Inside a lounge in Sunagakure.
Young Shizune was still suffering the aftereffects of heatstroke, looking dazed and confused.
"Are we... in Sunagakure now? Could we be in danger?"
Though her mind was still foggy, Shizune knew that Sunagakure and Konoha had been enemies in the recently concluded Second Shinobi World War. They had come swaggering right into Sunagakure... Would that really be okay?
Tsunade ate the little cakes Karura had brought over, completely unconcerned.
"Relax. What could possibly go wrong?"
As she spoke, Tsunade glanced at Ye Ning, her voice full of envy. "With Ye Ning's status, he'll be treated with courtesy wherever he goes."
The title of Daimyo's Son was a pass that opened every door. Wherever he went in the Shinobi World, as long as the people there weren't out of their minds, they wouldn't dare entertain any improper ideas about him.
"Courtesy" was putting it mildly. If he visited some small country, they might treat him like their own father!
After all, not all daimyō were created equal.
"Still, the Third Kazekage being so polite was a little unexpected. It seems that rumor might actually be true."
"Rumor? What rumor?"
Tsunade swallowed a bite of cake, looking somewhat gleeful.
"I heard that after Sunagakure lost the Second Shinobi World War, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind was displeased and started cutting the village's funding. That caused Sunagakure's finances to collapse completely... I thought it was made up, but after today, maybe it's true?"
Why else would the Third Kazekage have braved that scorching sun to go out into the desert today?
Wasn't he hoping to dig up some Iron Sand and export it to other countries for a little extra income?
Ye Ning stretched.
"I'm going out for a walk. Do you two want to come?"