Naruto was very politely shown out.
By politely, that meant Ebizo personally rose to open the door for him, Chiyo leaned on her cane and shifted aside to clear the way, Temari and Kankuro stood on either side wearing standard diplomatic smiles, and Baki led the way.
That politeness carried distance, wariness, and the delicate balance of "we don't want to offend you to your face, but we don't want anything to do with you, either."
Naruto wasn't surprised.
He knew persuading people to risk their necks wasn't easy, so he hadn't held out much hope in the first place.
It would be best if Sunagakure was willing to take a gamble, but it didn't matter if they weren't. He had other paths he could take.
As for whether Sunagakure's people were willing to stake the lives of everyone in their village on a chance to unify the Land of Wind, that wasn't something Naruto could decide.
He stepped through the doors of the Kazekage's Office, and the blazing desert sun poured down on him, heating his blond hair.
He raised a hand to shade his eyes and followed Sunagakure's main road toward the village entrance.
Most of the buildings lining the road were sandy-yellow, flat-roofed stone houses. Windblown sand had etched countless scratches into their walls, like wrinkles on an old person's face.
Occasionally, a ninja passed him, their gaze lingering on him for a moment before darting away.
Those looks held curiosity, apprehension, and a faint trace of hostility.
Sunagakure, a land barren of everything except abundant wind and sand, had never lacked ambition.
Naruto had thought about that while traveling through the desert.
When he trekked between dunes beneath the blazing sun for hours without seeing an oasis, when he stared at the last mouthful of water