Sakumo's Interview in the Land of Wind

"Yan! Guess what? Lord Orochimaru took me on as his student."

Anko had come to share the good news with Yan first thing in the morning. Orochimaru had visited the Mitarashi Residence the night before and, after asking her a few questions, offered to take her on as his student.

Naturally, neither Anko nor Masamune had any reason to refuse.

"Congratulations, junior disciple."

Oh, right. Anko suddenly remembered that the person in front of her was already Orochimaru's student.

"Was it you?"

Yan nodded. "That experiment was actually an entrance test. You did well, so I recommended you to our teacher."

"Thank you, Yan."

A sudden impulse came over Anko. Never one to hold back, she followed it and hugged Yan.

Feeling her pressed against him, Yan gave an inward thumbs-up.

She's grown.

"Did I come at a bad time?"

Sakumo appeared behind Anko. With a startled cry, she pulled away from Yan.

Yan felt a twinge of regret, but business came first.

"Uncle Sakumo, how are the preparations?"

Sakumo nodded. His very first assignment as a reporter was an interview at the Daimyo's Palace in the Land of Wind. It was a little daunting.

Just in case, Yan reminded him:

"This isn't like a ninja sneaking in to gather intelligence. You just need to ask your questions openly."

Sakumo nodded. It was time to leave, so he said goodbye to Yan and Anko and headed to the meeting point.

After checking his equipment, he hung his camera around his neck. He no longer wore a Konoha Forehead Protector. Instead, a Shinobi World Daily special correspondent badge hung from his chest.

The Daimyo of the Land of Wind had been informed of the interview in advance, and he was naturally interested in a newspaper that had taken the Shinobi World by storm.

Besides, the Shinobi World Daily had only interviewed the Daimyo of the Land of Fire so far. If he made it into the paper too, he could show off to the daimyos of the other three nations.

In short, the interview was taking place at the Daimyo of the Land of Wind's invitation.

Sakumo was not the only reporter going. An entire Journalist Team had set out, so he kept pace with the carriages rather than traveling at a ninja's speed.

But the White Fang's fearsome reputation still got the convoy stopped at the border.

The Sunagakure ninja stared nervously at the white-haired man before him.

Sakumo reached into his coat. The ninja instinctively tightened his grip on his Kunai.

Sakumo pulled out... a sheet of paper.

The Sunagakure ninja at their head froze. Sakumo held out the paper. "We're reporters from the Shinobi World Daily. We're here at the invitation of the Daimyo of the Land of Wind."

The ninja accepted it cautiously. Only after confirming it was not an Explosive Tag did he examine it closely.

It did bear the seal of the Daimyo's Palace, but...

The ninja hesitated. At a time as sensitive as this...

"Hey! What do you ninja think you're doing?"

A man in an elaborate kimono strode out from behind the Sunagakure ninja. Once he showed them his credentials, they stepped aside respectfully. Their leader signaled behind his back, and several ninja quietly slipped away from the group.

Sakumo paid them no mind. He gave the finely dressed man a slight bow.

"You're those... reporters, right? I'm the reception officer His Excellency sent. I'll take you to the capital from here."

With that, the reception officer led the Journalist Team into the Land of Wind.

As they walked, he cursed, "Those dogs even dared to stop the Daimyo's guests. What a waste of money they are."

The convoy passed through the border without further trouble and headed for the capital.

Sakumo narrowed his eyes. Since leaving the life of a ninja behind, his way of thinking had changed considerably.

Tensions between the nations were running high, yet the Nobles of the Land of Wind made no effort to maintain good relations with the ninja. The Sunagakure ninja, in turn, could only bow respectfully at the Nobles' feet. It was as though the coming war had nothing to do with the Nobles.

Just as Yan had said, the Shinobi World was sick.

Elsewhere, Chiyo slammed her palm on the table when she heard what had happened at the border.

"You just let the White Fang in?"

The Sunagakure ninja giving the report lowered his head. "Yes. They had the Daimyo's invitation, and there was a reception officer..."

"Damn it."

Chiyo looked at the reports of their fruitless search for the Third Kazekage and muttered under her breath:

"Of all times, and it had to be the White Fang... I'd love to kill him."

