Out in the boundless desert, Shingetsu, now well practiced, deftly mobilized the Wood Release chakra within her and formed the Snake Hand Seal with both hands. The desert before her immediately trembled. Roots surged beneath the sand like waves, breaking through the shifting dunes in the blink of an eye and growing into towering trees.
Unlike the fruit grove she had created in Konoha, what Sunagakure needed most was vegetation that could hold the sand in place. Shingetsu drove the trees' roots ever deeper, until they reached more than ten meters underground and firmly bound the constantly shifting sand.
Large stretches of shrubbery also sprang up under her Wood Release, covering all the yellow sand on the surface until a carpet of greenery formed. Together with the surrounding towering trees, it became a lush oasis, like a green jewel set into the heart of the desert.
"By the Sage of Six Paths!"
Shamon and the three youngsters were overwhelmed with excitement, nearly bursting into tears. They even wanted to drop to their knees and give Shingetsu a resounding kowtow.
Sunagakure should have been built on an oasis in the first place, but the Daimyo of the Land of Wind's repeated interference had forced them to build in the desert instead. Now, this vast, tranquil forest stood before their very eyes. It was as though a beautiful dream had come true.
"A miracle!"
After a brief silence, Sunagakure's villagers erupted into cheers filled with incredulous joy.
To desert dwellers, an oasis meant hope, dreams, and, above all, survival.
"Lady Shingetsu, Sunagakure will always be Konoha's ally!"
If Shamon's earlier expressions of gratitude had merely been for show, this time his gratitude and promise came straight from the heart. He resolved to hitch Sunagakure to Konoha's chariot, even if it meant giving