Chapter 208

Just when everyone was wondering if they had heard correctly, Shikaku Nara suddenly realized something and was the first to speak up.

"I understand. I'll immediately mobilize all the Nara clan members who can still fight. As the head of the Nara clan, I promise that if war breaks out, the Nara clan will not back down!"

Seeing Shikaku's resolute declaration, the first reaction from the others was: The Nara clan is fast! No wonder they're always the advisors to the Hokage; their loyalty is unmatched in speed. With this swiftness, who else could be the advisor?

With Shikaku's stance clear, the Yamanaka and Akimichi clans, though still processing, trusted their old friend's judgment. They quickly pledged to mobilize their clans too.

The other clan heads weren't foolish either. Whether or not they fully grasped Tsunade's true intentions, they echoed the sentiment. No one in Konoha feared war, and they would rally their clans immediately.

Tiny Kumogakure, how laughable. No one here would hesitate to be the first into battle!

Hearing this, the rest clamored, claiming the vanguard role. "Step aside, shorty. I'll take the lead!"

Watching the clan heads jostle for the frontline position against Kumogakure, Tsunade internally marveled at the drama unfolding before her.

Speaking of which, why was the Yamanaka clan, known for their delicate flower-tending, so eager for the front lines? And even the usually reticent Aburame clan was in on it?

...

Majestic, towering trees with trunks as thick as houses, gigantic insects, and a myriad of fierce beasts unique to this world.

Back to Shinji, who stood in a forest near the border of the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Frost.

He glanced at the large, segmented corpse of a giant centipede at his feet and then at the beasts surrounding him. These creatures, wary after seeing him easily dispatch the giant centipede, hesitated to attack.

For a moment, Shinji felt this strange world resembled a prehistoric era of Earth he had seen in documentaries.

Scientists speculated that before the supercontinent Pangaea formed, Earth might have had dragonfly-sized dragonflies and giant centipedes.

They used such comparisons to depict Earth's vibrant prehistoric environment.

Though it might be coincidence, this so-called ninja world was remarkably similar to that hypothesized period of Earth.

Rustle!

Despite the movement blending with the natural rustling of leaves and well-hidden presence, Shinji noticed it. He was surrounded by a group of ninjas…

Animals sense things more acutely than humans. As Shinji realized he was surrounded, the surrounding beasts also perked up, alert to the hidden ninjas.

Feigning ignorance, Shinji ignored the beasts and walked towards the Land of Frost.

But just as he took a step, he sensed the intense killing intent from the hidden ninjas targeting him!

Shinji felt exasperated. Though he bore no grudge against these Kumogakure ninjas, he kept encountering them, eager to fight.

It might be because he was coming from the direction of the Land of Fire. After all, Konoha and Kumogakure were in constant minor conflicts and skirmishes.

Not to mention the past incident where Konoha ninjas infiltrated Kumogakure and released the Eight-Tails, causing massive damage. Kumogakure was extremely sensitive to such threats!

Even though there was the Land of Frost between their territories, they couldn't let him leave without ensuring his intentions.

The Kumogakure jonin hidden in the trees, clutching his kunai, waited for the perfect moment to deliver a lethal strike.

They couldn't be sure, but they couldn't rule out the possibility that he was a Konoha ninja trying to infiltrate the Land of Lightning!

After tailing him for hours, they noticed his sneaky behavior. If he wasn't a spy, why not travel openly?

Three steps left… two steps…

Holding his breath, the Kumogakure jonin waited for the perfect moment, silently calculating the distance between himself and the blue-haired young man.

One step…

If he takes one more step, I'll strike and kill him instantly!

"Are you planning to kill me?"

The voice directly in his ear made the Kumogakure jonin's eyes widen. The young man had vanished from the clearing!

In a fraction of a second, the blade slicing through his throat gave the Kumogakure jonin no time to react!

Silently dispatching the Kumogakure jonin, Shinji then turned his attention to the remaining hidden ninjas.

...

Ignoring the corpse being torn apart by beasts, Shinji quickly concealed his presence and entered the Land of Frost, having looted the body for valuable items.

He had been forced to kill over a hundred rogue ninjas and exactly one hundred Kumogakure ninjas who had attacked him without warning.

Shinji felt helpless. While greedy rogue ninjas were one thing, why were these Kumogakure ninjas so aggressive?

Honestly, he had no intention of causing trouble in Kumogakure!

