A town of a few hundred people might not seem like much, but the nature of the incident was different.
If a village of one or two hundred people was wiped out, it might be attributed to the whim of a ruthless ninja, but that was during times of war.
For such a thing to happen in an era of peace, and with ninja from another country nearby—even if they wore no headbands—was enough to warrant Sunagakure's serious attention.
It had always been Sunagakure attacking Konoha. Was Konoha now planning to attack them?
In the Kazekage's office, the Fourth Kazekage frowned, unable to make sense of it. After nearly a decade of hard-won peace, Konoha wanted to start a war? Why would they target the Land of Wind? Their country was nothing but sand and Gobi desert.
Konoha didn't lack ore, and he was the only one who could mine for gold dust. There was absolutely no benefit for Konoha to attack the Land of Wind.
But the report from the Suna Anbu, though it provided no identification for the dead ninja, stated with certainty that they were from Konoha.
There were several reasons: first, their clothing—each country's production methods were slightly different. Second, their weapons—while all kunai and shuriken looked similar, an experienced blacksmith could tell them apart. The final reason was determined by geography: it could only be Konoha.
Therefore, it was more than eighty percent certain that Konoha ninja were behind this. They had sent a team to slaughter a small town in the Land of Wind, discovered their target had already left, set a trap for the merchant caravan, and finally, engaged their target in a major battle on the road.
The lucky old guide had crossed the border shortly after they parted ways. Otherwise, he likely would have been captured by the Suna Anbu as well.
Uchiha Nagi and Kimimaro didn't head directly into Sunagakure. Instead, they went to a town outside the hidden village. The vast territory of the Land of Wind, of course, consisted of more than just Sunagakure.
Sunagakure was merely the main base for all the nation's ninja, just like Konoha. In reality, the Land of Wind had many other cities and towns of various sizes.
For example, the city they had now arrived in was called Wasurekawa, the city where the daimyo of the Land of Wind resided.
Ever since the First Hokage established Konoha, the authority of the daimyo had diminished day by day, until they were little more than lackeys for the ninja villages.
Since the lofty ninja lords couldn't be bothered to personally collect taxes or manage the common people, the various nations tacitly allowed the daimyo to remain, letting them handle administration and tax collection while the ninja focused on warfare.
There was another point: if the common people became restless and resentful, the daimyo could be trotted out as a scapegoat. A new daimyo could be appointed, or the old one killed, and the ninja villages would remain blameless. The daimyo were the ones collecting the taxes, after all…
So, apart from the Twelve Guardian Ninja that Asuma had once been a part of, no other country had considered abolishing the daimyo system. And the leader of the Land of Fire was protected by a pitifully small force of only twelve Jonin…
"Nagi-sensei, this place is so lively, so many people. But there seem to be very few ninja," Kimimaro remarked, looking left and right but spotting few shinobi.
"Well, this is where the Land of Wind's daimyo lives, so it's natural for it to be more populated," Uchiha Nagi replied with a nod. Still, it was a far cry from the Land of Fire.
Even the city gates were guarded by samurai and soldiers, who checked and inspected all who entered.
The walls of the cities in the Land of Wind weren't built to defend against ninja, but to protect against sandstorms.
Due to the battle, Uchiha Nagi had stored his trade goods in a storage scroll. After arriving in the city, he sold them off, then restocked on food and water and began to subtly ask around for information about the Land of Roran.
Occasionally using a discreet genjutsu made gathering information incredibly easy.
For example, the old man before him, with a face full of wrinkles that made him look seventy despite being not yet forty…
The food was quite good, a specialty of the desert region. It was a bowl of something resembling a spicy pepper soup, served with a steamed bun. The bun was stuffed with the meat of some unknown animal, which was greasy and incredibly chewy.
Kimimaro ate with great relish, his face shining with oil. During this time, his appetite had grown rapidly, to a terrifying degree that had already surpassed Nagi's. It was likely due to the Breathing Styles and his training; his body no longer looked as frail as before.
He was becoming lean and powerful, his muscle density increasing. Even without using his Shikotsumyaku, his muscle density was already two or three times that of an ordinary person.
It was hard to imagine how strong his muscles would be when he reached adulthood. At that point, even without his Shikotsumyaku, a kunai might not even be able to pierce his body.
But then, thinking about how the adult Kimimaro could withstand the pressure of hundreds of tons from the Sand Waterfall Funeral with his bare body, it was no wonder.
"Shopkeeper, you've been in business here for many years, haven't you?" Uchiha Nagi asked.
"Heh heh, not too long, just twenty or thirty years. When I was young, I traveled around a bit, saw the world," the shopkeeper said with a cheerful laugh.
"I see. Since you've traveled so widely, you must have been to many countries." Uchiha Nagi had already discreetly activated his Sharingan under the fringe of his hair.
The old man, as if not noticing his red eyes, continued chatting with him.
"Yes, the surrounding countries—the Land of Iron, the Land of Demons, the Land of Fire. In my time, I was fortunate enough to visit each one once. Every country has its own scenery, its own customs. They're worth remembering."
"I've heard that the Land of Wind used to have many small countries, but the environment changed, and they were buried by sand and dust."
As Nagi said this, his Sharingan flickered suggestively, and the old man began to speak on his own.
"Yes, that's right. There was one called the Land of Roran. The land there used to be very fertile. You could say it was one of the Land of Wind's most important sources of grain. A pity that the heavens changed, and it was annihilated by a sandstorm, alas…"
"Do you know where the Land of Roran is located now?"
"Oh, it's near the Land of Rivers. I don't know the exact location. It's been decades, and with the wind blowing and the sand burying everything, it's hard to be so precise. Roran itself wasn't large, but…"
"But what?"
"The daimyo's mansion should still have a detailed map of Roran. If the guest wishes to find Roran, the daimyo and the Kazekage would certainly have one."
"The shopkeeper misunderstands. I was just curious since the Land of Wind is so vast, I wondered if there were many small countries here in the past. Besides, Roran has been buried by sand. Why would I go there?"
"Oh, that's true, heh heh…"
Uchiha Nagi smiled and deactivated his Sharingan. The shopkeeper had no idea what he had just been induced to say.
Going to the Kazekage was out of the question. There were too many ninja, and the Kazekage's Magnet Release would be amplified by the natural geographical advantage. Was he looking to get himself killed? But paying a visit to the daimyo… that shouldn't be much of a problem.
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