"Sister, calm down."

Ebizo dismissed the Sunagakure ninja. "Right now, we need to find out what that so-called Journalist Team is after."

Chiyo let out a breath. "Send Rasa to visit the Daimyo. If something really has happened to the Third, Rasa can take his place. It'll also give the Daimyo a chance to get to know him."

The convoy entered the capital of the Land of Wind without incident.

"Well, reporters, what do you think of the Land of Wind under the Daimyo's rule?"

The reception officer smiled at the Journalist Team. Sakumo and the other reporters all nodded.

The route the reception officer had chosen passed through the more prosperous districts. They could not compare to the Land of Fire, but in a land full of windblown sand, they were impressive enough.

Sakumo saw through the arrangement but said nothing. In this desert, he could not send a Shadow Clone off to interview people elsewhere.

The Third Hokage had given him two objectives for this assignment.

The first was to investigate the current relationship between the Daimyo of the Land of Wind and Sunagakure.

The second was to learn what had happened to the Third Kazekage. Many across the Shinobi World suspected Sunagakure's unusual behavior had something to do with him.

The Journalist Team followed the reception officer to meet the Daimyo. Sakumo quickly surveyed the palace.

His gaze lingered for a few seconds on a man with short, reddish-brown hair.

The Daimyo began introducing those present to the reporters.

"This is my Left Minister..."

"This is my Right Minister..."

"This is the Minor Counselor..."

When he reached Kurenai, the red-haired man, he paused.

"And this is from Sunagakure... Rasa, was it?"

Rasa nodded awkwardly.

Sakumo drew a few conclusions but kept his expression neutral as he addressed the Daimyo.

"Your Excellency, we saw how the Land of Wind has prospered under your rule on our way here. A man as busy as you must need time to gather your thoughts on your accomplishments. Besides, someone of your standing should be the grand finale. Would you allow us to interview the others first?"

"Haha, of course."

The Daimyo was delighted by Sakumo's words. People from the Land of Fire knew how to speak to him, unlike those sand-diggers who came asking for money every time.

The Journalist Team scattered to find people to interview, while Sakumo naturally made a beeline for Rasa.

"Mr. Rasa, may I interview you? Don't worry, I won't ask about Sunagakure's secrets."

Rasa nodded. As he watched Sakumo, he quietly gathered his Chakra, terrified that the man might draw his blade and cut him down in an instant.

"Is it true, as people say, that the Third Hokage is the strongest Kazekage?"

Rasa had not expected Sakumo to ask such a pointless question about rankings. He was silent for a few seconds before answering.

"The Third Kazekage's Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai makes him stronger than his predecessors."

"Of course, the previous Kazekage each had their own strengths."

Sakumo wrote that down, then asked another question.

"Are you married?"

"Huh?"

"Would you rather not answer?"

"No, it's not that. I'm unmarried."

"Oh, is there someone you're interested in?"

"I... I'm not sure."

The string of questions had Rasa sweating. What kind of bizarre questions are these?

"One last question."

Sakumo looked up from his notebook. "Is it true, as people say, that Sunagakure is planning to start a war?"

Silence fell between them and stretched on.

Sakumo had his answer. "You'd rather not say? Forgive me for prying."

"May I take your picture?"

Rasa nodded stiffly.

After the interview, it was the Daimyo's turn. Following Yan's instructions, Sakumo photographed him from below. The Daimyo's vanity was instantly gratified.

"How have you managed to govern your country so well?"

"Well, naturally..."

"Are you satisfied with Sunagakure's current performance?"

"It's adequate. They just keep coming to ask for money."

Rasa could only fret at the sidelines. The Daimyo was practically letting the White Fang see everything Sunagakure wanted hidden.

The interviews ended. The next day, Rasa could only watch the Journalist Team leave, as helpless as a husband with no say in his own home.

Ambush them? Even setting aside whether they could get past the White Fang, if the Daimyo's guests met with an accident on their way home, Sunagakure's funding would likely suffer even more.

And as the Land of Wind's only armed force, the Sunagakure ninja had to escort them to the border.

Rasa was nearly beside himself with anger. Little did he know that the next issue of the newspaper would make him even angrier.