Sunagakure Village is located in a hidden valley hidden behind rocky cliffs, geographically located right in the middle of the desert of the Land of Wind.
This makes Sunagakure a difficult village to invade, yet there are clear deficiencies in the standard of living of its people.
Limited water access and impassable roads make Sunagakure more isolated than other major ninja villages.
Passing through the guard post, Ameno and Jay were initially delayed due to Jay's identity as a merchant.
The ninja guarding the village entrance were confused and suspicious of Jay's sudden arrival.
For example, although they also welcome several merchants to conduct transactions in the village to support the livelihood of all villagers,
However, this does not mean they do not recognize the merchants who visit their village.
Because of their limited numbers, they easily recognize any merchant who frequently visits their village, and Jay is not one of them.
So they naturally felt suspicious, but the problem was quickly resolved by Ameno's presence.
"Excuse me, he's my husband, and I'm a ninja from the village. Here's my identification," Ameno then handed over the ninja badge, which bore the symbol of the Sand Village.
After seeing the badge and asking for some details about the village's situation, the ninja on guard realized they were friends.
So they quickly released them. "Okay, you may enter, and remind your husband to register for merchant membership at the village office, as permission to trade," a ninja with a face covering told them.
"Good, I'll take care of it," Ameno replied.
Jay, seeing the situation under control, immediately took the opportunity to become much closer to the guards.
As the saying goes, there's no harm in doing more, because only by being friendly would his efforts in getting in and out of the village be much easier.
"My fellow ninjas, allow me to give you a watermelon to quench your thirst in this hot weather. Consider it a gift from the two of us for your tireless efforts in guarding the village entrance." Jay then handed a large watermelon to the nearest ninja.
"Ahhh...this watermelon is huge!!" One ninja said.
"Wow...are you sure you want to give it to me?" asked another ninja.
"Of course, consider this a promotional offer. If you're interested in buying a watermelon, you can find me in the village, but I must remind you that quantities are limited." Jay once again spoke up to promote his wares.
"Great..." another replied happily.
Don't underestimate a watermelon given by Jay. After all, it's not easy to find fresh fruit in the middle of a desert like Sunagakure Village.
If there is any, it's bound to be limited and the price is certainly high, especially since Jay has his own reasons for offering such encouragement.
Not far from the village entrance, a majestic view of Sunagakure Village immediately greeted Jay and Ameno.
"I'm finally home!!" Ameno said with emotion.
Looking back at the village where he grew up and lived.
(Sunagakure Village probably has a population of around 50,000 and thousands of ninja. This figure was obtained from several Google searches.
Based on the comparison database, Konoha Village has a population of around 80,000 and around 13,000 ninja.
So, the author only took the figure one level lower, because Sunagakure Village is one of the weaker of the four ninja villages.
If there are any differences of opinion, please understand.)
Sunagakure Village has buildings made of clay and plaster, which keep their houses cool even under the hot sun.
However, their unique shape made Jay realize that he truly felt like he had arrived in the ninja world.
After all, Jay didn't find any buildings similar to those in Sunagakure Village or those in his previous life, at least this was Jay's personal experience.
"Come on... I'll show you some interesting places in the village," Ameno seemed excited to introduce his village to Jay.
"This is a residential area for ordinary people, and my house is in that area... but we won't stop here because we'll visit several other places."
Soon after, Ameno pointed out several famous places in his village, including the commercial street, the busiest street in the village.
There are Many shops sold various necessities and unique items found only in Sunagakure Village.
"This is the Ninja School... The one next to it is the hospital... As for the large building in the center of the village, it's the Kazekage's office.
We'll be there to process your trading permit, but besides requesting permission, we can also issue missions for the village," Ameno told Jay.
"Issuing missions!! That's interesting. We'll definitely issue missions for the village while we're traveling." Jay then considered hiring ninja from Sunagakure Village.
Although he and Ameno had some self-defense skills, if faced with greater danger...
They certainly lacked the strength to fight back. As for Jay's spatial abilities, they would only be useful in a truly critical situation.
After all, that was Jay's trump card.
"We've arrived. Let's get off the train and leave it there. There will be ninja on guard duty," Ameno led Jay into the Kazekage's office.
Of course, he wasn't coming to meet the Kazekage in person, but he was being led to the section where commercial trade matters were handled.
"Please come in," a voice came from inside the room labeled the village administrative office, as Ameno knocked politely.
"Good afternoon," Ameno led Jay inside.
Welcoming him was a beautiful young woman with blonde hair and a black dress, busily sorting out the files on her desk.
Seeing her, Jay was immediately reminded of the beautiful figure of the current Kazekage's older brother, Gaara.
(Hey… I never would have thought that this office would contain Temari, but considering her abilities, it seems natural that she'd be here, since in the present or future, she'll be Gaara's assistant.)
"Ahhh… good afternoon, Miss Temari…" Ameno greeted in surprise, not expecting the person in charge of the Kazekage's administrative office to be the current Kazekage's older sister.
"Oh… hey… it's you, Ameno… I didn't expect to see you here… But didn't you disappear during a mission outside the village? How did you get back?" Temari asked, surprised and quick, especially when she saw Jay accompanying her.
Her ninja vigilance immediately rose to investigate Jay's identity.
"Well… this is the story, Miss Temari…" Ameno then began to explain why she had only just returned now.
Ameno initially explained that she was injured and unconscious until Jay and his sister rescued her.
From there, she was treated by Jay's family, and during that time, she fell in love with Jay and arranged their wedding there.
"What, you're married??? And this is your husband???" Temari was shocked when she heard Ameno's story.