Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 175 The Helplessness of Small Countries

Generally speaking, being surrounded by sand is a disastrous start to regional development, because the carrying capacity of an oasis is limited, and resources will inevitably limit population size. If people over-exploit oases, they will also disrupt the ecological balance, causing oases to degrade, which will lead to even fewer usable resources. However, population decline is not something that can be achieved overnight; people will only over-exploit resources, creating a vicious cycle.

The desert people have always understood the importance of oases, and wars surrounding them have never ceased. It's a matter of survival; politics only adds fuel to the fire. To ensure their people's survival in the desert, both villages and city lords are extremely eager to seize land. When plunder becomes ingrained in their minds, protecting the land becomes less important.

This was the situation Hui encountered when he took over the country. In order to mediate the war and prove that stable and peaceful development could become the norm here, they made many efforts.

While some may be convinced by force, the facts speak for themselves, so what they need most is time.

The main battleground in the Bird Kingdom is the Visar Great Oasis, which serves as its capital. This is the Bird Kingdom's largest oasis, located in a relatively central area, and was once considered a strategic stronghold by the Wind and Earth Kingdoms, who continuously supported their respective factions in an attempt to seize it. It can be said that the wars here are closely related to the movements of the Wind and Earth Kingdoms. If the Wind and Earth Kingdoms are on good terms, the fighting will cease, with only occasional minor skirmishes. If the Wind and Earth Kingdoms become hostile, then it's practically over; large and small battles will continue incessantly until a victor emerges.

After the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire formed an alliance, the war in the Land of Birds gradually subsided. However, the Fourth Kazekage made a blunder, causing a crack in the balance of power among the five nations. This crack didn't directly affect the five major powers, but it severely harmed the smaller nations caught in the middle. A coup d'état occurred in the Land of Owls that year, and because the Land of Wind was preoccupied, it succeeded quickly. Meanwhile, the Land of Birds had Hui stationed there, managing to repel the Akatsuki, which the Land of Earth considered a trump card. Once the Land of Wind finished its conflict with the Land of Fire, it realized that the two countries on its borders were no longer under its control. How could this be acceptable? So it poured money and manpower into trying to regain face. Their first target was the Land of Owls, a famous Silk Road transit point, making it even more valuable to contend for. However, not only did the Land of Earth defend it fiercely, but Hui also sided with the Land of Earth to renovate the Silk Road, thus the Land of Wind's counterattack naturally failed.

When one side fails, the other won't rest. The Wind Kingdom, settling for second best, set its sights on the Bird Kingdom; they needed to secure a foothold. The already impoverished Wind Kingdom was facing a budget crunch, so they tried to use money to pave the way, inciting neighboring oases to launch a joint attack, but encountered unprecedented resistance. Tribes that used to be willing to do anything for money were inexplicably ignoring them, even daring to send envoys to Visar to inform them! The Wind Kingdom's envoys initially thought the money wasn't enough, but later discovered that increasing the offer seemed futile. The desert mercenaries, upon hearing their target was Visar, waved them off, declaring it a death trap for mercenaries.

Did the Land of Earth send a powerful figure to stay behind? Wasn't it agreed that ninjas weren't allowed to be stationed there? Are they going back on their word?

This was a time when tensions were rising between the Daimyo of the Land of Wind and the Hidden Sand Village. To prove their loyalty, the Hidden Sand Village went to great lengths to obtain evidence that Vessard had ninja stationed there, using this to persuade the Daimyo to directly dispatch their own ninja to the war. Warfare is all about logistics, and money is always needed. Paying mercenaries is one thing, but paying their own ninjas could be a friendly discount, indirectly boosting the domestic economy. The Hidden Sand Village was currently facing a severe fiscal deficit; they desperately needed war to replenish their resources and victories to prove their continued usefulness.

The Daimyo of the Land of Wind quickly approved the Sand Village's operation, issuing a strict order: "Success is the only option; failure is not an option." The entire Sand Village was on high alert, with the higher-ups holding meetings for days and nights before finally devising a plan. However, they probably never imagined that the plan they had just developed would be placed on the table of their rivals the very next day.

"The Sand Village is rife with elitism, and even their plans are riddled with the flaws of this ideology," Tobirama bluntly commented. "Ninjas always think that assassinating leaders can determine the course of a war, or even seize a piece of land. This is an extremely foolish idea. An army with cohesion cannot submit to assassins. Take myself as an example. Although I and the Second Raikage died in a sneak attack by traitors from the Cloud Village, Konoha and the Cloud Village still exist today."

"..." Izuna looked at Tobirama with a hint of hesitation, silently adding another note about Kumogakure in his mind.

“Gaara… as expected.” Naruto stared at the list for a long time. He remembered that Baki already held a high position in Sunagakure, but he had to go into battle for this mission, most likely as the commander-in-chief. Then there were Gaara and Temari, both ninjas capable of rewriting maps on a large scale, and they absolutely could not fight within the city. As for the remaining two, Naruto felt they looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place them. He had been too busy with other matters lately to remember many of the more trivial future events, but fortunately, he had already extracted the most important events and recorded them in a way that only he could understand.

Human growth happens unconsciously. Naruto was now able to calmly consider the damage his friends would inflict on Savile, and how his side could prevent such damage and minimize the losses. This process, of course, wouldn't be without violence, but that was always the last resort.

"Following the old rules, let the Konoha ninja handle this." Fugaku made the suggestion almost without much thought. As long as the Land of Wind still cared about its alliance with the Land of Fire, they wouldn't go too far.

Hashirama frowned and said worriedly, "This time it probably won't work. After all, the Land of Birds is a regional power. Konoha might not consider that much, but the Daimyo of the Land of Fire will."

"Isn't that simple? Just give them the next escort mission, lure them there, since Konoha ninjas love meddling in other people's business anyway." Izuna's sarcastic remark was as sharp as ever.

The Konoha people at the table were experts on how to trick Konoha, and quickly approved the mission. This unprecedented S-rank mission, issued to Konoha by Hui, was ultimately handed over to a truly defenseless citizen of the Land of Birds. This agronomist, who was out exchanging ideas but unexpectedly received this great responsibility, patted his chest confidently, guaranteed to complete the mission, and immediately set off from the headquarters of the Land of Rivers.

Oh, and it's worth mentioning that this place, which was called the base for a while and then the headquarters for a while, finally has its own name.

When the proposal for "Transportation Networks" was passed, they finally remembered to give this birthplace of the spark a good name for convenience.

This place is now called Beichen.