Whoosh—
A violent gale swept yellow sand across the vast land, dyeing the entire sky a dim, pale yellow.
Sand dunes rose and fell across the endless desert. Occasionally, a few long-dead poplar trees lay tilted at the feet of the dunes, and an air of desolation hung everywhere.
Four figures walked against the wind across the sand, their robes snapping loudly in the gale. Even their once-neat sleeves had been coated in a layer of dusty fine sand.
Visibility in the sandstorm was extremely low. There was nothing but sand in sight, and the moment one opened their mouth to speak, the relentless wind would pour sand into it.
"Pah!" Izuna spat out the grit in his mouth. His handsome face was now covered in dust, and he could not help complaining loudly, "What kind of godforsaken place is this? The Sand Hidden Village ninjas actually live in a place like this?"
Enkō raised a hand to shield himself from the blowing sand, then took out a waterskin to moisten his dry, burning throat. After traveling all this way, his face was also covered in dust. Hearing that, he replied, "The Land of Wind has the largest territory in the entire Shinobi World, but there are very few places suitable for habitation. The best areas are controlled by the Daimyo Palace, so the Sand Hidden Village ninjas really do not have it easy."
"No wonder they wanted land even more than Tailed Beasts." Izuna scanned the endless yellow sands around them. "If you ask me, living in a place like this is worse than living in one of those small countries."
Madara walked at the front, his tall figure striding steadily through the storm. He said disdainfully, "They only have the name of a great nation. In an environment