Analysis, Confirming the Target

For now, joining Konoha was the most convenient option. Leaving aside the fact that it had the strongest overall combat power, if he did not consider methods like assassinating the future Sannin, it was absolutely the best faction for taking it easy!

And it was close by!

However, Konoha did not lack fighting power, so it would naturally be more wary of ninjas of unknown origin. It would not entrust them with important responsibilities either, making joining them rather difficult.

Besides, the main participants in the Second Shinobi World War were naturally the Land of Fire, Land of Earth, and Land of Wind, all centered around Amegakure!

Konoha was difficult to enter, and joining it would simply mean going with the flow, so the base evaluation definitely would not be high. But in terms of influence, joining Konoha might greatly improve it, since it stood at the center of the storm.

Think of Orochimaru! Think of Jiraiya! Think of Tsunade's "Great Omen of Calamity"!!

Hiss!

And besides, while Konoha had its darker side...

Overall, it was still relatively harmonious... probably... right?

After all, this character of his was still a child!

As for the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth was located on a plateau and thus lacked food. The Land of Wind was a desert—damn it, not only did it lack food, it lacked water and people too. In short, it lacked everything and was practically the poorest and weakest of the Five Great Nations.

Yet it still loved stirring up trouble! It was always thinking about messing with the fertile lands of its neighboring ally, the Land of Fire.

Well, he could not blame them. When you were poor, you could only rely on fighting to reduce the population, or plunder a tiny bit of resources.

Besides, their specialties, poison and Puppet Technique, really were suited for war.

Who would have thought Tsunade would show up later, with Antidote Technique in one hand and Superhuman Strength in the other, completely countering them.

Tsk, an official nerf was the deadliest thing of all.

Sand Shinobi did not have it easy either.

If he joined them and won the war, he would definitely gain a huge amount of Twist Value.

But the key was, what was he supposed to use to win??!!

He was not Madara Uchiha, damn it?!!

Pass!! No need to even think about it. Not only would bathing be a problem in those two countries, but more importantly, his abilities did not fit them.

He played with water and lightning...

Wait a second.

Speaking of water and lightning...

The Land of Lightning seemed pretty good? It had mountains, water, and even Lake of the Heart.

But its reputation was a little lacking... In the First Shinobi World War, it tried to raid someone's home and failed. In World War II, it secretly caused trouble inside Konoha and failed at raiding their home again. In the Third Shinobi World War, although it was one of the main forces, it seemed to have gone and raided the old Tsuchikage's home...

And this time, it succeeded!!

No, wait, you guys used lightning, all crackling and flashy and cool as hell, so why did you love raiding people's homes so much??

The Land of Water? Forget it!

At least the Land of Lightning still fought. Kirigakure really lived up to the "hidden" in its name!

Not only did it slack off during World War II, it directly shut itself away under the Bloody Mist Policy during the Third Shinobi World War?!

What was the point of that!!

After analyzing the advantages of the various factions, Jiang Rui tilted his head and considered what he himself needed.

A mission was a mission, and an evaluation was an evaluation. Those were what the boss gave him, after all. The side money he earned for himself was important too!

What did Konoha have? The Scroll of Sealing. He wanted that.

What did the Earth Shinobi have... Dust Release?? Wait, flight—important point! He wanted that too!

Sand Shinobi? Forget it. Puppet Technique was nice, but it was too ugly.

So where should he go??

Jiang Rui thought long and hard before painfully making a decision.

He would keep heading south, crossing mountains and seas!

He was going to Kirigakure!

As for why he chose Kirigakure, Jiang Rui had suddenly realized that one of his abilities was very similar to that of a Kirigakure clan. In the early, low-level ninja battles, ninjutsu did not fly everywhere like it did later on. Instead, there were clashes between small groups.

Especially during assassination missions and intelligence exchanges involving genin and chunin, it was basically all kunai combat, with those who had some money keeping explosive tags as backups.

The little Chakra they had was mostly used for disguise, scouting, and the Substitution Technique.

