Yubi stayed in Sunagakure for a period of time.
But he wasn't doing nothing... First, he brought gifts and visited Karura's home, where he also met and got to know Yashamaru.
Like his sister Karura, Yashamaru's personality was very gentle and kind.
Although he was Yubi's senior and two years older, when the two of them spent time together, Yashamaru was more like his 'fanboy'.
He was also a Medical Ninja... No wonder Karura had said before that Yashamaru admired him greatly.
Then he took on some low-level tasks with little difficulty... mainly regarding the reconstruction of some areas in the Land of Wind and the Village after the war ended.
For a Ninja, a mission record is very important. Although Yubi had outstanding strength and a Bloodline Limit, his seniority also needed to be presentable.
His current total mission count was: 8 D-rank, 7 C-rank, 12 B-rank, 4 A-rank, and 0 S-rank.
Among them, the B-rank and A-rank missions were statistics compiled by the Village based on the mission records submitted by Arai during their operations in the Land of Grass.
The data was a bit meager, but after all, he had only graduated from the Ninja Academy for less than two years. To achieve this level was already quite good.
In fact, if he just wanted to pad his mission count, as a Medical Ninja, it would be very easy to 'cheat'.
After all, the nature of missions for Medical Ninjas and combat-ready Ninjas is different... and his record was built through actual slaughter with enemies on the battlefield, which was not the growth path of a typical traditional Medical Ninja at all.
It belonged to the evil path... In addition... during this period, Yubi also noticed some'situations' in the Village.
Normally, when a war ends, the reconstruction funds would definitely be provided by the Daimyo... he was the true financier behind the Village.
But in the last two months, not to mention other regions, there had been almost no progress in the construction and development of Sunagakure itself... the main issue here was funding!
Because he was dissatisfied with the outcome of the war... the Daimyo did not give any money.
Even if he did, it must have been very little.
This led to the Village's situation being somewhat difficult.
One must know that after a Ninja World War ends... even if the process was tragic and arduous, it is an opportunity for the major Hidden Villages to recognize their own weaknesses, thereby developing specific projects in hopes of turning the tables on future battlefields.
Sunagakure's war ended relatively early... following the steps, it should have started restoring its economy in an orderly manner.
Like Konoha, although they still had some skirmishes with Kumogakure, as soon as the war ended later, they immediately began reconstruction plans with astonishing efficiency.
No wonder the Sunagakure of later generations... was somewhat strapped for resources and economy.
In this... there were also some factors involving the Daimyo of the Land of Wind.
"To get money from the Daimyo and develop the economy, the Kage of the Village must achieve results on the battlefield that satisfy the Daimyo... Therefore, the Village's high-level leadership hopes to gain the Daimyo's support through toughness on the battlefield, only to be forced to constantly participate in the flames of war, trading results for funds... but the Village's high-level leadership is not so perfect in strategic deployment and planning, leading only to failure... if this continues, it will be a complete vicious cycle."
One day at noon, Yubi, standing at the main gate of Sunagakure, watched the figures coming and going on the distant street, his mind active.
He was waiting for Sasori.
Today was the day their three-man squad would set out again.
The fighting between Konoha and Kumogakure was almost over, and both sides had begun to tighten their front lines.
If nothing unexpected happened, they would also stop.
This time, they were going to obtain some of the latest battlefield intelligence.
The journey was relatively long and also very dangerous.
But for Yubi and Sasori, it wasn't a problem.
Collecting battlefield information solely through external channels was not reliable... for the Village, it was still necessary to'see with their own eyes' and confirm certain situations.
Moreover, it wasn't just their team that was sent out.
"I can somewhat understand why the Village's higher-ups are so tough... However, although there are 'difficulties' in their work, the solution is still wrong," Yubi thought to himself. "Hanzou's way is much better—no need to worry about any Daimyo, holding both military and political power in one hand..."
"Economy... to put it bluntly, it's just making money."
Yubi was lost in thought.
"He's here."
At this moment, Arai, who was beside him, spoke up.
In the distance, Sasori's figure was slowly approaching.
For these two months... Sasori had been staying indoors researching his puppets. Yubi would occasionally visit him when he returned to the Village... helping him research the modification of 'Human Puppets,' but they didn't spend much time socializing. As in the past, even after returning to the Village, Sasori rarely went out alone, let alone met other people.
His face also appeared slightly pale due to the lack of sunlight for a long time.
"Let's go."
Arai said.
After the three met up, they quickly left the Village.
Before leaving, Yubi looked back at the main road of the Village and the sand occasionally blown up by the wind, and an idea formed in his mind... Due to geographical reasons, the front line between Konoha and Kumogakure was mostly in the Land of Rice Fields.
This also meant their squad had to pass through the Land of Grass, the Land of Waterfalls, and the Land of Frost... Arai leading the team this time was also intended to let Yubi and Sasori truly experience the 'outside world.'
After all, previous missions had at most reached the Land of Grass; the distance traveled was not long considering the entire Ninja World.
They could also take the opportunity to experience the local customs of other countries.
However, although the smoke of war had 'dissipated,' the 'devastation' left behind was still visible everywhere.
Even if there were some changes in the environment and landscape after being affected by the war, Yubi felt that the overall feeling... should be about the same.
The Land of Grass was a strategic buffer zone between Iwagakure and Konoha, and so was the Land of Rice Fields... The Land of Rice Fields was different from the Land of Grass; at least the Land of Grass had a Hidden Village, no matter how small, it was a military force.
While the Land of Rice Fields had a Daimyo, it had no Hidden Village in any practical sense.
"There are some Ninja clans active within the Land of Rice Fields, but because they are unmanaged and lack the foundation to establish a Hidden Village, they are relatively undisciplined and their abilities aren't great... In this great war, some of them mostly acted as mercenaries... doing things for other Hidden Villages, such as selling intelligence or conducting small-scale battlefield operations."
On the way, Yubi asked Arai about the Land of Rice Fields.
After listening, Yubi gained an understanding.
So they're just mercenaries... These kinds of Ninjas generally operate in families or groups, without the so-called concept of a 'Village.'
His impression of this country was only that it seemed to be the place where Orochimaru later founded the Hidden Sound Village.
And then... there was the Fuma Clan.
"Aren't there descendants of the Fuma Clan in the Land of Rice Fields? They should be quite powerful... after all, Fuma Ninja Tools were made by them," Yubi asked.
"Hmm... indeed."
Arai nodded.
"The Fuma Clan was once the strongest Ninja clan in the Land of Rice Fields, and their reputation was very prominent in the past. They were also extremely skilled in the crafting and design of Ninja tools and seemed to possess secret techniques... As for Ninja tools, the most famous is the fuma shuriken. However, over time, their clan lacked the system and growth environment of a Hidden Village. Even if the clan still has some capital in terms of Ninjutsu... they ultimately cannot compete with formal Hidden Villages and were destined to decline. Over time, the gap slowly widened... Now, there aren't many members of the Fuma Clan left in the Land of Rice Fields."
"Many of them, in order to survive, are scattered and active in various places, playing the role of wandering Ninjas..."