Regaining his composure, Torifu smiled and shook the Kazekage's hand. "That was a momentary lapse on my part. Please don't take offense, Kazekage-sama. You must be very tired from traveling such a long distance, right? Please come into the village. We can talk more after you rest." Seeing the Hokage's good attitude, some of the Third Kazekage's worries disappeared.
Torifu waved to the ninja on the watchtower, and the tightly shut gates of Konoha slowly opened. Torifu then led the Kazekage into the village.
"We were not informed that Kazekage-sama would be coming, so the village didn't have time to prepare a welcoming ceremony. Please forgive us." The Kazekage waved his hand apologetically. "There's no need, Hokage-sama. I made a spontaneous decision to come to Konoha and just came along with your beloved disciple."
The villagers on the street saw Torifu walking in from the village gate, with a group of people following him. They knew Nawaki, Hashirama-sama's biological grandson. But they didn't recognize the person next to Torifu. They had never seen him before. But seeing him talking to Torifu, no one went up to disturb them. Anyone with an eye could tell that these people were wearing the clothes of the Land of Wind, although they weren't wearing ninja headbands. However, they could still guess that they were from there. This sudden visit from the Hidden Sand Village also made the villagers talk.
But Torifu naturally didn't have the time to care about that. After he arranged a place for the Kazekage to stay, the two of them agreed to let the Kazekage rest for two hours before they had a formal meeting. Torifu then turned and went to Hashirama's house to tell them about the Third Kazekage's sudden visit. The specific details were supplemented by Nawaki, since he was the one who knew the entire situation.
"Grandpa, Sensei, when we went to the Hidden Sand Village to deliver the congratulatory gift, we found that many of the buildings in the Hidden Sand Village had been rebuilt. The anti-sand walls outside also had varying degrees of damage. I suspect they were attacked." When he said this, Hashirama and Torifu both frowned. The Hidden Sand Village had been very low-key these past few years, the kind of village that quietly worked on big things. Furthermore, the shinobi world had been calm these past few years, and no conflicts had broken out.
Why would they suddenly be attacked? This made Torifu and Hashirama very confused. Moreover, as a great shinobi village, their strength was at least first-class, yet they were attacked so badly that even the solid anti-sand walls were broken. This was a little unbelievable.
"This matter is quite strange. We won't be able to guess anything here. You should go and have a good talk with the Kazekage. He's definitely here because of what Nawaki just said." Torifu nodded when he heard this. He also thought so. Otherwise, why would the great Third Kazekage personally come to Konoha to talk about commercial cooperation? It was just too unrealistic.
However, it was a little late for him to go home now. Torifu could only stay at Hashirama's house for another meal and rest for an hour. After he woke up, Torifu left the Senju Clan compound and went to the Hokage Building conference room. When he pushed the door open, the Kazekage was already sitting inside waiting.
"You've arrived very early, Kazekage-sama. There are still ten minutes left until our scheduled time. It seems you arrived half an hour early." The Kazekage smiled and shook his head. "No. I just arrived, and you came in right after. Shall we begin now?"
"Of course. I heard from Nawaki that you want to deepen the trade communication with Konoha, but Konoha and the Hidden Sand Village already have a lot of cooperation. When the bucket is full, the water overflows." The Kazekage gave a wry smile. "You're right, Hokage-sama, but please listen to my thoughts first."
"Please speak."
"A while ago, the Hidden Sand Village was attacked by a mysterious group. There were only a little over ten of them, but they caused the Hidden Sand Village to suffer a huge loss. Although there were no casualties, many buildings were destroyed, and a piece of the anti-sand wall was also broken."
"The trees that we bought from Konoha before were all burned down in that one night. The hard work of more than ten years was destroyed in one day. All the people of the Hidden Sand Village were dealt a huge blow." When he said this, his voice was full of anger. Every word came out from between his teeth.
"So, I hope that Konoha can export another batch of trees to us and open up more types of trade goods, such as our local handicrafts and knitted goods." When Torifu heard what the Third Kazekage said, he couldn't react for a moment. Just a little over ten people caused the Hidden Sand Village to suffer such a heavy blow? Was it an unknown organization or another great nation?
"Kazekage-sama, were you not in the Hidden Sand Village at the time? How could a dozen or so ninjas destroy the Hidden Sand Village like this?" The Kazekage shook his head when he heard this.
"Of course, I was in the Hidden Sand Village. Not only me, but Elder Chiyo, Second Kazekage-sama, and Elder Ebizō were also in the village, but that group of people was very strong. We could only hold some of them back. We didn't have any extra energy to deal with the others."
"Fortunately, they only destroyed the houses and the outer walls and didn't kill anyone. Otherwise, the entire Hidden Sand Village would have become a living hell." After the Kazekage explained everything, Torifu immediately agreed to his request for cooperation.
"I am very heartbroken by everything that the Hidden Sand Village has suffered. So, Konoha will do its best to help the Hidden Sand Village rebuild quickly and put the Hidden Sand Village's trade priority at the top." When he heard this, a smile finally appeared on the Kazekage's face. He had just taken office when such a huge incident occurred. This immense pressure was weighing on his chest. How could anyone be happy? However, this trip to Konoha to seek help had brought him some benefits.
"Hokage-sama, I have one more thought. I don't know if you're willing to listen?"
"Of course. Please speak."
"This group of ten or so people attacked our Hidden Sand Village, but they might not stop there. I suggest we share information about these people to avoid being caught off guard when a crisis comes." In fact, even if the Kazekage didn't say it, Torifu was going to bring it up. After all, this was a great way to get information for free. The enemy was in the dark, and he was in the open. He couldn't miss any useful information. Every piece of information could increase his chances of winning. So, why wouldn't he do something so beneficial?
"Of course, Kazekage-sama. You are truly far-sighted. Then we'll share information. If we get any information about these mysterious people, we'll share it immediately." The Kazekage slammed his hand on the table. "Good! Hokage-sama is truly a straightforward person. However, it's not good to talk about this information. I'll write a letter later and give it to you. You must destroy it after you've read it." From the Kazekage's various actions, it seemed that he was truly scared. This was probably the biggest attack the Hidden Sand Village had ever received since its establishment. As a newly appointed Kazekage, encountering something like this would definitely make him flustered. Torifu had also been through this stage, so he could understand and wouldn't mock him.