The Land of Wind, the endless desert.
The scorching sun hung high in the sky, baking the golden sea of sand, making heat waves roll.
A large merchant caravan consisting of hundreds of camels moved like a slow-moving ant colony, winding between sand dunes.
The sound of camel bells, mixed with the shouts of the caravan members and the heavy breathing of the camels, constituted the only melody of life in this sea of death.
In the middle section of this caravan, Tsunade and Shizune each rode an exceptionally sturdy camel.
Tsunade still wore her dark green short coat, the conspicuous [Gamble] character on her back swaying slightly with the camel's gait. She held a brown-red gourd of wine, occasionally taking a swig. The pungent liquid seemed to slightly dispel the desert's dryness and the slight annoyance in her heart caused by Jiraiya's departure and the unknown regarding the Land of Stars.
Shizune held her pink-and-white pig, Tonton, behind Tsunade, her wary gaze occasionally sweeping the surroundings.
A few days ago, after parting with Jiraiya in the Land of Grass, they had embarked on the journey to the Land of Stars.
The two first arrived at the capital of the Land of Wind, trying to find a caravan going directly to the Land of Stars, but discovered that all public caravans were tight-lipped about it, only willing to say they were going to border areas near the Land of Stars.
Finally, they found this large caravan led by a middle-aged merchant named Sharo.
Sharo had the dark skin characteristic of desert people, a carefully groomed small mustache above his lips, and shrewd and cautious eyes.
Initially, Sharo was somewhat wary of these two Kunoichi of unknown identity. But after encountering several waves of fierce desert bandits during the desert crossing, whom Shizune easily dealt with using her excellent shuriken and Ninjutsu skills, Sharo's attitude immediately became extremely enthusiastic and respectful.
He not only arranged comfortable mounts for the two but also generously provided the best wine and food in the caravan.
At this moment, Sharo was riding his lead white camel, walking side-by-side with Tsunade, a flattering smile on his face.
"Tsunade-sama, just half a day's journey ahead, and we'll see the border marker of the Land of Stars." Sharo pointed towards the endless sea of sand ahead. "The situation over there is completely different from here in the Land of Wind."
Tsunade shook her wine gourd, seemingly casually asking, "Oh? I heard that a few years ago, the Land of Stars killed all the old nobles and the Daimyo, and now it's a country without nobles? Aren't you merchants afraid of being treated as fat sheep to be slaughtered when you go there?"
Hearing this, Sharo quickly waved his hands, lowering his voice a bit. "My Lady, you've been misled by rumors from outside! The Land of Stars... their rules are indeed different from ours, but it's definitely not lawless. They have a very strict set of commercial laws. As long as you pay taxes according to the regulations and operate legally, not only is safety guaranteed, but the profits are much higher than here in the Land of Wind!"
He paused, a trace of emotion appearing on his face. "To be honest, everyone was afraid at first. But after going a few times, you understand. Over there, you don't see noble kids bullying the markets, no tax officials extorting layer by layer. Everything follows the rules. Although the tax rate might seem high on the surface, without those under-the-table bribes and extortions, we actually end up making more money, and it's more peaceful."
Shizune, holding Tonton, couldn't help but interject, "Sharo-san, since your trip is actually to the capital of the Land of Stars, why didn't any caravan dare to admit it when we inquired in the market at the Land of Wind's capital?"
The shrewd smile on Sharo's face faded a bit. He looked around, his voice dropping even lower, carrying a hint of helplessness. "Shizune-san, you don't understand. The Land of Wind's Daimyo has explicitly forbidden any form of trade with the Land of Stars. Violators are severely punished! Us merchants, how dare we openly say we're going to the Land of Stars? That would be asking for trouble! We can only say we're going to nearby border towns. It's an unspoken understanding."
Shizune frowned, continuing her questioning. "Then... what if we encounter patrols from Sunagakure at the border? Won't they stop you?"
Sharo pondered for a moment, his gaze subconsciously glancing at Tsunade drinking beside him. Seeing she didn't seem to mind, he rubbed his hands, with a somewhat worldly and accustomed expression. "This... usually, it's just a matter of spending some money, greasing the wheels a bit."
Seeing the disapproval and doubt in Shizune's eyes, he explained further. "Although the Daimyo forbids it on the surface, the goods produced by the Land of Stars are just too popular."
"Not only the food, salt, lumber, medicine that the Land of Wind lacks, but also those exquisitely made, magically effective luxury goods, like the Chakra-nurturing gem said to regulate the body, the highly effective healing ointments, even the sealing scrolls that can preserve food for a long time... These things, even the noble lords in the Land of Wind's capital and people in the Daimyo's Mansion are willing to spend large sums to secretly purchase."
