[T/N: Bonus chap. Enjoy!]
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Jiraiya and Naruto set out on their journey to Sunagakure, the Village Hidden in the Sand, deep in the Land of Wind. Their mission was clear, but the road ahead was anything but easy.
After two grueling days of travel, they reached the infamous Demon Desert, an unforgiving wasteland of scorching heat and endless dunes. Sunagakure lay at its heart, a hidden sanctuary amid the shifting sands.
Jiraiya wiped the sweat from his brow. "Let's keep moving, Naruto."
The intense desert sun bore down on him, making him feel like his long hair was an unnecessary burden for the first time in his life.
"Got it!" Naruto responded eagerly, his excitement undiminished by the harsh environment.
He bounced around, taking in the vast, foreign landscape with awe—completely unaware of the desert's cruelty.
Hours passed.
The heat became unbearable. The blazing sun, the searing sand beneath his feet, and the endless, monotonous horizon all began to take their toll on Naruto's enthusiasm.
"Pervy Sage, how much longer until we get there?" Naruto huffed, already exhausted.
Jiraiya glanced at the map. "At this pace, about two more days."
Naruto groaned. "Seriously?"
If he had known it would be this miserable, he might have thought twice about tagging along.
Thirst gnawed at him, and he reached for his water bottle—only to grasp at empty air.
Confused, he turned and saw Jiraiya holding it.
Drinking from it.
"Hey!" Naruto lunged to snatch it back.
In their scuffle, the bottle slipped from their grasp and tumbled to the ground, spilling precious water into the sand.
Both of them froze, watching in horror as the life-saving liquid was swallowed by the desert.
"Oh, come on!" Naruto wailed.
Jiraiya sighed. "We'll have to make it to the next oasis. Just hang in there."
Naruto's shoulders slumped. "And how long will that take?"
Jiraiya checked the map again. "A few more hours. Let's keep moving."
Naruto groaned dramatically, but there was no other choice. They trudged forward under the relentless sun.
Two hours later.
"Pervy Sage, do you see an oasis yet?" Naruto asked, scanning the desert eagerly.
All he saw were endless dunes.
Jiraiya studied the map. "We should be close."
Naruto smacked his lips. "I need water now."
He lunged for Jiraiya's bottle again, but Jiraiya smoothly sidestepped him. "Not yet."
Naruto groaned in frustration, but before he could argue—
The ground trembled beneath them.
In the distance, sand exploded into the air like a geyser. A massive creature erupted from beneath the dunes.
A sandworm.
Easily a hundred meters long, its segmented body writhed as it reared up, sending a towering cloud of dust into the sky.
Naruto gawked. "What the heck is that?!"
Jiraiya's expression darkened. "A sandworm."
Sandworms were dangerous, but they didn't usually surface like this.
Then, a crackling sound filled the air—lightning.
Bright arcs of electricity danced across the sandworm's body, causing it to thrash violently.
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. "Someone's fighting it. Let's check it out."
The two hurried forward.
As they approached, they saw two shinobi emerge from the sand, both clad in Sunagakure's standard gear.
"Stop right there!" one of them called out.
Jiraiya and Naruto halted.
"Who are you?" the shinobi demanded, gripping his weapon tightly.
Jiraiya raised his hands in a placating gesture. "We're envoys from Konoha, here to see the Kazekage."
The two Sand shinobi exchanged glances.
One of them relaxed slightly. "Stay put. You nearly disrupted our hunt. That's not something you want to mess with."
The second shinobi disappeared into the sand, likely to report their presence.
Naruto watched, fascinated. "You guys are hunting that thing? That's so cool!"
His eyes locked onto the weapon in one of the shinobi's hands—a long, cylindrical tube with an attached chamber.
"Hey, what's that thing?" Naruto asked, pointing.
The shinobi ignored him.
Naruto pouted but didn't push further.
The sandworm let out a final, guttural cry before collapsing, shaking the desert as it hit the ground. A wave of dust rolled across the area.
The shinobi let out a triumphant cheer.
Jiraiya frowned. "What's Sunagakure doing with sandworms?"
Their meat was inedible, and their bodies contained toxic metals.
Was the village using them for weapons? Or maybe as new summons?
Before he could speculate further, reinforcements arrived.
The leader of the group, a tall shinobi with a commanding presence, stepped forward. "I'm Captain Sandai of the Second Division."
He eyed Jiraiya and Naruto before nodding. "You're the Konoha envoys? You'll come with us. Don't do anything reckless. We'll take you to the village."
Jiraiya nodded. "Appreciate it."
As they followed Sandai, they passed the captured sandworm, where a flurry of activity was underway.
Dozens of shinobi worked with practiced efficiency.
Some injected substances into the sandworm's body using enormous syringes.
Others secured steel cables around it, anchoring it with earth-style jutsu to prevent it from sinking into the sand.
"Reinforce it! Don't let it go under!" a shinobi barked.
Naruto watched, wide-eyed. "Whoa… It's like a whole operation."
Jiraiya took a rough count—over two hundred shinobi were involved in the process. That was enough to stage a full-scale battle.
"Why is Sunagakure capturing sandworms?" he wondered aloud.
Sandai snapped, "This has nothing to do with you. It's best if the two of you don't meddle in our business."
Jiraiya and Naruto exchanged glances but had no choice but to stand aside, quietly observing the Sand ninja at work.
