"Finally…"
Uchiha Tobika shaded his eyes and stared across the rolling dunes. A circular fortress of sand-colored stone rose from the horizon, surrounded by clusters of ochre buildings huddled like islands in a sea of wind. For a desert, the sight was almost… majestic.
Sunagakure.
Once nothing but dead land, until the First Kazekage decided a village could live here. And somehow, it worked.
Tobika had always wanted to tour the Five Great Villages, but the world wasn't quite at the post-war level of open borders. If he strolled into another Hidden Village right now, the best-case scenario was a full memory-wipe; worst-case, he'd be playing shogi with Sage of Six Paths in the afterlife.
Dangerous hobby.
As the Sand delegation crossed the village threshold, the main street widened before them. It wasn't as lively as Konoha, but compared to the deadly emptiness of the surrounding desert, it might as well have been a festival.
Most citizens wore long robes and wrapped their heads in layers of cloth, shielding themselves from wind and grit.The moment they recognized Ebizo and Yakura returning, cheers erupted.
"Ebizo-sama!""Yakura-sama!""Welcome back!"
Crowds swarmed them with questions about the ceasefire negotiations.
Tobika stood several steps behind and clicked his tongue.
"You're really popular, huh."
He remembered his own return after the war. A few villagers had smiled at him—until they noticed the Uchiha squad behind him. Then they sidestepped and offered their warmth to literally anyone else.
"Hmm."
Yakura's expression stayed polite, but the bitterness in her eyes was clear. These people adored her… but she had brought them home the worst kind of news—a humiliating treaty.
"Go on," she murmured. "I shouldn't be the center of attention right now. I'll meet you later."
Tobika popped a lollipop into his mouth and wandered off.
Officially, he was here for medical exchange.Unofficially, he was a spy.Unofficially-officially, everyone knew he was a spy.Like a foreign ambassador—everyone pretends to be polite while cataloguing all the ways you might steal information.
But if war broke out again, he wouldn't be "politely escorted out."
He'd be jailed.Or worse.
He shrugged and ducked into a nearby steamed-bun stall.
"Two buns," he said.
"One moment!"
He bit into the first one and froze, the crunch reverberating through his jaw.
A long pause.
Then he gave the chef a thumbs-up.
"First time eating a bun with sand in it. Surprisingly delicious. A little crunchy."
The owner flushed. "Sandstorms, you know. Hard to avoid."
"It's fine. Tastes good."
Tobika sat on a rickety wooden stool, watching passersby. For a moment he wondered if everyone here was from Wind Country… until he noticed a dark-skinned mountain of a man walk past, clearly from the Land of Lightning. Then a stout, round fellow—Land of Earth written all over him.
Interesting place.
When he finished eating, he looked around.
"Boss, why haven't I seen many shinobi on the streets?"
"Oh!" The owner puffed up, pointing toward the Kazekage Building. "Kazekage-sama recently used his power to raise a portion of the desert skyward. Found a massive gold vein inside it! All the shinobi are running between the village and the floating dunes to help mine it!"
Tobika blinked.
"…Kazekage is gold-mining now?"
The owner leaned in conspiratorially.
"They say if Kazekage-sama takes two steps, he finds gold. Sits down, finds a gold mine. Kicks the ground, a bag of gold dust flies out."
Tobika rubbed his chin.
A powerful Kazekage… forced to dig for gold.
Even with one hand holding up the entire desert, the other is still kneading through sand for crumbs of wealth.
This country was truly broke.
He sighed.Maybe the Kazekage should learn how to extort the Wind Daimyo properly. Tsunade could teach a masterclass.
"Also," Tobika asked, "isn't it dangerous with so many shinobi gone? What if someone attacks?"
The boss lowered his voice.
"Kazekage-sama's gone, but Chiyo-sama is still here. And Yakura-sama just returned as well."
"Oh—right!"
Tobika stood abruptly, brushing sand off his clothes.
"I'll come back tomorrow. The buns were good."
He wanted to try combining them with his smuggled bowl of spicy Luo Si Fen at some point. Sand plus stinky noodles. Science demanded answers.
He headed toward the Kazekage Building and, using Ebizo's clearance slip, quickly found Chiyo treating a wounded ninja.
"You Konoha people really spare no expense," Chiyo muttered, reading the coded note.Then she glanced at Tobika."'Konoha's No.2?' Is that you?"
"Not exactly." Tobika raised two fingers. "If we're talking medical ninjutsu, I'm Konoha's No.3. Tsunade's first. Orochimaru's second. I'm right after those two, and everyone else is beneath me."
Chiyo snorted, but she didn't argue. She knew Tsunade's skill firsthand. That woman cracked all her poisons like they were children's toys.
As for Orochimaru—who knew what that man was capable of? Chiyo certainly didn't.
She finished treating the patient and spoke without looking up.
"We're allies now. Since Konoha sent you to 'exchange medical knowledge,' you'll bring a group of students tomorrow. I'll bring mine. Exchange knowledge."
Tobika scratched his ear.
"…Chiyo-sama, that's just you trying to get us to train your medics."
"Don't say it out loud," she snapped, toothless grin spreading into her wrinkles. "Exchange means you teach yours, I teach mine, and at the end we mix them together. Teach–change. Exchange."
Tobika stared.
This old bat could weaponize grammar.
He was a spy, not a teacher. But Konoha hadn't given him strict orders, and learning under Chiyo wasn't exactly a bad opportunity.
After some brief small talk, he left the room. Chiyo watched him go, the cloudy film in her eyes fading to clarity.
"Young people must understand," she murmured. "An alliance is only a mask. A temporary arrangement. War will come again."
The door slid open.
Yakura stepped in.
Chiyo looked at the young kunoichi with an old, knowing gaze.
"I am retired. The future belongs to your generation. To grow is to shed the softness of youth. The Land of Wind is barren—far worse than Fire Country, even worse than Earth Country's stone fields. If our home is to survive, then everyone must squeeze out every last resource."
Chiyo clenched her hand into a fist.
"Catch a sheep. Shear it dry."
Yakura lowered her eyes. She knew the truth even without seeing the treaty: Suna had hemorrhaged money. Enough to hurt the next decade.
Chiyo muttered, almost wistfully,"Too bad we never managed to lure Tsunade here. The people who can drain that woman are the ones truly blessed by fortune."
Yakura felt a mix of embarrassment and helpless laughter.
The village was broke.And now even Granny Chiyo was in "full scavenger mode."
Sunagakure was in for hard times.