In April of Konoha's 27th year, Team One was still drifting through the Land of Wind.
"What kind of country is this? We've been walking for over a month and still haven't crossed it!" Nawaki groaned under the blazing sun, dragging a heavy pack on his back.
"Kid, you're not cut out for this. This is only one and a half months in and you're already breaking down?" Shen had nothing in his hands at all, and even took out a Preservation Scroll to enjoy some cool refreshment.
"Why don't you try lugging this thing yourself for a bit?"
"Puff"
As Nawaki spoke, he dropped his backpack, instantly kicking up clouds of dust around them.
Seeing this, Shen once again pulled out another scroll from his pocket, and with a strong gust of wind, the dust was blown in the opposite direction.
"How much do you want—cough cough—you bastard."
Nawaki didn't get his mouth closed in time and swallowed some flying dust heading straight for him, triggering violent coughing that left him unable to finish his curse.
Shen acted like he had nothing to do with it and went right on lecturing Nawaki: "I told you long ago, as teammates I'd share a scroll with you, but you flat-out refused. Now you've got yourself in trouble, right?"
"Cough cough—I would never accept anything from you—cough cough cough!"
"Sheesh, this guy's never gonna change… Maybe we *should* just ditch him..."
Next to them, Little Iceberg couldn't stand watching any longer: "Here, take this, Nawaki."
After recovering slightly, Nawaki smiled as he accepted the small scroll she handed him: "Thanks Nayou!"
Meanwhile, not far away in a different part of the desert, four Sunagakure ninja, wrapped tightly with only their eyes visible, were searching for something.
"Captain, are you sure about the intel? Leaf ninja really crossed the border into the Land of Wind?"
A young-sounding Sand shinobi asked the leader who was guiding them forward.
"Gaiki, you doubt our intel?" The Suna squad captain questioned in return.
His tone then turned serious: "According to the report, they're moving slowly forward. They don't seem like spies, but recently there have been many unidentified ninjas attempting to gather intelligence on the Land of Wind. Our mission, however, is simply to negotiate with them."
"Alright captain, but if they aren't spies, what are they doing here? They're not touring the country, are they?"
"Boy, can't you just shut up for once? I heard you're about to become a big brother—why are you still acting so immature?" The Suna captain seemed somewhat disappointed with Gaiki's endless questioning.
The other two Suna ninjas appeared accustomed to this already and didn't voice any opinions.
"Huh? You know already, Captain? Actually, I hope for a little sister! I'm seriously jelly you've got such a cute little sis, Captain!"
Instantly alert, the Suna captain glared at Gaiki, his expression seeming to issue a warning.
"Hmm…"
Gaiki spread his arms wide, indicating his innocence—he couldn't figure out why his captain was staring at him like he was a criminal.
"Don't you dare think about her! My sister is only three years old!" Seeing Gaiki maintain his innocent expression, the captain immediately roared toward him.
Turns out this guy's got it bad for his little sister, huh.
"I honestly see Pakura only as a little sister, Captain—you're overthinking it."
Gaiki, socially aware enough, naturally denied any wrongdoing.
He was just talkative—unlike Nawaki, who clearly lacked basic social skills.
"Alright, our target is right ahead. Be careful," the Suna squad captain already spotted four figures in the distance.
Immediately, he reminded the three to proceed cautiously. However, he felt puzzled—why did three of those distant figures look so small, like children?
"Captain, they really seem like they're here on vacation. Look, three of them are clearly kids!" Gaiki quickly recognized the situation of those four individuals.
"Regardless of their purpose, we must find out what they're up to."
"Yes!" x3
Including Gaiki, the three responded obediently to their captain's command.
At Team One's location, Nawaki was about to give that "prodigy" a proper lesson when he suddenly noticed several figures approaching from afar.
"Quick, look! There are people coming toward us!"
The other three followed his pointing finger and looked into the distance.
Shen inwardly exclaimed in alarm—it was truly impressive. Four individuals with fully wrapped heads resembled members of an organization active in the desert during his past life—like Akatsuki [an infamous group from his previous life]. After immediately infusing chakra throughout his cells, Shen instantly became alert.
Orochimaru and Nayou readied themselves, while Nawaki alone stared curiously at the approaching figures.
"Four Sunagakure ninjas—one jonin and three chunins. Their team composition is roughly similar to ours," Nayou, who activated her Byakugan, shared this intelligence with her teammates.
"Well then, why don't we fight? It's not like we can't beat them!" Upon hearing about the comparable combat strength, Nawaki immediately became excited.
Shen scoffed slightly before casting a disdainful glance at him: "Have you completely lost it? Fighting on someone else's turf? Do you expect to leave the Land of Wind without being hunted down? If they let you go after that, they'd be called generous."
Nawaki's ears turned bright red—he indeed hadn't thought it through properly.
"Enough. They're getting close now. Regardless of their intentions, nobody moves first, understand?"
Orochimaru, entering leader mode, commanded his team like this. When dealing with issues that could potentially lead to major diplomatic incidents, he still took great responsibility.
After responding affirmatively, Shen quickly activated his Sharingan while Nawaki prepared to release the Yin Seal on his right hand. Every member of Team One was ready for immediate combat.
Several seconds later, the four Suna ninja halted about ten meters away from them.
The Suna squad captain observed the opposing four seriously as he mentally evaluated their combat strengths: "One leading jonin and three children, huh? I don't know the exact power of that jonin, but one has the Byakugan—that's a Hyūga—and another has the Sharingan. As for the remaining child, the chakra waves coming from his right hand aren't anything trivial either."
Having reached his assessment, his expression softened slightly as he removed his headscarf and initiated initial contact with Team One: "Greetings, ninjas of Konoha. May I ask what brings you onto the land of the Sand Country? If possible, please kindly explain your purpose—we mean you no harm."
"He returned the greeting politely: 'Greetings from Sunagakure as well. We mean no harm entering your country's land. We are simply here so my students can get a taste of the shinobi world.'"
"I see. Then why not come as guests to Sunagakure village? You can rest assured, during peacetime our entire village will properly host all visitors from Konoha."
Hearing Orochimaru's reply, the Suna squad captain politely extended an invitation. Although he wasn't sure whether the other side was hiding something, he didn't believe a Jonin bringing along three children could possibly be on a spy mission.
After all, which spy would leisurely cross this desert over the course of more than a month?
"I don't trust you people from Konoha at all. Even if they're supposedly just here to get a taste of the shinobi world, then why—"
"Gaiki, shut up!"
Seeing that the four members of Team One appeared ready to strike at any moment, the Suna squad captain loudly reprimanded Gaiki. He had just reminded them their mission was one of negotiation, and now he couldn't help but feel bitterly conflicted inside.
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