Roshi's stay in the Hidden Sand Village ended sooner than he'd planned. On the morning of the third day, an unexpected visitor disrupted his schedule.
"The Daimyo's envoy has arrived in the village and wishes to meet you," Ebizo said personally, his cloudy eyes as unreadable as ever. "As it happens, I also have some matters to report to the Daimyo. I will accompany you to the Wind Capital."
When the envoy saw Ebizo at Roshi's side, his lips twitched as if he wanted to say something. But under Ebizo's calm, steady gaze, he swallowed the words and stayed silent.
The Land of Wind had the widest territory in the entire ninja world. The journey to the capital was long to begin with, and the envoy's cumbersome convoy slowed their pace even further, stretching the trip out.
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind was a portly middle-aged man, even rounder than the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. His eyes were so small that the light glinting through his narrowed lids did not look kind.
His gaze slid over Roshi and fixed on Ebizo, who had arrived uninvited and unsummoned.
"To be so energetic at your age, still traveling around… it's really not easy, Ebizo."
Ebizo bowed respectfully. "As long as I can meet with His Excellency, this old man will always find the motivation."
The Daimyo snorted softly, then turned to Roshi. "You must be the Konoha jonin, Roshi-kun, correct? Thanks to Konoha's reinforcements in this allied operation, the Stone Golem Army was successfully wiped out."
"I invited Roshi-kun here today because I wish to issue a commission to Konoha in my personal capacity."
"My younger brother will depart for the Fire Capital in a few days to discuss matters between our two nations. I hope you can assist with his escort."
Before Roshi could respond, Ebizo cut in. "Your Excellency, Hidden Sand can also handle the escort mission. We can guarantee it will be foolproof."
The Daimyo waved his hand dismissively, the flesh of his round face trembling with the motion.
"Since he is traveling to the Land of Fire, it is only natural for a Konoha ninja to provide the escort. It's also in line with etiquette and custom."
"Ebizo, Hidden Sand should focus on border defense and internal village affairs."
Roshi held the daimyo's gaze, considered for a moment, then gave his answer. "Konoha accepts the mission."
"Very good," A satisfied smile spread across the Daimyo's face. "Someone will discuss the detailed itinerary and remuneration with you later."
With that, the audience came to an end. Roshi and Ebizo left the main hall together.
The moment they stepped outside, Ebizo's voice deepened, his expression more serious than Roshi had ever seen it. "Roshi, you're not going to tell me you don't understand what this means, are you?"
Seeing how readily Roshi had accepted the mission, his face was unusually grave.
"It's just a warning to Hidden Sand," Roshi replied with a sidelong glance. "Don't tell me you actually submitted that 'ambitious' first draft plan to the daimyo?"
Ebizo's face darkened several shades. He said nothing, which was answer enough.
"Konoha isn't that interested in taking a big share of the Land of Wind's missions," Roshi went on. "It's too far. The time it takes for a round trip is enough for a regular squad to complete three or four missions of the same rank within the Land of Fire. If they're simple D-rank missions, they could probably do a dozen."
"Temporary deployment is one thing. But if ninjas have to leave the Land of Fire for long-term stationing here, the cost isn't low. It's not the most efficient choice for the village."
"So, don't overthink it, Advisor Ebizo."
"However, I hope you and the Fifth Kazekage understand one thing—a plan that benefits Hidden Sand doesn't necessarily benefit the entire Land of Wind."
"At least when it comes to land transformation," Roshi finished, his tone carrying a faint implication, "Konoha and your Daimyo seem, for once, to be on the same page."
Having confirmed that, and with Gaara in place, Roshi felt his visit to the Hidden Sand had yielded enough.
It was time to return.
"Since I've accepted the Daimyo's mission, I won't be going back to the village," he said. "For any future matters regarding saplings or anything else, please send your correspondence directly to Konoha." He gave Ebizo a slight nod in farewell, then turned and disappeared into the crowd of the Wind Capital.
Traveling with the convoy from the Wind Capital to the Land of Fire was a rare experience for Roshi.
The desert's sweltering daytime heat, the biting chill at night, the dry air… but most of all, the speed. He couldn't move at a shinobi's pace; he had to match the plodding rhythm of the civilians' wagons.
For a ninja, this would be considered a miserable escort mission.
Fortunately, the client was the Wind Daimyo's younger brother, and Roshi himself held considerable status. He didn't have to walk the entire way.
The one upside was that Roshi, who hadn't taken a relaxed trip in a long time, treated the journey—once they left the Land of Wind—as a slow, leisurely tour.
Previously, the Wind Daimyo's younger brother had tried to negotiate a deeper commission. In that sense, Ebizo's concerns hadn't been unfounded. The Wind Daimyo's dissatisfaction with Sunagakure had peaked last year, and he truly intended to redirect part of the mission share to other villages.
The recent land transformation plan was only one reason.
Rasa's rash decision to start a war had affected Sunagakure—but it had also hit the Land of Wind. Normal trade had been forced to a standstill.
On top of that, because of Konoha's punitive measures against Sunagakure, caravans running from the Land of Wind to the Land of Rivers were subjected to strict inspections and constant surveillance—far harsher than anything seen in previous years.
After Konoha extended aid to Sunagakure this time, the Wind Daimyo invited Roshi, hoping to discuss this very issue.
In short, if Konoha took on the escort missions for caravans heading to the Land of Rivers, could some of those obstacles be eased?
