Jugo was moving quickly towards the Sand Village. By this point, he had already hidden coins along the way throughout the ninja world, except for places surrounded by water, he could reach anywhere quickly.
Of course, there were complications, the coins could get damaged or be collected, so their journey sometimes required them to continue on foot for a while.
But it still took less than a day to reach the hidden sand village.
Jugo gazed thoughtfully at the village surrounded by endless sand, its earthy tone made it difficult to distinguish from the distant landscape. The buildings were mostly made of earth in circular shapes, it was a place that seemed to convey resilience, despite its lack of attractiveness.
The Land of Sound was far from the Land of Wind, so trade between them was very difficult, but Jugo began to think that perhaps he could form an alliance with the Land of Sand.
Konoha is very arrogant, and Jugo had captured Sasuke, in addition to the attack during the Chunin Exams.
Kiri is still partially sealed and he had stolen the six tails.
Kumo bases its actions on fist strength, and as long as it's profitable enough, betraying an ally is commonplace.
Iwa has that old bastard Onoki, who can offer you one hand and stab you with the other, even worse than Kumo.
Suna isn't very trustworthy either, but even if they can't become reliable allies, allies who share benefits have their value.
Suna doesn't have much, Jugo can offer those things.
He was still thinking about how to force Chiyo to give him the Jutsu, but if it was through an agreement, it might be possible.
As for what to trade? Suna may seem poor, but it has abundant mineral resources, the biggest problem is that even with resources, it's difficult to find business partners, especially when the Daimyo himself is hovering over them.
Suna is a military force, if a country wishes to negotiate with another, they go to the Daimyo, not a Kage. Therefore, the Sand Village is poor due to a number of factors.
If Jugo can bring the deal right to Suna's doorstep... hehe.
Other countries may not have a surplus to divert to Suna, but Suna does. Even if Suna wants to buy something from another country, they need suppliers to sell to. Besides, knowing the village's situation, who wouldn't speak up and ask for a higher price?
Regarding transportation? Sealing scrolls.
Jugo paused for a moment, still invisible, lost in thought. Then he turned around and went back to Otogakure.
Why didn't he just go in? It didn't work that way, going in directly could make a negative impression. Instead, he went back to the village and thought about calling Kimimaro, but he had already sent the man away twice. Even though he didn't mind, Jugo still didn't want to make Kimimaro work indefinitely.
There was no way around it, besides him and Orochimaru, Kimimaro was the strongest in the village and using him gave him a sense of security.
The quartet is busy with Utakata, even though it's excessive to keep them all to keep an eye on the sealed man. Jugo still fears changes, there are even some clones using the Mayfly Jutsu to keep an eye on him in secret.
So, he thought of Suigetsu and Guren, but Suigetsu would suffer greatly in the desert and he wouldn't send Guren alone, even though she wasn't weak.
Thoughtfully, he called Guren, Dosu and Kin.
Guren was off duty at the time, so Suigetsu went to call her, followed by Kin and Dosu.
Kin still wore the Spider-Gwen-style costume, but her coat had become a dark blue Jonin vest. Dosu hadn't changed his look at all, except that he now also wore a Jonin vest.
Kin was thrilled to see Jugo and jumped on him, clinging to him like a koala. Jugo had been busy with various things lately and hadn't had time to spend with her, so he didn't mind the girl's movements.
-Jugo-sama...- Kin's soft voice sounded in her ear. -...less than a month to go.
Jugo's lips trembled, he felt Kin was cuter when she was embarrassed, but now she seemed proactive.
But Kin had a reason for this, with Guren closer to Jugo and Karin, the little bitch, clearly eyeing him, Kin was ready to move faster!
Dosu nodded to Jugo with a much calmer look. He and Kin still went on missions together with the three dogs, they hadn't stopped training. Dosu had become increasingly confident, except for the Sound Four, Kimimaro, Orochimaru-sama and Jugo, he considered himself the strongest.
He wasn't wrong, Suigetsu suffered greatly fighting Dosu, which could have caused internal damage. Guren also couldn't handle him in the Hidden Mist. If it weren't for the absurd regeneration rate, speed and keen sense of smell of werewolves, Dosu would have had no problem staying above the Sound Four.
Jugo pulled out a scroll sealed with the Sound emblem and handed it to Dosu, who calmly took it. -This is a message for the Hidden Sand Village, the three of you will deliver it. This is a Rank C mission, but it could increase depending on the factors involved.
The trio grew serious as he spoke, but Suigetsu, standing beside him, immediately jumped up. -Hey, why don't I go?!
-Do you really want to go to a desert?- Jugo looked at him strangely.
Suigetsu paused for a moment, then looked away as if he hadn't said anything.
Guren, who was not wearing a mask, rolled her eyes at Suigetsu. Kin looked at him with disdain and Dosu ignored him, putting away the scroll.
-What if there are complications...?- Dosu asked lightly.
-There's no need to hold back.- Jugo explained.
The trio narrowed their eyes and nodded, they had their own ideas about this mission, but knowing they weren't limited and could fight back was a great relief.
-Here, take this scroll as well, it contains some available samples. You can give it to the Kazekage after he reads the message. - Jugo explained lightly. -You may go.
-Yes! - The trio nodded and left quickly, under Suigetsu's irritated gaze, though it was hidden by his mask.
Suigetsu had kept Kiba, not because he didn't want anyone else to use it, but because there wasn't a suitable user.
The best user was Sasuke, but that boy was clearly disloyal. Jugo wouldn't give him good things easily, he would wait until his rebellious phase was over before treating him as one of his own.
Ironically, Ranmaru possessed lightning chakra, but he didn't want the swords, so they simply remained decorating Suigetsu's room.
Dosu and Kin were training Ranmaru and Karin, so Jugo had to let some clones take over that task. The Sound Four were still taking turns beating Sasuke, they already had to use all their power individually to fight the boy. His growth was explosive, Sasuke was now fighting two at the same time to feel the pressure.
The boy was focused, but he was extremely satisfied.
Konoha wanted to focus on healing the mind before strengthening the body, but in Otogakure? Just fight! Fight again and again! The healing was top-tier, so he didn't care about getting hurt, his Sharingan made him a little stronger with each fight.
Jugo even used him occasionally to act out, appearing out of nowhere and scaring him with a training excuse. Unfortunately, Sasuke had never been able to sense Jugo until now, much to the boy's frustration. Jugo always caught him off guard, but this only made Sasuke train harder and... perhaps develop a bit of paranoia.
But it's completely healthy! Maybe...