Amid the boundless desert, a solitary figure trudged forward.
Dressed in a white turban and hood, Rinjin left one footprint after another in the sand.
This was the Land of Wind, a place perpetually swept by sandstorms. Drought and desolation were the eternal themes of this barren land.
Even during the First Five Kage Summit, when the First Kazekage chose to forgo two tailed beasts in exchange for more resources, the country remained impoverished.
What they lacked most was water.
Unlike the other major nations, the Daimyō of the Land of Wind didn't live in a separate city. Instead, he resided permanently in Sunagakure, the Hidden Sand Village.
And that was Rinjin's destination: Sunagakure.
He had a business proposal for the Daimyō of the Land of Wind.
As Rinjin approached the outskirts of Sunagakure, a group of shinobi wearing the village's forehead protectors suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Traveler in the desert, state your purpose!" a rough voice demanded.
"I am the Daimyō of the Land of Rain, here to visit the Daimyō of the Land of Wind," Rinjin replied calmly.
As he spoke, he set down his backpack and pulled out his name card. Written in elegant and intricate script was the name Rinjin Sokuhō.
This script was highly specialized, known only to a select few officials who studied such things for the Daimyō.
The patrol shinobi were taken aback, their attitudes softening slightly as one of them stepped forward to take the card.
"Please wait here. I'll inform our captain."
"Take your time," Rinjin replied with a nod.
The shinobi left, and before long, a man dressed in a sandy-yellow robe and wearing a tall hat appeared. He was an official of the Land of Wind, and he approached Rinjin with polite enthusiasm, bowing slightly in greeting.
"May I ask if you are the Daimyō of the Land of Rain?"
With a smile, Rinjin nodded and said, "Could I trouble you to verify my abdication contract?"
"Of course."
Rinjin retrieved the contract he had signed with the former Daimyō of the Land of Rain and handed it to the official.
The official unrolled the scroll and scanned it quickly. A smile soon spread across his face.
Shortly thereafter, under the official's guidance, Rinjin entered the village.
Sunagakure looked as impoverished as expected.
Before long, Rinjin was brought before the Daimyō of the Land of Wind.
The man was a plump figure with an upturned mustache, clad in a green robe adorned with a fan emblem. His chubby face was full of smiles as he warmly clasped Rinjin's hands.
This wasn't because Rinjin's status was particularly high but because the Land of Wind desperately needed the Land of Rain.
The previous Daimyō of the Land of Rain had been a sycophant to the Daimyō of the Land of Fire. This led to a simple outcome:
The rainwater from the Land of Rain always flowed into the Land of Fire, nurturing its fertile lands.
And the Land of Wind? They could only watch helplessly as the endless rain fell, with not a single drop reaching their parched soil.
As for the shinobi of Sunagakure? They were excellent in battle but utterly useless when it came to planting trees or digging canals.
Coupled with the village's location deep in the desert and the leadership's lack of vision and productivity, the Land of Wind, despite being next to the water-rich Land of Rain, couldn't benefit from it at all.
This was precisely why Rinjin had sought out the Daimyō of the Land of Wind.
His proposal was simple: dig canals and divert water into the Land of Wind. In short, he was selling water.
It didn't take long for the two Daimyō, who saw eye-to-eye on the matter, to strike a deal. They signed a contract at a fair price.
The Land of Rain would provide manpower and technology to help the Land of Wind divert water.
In return, the Land of Wind would not only pay an annual fee but also ensure the safety of the workers during the construction period.
In the spacious reception hall, Rinjin and the Daimyō of the Land of Wind chatted amicably.
Toward the end of their conversation, Rinjin made one final request.
When the time was right, he asked that Sunagakure launch an attack on the Land of Rain.
On the surface, it would appear as an invasion. But in reality, the goal was to relocate all the civilians from the Land of Rain to the Land of Wind.
These relocated civilians would serve as the primary workforce for the canal project.
The Daimyō of the Land of Wind readily agreed, patting his chest in assurance. While he didn't have the authority to mobilize shinobi, he was confident that the Third Kazekage would approve of anything that involved making money and securing a lifeline for their nation.
The meeting concluded, and Rinjin politely declined the Daimyō's invitation to dine together. Leaving behind a Flying Thunder God seal, he departed the Land of Wind and returned to Konoha.
Back home, Rinjin sat on the veranda overlooking his quiet courtyard, contemplating his next moves.
The shinobi world appeared peaceful on the surface, but beneath it, danger lurked everywhere.
Economic losses inevitably affected politics.
And unresolved political issues would eventually lead to war.
The current situation was like a powder keg, ready to explode at the smallest spark.
Moreover, Rinjin's large-scale acceptance of displaced individuals only made the wealthy elites more frantic and irritable.
In his plan, this pent-up frustration would be directed entirely at the Land of Rain and Amegakure.
What Rinjin wanted was a purified Land of Rain. A land washed clean by torrential rain, a land worthy of his protection.
If the people under his rule were all scum like the late Wild Boar, then such a village wasn't worth keeping.
War would be the process of weeding them out.
His plan was to obliterate the village entirely.
Whether they were shinobi, leaders, or civilians corrupted by Hanzō of the Salamander, he wanted none of them.
Of course, a valuable asset like Hanzō would be used until his death.
And even after that, he'd bring Hanzō back with Edo Tensei to continue using him.
This was why he planned to relocate the civilians of the Land of Rain to the Land of Wind.
The Land of Rain was about to be reborn. The raging flames of war would cleanse its sins.
After all, Rinjin was just an ordinary shinobi. Without a vast network or outstanding subordinates, he could only rely on others.
Thinking of this, a surge of motivation filled Rinjin.
When this war ended, he would secretly control the entire Land of Rain and rebuild Amegakure.
Then, he'd lure a large population to the village, discarding their old surnames—Uchiha, Uzumaki, Senju, Hyūga—and encouraging them to breed.
Finally, they'd elect a leader through sheer strength, while he stayed behind the scenes, quietly guiding the village's development.
When the Second Shinobi World War began, the village would be powerful enough to punch Konoha in the face, kick Ōnoki in the gut, and cut off the water supply to the Kazekage if he dared to rebel.
Winning or losing didn't matter—what mattered was the attitude.
And then, he'd have Hanzō beat the crap out of Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade.
Just imagining it gave him an almost euphoric sense of satisfaction.
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