[Kouga Kanoh]

While Konoha and Kumo were both nations that the new Kusa Lord had spent some meaningful amount of time in already, Kaze no Kuni was a land that was more foreign to her. Even serving as a guard to the daimyo, she had taken seldom few trips into the desert. So, when her entourage arrived dusty and battered and exhausted from the week long trip across the sands and desolate rock, they were met with stifled laughter and jeering. Even their guides struggled to hold back their amusement, despite them having accompanied the trio of Kusa shinobi the entire way.

The first thing on the Kusa Lord's list was to take a damned bath. She had sand everywhere and needed to dunk her head under some water, a substance she had begun to fear she would never see in excess again near the close of their journey. The rivers of Nohara no Kuni seemed so distant and she pined for them more than ever before.

After she was cleaned up and her clothes shaken out, only to catch a new layer of windswept sand, she was off. No time for games today; she had political business to attend to. She was here to meet the ruler of Sunagakure, Takato. If all went well, the diplomatic relations between her home and his would be strengthened and they could continue working toward a future of mutual benefit.

She wore a practical outfit that allowed her to move freely but wasn't as revealing as her usual fit; Takato was a married man after all. After going back and forth with the guard at where she was instructed to meet the mysterious ruler, she eventually found her way to his office's door. The shinobi accompanying her were made to standby outside; she shouldn't really need them at all in friendly territory, as she waited for a response from within.

--- words | Oonakayama Takato