfires, animatedly discussing all sorts of things.

Pakura's face turned ashen. This wasn't what she wanted to see.

In her heart, Sunagakure and Konoha were mortal enemies. The two sides should have nothing to do with each other for the rest of their lives. It had been one thing when they were still in the Land of Fire, but now that they were in the Land of Wind, they had every opportunity to make the accompanying Konoha Ninja suffer.

There was no need to deliberately sabotage them. Few Konoha Ninja had much experience living in the desert. If they were careless about staying warm, protecting themselves from insects, or replenishing their sugar, the desert night would teach them a lesson.

But the people of Sunagakure—her subordinates—were practically teaching the Konoha Ninja everything they knew.

Pakura turned her head again and saw Jiang Feng and the other two sitting around a campfire, leisurely roasting fine cuts of meat and brewing milk tea with camel milk.

"Tell me, did you brainwash my subordinates?"

With her limited intelligence, Pakura could only attribute the friendly atmosphere between the people of Sunagakure and Konoha to Jiang Feng. Everyone knew that Jiang Feng of Konoha was best at making friends.

"This is the people of Sunagakure's own choice. Hatred and love aren't the same. Love is innate, but hatred isn't.

"Getting someone to forget hatred is often much easier than getting them to forget love."

Jiang Feng kept his expression calm, but he knew exactly why the Sunagakure people in the group were so easy to get along with.

First, they had strong ties to trade, and being friendly on the surface was a basic skill for merchants.

Second, not everyone in Sunagakure longed for war. Some had grown tired of it and wanted to live peaceful, ordinary lives. The Third Kazekage, wanting to "win over" Pakura, must have put people like that in her group.

Based on what Jiang Feng had learned so far, no matter why the Third Kazekage wanted to put aside hatred and focus on developing the village in peace, he was a man worthy of respect.

A hero like that was absolutely worth befriending.