"If your side is concerned about Sunagakure's attitude, our subsequent caravan escorts can be limited to reaching the border outpost between the two nations. Perhaps the part entering the Land of Rivers could be handled by your side?" the Daimyo's younger brother suggested.
It was a workable compromise, but Roshi still turned him down.
Konoha didn't need such a small commission, and the pressure they'd already placed on Sunagakure was enough. Now that it was clear even the Wind Daimyo could be drawn into the containment strategy, there was no need to push any harder.
"Regarding the issue of caravan passage," Roshi said, drawing on his former authority as Konoha's frontline commander in the Land of Rivers, "after our side has reviewed and confirmed them, there won't be nearly as many restrictions on entering and leaving the Land of Rivers in the future."
That promise was enough to placate the Daimyo's younger brother.
The convoy continued at its unhurried pace, and after a long stretch of travel, they finally reached the Fire Capital near the end of June.
With the joint combat exercise about to begin, if he didn't get back soon, there was at least one person who would not be pleased.
His original plan was to depart for Konoha immediately after completing the mission handover.
That had been the plan.
"I heard that Roshi-kun happened to be on an escort mission and arrived in the Fire Capital."
"It must be exhausting, having to keep working hard even after defeating the monster."
"I happen to be planning to watch Konoha's training competition. Roshi-kun, why don't you travel with me? You can ride in my carriage and get some rest."
The Fire Daimyo had personally come to find him and extended the invitation with disarming warmth.
"Consider this another mission. Although the country is generally peaceful, only with Roshi-kun accompanying me can I watch the matches with peace of mind."
And so Roshi ended up returning to Konoha not in a hurry, but in the Daimyo's luxurious, absurdly comfortable—and painfully slow—carriage.
When he finally strolled back into the village, the first thing that greeted him was a pair of bright brown eyes that looked ready to spit real fire.
"Oh my, Lord Roshi finally decided to come back."
Tsunade stood leaning against the Hokage office doorframe, arms folded across her chest. Her bright blond hair, clearly neglected for days, had several unruly strands sticking up.
"Going to Hidden Sand Village could be called official business, but then you leisurely cross the border in a carriage when there are so many ninja who could have taken over the escort mission! You actually... you actually dragged your feet and only rolled back the day before the Joint Combat Exercise starts!"
She straightened abruptly, snapping upright. "I haven't had a full night's sleep in days!"
"Yes, yes…" Roshi turned sideways, slipping past the fearsome "door guardian" and sliding into the Hokage office.
To his surprise, the mountain of documents he'd imagined wasn't there. There were still files piled on the desk, but not nearly enough to bury its surface.
"Hmph. Lord Roshi is busy, after all. By the time you came back, the entire venue district had already blown up."
Tsunade brushed past him, her shoulder bumping his lightly, and let out a smug snort through her nose.
She circled behind the desk and dropped into her chair with a casual thump.
"The spectator seats are nowhere near enough. With the Five Villages Alliance, every nation's submitted applications are trying to reserve a fixed number of spots."
"People who couldn't get tickets are complaining nonstop; public security pressure has doubled, and over at the police force, the main department keeps chewing out the branch department for incompetence..."
She kept going, venting all the irritation that had built up over the past few days.
Halfway through her tirade, Tsunade's voice cut off.
"What's wrong?"
"Speaking of which…" Tsunade leveled a sharp stare at him. "You went to Hidden Sand Village again, didn't you?"
"You're only just figuring that out?"
"Where is the sou-ve-nir?" Tsunade enunciated each syllable, reaching into a drawer and pulling out a delicate little glass bottle—the "belated gift" she'd received the year before last, one that Roshi had put off sending for two whole years.
Now it was already the fourth year.
Since it might've already been past its expiration date when she got it, she'd never used it.
"Since you went again, how could you not bring back a new gift to make up for your mistake!"
"What about buying a new one?" She shook the small bottle. The liquid inside caught the light, a faint shimmer moving with it… Roshi fell silent for a moment before finally saying, "I was only there for two days."
He'd had official duties during the day and, on top of that, more official business at night—plus that uninvited little red‑haired guest to entertain.
Tsunade glared daggers at him.
"Theoretically," Roshi tried to argue, "if perfume is stored properly, its shelf life can be very long. And from the standpoint of spoilage, you should be looking at whether its color or scent has changed—"
The fifth Hokage grabbed a scroll and hurled it at him without a second's hesitation.
Roshi snatched it out of the air.
She threw another.
This time Roshi only tilted his head to let it whistle past.
Then several more scrolls came flying at him in rapid succession. Finally, one particularly thick scroll nailed him squarely in the forehead with a sharp smack. Only then did Tsunade seem slightly appeased, and she stopped.
"The one in your hand is a meeting request from the Kumogakure emissary."
"And..." she sneered, "Hidden Mist sent a kunoichi to lead their delegation this time."
"So?"
"They even specifically 'asked' if our very busy Lord Roshi happened to be in the village."
"Since the esteemed Lord Roshi has finally returned, go see them. Oh, and don't forget to receive them separately from that ninja from Kumogakure."
Roshi unrolled the scroll in his hand and glanced over it.
"Have I turned into some kind of reception item?"
Another heavy scroll thudded straight into his forehead. It bounced off, flipped open midair, and fluttered to the floor.
Expressionless, Tsunade declared in a flat voice, "Congratulations. You've officially become Konoha's must-try signature feature—the highly desirable Lord Roshi."
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