Secrets of the Shinobi World, Jewels Buried in Dust

Land of Bears, Daimyo's Mansion.

The ninjas and samurai assigned to guard the daimyo lay sprawled crookedly across the ground, dead or alive unknown.

The daimyo himself hung high from a flagpole like a dead dog.

Only one figure sat boldly with a bowl in hand, wolfing down food. The empty plates before him had already been stacked over a meter high.

After letting out an earth-shaking belch, Hanma picked his teeth, looked at the trembling chef, waved a hand, and asked,

"Where does your daimyo usually keep his money? I want to borrow some to spend."

The chef knelt on the ground with his hands over his head, his entire body shaking violently. What had just happened had deeply traumatized him.

This demon had appeared here out of nowhere. He had only asked who could cook, and the next second, everyone had collapsed.

If he had not instinctively answered that he was a chef, he would probably be lying on the ground too.

Seeing that the chef could not speak, Hanma helplessly shook his head, lowered his tone, and asked kindly,

"If you still don't talk, you'll die."

Hearing those heartwarming words, the chef was so moved that tears came to his eyes. He struggled to control himself and stammered in reply,

"S-Sir, the daimyo keeps all his banknotes on his person. Whenever he's bored, he likes counting them."

Hanma nodded in understanding, searched the daimyo, pulled out a thick stack of banknotes, and tucked them into his pocket with satisfaction.

He then picked up a smaller stack, handed it to the chef, and softly said, "I'm Hanzo of the Land of Rain. You understand?"

The chef froze for a moment, carefully tucked the money away, and nodded wildly in ecstasy. Then he suddenly rose and rammed straight into a pillar in the hall, collapsing unconscious on the spot.

Hanma applauded appreciatively. Regardless of one's strength, wisdom was always an exceptional quality.

Over the past few days at the Daimyo's Mansion, Hanma had eaten and drunk well, thoroughly nursing his body back to health.

Ibuse's deadly poison had indeed caused Hanma considerable trouble, but it had also brought him a gift.

The extraordinary recovery granted by Savage Growth had completely healed his body and even brought him a new Entry.

Toxin Immunity: After several days of tempering by deadly poison, your liver and kidney functions have mutated, and your immune system has been greatly strengthened. Biological toxins are no longer a concern for you.

This was the tyrannical effect of Savage Growth.

What failed to kill Hanma would only make him stronger!

The next time he encountered Hanzo, or even Chiyo, those ninjas who loved using poison, Hanma would certainly give them a surprise.

During his days at the Daimyo's Mansion, Hanma had lived in luxury. If Tsunade had not been waiting for him, he would not have wanted to return to Konoha at all.

The place was rich in supplies, poorly guarded, and surrounded by beautiful scenery. It was practically a paradise for vacationing.

Whatever he wanted to eat or drink, he could just take it. It was extremely convenient.

Back when he carried out missions in the Anbu, if circumstances allowed, he would always make a detour to the nearest Daimyo's Mansion.

Even the wine he and Tsunade had drunk on the night he took her was something he had previously taken from the Daimyo's Mansion in the Land of Water.

After all, as the saying went, "Stock guns, not grain—grain stores are everywhere." How much money could a ninja make from missions?

The guards of these minor nations' daimyos were nothing more than decorations before ninjas with strength above elite Jonin.

Hanma had no moral restraints when it came to these pig-like, dog-like nobles. They were merely a pack of shameless bloodsuckers.

Hanma had agreed to go to the Land of Bears for Danzo and help him search for Root's lost funds, but it was not to curry favor with him.

It was merely a pretext, a way to verify Hanma's conjecture and forge a path toward further breaking his limits.

Beyond the Five Great Nations, the world of Naruto contained many small nations with mysterious powers. For Hanma, who possessed Entries, acquiring them held enormous potential for growth.

In the movies, the performances of those so-called villains generally stopped at the Kage-level.

That did not mean they were truly weak. Their combat power might not have been impressive, but the "traits" they possessed were exceptionally valuable.

"Devouring," "immortality," "time manipulation." With conditions and limitations attached, these precious attributes did not seem all that powerful.

But in Hanma's eyes, they were jewels scattered across the desert, buried in dust within minor nations.

Hanma only needed to absorb their extraordinary traits and plant a seed of power within himself. Relying on his own Entries, he could perfectly bring out their might.

The Kusagakure Ninja with the Box of Paradise, the Oni Ninja who sealed Moryo, the Takigakure Ninja with Hero Water, the Dragon Vein deep in the desert—there were still far too many places in the Shinobi World that could be developed.

Since crossing over, Hanma had truly come to feel that the entire Shinobi World was actually one enormous treasure map.

Beyond the obvious resources, such as the Tailed Beasts contested by the Five Great Nations, secrets from a thousand years ago were even more worthy of study.

For Hanma, given the current situation, obtaining the unknown treasures of these minor nations was far more worthwhile than fighting over Tailed Beasts.

After all, if he revealed his interest in the Tailed Beasts, not only would the Five Great Nations refuse to tolerate him, even Uchiha Madara would take notice of him. Things would become extremely troublesome.

Hoshigakure in the Land of Bears was Hanma's destination this time.

A meteorite had fallen in Hoshigakure a thousand years ago. It was regarded as the village's greatest treasure and named the "Star."

The "Star" could affect and mutate a ninja's Chakra, granting them the ability to mold Chakra and even allowing them to fly.

Hanma had long been interested in this strange meteorite of unknown origin, but his previous strength had constrained him, and he had delayed taking action.

After all, causing trouble in another nation's ninja village without sufficient strength to back it up would make leaving traces behind extremely troublesome.

If he were discovered and the matter reached Konoha, or even the Daimyo's Mansion of the Land of Fire, it would be a serious problem.

Moreover, Hanma was an Uchiha. If anything happened, the Hokage Building would certainly use it to make a huge fuss.

But now, it no longer mattered. Mere Hoshigakure Ninja could not even last one exchange before him. It was time to harvest these precious forgotten pearls of the Shinobi World.

Hoshigakure.

Ensei, the village chief of Hoshigakure, stared solemnly at the village's greatest treasure before him, his face filled with worry.

Ever since something resembling a meteorite had been discovered in this land two hundred years ago, everything had changed.

At the time, the village chief discovered that the "Star" could mutate the Chakra within ninjas and greatly enhance their combat power, and so he began to harbor ambitions he should not have had.

The village chief bestowed upon himself the title of Kage, calling himself the "Hoshikage," and led the entire village in cultivation, developing a secret technique—the Mysterious Peacock Method.

Just as the entire village was celebrating and thrilled by the power of the secret technique bestowed by the Star, things began to change.

As the villagers used the "Star's" power more and more frequently, more and more ninjas died sudden deaths, while the rate at which children died young also steadily increased.

The First Hoshikage died suddenly, and the Second Hoshikage likewise inexplicably coughed blood and died. Everything was strange, and suspicion pointed toward the "Star."

But no one cared. For a minor nation to obtain such a secret technique, what did the deaths of a few people matter?

Ensei was a cautious man. He was already seventy years old this year.

He had sensed that something was wrong. The power brought by the "Star" came at the cost of the ninjas' lives.

If this continued, no matter how powerful the "Star" was, Hoshigakure would not be far from destruction.

"We cannot keep cultivating it. It is time to abandon these fantasies we never should have had!"

Ensei made up his mind. Even if most of the village was obsessed with the "Star's" power, he would ban the cultivation of the Mysterious Peacock Method and save this village!