Above them, an eagle shrieked as it soared across the sky. Below, the shinobi cheered as they took a brief break from their grueling task. The sound of celebration caught Jiraiya and Naruto's attention, and they turned to see what had excited them.
In the distance, a strange vehicle approached, kicking up clouds of sand in its wake. It was unlike anything Naruto had ever seen before. The machine was a massive, 300-meter-long flat iron platform with two structures resembling iron houses at either end. A dozen ninjas stood on top of each section, their silhouettes sharp against the bright desert sun.
But what baffled Naruto the most was that the vehicle had no wheels—it hovered at least a meter above the ground, gliding effortlessly across the sands.
"Pervy Sage, have you ever seen anything like that before?" Naruto asked, wide-eyed.
Jiraiya wiped the sweat from his brow and shook his head. "Not once."
The vehicle came to a halt near the captured sandworm. A man in a Sand ninja uniform, his forehead protector gleaming under the sun, stepped off the machine with a grin.
"Sandai, congratulations! Your unit successfully captured a sandworm. You're going to be rolling in bonuses soon," he said, his voice carrying a tone of camaraderie.
Sandai and his team beamed with pride, sharing triumphant glances with one another.
The man's gaze then landed on Jiraiya and Naruto, their Leaf headbands unmistakable. "You two must be from Konoha."
Jiraiya nodded. "We're here to meet with the Kazekage to discuss diplomatic matters."
Unlike the stern Sandai, this man seemed more approachable. He smiled and said, "Then wait until we finish securing the sandworm. You can travel with us back to the village on the transport."
"Much appreciated," Jiraiya replied.
Noticing their parched expressions, the man tossed them each a water bottle. Naruto accepted his eagerly, gulping it down before wiping his mouth with a satisfied sigh.
"Uncle, what is this thing? It's so weird!" Naruto gestured toward the hovering transport.[T/N: Uncle sounds wrong because it has a Chinese vibe on it but I couldn't find any closer meaning to "Ojiisan" other than "Uncle". In Japan, "Ojiisan" means either Uncle or middle-aged gentleman.]
The man chuckled. "This? It's called a maglev transport. We built it specifically to haul sandworms, though it's also great for moving cargo."
"A maglev transport?" Jiraiya and Naruto echoed in unison, confusion written all over their faces.
Naruto's curiosity didn't stop there. He pointed at the strange cylindrical device one of the Sand ninja carried. "And that? What's that thing?"
"That's a Hook Claw Electromagnetic Gun," the man explained. "It generates electrical charges—perfect for subduing sandworms."
Naruto's eyes sparkled with excitement. "So cool!"
The transport crew finished securing the sandworm, and the weight of the creature made the hovering platform sink slightly into the sand.
"Charge it up!" the leader commanded.
One by one, the ninjas placed their hands against the iron houses, channeling lightning chakra into the machine. The maglev transport hummed to life, lifting itself and its heavy cargo smoothly above the ground.
"Let's move out!" the leader ordered.
Jiraiya and Naruto were invited to ride with them. They hopped onto the back of the transport, taking seats beside the Sand ninja leader.
As the vehicle glided across the desert, Naruto couldn't contain his curiosity. "Uncle, why do Sand ninja use Lightning Release so much? Shouldn't you guys specialize in Earth and Wind techniques?"
The man grinned. "Who says we have to stick to the old ways? Sand ninja use whatever works best. That's our new philosophy."
Under the leadership of Kazekage Mufasa, the village had undergone major reforms, embracing flexibility and innovation. Even the textbooks at the ninja academy had been rewritten to encourage new ways of thinking.
Jiraiya silently reflected on what he had seen so far. Sand Ninja Village had always struggled financially. Ever since its founding, it had been one of the poorest of the Five Great Villages. Even the First Kazekage had refused to claim a tailed beast, citing the village's inability to afford one, and had instead negotiated for land and monetary compensation from Konoha.
The economic situation had only started to improve under Kazekage Mufasa, and Konoha had been providing financial aid since the alliance was formed. Jiraiya's current mission was to discuss that very aid with Mufasa.
But what he was witnessing now confused him.
Why was Sand Ninja Village investing so much manpower into capturing these creatures? Why were over two hundred shinobi dispatched for what seemed like a routine task?
And, most importantly—why did they all seem so confident, even relaxed, about it?
As if this was just another day's work.
Onpu, the Sand ninja leader, pulled out a flute from his waist and began to play a slow, haunting tune. The melody blended with the wind, carrying across the vast desert.
Jiraiya and Naruto listened in silence, their thoughts momentarily swept away by the sound.
After a while, Naruto turned to Jiraiya. "Pervy Sage, have you been to Sand Ninja Village before?"
"Of course," Jiraiya replied.
"What's it like?"
Jiraiya sighed, recalling his previous visits. "Boring."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Boring?"
Jiraiya nodded. "No hot springs, no entertainment, no bars, and there were some beautiful women but they're too uptight. Just endless sand, dull buildings, and cold nights with nobody on the streets."
Naruto glanced around at the Sand ninja. "They don't seem boring to me. They look… determined. Almost like they're proud."
Jiraiya blinked. That was new. The Sand ninja he remembered had always seemed burdened by hardship, weighed down by their village's struggles.
But now… they were smiling.
Something had changed in Sunagakure
And Jiraiya was beginning to wonder just how deep those changes went.
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Word count: 1893
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