His original plan was to bury relics in a route starting from the Land of Fire, through the Land of Hot Water, then the Land of Frost, taking a ship to the Land of Iron, and so on, eventually returning to the Land of Whirlpools. His final stop was the Land of Water.

But with Kumogakure's actions, he felt compelled to retaliate.

...

The Land of Frost was a small country with the weak ninja village of Frost. It was awkwardly situated between the Lands of Lightning and Hot Water.

Like the Land of Hot Water, it had always been the designated battleground for Konoha and Kumogakure wars. Its people suffered from the wars of great nations without any means to stop them.

The people of the Land of Frost might say: If there's another great ninja war, we'll be the battlefield again!

From what Shinji had seen and deduced after entering the Land of Frost, the country had long outwardly allied with the Land of Lightning but had grown weary of their overbearing big brother.

They must be tired of being the battleground for great nations.

So they sought alliances with distant Water Country, aiming to build better relations.

This explained the later good relationship between Kirigakure and the Land of Frost in the manga (with Kirigakure escorting Frost's leader to safety before the Fourth Great Ninja War). Their big brother, the Land of Lightning, was unreliable!

"Here you go."

On a wide road in the Land of Frost, a small, ragged, and very thin girl hesitated to accept the rice ball from the stranger.

"It's okay, take it."

Seeing her eye the rice ball with longing but fear, Shinji knelt, placing it in her hand with a gentle smile.

As she cautiously turned away to eat, Shinji felt empathy for her plight. The ruins beside the road must have been her home.

Is there any safe place for civilians in this world? Yes, in the great nations with strong military power (ninja villages). Small countries, especially those between great nations, had no rights.

This wide road was built for Kumogakure's military movements, under their pressure.

Seeing her save half the rice ball, Shinji realized something.

"If you're hungry, come out and eat."

In response, several dirty, skinny children peeked from the ruins.

...

Late at night, by the fire in the ruins, Shinji read the scroll taken from the Kumogakure ninja, while the children slept in makeshift tents.

Perhaps it was their first peaceful sleep in a long time.

The scroll detailed Tsunade's bold moves since becoming Hokage, especially her plan to mobilize the entire village and country against the Land of Lightning.

"That woman is truly remarkable…"

Shinji couldn't help but admire Tsunade's strategy. She wasn't aiming for war but to intimidate Kumogakure into submission.

Though Kumogakure might be slightly better off post-war, neither side would want to escalate skirmishes into full-scale war.

Even the hot-headed Raikage wouldn't dare.

The situation was that Konoha had sent envoys to challenge Kumogakure. Tsunade's move was a public dare for all to see.

The Raikage, likely enraged, wouldn't expect such audacity from the new Hokage.

Fight!... But they couldn't.

Not fighting would make them look weak, submitting to Konoha.

So, Kumogakure's goal was to ensure Konoha's envoys never reached their land alive.

If Konoha's envoys died en route, they could pretend nothing happened and claim the intimidation failed.

Shinji speculated Tsunade might not have sent any envoys at all.

She anticipated spies overhearing her and predicted the Raikage's response: to mirror her tactic, forcing Konoha's hand.

Tsunade likely had Konoha ninjas ready to intercept Kumogakure's envoys, killing them on sight.

Her strategy aimed to divert internal conflicts in Konoha, giving her room to solve internal issues and establish her authority.

Shinji admired her political acumen, far surpassing the weak old man Sarutobi. This was the Third Hokage's best decision.

"You... are you a ninja?"

"Hmm?" Shinji's thoughts were interrupted by the small girl.

"Can you teach us ninjutsu?"

"I'm not a ninja." Shinji shook his head. "By the way, isn't your village nearby? Can't you become ninjas there?"

The girl looked down, and Shinji understood she had been rejected or driven away.

Seeing her disheartened, Shinji casually added, "Don't worry. There won't be any large-scale wars for a long time. Peace will return to your country soon."

Surprised but skeptical, the girl remained silent.

To great nations, wars were strategic games, but to this girl, they had taken so much, becoming a lifelong shadow.

Shinji didn't say more, adding wood to the fire. The girl sat beside him, silent.

...

In the morning, the girl woke to find a blanket over her, a letter, some scrolls, food, and money left by Shinji.

Though sad he left without a word, the letter brought her joy.

The letter explained the scrolls contained basic chakra refinement techniques and basic ninjutsu to learn afterward. Another scroll held weapons and explosive tags for emergencies.

These were valuable items for civilians!

With these, they could become ninjas if they worked hard enough!