The expanse of shifting sand dunes covered the plains as far as the eye could see. The sky was tinged with the rusty brown of the sand, restricting your visibility considerably to a measly metre ahead, if not less. You rubbed your stinging eyes, trying to make out something in the coils of swirling sand.

“There’s nothing.” Kiba said quietly, echoing your thoughts.

‘It’s because of this sandstorm,” Shino’s voice was low and calculating. “The village could be right in front of our noses for all we know.”

You all came to the same conclusions almost immediately and stopped walking.

“Let’s stay put until this storm clears,” Kurenai suggested, pulling out a large umbrella from her pack. “This will be enough to shield us temporarily from the sand for now.”

She crouched and began carving a deep, perfectly cylindrical hole in the sand using a stream of manipulated chakra. Beckoning to you and the members of her team, she planted the umbrella firmly into the cavity, constructing a makeshift shelter on the spot.

“K-kurenai-sensei…?” Hinata stammered, breaking the short silence as everyone clamoured into the protection of the umbrella.

“Yes, Hinata?”

“I-I see…people approaching,” she said softly.

You stuck your head out of the safety of the umbrella canopy. A stream of sand hit you squarely in the face, and you were unable to make out anything in the reddish haze. You muttered unintelligibly under your breath, annoyed.

“Don’t bother, [Name]. Hinata’s using her Byakugan,” Kiba said, chuckling at your futile efforts.

You blinked. “Oh, right.” You slipped back under the umbrella’s protection, wiping your face with your tote bag. “What do you see, Hinata?”

She started, poking her fingers together nervously as four pairs of eyes turned to gaze intently at her. She blushed deeply, and spoke in a small, tremulous voice. “Ano…I-I…well, t-there’s four people. I think…by their f-flak jackets…that they must be Sand shinobi.”

“All right!” Kiba pumped his fist into the air, nearly knocking over the umbrella in his enthusiasm. Akamaru gave a joyous bark. “How long until they get here?”

“We’re already here.” An unmistakeably female voice issued from behind the improvised tent. Your sigh of relief was echoed by Hinata and Kurenai. You were beginning to worry that you would be stuck in the sandstorm for the rest of eternity.

A young woman poked her head under the canopy, her dark teal eyes reflecting her curiosity and also slight exasperation. “Even if you’re Leaf shinobi, you should at least have the sense not to be travelling through a sandstorm like this. You’re lucky our border patrol picked you guys up, otherwise you’d be as good as dead.” She clicked her tongue disapprovingly and retracted her head before anyone could reply.

Kurenai stood up and began folding the umbrella, exposing you to the full force of the sandy wind once again. You stumbled, and Hinata gripped your arm to steady you. You gave her a warm smile instead of thanking her. You’d rather not swallow a mouthful of sand if you could help it. It might have been your imagination, but it seemed as if the wind was receding. Relief flooded your body.

“Which one of you is [Last Name] [First Name]?” the same woman as before called out. By the steadiness of her voice, it seemed as though she was virtually unaffected by the raging sand and wind around her.

“Uh, me!” you answered hoarsely, glancing at her. She had sandy blonde hair tied in four spiky ponytails and wore a pale purple outfit with a red sash fastened around her waist. On her back was a large metal apparatus and around her neck was the standard Sunagakure symbol engraved on a metal plate set against black fabric.

She sighed in obvious relief. “Ah, good. We had orders to receive you at the cliff entrance yesterday, but you never arrived.”

“We got lost in the sandstorm,” you replied sheepishly.

“At least we’ve got you now. I’m Temari by the way.” She gave you a small smile, which you returned at once.

“Nice to meet you. And thanks for saving us.”

She shrugged. “You were lucky we were in the right place at the right time. Next time, don’t be so stupid as to travel during a full-blown sandstorm.”

“Of course,” you said, laughing weakly.

Temari turned to Team 8 and curtsied formally. “Thank you for escorting [Name] safely to Suna. We’ll take her from here.”

“But –” Kiba huffed, sounding disgruntled.

“Arigatou,” Kurenai interrupted, shooting Kiba a look before dipping her head courteously to the Suna-nin in response. “The storm seems to have passed – we’ll be heading home now. Farewell, and take care, [Name].”