In that case, someone like him, who had never experienced war, would probably not be in much danger. Yet his Physical Immunity ability happened to resemble the Water Transformation Technique.

God, this damned bloodline limit setting. What if he joined Konoha one day, got ambushed and slashed on the battlefield, and turned into a puddle of water?

The enemy would not even need to act. Konoha's people would immediately kill him as a spy without another word.

If you were not a spy, what was with your Water Transformation Technique? The Hozuki Clan was famous as hell!

During wartime, no one would reason with you or send you to a military court.

He sighed. Flying Thunder God... gone...

Still, Jiang Rui was not especially dejected. After all, Kirigakure's bloodline limit clans had not yet been exterminated at this point. So he was very interested in the Yuki Clan.

Haku was very pretty, just like him, impossible to tell male from female, but he—or she—was a weakling.

Well, it was because Haku did not want to kill people, but after seeing abilities like those of great ice mages, Hyōrinmaru, Ice Dragon Roar, and Freeze Space-Time, Jiang Rui had begun to feel that...

The Haku he used to like was so weak...

But he seemed even weaker, because he could not use ice... If he could gain the ability of Ice Manipulation, the attack power of his Water Manipulation would rise dramatically!!

So Kirigakure it was, without a doubt!

As Jiang Rui traveled, the calculations in his heart clattered away:

Would it not be wonderful to stay far from the battlefield? There were twenty-seven superhumans in total! They would definitely all be gathered around Amegakure or searching the whole world for Nagato and the others!

Super dangerous!

He was a command-type strategist. Why should he fight or go to the front lines!

Thus, the cute Slime still wearing the appearance of a girl decided to head for the islands and join the Land of Water, whose ability to slack off was maxed out.

Even though his physical abilities had greatly improved as a superhuman, and Great Sage's assistance allowed him, in a battle-instinct state, to move across all kinds of complex terrain—among jagged boulders, dense forests, and the like—as if walking on level ground, his traveling speed was still not particularly fast.

Even so, one month was more than enough.

Jiang Rui wiped away nonexistent sweat, leaned forward, and leaped. He bent a branch as thick as an arm, then used its rebound to launch himself onward.

Vaguely, he sensed quite a few people ahead.

He came to a stop atop a tree and looked into the distance.

It was a merchant caravan.

Dawn was approaching. Ashes from the extinguished campfire rose and swirled gently in place with the breeze, while a group of people gathered around it, packing their belongings.

Not far away, three carriages and two cargo wagons loaded with goods were parked beside the water.

Jiang Rui sized them up. There were five coachmen in cloth clothes with horsewhips at their waists, three merchants dressed somewhat more elegantly but looking shrewd, and more than a dozen roughly dressed servants along with guards wearing partial, simple leather armor.

He focused on the guards for a while. Most had a long sword at their waists, with no ninja markings such as forehead protectors.

Mm, he could basically confirm they were all samurai.

Jiang Rui nodded to himself and did not bother thinking any further before leaping down directly.

He decided that if the caravan was headed in the same direction, he would travel with them. It would be a detour, but much more interesting. Traveling alone was truly a little boring.

But just as he dashed up before those merchants...

"Buzz."

A kunai shot out from the middle carriage, grazing Jiang Rui's cheek. His steps slowed, and he stopped where he was.

Clearly, this was a warning.

The merchants swiftly finished packing their things. They did not seem especially afraid, retreating slowly and orderly, while the samurai gripped their sword hilts and positioned themselves before the merchants with guarded expressions.

Clearly, despite Jiang Rui looking only twelve or thirteen, they had not lowered their guard. After all, twelve or thirteen was already the usual age for a genin.

As Jiang Rui observed them, a jade-like hand inside a distant carriage gently lifted the curtain, and a pair of violet eyes quietly examined him.

No village insignia, and alone.

Was he a ninja who had come to the Land of Fire to gather intelligence?

But this place was far from the front lines. Was he from the Land of Water or the Land of Lightning? Or one of those small ninja villages trying to fish in troubled waters?

Her eyes lowered as she said, "Koji, let's go."