Hidden Sand Village.
Winds filled with yellow sand blow across this barren desert year-round. Scorching grit swirls in the wind, and even the air carries a choking smell of dry dust.
The Village is wedged between massive rock walls and yellow sands. Earth-yellow buildings are scattered along the mountain slopes, with every wall crevice bearing the marks of wind and sand erosion.
Aoki Yoru, Asuma, and the others arrived at the entrance of the Hidden Sand Village, wearing cloaks against the wind and sand.
Looking at the yellow sand filling the sky, Aoki Yoru instantly understood why the previous Kazekage fought so hard to conquer a piece of the Land of Fire's territory.
The environment was truly too harsh, comparable to the Land of Rain.
If it were Aoki Yoru, he would definitely have been the first to strike the Land of Fire. Its location was simply too good—land under the sun everywhere, with pleasant weather.
However, their luck was just too bad. First, the parents of Sasori, who had the potential to become Kage-level, encountered the White Fang. Then, Sasori's assassination of the Third Kazekage led to a heavy-loss sneak attack by Kumogakure. Finally, Rasa betrayed Pakura without hesitation to consolidate his own position.
This resulted in the Village now having to rely on Gaara, Chiyo, and her brother to barely maintain the foundation of one of the Five Great Nations.
Think about it: if their luck hadn't been so bad, they would have had the Third Kazekage, Sasori's parents, a grown-up Sasori, plus Rasa, Pakura, Chiyo, and her brother.
With this lineup facing a Konoha that had crippled its own strength, they could have pushed five hundred miles across the land. Why would they stay here eating sand?
The entire Land of Wind relies on a few oases for support, and the grain produced cannot meet the consumption of the entire country.
The reason it could become one of the Five Great Ninja Villages was entirely because its vast territory was rich in minerals, providing the money to support it.
To put it colloquially, it was similar to the wealthy Middle Eastern 'camels' of his previous life who possessed military force.
Of course, at this moment, Aoki Yoru looked at the desert with great interest.
Along the way, he discovered that the life force of the entire desert was extremely weak—not the life force of living creatures, but that of every stone and every gust of wind.
Was the Natural Energy of the entire desert extremely scarce? This didn't follow common sense.
Then it dawned on him: the entire Land of Wind must have been where Ōtsutsuki Kaguya planted the God Tree, and the vitality of the entire region had been absorbed.
"Fortunately, I wasn't born in the Land of Wind."
Aoki Yoru felt lucky to have been born in Konoha. If he were in the Land of Wind, he didn't know how many times more effort it would take to complete Sage Art.
Moreover, he felt this place was simply incompatible with his life. If he fought here, all he could rely on was the Natural Energy stored in his Half-Step Sage Body.
"It seems I need to find a way to upgrade to a Sage Body as soon as possible."
Aoki Yoru suddenly felt a sense of urgency. If he fought a master in this place, his stamina would be comparable to Kakashi's in the original story—he'd be drained after a few big moves.
At this moment, Asuma looked at Aoki Yoru with a puzzled expression. "What's wrong with you? You've been talking to yourself. Is something wrong?"
Aoki Yoru shook his head: "It's nothing, I'm just lamenting the harsh environment of the Land of Wind."
Meanwhile, having received notice, the Hidden Sand Village came out to welcome them.
A lean Ninja with a mustache walked over: "I am the Kazekage Advisor, Yura. I have come to welcome you all by the order of Lord Gaara."
Yura made a welcoming gesture: "Please follow me. Lord Kazekage is already waiting for you."
Aoki Yoru looked at Yura leading the way with interest. If he remembered correctly, this man was a spy Sasori had planted in the Hidden Sand Village.
Although it wasn't voluntary, once he was hit by Sasori's 'Memory-Concealing Sand Manipulation Technique,' he had no choice.
However, Aoki Yoru quite admired Sasori. How old was Yura when Sasori left? Yet Sasori had picked him out.
This talent for recognizing potential was much stronger than most of those useless bureaucrats.
Subsequently, Aoki Yoru used his spiritual energy to probe Yura's body. Sure enough, he found a trace of subtle Chakra in his mind that an ordinary sensory Ninja would never notice.
Furthermore, this Chakra was just dormant in Yura's body, remaining motionless normally. Once triggered by Sasori's technique, it would instantly control the host, turning him into a puppet spy loyal only to Sasori.
The Kazekage's Office.
Aoki Yoru met Gaara.
The young man before him had long since shed his past gloom and hostility. His face had lost some of its youthfulness and gained a bit of steady maturity.
His gaze was no longer the madness that could explode at any moment; instead, it was a calm clarity, though the majesty and sharpness of a Kazekage were hidden deep within his eyes.
Aoki Yoru looked at him and couldn't help but sigh in his heart: "In just over a year, I didn't expect Gaara to change so much."
"The Jinchuriki who was once wrapped in hatred and loneliness, likely to lose control at any moment, has now gradually grown into a qualified Kazekage."
Watching the Konoha group enter, Gaara stood up and greeted them: "Chief Aoki, and everyone from Konoha, welcome to the Land of Wind."
Aoki Yoru nodded slightly and responded with some respect: "Lord Kazekage is too kind. Regarding the follow-up to the Chunin Exams, we'll have to trouble Sunagakure to take care of things."
Gaara nodded slightly: "Rest assured, I have already made arrangements. The routes and monitoring points for the second exam are in place; there won't be any issues."
Aoki Yoru replied with a smile: "Then we shall trouble Lord Kazekage. Lady Tsunade also specifically instructed us to fully cooperate with Sunagakure this time. If there is anything Konoha can assist with, please don't hesitate to ask."
Hearing Aoki Yoru's words, Gaara paused for a moment before realizing that Tsunade also knew his current situation, which was why she had specifically sent Aoki Yoru to help.
He then showed a moved expression, "Thank you. You all have come a long way and must be exhausted. Please go down and rest first."
At that moment, Aoki Yoru said to Asuma and the others: "You guys go ahead. I still have some matters to discuss with the Kazekage."
The others didn't mind, assuming it was a special arrangement from the Hokage, and followed the Sunagakure Ninja out.
After watching them leave and close the door, Aoki Yoru turned to look at a puzzled Gaara. "Is that Yura a trusted aide of yours?"
Gaara was stunned and asked in confusion: "Yura is excellent, one of the top Ninjas in the Village, and my Advisor. He usually assists me with Village matters. Is there a problem?"
Aoki Yoru gave a mysterious smile and asked directly: "Do you know about the Fourth Mizukage?"
"Of course I know. His story is known to all the major nations now. Wasn't he..."
Gaara froze, his pupils shrinking as if he had thought of something unbelievable. "Are you saying...?"
Aoki Yoru nodded: "Exactly. He probably doesn't even know it himself, but there is a trace of Chakra in his mind. Although there's no reaction now, as soon as the master triggers it, Yura will immediately become the other party's loyal puppet."
Gaara's face immediately darkened. Yura was a veteran Jonin of the Village and his Advisor. If he were truly being controlled, it would be no different from Sunagakure's intelligence being wide open to the enemy.