Sunagakure lay within the Land of Wind, one of the Five Great Nations. Surrounded by desert, it was battered by wind and sand year-round, leaving it desperately short of supplies. Compared with the Land of Fire, where Konoha stood, Sunagakure was more than twenty years behind economically.
Yet precisely because of that, Sunagakure's ninja were somewhat better at handling hardship than Konoha's. Its geography had also led it to adopt military rule, with the village's Kage holding supreme authority. Although several elders helped the Kazekage manage internal affairs, when major issues arose, his word was generally final, provided he made no serious political mistakes.
Only Gaara, owing to his unusual circumstances, had struggled somewhat during his early days as Kazekage. But after he fought desperately to save Sunagakure, the village's ninja finally accepted him through the efforts of Chiyo, her brother, and Temari, restoring the village's former unity.
Thus, although Sunagakure could not match Konoha in either elite fighters or ninja numbers, its core forces were every bit as strong. That was also why it ranked among the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Qingyun and the ten ninja of the Seventh Squad escorted Utatane Koharu, traveling swiftly toward the Land of Wind.
"Greedy Wolf, sorry for the trouble this time."
During their midday meal, Utatane Koharu approached Qingyun, who was eating quietly, and spoke to him.
"Elder Koharu, I'm only doing my duty. It's no trouble at all."
Qingyun swallowed his food before answering her.
Qingyun had never had any dealings with Utatane Koharu. His impression of her was limited to the stubborn old woman he had seen while watching Naruto in the original story.
In fact, Utatane Koharu had been a highly talented ninja in her youth. Otherwise, Tobirama Senju would never have taken notice of her and accepted her