Passing through the Land of Rivers and crossing into the border of the Land of Wind, Sunagakure's Jonin, Baki, had already been waiting with his team for quite some time.
"Lord Kazekage is waiting for you in Rōran."
Upon seeing Kagetsu, and after exchanging greetings, Baki spoke up.
Kagetsu raised his eyebrows slightly, though he wasn't surprised in the least.
After all, once Sunagakure learned about the existence of the Ryūmyaku vein and the cooperative ties formed around it, it was inevitable.
With the arrogance and overbearing attitude typical of the great nations, they would definitely try every means to bring Rōran under their control.
Unless Rōran were officially recognized as a neutral nation in the shinobi world.
Like the Land of Demons, or the Land of Iron.
But what allowed those two countries to maintain neutrality was either their remote or harsh environments, or the fact that they held irreplaceable responsibilities that the Five Great Nations couldn't take on themselves.
For instance, the Land of Demons' priestess was needed to suppress the sealed demons within their land.
Meanwhile, the Land of Iron had served as the neutral ground for hosting the Five Kage Summit ever since the establishment of the ninja villages.
Rōran clearly didn't fall into that category.
Especially considering that Rōran's queen had already died at the hands of Mukade, leaving behind only a young child as her heir.
Based on the centuries-old traditions of inheritance in the shinobi world, the Daimyō of the Land of Wind couldn't, and wouldn't, strip the young princess of her right to the throne.
What Sunagakure could do was form a stable partnership with her before she grew up and fully took control of Rōran.
At the very least for now, the level of protection Sunagakure provided for the young queen rivaled that given to nobles and important officials.
After all, she was currently the only person capable of controlling the power of the Ryūmyaku vein.
Sunagakure needed her. The Daimyō of the Land of Wind needed her. Even Konohagakure might need her. This only continued to raise her importance higher and higher.
Returning once more to Rōran, and seeing those buildings that still looked like miracles born of the desert, both Itachi and Asuma, standing beside Kagetsu, felt a sense of wonder.
Before long, Asuma began to explain the story of Rōran once more to Kabuto, who stood beside him.
Lately, Kabuto has really suited his tastes. Not only could he always say things that lifted his mood, but he also used medical ninjutsu to ease his pain and help him recover faster after training.
This made it feel like he had extra time every day, whether for training or during his breaks.
As it turned out, Kabuto wasn't the mediocre and useless guy he had imagined. At least in terms of medical ninjutsu, he really was as gifted as the intel had said.
He was also skilled at reading people and gathering information.
Those were things both he and Itachi were temporarily lacking in.
So even though they had only spent a few days together, Asuma had temporarily accepted him and acknowledged his presence.
Even if he didn't like him, there wasn't much he could do—he couldn't just kick Kabuto out.
But if the team members couldn't get along or build trust, the chances of danger or accidents during missions would only increase.
They passed through the outer wall of Roran and entered the city filled with towering buildings. The environment inside and outside the walls felt like two different worlds.
Maybe the only good thing Mukade ever did for this country was using the Ryumyaku vein to turn it into a kind of oasis.
In the desert, water and plants were rare, but not in Roran. However, because of Mukade's meddling, nearly a third of Roran's young and strong population had been lost.
Kagetsu shook hands with Rasa, who wore the Kazekage hat. Seeing this, Rasa couldn't help but sigh a little as he looked at the young man's face.
"I really envy Konoha. Even after going through war, you still have promising talents like him emerging."
Like Iwagakure, Sunagakure was also facing a serious lack of fresh talent and a weakening next generation.
Rasa especially envied Orochimaru, who had firmly secured the position of Hokage.
Although Rasa had taken on the Kazekage role even earlier, he still couldn't make all the decisions in Sunagakure on his own.
Internal voices within the village and political rivals pushed to the front left him filled with complex and frustrated feelings.
If it weren't for a direct order from the Daimyo of the Land of Wind—and the expectations of several nobles—Sunagakure wouldn't have even wanted to collaborate with Konoha on developing the power of the Ryūmyaku.
Why should such an immense power, comparable to a Tailed Beast, be shared with other villages?
Wouldn't it be better for Sunagakure to keep it for themselves?
That same line of thought had been circulating ever since Baki returned to the village and reported the mission's details. Not even the Daimyo's pressure could silence it completely.
However, after arriving in Rōran and observing the seal and energy of the Ryūmyaku, even Rasa had to admit—they likely couldn't do anything without Konoha's help.
Ever since the fall of Uzushiogakure, Konoha had been unrivaled in its mastery of barrier and sealing techniques.
Second to them was Kumogakure, which had looted much of Uzushiogakure's legacy.
In order to perfect their jinchūriki sealing techniques, especially after the rampage of the Eight-Tails, Kumogakure had launched a sudden attack on the Land of Whirlpools during the final stages of the Second Great Ninja War.
Other villages joined in as well, each gaining something.
But the sealing techniques that Sunagakure had managed to preserve simply weren't enough to handle the Ryūmyaku.
Ninjas are a profession skilled in destruction and killing. Talents like Orochimaru, who focus on research, are rare among them.
After the greetings were over, the two groups entered the tall tower at the center of the city. They sat on opposite sides of a long table, clearly divided.
At the main seat sat a girl who didn't look much older than Itachi. She was trying hard to keep a serious expression as she hosted the meeting under the guidance of several Roran ministers standing behind her. Discover more novels at novel·fıre·net
Although it was supposed to be a three-party discussion, it was obvious that neither the Sand nor the Leaf ninjas truly considered Roran as an equal.
Especially the new Queen, Sara. When she looked at Rasa, there was a clear hint of helplessness in her eyes. It was clear that her recent dealings with the Sand Village hadn't been pleasant.
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