Sharo spread his hands, a look of worldly wisdom on his face. "So, this ban, well, it's just for show. The Sunagakure's Ninja Lords also need to eat, need to maintain the village's expenses. As long as we are sensible, they usually turn a blind eye. After all, no one wants to make trouble with money."
Listening to this explanation, Shizune's frown deepened. Coming from Konoha, although she knew there were dark sides to the Ninja World, such blatant discussion of bribery and unspoken rules made her uncomfortable.
Tsunade just snorted derisively, took another swig of wine, as if long accustomed to such things.
Having traveled through various countries for years, she had seen dirtier deals than this.
Just then, several figures appeared on the sand dune ahead.
They wore standard Sunagakure's Ninja Attire, heads wrapped in sand-proof scarves. The leader had sharp eyes and raised his hand, signaling the caravan to stop.
"It's a Sunagakure's patrol team!" A slight commotion arose in the caravan. The camel bells fell silent.
Sharo's face changed slightly, muttering softly, "So unlucky, to run into them..."
But he quickly put on that smooth smile again, nimbly jumped off his camel, and trotted up to meet them.
He skillfully pulled out a heavy-looking small pouch from his chest, respectfully offered it with both hands to the Sunagakure's team leader, his face full of humble smiles.
"Gentlemen, you've worked hard! This small token, for you to buy some wine to quench your thirst..."
The Sunagakure's team leader expressionlessly took the pouch, weighed it in his hand, and then actually opened the bag and glanced inside.
Seeing the yellow coins inside, a barely noticeable satisfaction appeared on his face, and he then calmly put the money pouch into his chest.
He casually waved his hand, led his team around the caravan for half a circle, his gaze sweeping over the goods and people, lingering on Tsunade and Shizune for a few extra seconds, seemingly detecting their Ninja Status, but ultimately said nothing.
"Alright, no problem, move along." The team leader ordered lazily, then turned with his subordinates, preparing to leave, continuing their 'patrol'.
Sharo finally breathed a sigh of relief, quickly signaled the caravan to move on.
Shizune watched the retreating backs of the Sunagakure's Ninja, her lips moved as if to say something, but she ultimately swallowed her words, only letting out a soft sigh.
Tsunade, however, was unfazed, raised her gourd, about to take another drink to wash away the desert's dryness and the slight irritation from the previous scene.
However, just as her lips touched the mouth of the gourd, the wine about to flow into her throat-
Rumble...!!!
A deep, violent tremor, as if from the depths of the earth, suddenly struck without any warning!
"Woo-!"
The entire caravan's camels were instantly spooked, letting out frightened whinnies, pacing restlessly in place. A few even tried to break free from their reins and run!
The caravan members were also startled by this sudden earth-shaking tremor, exclaiming repeatedly. The formation instantly fell into disarray!
The Sunagakure's Ninja who were about to leave also hurriedly drew kunai and other weapons.
"What's happening?!"
"An earthquake?!"
"Steady the camels!"
Tsunade jerked the gourd down, spilling wine all over herself, but she didn't notice.
Shizune also immediately held Tonton tightly, stood up vigilantly, looking towards the direction of the tremor.
In the distant horizon, a massive 'sand dune' was slowly rising!
No, that wasn't a sand dune!
As it rose, it revealed a massive body like twisted, pale deadwood. Tails like giant pythons danced madly behind it, stirring up a sky full of yellow sand!
Most heart-palpitating was that atop the behemoth, a gigantic single eye, filled with madness and savagery, snapped open!
"Roar-!!!"
A terrifying roar, as if filled with an endless desire for destruction, stirred up giant waves in the sea of sand, instantly sweeping through the entire desert!
The vast Chakra pressure contained in the sound made everyone present and the camels feel a trembling and suffocation emanating from their very souls!
The mouthful of wine Tsunade had just drunk was spat out in one go!
Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes instantly widened, her face filled with unprecedented shock and disbelief. She stared fixedly at the terrifying giant beast in the distance that seemed to connect heaven and earth, crying out in shock: "That is... a Tailed Beast?! How is that possible?! This Chakra... this size... Could it be... the One-Tail has gone on a rampage?!"
The intelligence that Sunagakure's Shukaku was prone to rampages was no secret to the higher-ups of the great Ninja Villages.
And Shizune, holding her shivering Tonton, stared dumbfounded, counting the tails behind the distant giant beast.
"One, two, three... nine... ten?!"
"Tsunade-sama! Ten... ten tails?!"