Desert

In One Piece, the most prominent characteristic of the New World, the second half of the Grand Line, is its unpredictable climate and the vast differences in terrain between islands.

The various nations of the ninja world also differ greatly in their landscapes.

After several days of preparation, the large contingent formed by the Sunagakure delegation, the Konoha delegation, and the participating examinees set off in a grand procession toward Sunagakure.

The entire group numbered over a hundred people, with twenty or thirty carriages. If not for the large number of ninjas wearing Sunagakure and Konoha Forehead Protectors among them, they would have looked more like a merchant caravan traveling the world.

Naturally, no ordinary bandits or rogue ninjas dared to provoke such a group.

After traveling smoothly for several days and passing through the Land of Rivers, the group finally reached the border of the Land of Wind and saw the true desert.

Sunagakure had an outpost here. Following the village's trading traditions, they had to head to the outpost first to store their carriages, transfer their cargo onto the outpost's camels, and switch to riding camels to continue toward Sunagakure.

It is worth emphasizing that although the ninja world has Storage scrolls, trading is still not very convenient. Not every ninja knows how to seal items into scrolls, and scrolls capable of sealing items are not cheap.

Even if a ninja knows a bit of Sealing Jutsu and possesses a Storage scroll, unless they have a talent for space-time ninjutsu, they cannot seal very much, and it can only be used as a portable backpack.

The reason Tenten can seal so many Ninja Tools into her scrolls is because she possesses exceptional Space-Time Talent.

Therefore, the transport of large quantities of goods still requires relatively primitive means of transport, such as carriages and livestock.

Horses are creatures that find it difficult to survive in the desert, and this remains true even for specially bred Ninja Horses. After completing the transfer, the group continued on their way.

The party of over a hundred people moved like a winding snake, traveling through the vast desert under the scorching sun.

Even though ninjas are strong and possess greater endurance against extreme cold and heat than ordinary people, some were struggling to bear it. Yet, there wasn't a drop of sweat on anyone; whenever moisture was secreted, it was quickly evaporated by the brutal weather.

"Drink some water, Rin."

Obito eagerly handed his canteen to Nohara Rin.

Although the weather in the Land of Wind made him want to strip off all his clothes, Obito was still happy because Kakashi was not there.

As a Chunin, Kakashi was naturally not part of this mission.

"Thank you."

Nohara Rin took a small sip of water and handed the canteen back to Obito.

"Hehe."

Obito chuckled foolishly. To him, a single "thank you" from Nohara Rin was sweeter than the sweetest honey in the world.

After his foolish grin, Obito looked at the people from Sunagakure around them. "I really don't know how these Sunagakure people manage to survive in the Land of Wind in such hot weather."

Compared to the Konoha group, who were restless due to the sweltering heat, the weather-beaten people of Sunagakure were much more composed. Their gazes were firm, and their faces remained expressionless.

Since birth, they had been battling this desert, battling this harsh climate. It could be said that they had already conquered this desert.

But they were still not the most nonchalant people in the group, because there were some who had not only conquered the desert but were even enjoying it.

Jiang Feng, Konan, and Kurenai Yuhi held parasols, strolling through the desert with leisurely steps. From time to time, they would stop to admire the strange rock formations in the desert, and occasionally, they would pick up their pace to catch up with the main group, trailing at the very end.

There wasn't a trace of urgency on their faces, let alone any sign of the impact caused by the scorching heat.

Having cultivated the Bright Jade Technique to the thirteenth level, Jiang Feng was practically a walking human air conditioner. As long as he channeled his energy slightly, he could lower the temperature around him to a dozen degrees Celsius.

Coupled with a parasol to block the venomous sun, it was even cooler and more comfortable than a midsummer night.

As one of the participants in this Chunin Exam, Kurenai Yuhi had naturally seized the excuse of "mooching off the air conditioning" to pester Jiang Feng all day long.

The daylight was perfect, the breeze was gentle, and admiring the wonders of the sea of sand with her beloved—could there be anything happier than this?

For Kurenai Yuhi, there was: it would be even better if that shameless woman Konan wasn't around.

Before the team set out, Konan—who had nothing to do with the Chunin Exam or even Konoha—suddenly proposed to Jiang Feng that she accompany him to Sunagakure, with the excuse that "Yahiko wants you to take care of me."

Hearing such a request from Konan, even the well-traveled Jiang Feng was taken aback.

All this time, Konan's impression on Jiang Feng had been that of someone gentle, considerate, and like an orchid in an empty valley, lacking any real assertiveness. It wasn't until that moment that Jiang Feng realized he had underestimated her.

A girl without assertiveness would never use a somewhat far-fetched excuse to take the initiative and propose traveling to a foreign land with a man.

Jiang Feng naturally did not refuse. With a beauty by his side, why wouldn't he be pleased?

The three of them once again caught up with the main group in a leisurely manner.

As the sun sank in the west and dusk fell, the heat that had been baking people until they were dizzy vanished, replaced by a bone-chilling cold. The deeper the night, the more intense the cold became.

It was so cold that even though the vast majority of the group were ninjas, they still had to work together to set up camp, pitch tents, and build bonfires.

In this freezing night that could cause hypothermia and death, the people of Sunagakure and Konoha mingled together. The young asked the elders for advice on pitching tents, while the elders taught the young the importance of insect prevention...

People from the two villages gathered around various bonfires, heatedly discussing all sorts of things.

Pakura's face was ashen; this was not the scene she wanted to see.

In her heart, Sunagakure and Konoha shared an irreconcilable hatred, and the two sides should never have anything to do with each other. It was one thing while they were still within the Land of Fire, but now that they were in the Land of Wind, they had every opportunity to make the accompanying Konoha ninjas suffer.

There was no need for deliberate sabotage. Not many of the Konoha people had experience living in the desert—staying warm, preventing insects, replenishing sugar... as long as one aspect wasn't handled properly, the cold desert night would teach them a lesson.

Yet, the people of Sunagakure—her own subordinates—were practically pouring out all their knowledge to the Konoha people.

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

"Speak! Did you bewitch my subordinates!"

Given Pakura's limited intelligence, she could only attribute the harmonious atmosphere between the Sunagakure and Konoha ninja to Jiang Feng. It was common knowledge that Konoha's Jiang Feng was best at making friends.

"This is the Sunagakure people's own choice. Hatred is different from love; love is innate, but hatred is not.

It is often simpler to make someone forget hatred than it is to make them forget love."

Jiang Feng remained calm on the surface, but in his heart, he knew exactly why the Sunagakure ninja in the group were so easy to get along with.

First, these people possessed a strong merchant-like quality; appearing amiable to others was a basic skill essential for any trader.

Second, not everyone in Sunagakure yearned for war. Some had long grown weary of conflict and wanted to live a stable, down-to-earth life. The Third Kazekage, wanting to "reform" Pakura, would certainly have stuffed such people into her team.

Judging by the information Jiang Feng had gathered so far, the Third Kazekage was a person worthy of admiration, regardless of the reasons behind his desire to set aside hatred and focus on peaceful development.

A heroic figure of this caliber was someone he absolutely had to befriend.