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The Land of Fire had no shortage of food—how could anyone treat food as strategic supplies?
In the past, caravans transported goods freely without anyone raising a fuss.
So why was today different?
"Sir, we…" the caravan leader began.
"I suspect this guy is a spy from an enemy village, gathering intelligence along the way. Arrest him and take him to the camp for questioning," the lead jonin ordered.
"Yes, Captain!" the Konoha ninjas responded.
"Sir, I'm innocent! I'm not a spy, I swear!" the caravan member pleaded.
Not only were their goods being seized, but they were arresting people too.
The caravan members panicked.
Unfortunately, Konoha's ninjas had no intention of reasoning with them. They handled it brusquely: seize the goods, detain the negotiator for suspected espionage, and deal with the rest later.
As for the others, they could do whatever they wanted.
Seizing goods and arresting caravan members required someone to pass the message back.
Otherwise, how would the Sand Village know?
This was just the beginning.
Over the next few days, any caravan deeply tied to the Sand Village or transporting their goods was detained—no exceptions.
Caravans from other villages or nations were allowed to pass as usual, provided they had no issues.
There was no need to hassle others unnecessarily.
If Konoha detained every caravan's goods, the Sand Village wouldn't even need to react—the daimyo's would lose it first.
If this happened a few times, who would dare come to the Land of Fire to trade?
Money was at stake, and the daimyo couldn't afford to ignore that.
Targeting only the Sand Village was enough—no need to go overboard.
Konoha's ninjas detained numerous shipments meant for the Sand Village and arrested several caravan members. The news spread quickly.
The affected caravans, frantic like ants on a hot pan, immediately contacted the Sand Village.
Faced with this situation, the Sand Village was powerless.
They occasionally slipped into the Land of Fire for a "stroll," claiming it was a misunderstanding if caught.
But if they went to negotiate or confront Konoha over the detained goods and people, that would be a real provocation.
Konoha's ninjas wouldn't be so lenient then.
With no other choice, the Sand Village's border camp ninjas relayed the news back to the village, leaving it to the higher-ups to handle.
This kind of mess wasn't their responsibility, nor did they have the authority to deal with it.
Their job was to secure the border, ensuring no enemies infiltrated or attacked.
Most importantly, to the Sand Village, this was a minor, inconsequential issue. Even if reported, it wouldn't be prioritized.
Sure enough, it took several days for Rasa to see the intelligence scroll.
The war with the Rain Village had cost the Sand Village dearly. Rasa had spent years in the desert, mining to help the village recover.
With a few years of stable development, the Sand Village was regaining its strength.
As a former miner, Rasa could now handle administrative duties in the village, sitting proudly in the Kazekage's office instead of toiling in the desert.
Since the matter wasn't urgent, the intelligence scroll was left in the Kazekage's office, waiting for Rasa to address it after handling more pressing issues.
It took days for him to finally look at it.
"A few caravans were detained?" Rasa glanced at the scroll, unbothered.
This kind of thing happened often. Didn't the Sand Village frequently detain Konoha's caravans too?
"Send someone to negotiate. If there's no issue, have Konoha return the goods and release the caravan members quickly."
"Yes, Lord Kazekage."
A few caravans? Small matter.
Rasa was far more concerned about Gaara.
Much like in the original story, Rasa had ruthlessly turned his son into a jinchuriki.
This left Gaara neither human nor monster, with a volatile and aggressive temperament, quick to lash out.
Though the method was unsavory, Rasa had done it without hesitation.
The Sand Village's response came.
They sent someone to the border to negotiate.
But before the negotiator arrived, tensions at the border escalated.
Konoha's ninjas, in an unprecedented move, blatantly wandered into the Land of Wind.
If they had a mission and filed a report, that'd be one thing. But to openly stroll into the Land of Wind? That was outrageous.
Do you Konoha ninjas think this is your backyard?
Come and go as you please?
Sure enough, a Konoha team was intercepted.
Unfortunately for the Sand Village, the lead jonin was an Uchiha—one of Kazuki's escorts from the village.
"Uchiha Nojiku, is Konoha trying to provoke the Sand Village?" the Sand ninja demanded.
"Provoke the Sand Village? Akagi, watch your words! We got lost! And it's your fault—the Land of Wind is so remote, we got disoriented just taking a walk. Sand everywhere, impossible to tell directions," Nojiku said, lazily picking at his ear with a bored expression, dripping with disdain as he shifted the blame onto the Sand Village.
It's your barren Land of Wind that made us lose our way.
"You think I'm an idiot?" Akagi laughed in anger.
'You clearly came here on purpose and have the nerve to say you got lost? Look at that smug expression and attitude. You dare claim you're lost?'
"Yeah, I do think you're an idiot. Who'd believe an excuse like that otherwise?" Nojiku nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.
"You bastard!" Akagi nearly spat blood in rage.
Damn it, you're going too far!
"Hey, hey, what's that about? We just got lost. Are you Sand Village ninjas trying to stir up conflict between our villages? Do you know that if this escalates, it could lead to war? Then you, Akagi Taro, would be the Sand Village's sinner!" Nojiku shouted dramatically as the Sand ninjas looked ready to fight.
"We're leaving right now, heading out."
Nojiku said he'd leave, acting like he was backing down, but his gaze screamed "Idiot."
Deliberately leading his team in circles, he infuriated Akagi, who was left fuming.
The Konoha team was already retreating—chasing them down to fight would be unwise.
If things got out of hand, Akagi would be in serious trouble.