She, Kiba, Hinata and Shino leapt into the air and vanished into the whirling sand.

“The village isn’t far from here. Let’s go,” Temari said, turning on her heel and marching off in that direction. You ran to catch up to her and the other Sand ninja with her followed your lead.

“Suna is very…sandy,” you mumbled, gazing back at the vast expanse of desert in wonder.

Temari gave you an amused look, the corners of her lips twitching. “Of course. What did you expect?”

“Well, Konoha isn’t exactly very leafy,” you said defensively.

“In comparison with Suna, I imagine it is,” she said, looking thoughtful.

“I guess…”

You continued walking in silence, not feeling very comfortable with the prospect of striking up a conversation with the other shinobi. They were watching you with undisguised hostility.

“We’re here,” Temari announced, spreading her arms. She stopped walking abruptly, and you almost crashed into her back.

“Watch where you’re going,” one of the Suna-nin hissed.

“S-sorry,” you murmured, looking away in shame.

The man’s tone softened. “Just be more careful.”

You nodded mutely and gazed into the sandstorm, your heart pounding.

“Temari-sama, shall we…” one of the ninja behind you began.

“Go back to finishing the border patrol shift,” she ordered, cutting an imposing figure with her commanding attitude. “[Name] is my responsibility.”

They bowed respectfully and left.

“Your responsibility?” you wondered aloud, bewildered.

Temari beamed, shifting slightly so that the metal contraption on her back gleamed in the sunlight. “Kazekage-sama has asked me to be your personal instructor and chaperone during your stay in Sunagakure, and of course, I accepted.”

“So…Temari-sensei?”

“Oh, drop the honorific, will you? It makes me feel old.” She reached behind her back and slipped the metal object out of its bindings. “You still can’t see the entrance, can you?”

You shook your head, squinting into the cloud of dust and sand. A grin flashed across Temari’s face as she whipped the metal contraption into the air, swinging it open to reveal an enormous iron tessen fan. With a sharp upward swish, she sent a gust of powerful chakra-infused wind, which cut through the sand as if it were butter.

Your eyes widened as you glimpsed the majestic walls of two sheer cliff-faces with a narrow walkway in between. They were carved much like a set of gargantuan stairs, and you could see the tiny shapes of people scattered all over the steps. Temari motioned for you to follow and led you through the path between the cliff walls, nodding to the guards on either side.

“It’s beautiful!” you breathed. Your eyes were huge, taking in the natural formation of sandstone with its dappled colours ranging from pale yellow to dark russet. Temari looked at you, her expression amused.

“What is?”

“Everything!” you exclaimed. You and Temari passed through the streets of Suna, you trying to take in all the sights at once. The infrastructure was different from what you were used to back in the Leaf Village. The roofs of the buildings were rounded at the corners, causing you to wonder if it was intentional or caused by spheroidal weathering. The roads were paved with compressed sand glittering in the afternoon light. All the structures were built it seemed, to complement existing natural formations. The pillars holding them up were rough and unfinished, as if the architects chose to leave them that way. Some buildings looked as if they were carved out from the ground. Constructed from nothing more than stone and sand, the village was spectacular sight to behold.

Temari shrugged her shoulders as she snapped her fan shut. “You’ll get used to it in time. Come, I’ll take you to your living quarters.”

“Living quarters?” You raised your eyebrows.

“My house,” she replied, blinking owlishly at you.

“Must you be so formal?” you questioned, feeling ill at ease with her disconcerting formality.

“Standard procedures.” Temari pulled out a long scroll covered in a messy ink scrawl. “Kazekage’s orders.”

“I see,” you said, peering over her shoulder at the scroll. “Thank you very much for your hospitality.”

She shrugged again, looking faintly embarrassed. “Orders are orders after all.” But from the sparkle in her eyes, she seemed happy to be taking you under her wing. That gave you a warm and fuzzy feeling inside, and you gave Temari an appreciative grin.

She huffed. “Come on, [Name].”

Walking ahead, she led you to an isolated building that was rounded like the rest.

“Here we are,” she announced. “And now…it’s time for you to meet my brothers.”

Go to Chapter 96.