Devil Desert was a notorious death trap in the Land of Wind. The Black Sandstorms that frequently swept across it, along with the hidden Quicksand Pits scattered beneath the yellow sand covering the earth, made it a true graveyard for the living.
Even ordinary Genin had a high chance of never returning once they fell into Devil Desert.
Of course, that applied to shinobi from places other than Sunagakure. For Sunagakure, crossing Devil Desert was the graduation ceremony for every Ninja Academy student. Thus, Sunagakure understood this desert surrounding their village extremely well.
The place where the Third Kazekage and the others would fight Sarutobi Toru was right in the heart of Devil Desert.
This undoubtedly gave them an enormous advantage. When Ebizo had first proposed it, the Third Kazekage had even felt a little embarrassed, already prepared for Sarutobi Toru to refuse.
Yet Sarutobi Toru had agreed without hesitation. Now it was Sunagakure's people who began to feel uneasy.
If, despite possessing every advantage of timing, terrain, and numbers, all of Sunagakure's strongest fighters were defeated by a single shinobi from Konoha Village, the blow to Sunagakure's morale would be beyond measure.
But the words had already been spoken. They could not exactly say they were not going; that would truly destroy the Sand Shinobi's morale.
Besides Sunagakure's eight Kage-level experts, the Third Kazekage had also brought along several young Jōnin, so the younger shinobi could broaden their horizons.
Even if they were defeated in the end, at the very least, Sunagakure's young shinobi needed to learn that there was always someone stronger.
At that thought, the Third Kazekage was startled. Why did I immediately assume we would lose? Eight Kage-level experts joining forces—do I not even have that much confidence?
Remembering the overwhelming confidence and oppressive presence Sarutobi