At 8 AM, all members of Team One were yawning as they stepped out and gathered in front of the guesthouse.
"Aha, Uncle Geri! Good morning!"
Seeing this, Geri immediately showed concern, thinking he had failed to provide adequate hospitality: "Hmm? Did you guys not rest well last night? Why does everyone look so sleepy? If it's because of the environment, I'll personally upgrade your rooms to Kage-level quarters—absolutely top-class luxury with a grand atmosphere!"
Orochimaru quickly replied, "No need. We just couldn't sleep because we were too excited last night. We're very satisfied with our current accommodations."
"Okay then. Please feel free to let me know if anything is unsatisfactory. I am now responsible for accommodating you all during your stay in Sunagakure village," Geri politely responded.
Orochimaru felt relieved upon hearing that his host wouldn't insist on upgrading their rooms to Kage standards.
Orochimaru bore full responsibility for this inter-village exchange program. If someone slipped a bad word about him in front of the Third Hokage, how could he abandon Team One afterward to pursue his noble research career?
"Uncle Geri, sorry about this, but last night when we were eating hotpot, my room might've gotten a little dirty," Nawaki shyly explained.
"No problem—it's just a bit of mess. I'll have the staff clean it later."
Nawaki immediately thanked him: "Thanks so much, Uncle Geri."
The other three members of Team One were stunned—they never expected that Nawaki would actually be naïve enough to sleep through the whole night in such a messy room.
Shen gave him a disdainful look and sneered, "Nawaki, are you stupid? Couldn't you call the staff over right away to help you?"
His face still full of sincerity just moments ago, Nawaki instantly froze—he hadn't even considered it while running around yelling all night.
"Don't tell me you seriously didn't know? Looks like calling you a simpleton wasn't unwarranted after all."
Stammering and blushing furiously after being teased twice, Nawaki replied, "I... I just didn't want to bother the staff."
Hearing this explanation, Shen burst into arrogant laughter: "Hahahahaha! Don't tell me you don't even realize these kinds of places for hosting important guests have shift workers? Hahahaha!"
"I… I…" Nawaki's face turned redder than his signature 'honey-glazed cheek glow.'
"Huhuhu! Oh great young master of the Senju Clan, do you really not even know such basic knowledge?" Shen laughed mockingly, rocking his head back and forth like a high-end animated meme of Chief Kim laughing—exactly the kind you see going viral online.
"Cough cough! Show some decorum—we're representing Konoha's image right now," Orochimaru curtly interrupted their squabbling.
"Hmph!" they both snorted in unison.
After exchanging glares, the two finally fell silent.
Relieved internally, Orochimaru thought, *I can't keep leading this team any longer. Need to find a way to locate the Sword of Kusanagi as soon as possible and return to Konoha.*
Though in the future he would eventually obtain two copies of the legendary sword, he had to admit—even this seemingly ridiculous reason was partly thanks to one particular young genius?
Thus, under Gerissen's leadership, Team One began touring various scenic spots of Sunagakure village.
"This is the viewing platform," Gerissen proudly explained as they arrived at an elevated terrace near the village center. "From up here, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the entire Sunagakure village!"
Under Gerissen's guidance, Team One all stepped onto this observation deck.
As Shen set foot on the platform, he immediately recognized the rooftop guardrail platform across from them. "Isn't that where Gaara first met that explosives artist? The one who rode a giant bird and bombed Sunagakure! Hmmph, why has a sandstorm suddenly kicked up?"
Outside the village walls, fierce winds were whipping up swirling clouds of yellow sand.
At this moment, Gerissen's expression turned somewhat embarrassed.
"I must sincerely apologize, honorable guests from Konoha. Normally our village wouldn't appear like this—it's just an unusual special case."
"Don't worry about it, Uncle Gerissen," Little Nawaki replied casually. "Seeing Sunagakure's natural scenery isn't bad either. This kind of scene can't be seen in Konoha."
Shen secretly lamented his bad luck. He certainly wouldn't believe that 'special case' nonsense for a second. What special case?! Living in such a vast desert, if Sunagakure didn't frequently experience sandstorms, now that would be strange.
Although they hadn't encountered any large-scale natural disasters along the way, if not for that otherworldly fan who had memorized every detail of the Naruto canon, he almost would've bought the lie.
Orochimaru had no idea the other party was trying to deceive him: "In that case, perhaps we should wait until next time for sightseeing. This sandstorm doesn't look like it'll settle down anytime soon."
"I deeply apologize once again. How about I properly host lunch for everyone at the guesthouse to make up for this inconvenience?" Seeing Team One wasn't showing any negative emotions, Gerissen quickly moved to compensate.
When Little Nawaki heard about having a big meal at noon, he became instantly excited: "Great! Uncle Gerissen, I'm definitely going to eat heartily today!"
"No problem, Little Nawaki," Gerissen smiled as he made arrangements for Team One's lunch. "I'll have the chefs prepare all the specialty delicacies of the Land of Wind especially for you."
Shen felt an ominous premonition about this luxurious lunch. Just think about it—what ingredients could possibly exist in this desolate place where not even birds defecate? Seafood was definitely out of the question. Cattle, sheep, and pigs probably couldn't survive here either. What, are we gonna eat sand?!
"We'd better hurry and leave before the sandstorm arrives or else it'll get really uncomfortable," Gerissen reminded Team One upon seeing the storm approaching Sunagakure.
"Shen, let's go," Nayou called out to him, seeing he was still deep in thought about what ingredients could possibly exist in the desert.
"Yeah, let's go."
Unable to figure out any plausible answers, Shen reluctantly responded as he walked away. Truthfully speaking, he couldn't help but feel deeply concerned about what people in Sunagakure actually ate.
While walking back, Nayou noticed his overly cautious demeanor and quietly showed concern: "What's wrong, Shen? Are you worried that the Suna ninjas will poison the food?"
"Poison?"
"This desert really only has a few kinds of delicacies it considers luxurious," she said.
Reminded by her words, Shen twitched his lips and replied, "Just wait and see, Nayou! I bet today's lunch will really shock you!"
"How could that be? I think you're imagining things, Shen." Nayou, unfamiliar with desert specialties, naturally refused to believe him.
Not long after Team One returned to the Guesthouse, Gerissen greeted them with a big smile. He led them warmly into a luxurious private dining room.
Except for Shen, the other three looked eagerly at the mysterious feast covered with lids on the table.
Gerissen immediately started introducing the first dish, "This is a specialty delicacy from the Land of Wind. Besides being delicious, it also nourishes yin and yang. One that every generation can enjoy — truly a delicacy for the young and old alike!"
"Whoa! Gerissen, hurry up and show us already!" Nawaki was almost drooling, unaware of what he was about to face.
"And now... here we go!" Gerissen swiftly lifted the lid, instantly releasing the aroma of the meal throughout the room.
"What the... this is...?" When Nawaki saw the food on the table clearly, his brain seemed to freeze completely.
Shen, unsurprised by the outcome, whispered secretly to Little Iceberg under the table, "See? I told you it would shock you. I, Shen Half-Immortal [a title given to those who walk between worlds], never lie."
Nayou swallowed hard, unable to look away. Looking at the dishes in front of her—plate after plate filled with disgusting-looking centipedes and scorpions—she suddenly had an urge to kill Nawaki.
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