Sunagakure Mission Assignment Hall.
"What the—this price is so high, why don't you just rob people instead?!"
A startled cry drew everyone's attention. They saw a man with his head wrapped in white cloth, looking incredulously at the price quote in his hand. Observing the man's short stature, the onlookers were somewhat taken aback; in their minds, a man with such a deep and resonant voice should have possessed a more imposing physique. As for the content of the man's outcry, they found it quite normal. Most first-timers to this Mission Assignment Hall would express surprise upon seeing the price list handed over by the Suna ninja; it was just that this man's reaction was a tiny bit more exaggerated than others.
"Esteemed guest, Sunagakure, as one of the Five Great Hidden Villages, has the confidence, and moreover, the capability, to complete the mission you issue," the Suna guide said confidently.
"Is that so…" Naruto, disguised as a short man, muttered. His physical development, though decent compared to his peers, still made him appear rather short compared to adults. An overly elaborate disguise might create a sense of unease, but a disguise built upon a reasonable foundation would be much better. So, he had made some simple modifications to his original appearance, transforming himself into a short man with a unique voice.
He had wandered around for half a day yesterday and hadn't seen so much as a single hair of Gaara, let alone find the person himself. So today, he had changed his approach: directly hire Gaara to serve as his escort. Gaara's genin squad had a rather high reputation; their one hundred percent mission completion rate made them a very popular choice for employers with limited funds. However, it was precisely because of the high quality of Gaara's squad that the price for hiring them was somewhat inflated. A normal C-rank escort mission would typically cost between 50,000 to 100,000 ryo for an average genin squad, but the fee for Gaara's squad was directly double that.
"Can it be a little cheaper?" Naruto asked quietly, looking left and right.
"Esteemed guest, even when buying goods, you get what you pay for. Just look at Gaara's squad's mission completion rate; even chunin can't compare," the guide said with a faint smile, rejecting his suggestion.
Generally, the normal mission procedure involved issuing a mission to Sunagakure, which would then be reviewed and ranked by the village, accepted by Suna ninja, paid for, and finally completed. However, escort missions were somewhat different. Every employer hoped to hire ninjas with reliable strength, even if the cost was higher. After all, money lost could be earned again, but if one's life was lost, it was truly gone forever. Therefore, the various hidden villages also adapted to the market, offering escort teams of different price points and skill levels.
"Just think, the Land of Wind is so vast. Sometimes, you encounter not only ronin samurai and ninjas, but the harsh weather is also incredibly dangerous. A powerful squad can ensure your journey is worry-free and that you reach your destination smoothly. What's the harm in spending a bit more?" Seeing him still seemingly hesitant, the guide quickly pressed his advantage.
"Sigh…" Naruto sighed inwardly. All my savings from so many years! He felt he could now somewhat understand Old Master Heyan's deep-seated resentment towards ninjas.
"When can we depart?" The moment Naruto uttered these words, he felt as if his body had been completely hollowed out. In his first life, his financial situation, though not dire, was far from affluent. In his second life, in that impoverished and treacherous land of Ashina, with its seemingly hopeless societal stratification, having money or not didn't make much of a difference. His situation in this current life had improved; after all, no matter how poor the reputation of ninjas was among the common populace, it was still a high-income profession. After so many years of hard work, he hadn't expected to be set back to square one because of a single mission.
[Gaara, I'll remember this grudge…] Inexplicably, Naruto felt a surge of resentment towards that brooding, tragedy-laden gourd boy.
"Can you depart tomorrow?" the guide asked, taking out a small booklet and flipping through it.
"Why?" Naruto's eyebrow arched. I've paid my money, damn it!
"Gaara's squad is currently on a mission," the guide stated succinctly, quickly explaining the issue. Normally, this kind of information shouldn't be disclosed. But not long ago, their Sunagakure had once again been thoroughly thrashed by Konoha. Furthermore, they had been the offending party. Ceding territory was unrealistic, so they could only helplessly pay reparations. If you asked for the reason, it was one word—poverty! That's right, Sunagakure, one of the dignified Five Great Hidden Villages, was dirt poor. Due to their defeat in the Third Great War, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind had been greatly disappointed in Sunagakure and, with a wave of his hand, had cut nearly half of their military funding. During the Fourth Kazekage's administration, things were slightly better; with the Fourth's Gold Dust ninjutsu occasionally digging up resources to cover financial deficits, though still difficult, it was manageable. But now? The Fourth Kazekage had died at Orochimaru's hands, and they still had to compensate Konoha with a large amount of supplies. This only served to make the already impoverished Sunagakure even worse off, like adding frost to snow. Not long ago, the higher-ups had even issued them an directive: anyone who stepped into this Mission Assignment Hall had to issue a mission. If even one person left without doing so, they would all be considered culprits!
"Hurry it up then! I've paid good money!" Naruto said resentfully.
"You can completely trust Sunagakure!" the guide said with a smile.
Reluctantly handing over the better part of his life savings, Naruto angrily stalked out of the Mission Assignment Hall.
"Sigh!" Looking up at the sun, which hadn't been up for long, Naruto sighed again. No wonder he couldn't find Gaara anywhere yesterday; turns out he was out on a mission. "The sand baths in the Land of Wind seem pretty good. Since today is free anyway, I'll go check them out…"
The next day.
Knock, knock!
Naruto pulled open the door. A man about his own height, his face painted with red markings, stood there with his arms crossed.
"I am Kankuro. She is Temari, and he is Gaara. We will be responsible for escorting you on this journey," Kankuro said, gesturing towards the two behind him in a simple introduction. "Can we depart now?"
Naruto nodded slightly. All his worldly possessions were on his current set of clothes; there was nothing to pack.
The three of them followed closely behind Naruto. Temari looked at her client's back, the sense of familiarity in her heart not dissipating with the passage of time, but instead growing even stronger.
"Do you guys think this person's back looks a bit familiar?" Temari asked in a low voice.
"Does it?" Kankuro asked, puzzled. "Just be a bit more careful, that's all."
Temari nodded slightly. Actually, she wasn't sure either; it was more of a gut feeling. Gaara listened to their conversation in silence.
Although the two siblings had lowered their voices, Naruto was no ordinary person and naturally heard their exchange clearly. He couldn't help but smile faintly to himself. Having been a ninja for a lifetime, he considered himself to have some skill in disguise. Perhaps compared to ninjutsu like the Transformation Technique, his methods of disguise weren't as formidable, but they were still serviceable. With his aura, voice, and appearance greatly altered, Temari's sense of familiarity was more a product of intuition superior to that of an ordinary person, and she couldn't directly confirm anything.
After walking through streets that, compared to Konoha's, were not particularly bustling, and passing through the narrow, natural defensive passage, once Sunagakure was no longer in sight…
Gaara suddenly spoke, "You came looking for me. What is it that you want?"
Temari, Kankuro: "???" Temari even took down the Three-Star Fan from her back, looking warily at the client before them. Anyone Gaara remembered was no ordinary character.
"Did Shukaku tell you? Looks like you two are getting along quite well." Naruto smiled faintly, then turned his head to look at Temari, whose pretty face was taut with tension. "Miss Temari, there's no need for that. If I truly had any designs on you, you all would have died in the battle a month ago."
Hearing this, Temari became even more like a cornered animal, directly unfurling her Three-Star Fan completely. Kankuro also took Crow down from his back.
"Don't be nervous, Temari, Kankuro." Gaara took a light step forward, positioning himself in front of the two of them.