After several days of hard travel, Senju Haruto and his companions finally arrived at Sunagakure, the Village Hidden in the Sand, deep within the Land of Wind.
The sight before him was exactly as Haruto had imagined.
Vast, endless desert stretched in every direction, with wind and sand whipping through the air in a constant haze.
For an ordinary person, surviving in such an environment would be nearly impossible. Without proper skill or guidance, they'd lose their way within days — and likely die of thirst out here.
Still, one had to admit…
The fact that Sunagakure had endured in this environment for over a century was nothing short of remarkable.
The one assigned to greet them was none other than Baki, the commander of Sunagakure's combat forces.
"So, you're the representatives from Konohagakure?"
Baki looked the group over from head to toe before stepping directly toward Kakashi to ask his question.
What surprised him was that, even if Konoha hadn't sent the Hokage himself, he had expected at least someone of extremely high standing to lead the delegation.
Instead, the ninja standing before him looked far younger than he'd anticipated.
Especially the one following Kakashi — Senju Haruto. He appeared to be no more than twelve or thirteen years old, at best.
Baki estimated that the boy was probably only genin-level.
The impression this gave him was… less than favorable.
"This is the one you're looking for," Kakashi said, taking a step back and moving behind Haruto. He realized immediately that Baki had mistaken him for the squad leader.
Though Haruto looked very young, both his intellect and his strength far surpassed Kakashi's own.
Baki, however, was momentarily thrown off balance.
No matter how he looked at it, Haruto was far younger than both Kakashi and Yamato.
To place someone like that in charge of a diplomatic mission… in Baki's eyes, it was nothing short of an insult.
Still, Sunagakure and Konohagakure had long been close allies. Even though he was displeased, Baki held his tongue.
"Follow me," he said in his low, gravelly voice, then turned and began to lead the way. "Lord Kazekage is currently in a meeting with the elders. You'll need to wait until he's finished before you can see him."
"But don't worry — as allies, I'll make sure you're well looked after."
"Understood," Haruto replied crisply, following behind Baki.
Although Sunagakure's overall environment was harsh, the climate within the village itself was somewhat more bearable.
The architecture was also distinctively Sunagakure — sturdy, sand-colored structures shaped to withstand the desert winds.
Before long, Baki brought Haruto's group to their temporary quarters.
"Water has always been a scarce resource here, so please use it sparingly. Also, as soon as the meeting ends, I'll inform Lord Kazekage of your arrival."
With that, Baki shut the door behind them without waiting for a response and departed.
"Guess we've been underestimated," Kakashi remarked, staring at the now-empty doorway.
Not that it was surprising.
While they were indeed Konoha's official representatives, the two villages were political equals — both were part of the Five Great Nations.
From Baki's perspective, someone of high prestige should have come to meet the Kazekage. Even if it wasn't Hiruzen Sarutobi himself, it should have been someone of undeniable importance.
Sending a twelve-year-old boy… well, to him, it must have looked like Konoha was mocking Sunagakure.
"Well, that's only because they don't know your true strength," Kakashi said, glancing at Haruto. In his mind, sending Haruto here wasn't an act of neglect — it was overkill.
After all, Haruto was not only the leader of the Root organization but also the hero who had just saved Konoha.
On top of that, he had inherited the Wood Release of the First Hokage himself.
"So… what's your plan?" Kakashi asked.
Right now, Haruto was the squad leader. He and Yamato were merely here as his subordinates.
And their mission wasn't a small one — they were here to meet with the Kazekage of another Hidden Village.
Adding to the challenge, Hiruzen had given them very little intel before their departure. In practice, the decision-making power rested entirely in Haruto's hands.
"We'll wait until the Kazekage finishes his meeting," Haruto replied without hesitation, moving to sit by the window.
His true purpose in coming to Sunagakure was to ensure they abandoned any thought of turning against Konoha.
In other words, he intended to display his strength — to make it clear that peace was far more precious than war.
There was also something else weighing on his mind.
His Sign-In System.
Even though he had already arrived in Sunagakure and met with Baki, his system hadn't reacted at all.
It seemed the trigger condition still hadn't been met.
"Speaking of Sunagakure," Yamato said, sitting on the bed with nothing better to do, "they've always traded gold dust with us, right?"
"Yeah," Kakashi nodded. "You saw it on the way here — Sunagakure's environment has always been harsh. Water, food… they've been in short supply for as long as anyone can remember."
"That's why the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire have stayed allies," Kakashi explained. "We trade food, water, and other resources in exchange for their gold dust."
The arrangement kept both sides in balance, but there was no denying it — of the Five Great Nations, the Land of Wind was the weakest in raw national strength.
"But that's also a burden on Sunagakure," Haruto said, turning back toward them. "The gold dust they trade is actually refined personally by the Kazekage. The resource is limited — and it can't last forever."
In truth, Sunagakure didn't have the proper means to mine gold dust on its own.
Their continued production depended entirely on the Kazekage's unique jutsu.
Which meant… if anything happened to the Kazekage, Sunagakure's supply would vanish overnight, leaving them in a dangerously weak bargaining position with their allies.
It could even threaten the village's long-term survival.
A harsh environment, a weak economy — Sunagakure was always walking the razor's edge between internal strife and external threats.
Haruto suspected this was one of the reasons they might consider war with Konoha.
It was unfortunate, but inevitable.
When the great ninja villages were founded, Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara were the undisputed titans of the shinobi world, so it was only natural they claimed the most fertile lands.
Even the Third Great Ninja War had been, at its core, a battle over how to divide the Land of Fire's territory.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the village, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, had just concluded his meeting and stepped out of the council chamber.
"Kazekage-sama," Baki said in his usual deep tone, having waited outside for some time. He briefly summarized Haruto's group and their arrival.
"Konoha's representative… is a twelve-year-old boy?"
Rasa froze on the spot, his disbelief plain on his face.
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