After several days of travel through the harsh desert, filled with cautious exchanges and long silences between stretches of wind and sand, the envoy team from Kumogakure finally arrived at the gates of Sunagakure. The golden dunes gave way to the stone walls and hidden passages of the desert village, its towers of sandstone rising like ancient monuments carved from the crusted sand itself. Waiting at the entrance were the Third Kazekage, Chiyo, and several high-ranking officials of the Sand Village.
The formalities were swift. Most of the escorting shinobi were taken to rest quarters and provided with food and water. At the same time, Kurozai and the Land of Lightning's accompanying officials were respectfully guided to a large meeting chamber within the administrative compound of Sunagakure. There, they brought with them sealed scrolls, documents, and reports bearing the Raikage's and Daimyo's seals.
Inside the meeting hall, seated at the head of the meeting, was the Daimyo of the Land of Wind. He was a man of fair skin and a round body, well-fed face, his corpulence a mark of privilege that only one of his position could afford. Though the Land of Wind was barren and lacking in fertile soil or abundant water, it remained one of the five great powers of the shinobi world. Its political influence and mineral wealth ensured that its Daimyo continued to live in opulence, far removed from the daily hardships of his people.
Despite the scarcity of grain and greenery, the Land of Wind was not destitute. Its deserts yielded rare minerals, precious ores, and medicinal herbs found nowhere else. While its economy could not rival the agricultural wealth of the Land of Fire or the maritime abundance of the Land of Water or similar abundant Material resources of the Land of Earth, its strategic resources and vast population gave it undeniable weight among the great nations to be one of them.
A casual observer might find it strange that such an arid and unforgiving land could sustain a large population. But as Ron once theorized, the answer lay in history; the Land of Wind had likely been far more prosperous in ancient times. It was perhaps the Ten Tails' catastrophic impact on the world that had gradually drained its vitality, leaving behind deserts where once there had been life. Yet its people, bound by generations of endurance and pride, never abandoned their homeland. Through the centuries, they adapted and survived.
As Kurozai and the envoys entered, polite greetings were exchanged. But soon after, they took their seats, and a tense silence filled the chamber. Around the long stone table sat the Daimyo, the Third Kazekage, Chiyo, Ebizo, and several advisors from both the ninja village and the capital. Kurozai's sharp eyes took in the subtle shifts of posture, the unspoken tension between the two groups. He had heard of this divide before, but seeing it firsthand confirmed the intelligence reports he'd received.
After the Second Ninja World War, the Land of Wind's Daimyo had drastically reduced his financial support for Sunagakure. The war's end had not brought unity, but resentment. The heavy reparations paid to Konoha after Sunagakure's defeat had bled the Daimyo's treasury, and the nobles blamed the ninja for the loss. Only after the Land of Lightning began issuing trade contracts and mission requests did Sunagakure's condition begin to improve.
Kurozai observed the room carefully, his thoughts steady and analytical.
"It seems the information was accurate. Just by looking at them, I can sense the distance between the Daimyo and the Kazekage. The tension is palpable. The nobles in the capital have grown estranged from their military power, and perhaps even resentful. This will make negotiations much easier than expected. After all, the Daimyo and his circle intentionally reduced funding to Sunagakure because they believed no nation would bother invading a land of endless sand. It was the Kazekage who pushed for expansion into the Land of Rain, an endeavor that ended in failure and humiliation. Now, the Daimyo's mansion pays for that defeat in gold and resources, and the people of the capital blamed Sunagakure for their losses. The rift between the political and military centers of the Land of Wind has become wide indeed."
In the shinobi world, ninja villages represented a nation's military might. They held the authority to wage war and defend or expand their borders, functioning as both armies and symbols of power. During the old Warring States era, before the establishment of the five great nations, the lands had been fragmented, ruled by countless Daimyo and clans, each holding their own territories, sometimes in alliance, sometimes in opposition.
Unification brought change. As the five great nations formed, the ninja clans of each region were gathered under a single banner, uniting to form the hidden villages. Political authority was consolidated under one Daimyo per land, while the clans surrendered administrative control of their territories in exchange for recognition and stability, and continuous wealth. Many former Daimyos and clan leaders became nobles or lords within the Daimyo's court, retaining wealth and influence through land and legacy.
In places like the Land of Fire, that bond between Daimyo and village remained strong, supported by deep traditions and shared prosperity. But in the Land of Wind, the connection had withered. Harsh geography and the difficulty of survival had forced the people to rely heavily on the Daimyo for sustenance and trade. Over time, economic power concentrated entirely in the capital, while Sunagakure was left dependent on the Daimyo's allocation of funds. The two pillars of the nation, its political center and its military heart, had drifted apart, bound by necessity but divided by distrust.
And as Kurozai looked around the chamber, he realized that this fragile divide and ignorance was the very opening Kumogakure intended to use.