Land of Wind.
Stars dotted the sky as Lin Qing and his group sat in the desert.
The four camels each lay facing a different direction, resting on the ground and forming a windbreak around them.
Sasuke was tossing firewood he'd gathered into the campfire.
That was one good thing about the desert: firewood, camel dung, and anything else left out in the sun dried out, free of moisture and bacteria. They were highly flammable and didn't smell too bad, either.
Xiaotao hugged her knees and rested her chin in her hands as she watched Sasuke expertly start a fire and prepare dinner.
Off to one side, Lin Qing was carefully grading the math homework of Sasuke and Xiaotao.
The peaceful, tranquil scene before him slightly dispelled the gloom in Kakashi's heart.
A week had passed since they left Konoha, and they were expected to reach Sunagakure tomorrow morning.
According to Lin Qing's plan, they would first visit Sunagakure and meet with Fourth Kazekage Rasa to exchange information about Shinnō.
Shinnō and the Sky Ninja Legion weren't just targeting Konoha. They were targeting the entire existing system of shinobi villages.
Once the Sky Ninja Legion was fully established, Sunagakure would be the first to bear the brunt.
Lin Qing wanted to get as much information as possible from the local power.
Once they had enough information...
They would launch a surprise attack on Shinnō.
To ensure the attack's success, Lin Qing had kept a low profile along the way, even leaving a "stand-in" behind in Konoha.
A shinobi was walking around the village every day with Lin Qing's face.
Kakashi had asked him during the journey, "What if something goes wrong along the way and the information leaks?"
Lin Qing's answer was simple.
"If it leaks, it leaks. Plans and