Land of Wind, Hidden Sand Village.
Vast yellow sand stretches across the land, as far as the eye can see.
In this endless sea of sand and dust, the Hidden Sand Ninja Village is built in such a harsh environment.
Apart from the color of sand, there are hardly any other vivid colors visible around the Hidden Sand Village.
The village is surrounded by steep sandstone, with a terrain that is lower in the middle and higher at the edges, which provides excellent security for the Hidden Sand Village and facilitates the drainage of underground water veins.
Utilizing this natural geographic advantage, the village is tightly enclosed on the outer layer. The Hidden Sand Ninja stationed there can overlook and have a full view of the surroundings below.
Only the main entrance has a narrow passage that connects the inside and outside of the village, known as the 'Line of Heaven'.
Unless attacking from the air, it is difficult for outsiders to launch a frontal assault without permission.
The treacherous environment of the Line of Heaven deters potential invaders.
Based on such advantageous conditions, the Hidden Sand Village has thrived peacefully in the desert for decades.
Amidst the soaring yellow sand, ball-shaped sandstone buildings are the iconic structures of the Hidden Sand Village. From residential areas to the Kazekage Building, most have this relatively smooth architectural style, which helps guard against the desert's sandstorm environment.
At this moment, in the conference room of the Kazekage Building, a large monthly meeting is being conducted, led by the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, alongside the Hidden Sand's top officials.
Twelve chairs surround a huge stone round table. Besides this, the conference room is adorned with potted cacti, creating a quiet and empty atmosphere.
This also relates to the geographic environment of the Land of Wind.
Most of the country is desert, unusable for resources, with a lack of vegetation, making wooden furniture a very costly commodity for the Hidden Sand Village.
The land suitable for planting medicinal herbs is also very scarce, leading the Hidden Sand Village, despite having first-rate medical technology, to struggle to expand on a larger scale, which is the root cause.
However, given the circumstances, Rasa, as the current Kazekage, can only reluctantly choose to yield. The environment of the Hidden Sand Village is indeed harsh.
Moreover, much of the funding that the Hidden Sand Village receives from the Daimyo of the Land of Wind is used for military development.
This includes researching Tailed Beast techniques, expanding the ninja forces, and developing sophisticated ninja tools to ensure sufficient combat strength during wartime.
The twelve seats were filled, apart from Kazekage Rasa. The other eleven were the elders of the Hidden Sand Village or highly influential Jonin within the village, occupying significant management positions.
"...In summary, regarding the training and development of the young generation of ninja in the coming years, let's continue to implement the previous policies. Over the next few years, I hope everyone will continue to cooperate."
Rasa offered a brief summary of the ninja training plans for the Hidden Sand Village, hoping to work alongside the Hidden Sand Elders.
"Kazekage-sama, you are too kind. In recent years, our village has continuously produced outstanding successors, thanks to the exemplary leadership of Kazekage-sama."
One elder remarked with a smile.
The other elders also nodded repeatedly. Leaving aside strength, Kazekage Rasa's Gold Sand Jutsu alone has solved many challenges for the Hidden Sand Village.
A considerable portion of the military budget of their village is earned by Rasa using his abilities to mine gold sand, not solely from the Daimyo of the Land of Wind.
In light of this, the Hidden Sand Village has long recovered from the recession after the Third Ninja War, even stronger than during that period.
"Without the cooperation and efforts of all you elders, I couldn't have achieved this. In any case, let us continue to strive forward together."
Rasa responded with a smile.
Of the Five Great Nations, the Land of Wind itself is the most resource-scarce, with most of its territory consisting of unplantable desert.
Food and water are significant issues, heavily reliant on imports.
The primary sources of grain come from smaller nations like the Land of Bear, Land of Shadow, and Land of Birds, while the main water source is from the rain-abundant Land of Rain.
Just in case, within the Hidden Sand Village, there is a storage space stocked with substantial supplies of food and water as a precaution.
"The planning issues of the village will end here. The next part of our meeting involves problems regarding the Land of Demons, which requires discussion and resolutions among us."
Rasa said this with a somewhat awkward expression.
"The Land of Demons? They're approaching us again? Such a hassle."
Upon hearing Rasa mention this country, the Hidden Sand Elders present all perked up.
Since the end of the Third Ninja War, the Land of Demons has achieved an economic boom that has attracted the attention of the Five Great Nations.
Countless large merchants gathered in Shion City for business, turning it into the most prosperous commercial metropolis in the Ninja Realm. According to expert statistics, over the past three years, the tax revenue of the Land of Demons has approached that of the Land of Fire, the leader among the Five Great Nations, placing its economic strength among the top in the Ninja Realm.
Its developed pharmaceutical, entertainment, shipbuilding, and mechanized industrial sectors have attracted many businessmen.
Hence, the Shion Flower Merchants Association has become the top commercial association in the Ninja Realm, surpassing the Fire Nation's merchants alliance, achieving wealth comparable to nations.
Logically, there should be little interaction between this country and the Hidden Sand Village.
The crux of the issue is that during the Third Ninja War, due to the shortage of combat funds for the Hidden Sand Village, the diplomatic officials of the Land of Wind negotiated with the managers of the Shion Flower Merchants Association to secure a guarantee for the Hidden Sand Village, hoping the Shion Flower Merchants Association would offer a large loan to the Hidden Sand Village.