If the Land of Fire is blessed with fertile soil and endless forests, and the Land of Iron is filled with rivers and rugged mountains, then the Land of Wind is nothing but an endless desert of yellow sand.
On paper, the Land of Wind is one of the Five Great Nations, and geographically the largest on the continent.
But in reality, most of it is lifeless wasteland where neither plants nor animals can survive. The few settlements that exist are clustered around rare oases scattered across the desert. Ironically, despite its vast size, the Land of Wind is considered the weakest among the Five Great Nations.
At this moment, Kenya once again wrapped himself in a ragged cloak, a hood pulled low to conceal the upper half of his face, as he trudged through the sea of sand.
After leaving the Land of Rivers, his path had led him here.
Even though the Sand Village and Konoha are officially allies, that doesn't mean a Konoha shinobi can freely cross another nation's borders.
Of course, Kenya's purpose went far beyond a casual visit.
Back when Asuma summoned three Jōnin to confront him, Kenya had already devised a complete plan in his mind.
[The Konoha Capture Plan!]
That was why he had taken Kurenai as a hostage.
Continuing to fight under those circumstances would have been pointless. What mattered was preventing reinforcements and forcing hesitation. Holding a hostage was the best way to make Konoha wary.
And why Kurenai, and not Genma?
Well… that came down to Kenya's personal preference.
After all, who would want to drag a man along the road in their arms?
Several days later, after crossing the desert, the eyes beneath Kenya's hood lifted slightly.
In the distance, a massive stone wall rose up—the first defensive barrier of Sunagakure.
Only a single vertical passageway, scarcely ten meters wide, allowed entry or exit. For that reason alone, infiltrating Sunagakure was no easy task.
Standing atop a boulder, Kenya's Three Tomoe Sharingan slowly turned, locking onto the barrier.
With his visual prowess, he could clearly see the chakra barrier surrounding the village, just like the one in Konoha. Anyone entering or leaving would immediately be detected by the Barrier Corps.
In the original timeline, Akatsuki's "Art Duo" had passed unnoticed only because Sasori had arranged for an undercover operative within the village.
"It seems this will take some time…"
Muttering to himself, Kenya raised his right index finger.
"Bakudō No. 26 — Bent Light."
As the kidō activated, his body gradually blended into the environment, his form vanishing into thin air.
To any observer, there was no one sitting on the rock outside Sunagakure's wall.
Still, kidō did nothing to stop the oppressive heat beating down from the sun or the scorching heat of the boulder beneath him.
But if Kenya feared discomfort, he would never have honed this body—once only of average Jōnin strength—into something capable of killing even an elite in just three months.
He thought back to that grueling training and couldn't help but shiver slightly.
Half a month passed this way.
Day after day, Kenya remained hidden, watching Sand shinobi leave on missions. None of them, however, suited his needs.
Until today. Near noon, his patience was rewarded.
A four-man squad emerged from the village gates, and Kenya's eyes lit up.
After wandering in the desert for so long, it was as if he had finally stumbled upon an oasis.
He didn't recognize three of them—but the man at the front was unmistakable.
A shinobi nearing thirty, half his face hidden beneath an extended headscarf. His skin was streaked with the protective paint commonly worn in the desert.
A Sand Jōnin on par with Konoha's Kakashi—the instructor of Gaara, Kankurō, and Temari.
Baki.
Kenya's lips curled slightly. Finally, after two weeks of waiting, an opportunity had appeared.
He rose silently and began following the squad from a distance.
This time, Baki was not leading the Kazekage's three heirs. His team consisted of three other Sand shinobi whom Kenya did not recognize.
They crossed the endless dunes, heading toward the Land of Rivers. Eventually, one of the subordinates broke the silence.
"Captain Baki, may I ask… what is our mission this time?"
Baki's face darkened. His voice was heavy as he replied:
"We are going to borrow food from Konoha."
"What?!"
All three subordinates were stunned.
"Captain… what do you mean by that?" one asked cautiously.
Baki frowned, explaining grimly:
"This year's rainfall is less than half of last year's. And with the Uchiha clan nearly wiped out, Konoha's strength is still recovering. Now is the most suitable time."
Even so, his subordinates looked uneasy.
To "borrow" food from another great nation—no matter how one dressed it up—was humiliating.
"Damn it! If it weren't for the daimyo ordering us to disarm, how could we have ended up in such a pathetic state?" one of them growled bitterly.
Indeed, Sunagakure's relationship with the daimyo of the Land of Wind had long been strained.
The barren land yielded almost no crops, leaving the nation perpetually impoverished. The daimyo's treasury could not support so many shinobi, and after the Third Ninja War, he had even ordered large-scale disarmament.
The Fourth Kazekage had been enraged. In his eyes, even without funds, the strength of a hidden village must never be compromised. What use was peace if one was defenseless when war broke out?
But the daimyo had been unyielding, and Sunagakure had been forced to obey.
"Captain Baki," a mocking voice suddenly rang out, halting the team in their tracks, "I may have a plan that can solve Sunagakure's food shortage. Would you care to hear it?"
The four Sand shinobi froze, their expressions instantly shifting to shock.