Land of Grass

The Land of Grass.

"That feels so good!"

On the low hill, stepping on the soft grass and breathing in the fresh, dry air, Kuyue hopped around, her clear laughter echoing in the wind.

Katsuki stretched her back and loosened her aching neck. The environment of the Land of Grass was much better than that of the Land of Rain. The mountains and rivers were beautiful and the scenery was bright. Looking at the endless grassland stretching down the hills, rising and falling like waves in the wind, her mood instantly became more open.

Having received confirmed intelligence that the Stone Ninja were heading south to attack the Land of Grass, the ninja army set off at top speed, leaving the rainy Land of Rain of Rain and arriving at the beautiful Land of Grass.

The Grass Ninja respectfully welcomed the elders from Konoha, quickly setting up a campsite and building barracks. They also served them food and drink, warmly entertaining the Konoha elders.

Kusagakure is one of the oldest ninja villages in the Shinobi World. However, it is not as strong as the Five Great Ninja Villages. Even its two neighbors, Waterfall Ninja and Rain Ninja, are stronger than Grass Ninja. Fortunately, although Grass Ninja is relatively weak, it is famous in the Shinobi World for its excellent diplomatic skills.

The name "fence-sitter" is widely known.

This is not a sarcastic title. The Five Great Ninja Villages rule the entire Shinobi World. Apart from Takigakure, all the smaller ninja villages have to live cautiously under the noses of these five overlords. The eldest brother doesn't laugh at the second brother; no one is much better off than the others.

The Kusagakure is quite adept at responding to every rumor and always managing to side with the victor.

This time, the Grass Ninja sided with Konoha. The Grass Ninja's higher-ups didn't think highly of the Stone Ninja's country bumpkins, especially after Konoha's natural disaster struck the Land of Grass. The Grass Ninja then devoted themselves to serving the Konoha's big shots.

While a reed on the wall may sway with the wind, once it leans to one side, it won't change course. This is the foundation of the Grass Ninja's survival and standing. Otherwise, if they were to waver and do things in opposite directions, they would have been wiped out countless times.

"My lord, the Grass Ninja have gathered two thousand men, saying they are willing to support our battle!"

A ninja from the Kaguya clan quickly approached and whispered something in his ear.

"Puff!"

Katsuki couldn't help but laugh out loud, waving her hands repeatedly to indicate that nothing was wrong, thus dissuading Kuyue from trying to come closer and ask questions.

"Go tell the leader of the Grass Ninja that I know of their good intentions, but reinforcements... we don't need reinforcements. Just tell them to go back and guard their own village. Hmm, be tactful, don't be too direct..." Katsuki gave a few instructions, then looked at her blank-faced subordinate and pinched her brow. "...Go find Rokuro and have him contact the Grass Ninja."

Grass Ninja... Heh heh, rather than trusting the fighting ability of Grass Ninja, he'd rather exchange these Grass Ninja for an equal weight of supplies. The fighting ability of Grass Ninja is a joke.

Compared to the Grass Ninja's sophisticated diplomatic skills, their combat prowess has always been considered the bottom line in the Shinobi World.

Among the numerous second- and third-rate small countries, Rain Ninja and Waterfall Ninja are considered to be two of the more powerful ones, while Frost Ninja and Soup Ninja each rely on a large country behind them. Although they are weak and fight each other, they still have some fighting power.

Among them, the Grass Ninja are the least capable fighters. It's not that the Grass Ninja are of poor quality, but rather that their neighbors are too fierce. Konoha and Stone Ninja are obviously not on the same level, while Waterfall Ninja and Rain Ninja have overwhelming power compared to the Grass Ninja.

Without worthy opponents to hone their skills, the Grass Ninja will always be wiped out in one fell swoop, and they will never be able to train their troops properly.

Fortunately, neither the Stone Ninja nor Konoha expected the Grass Ninja to achieve anything; the Land of Grass served as a buffer zone separating them.

After dismissing the messenger, Katsuki turned his attention back to his disciple who was practicing Ninjutsu.

"Ice Release: Grass Leaf Sword"

The tender blades of grass broke off and were frozen by the pale frost into slender sword shapes, which shot towards Katsuki with a whoosh.

"Oh, so you want to challenge your master?"

With a swift movement of his right hand, he caught the flying Ice Sword in his palm. A chilling aura emanated from the sword, and in the blink of an eye, his hand was covered with a layer of frost.

"That was a good move!"

Lightning flashed between his fingers, easily shattering the frost, which was then evaporated by the high temperature of the lightning, turning into wisps of water vapor that drifted away.

"Not bad, huh? But you still extinguished it with a single slap." Kuyue pouted, muttering dejectedly, "Taking Ninjutsu with your bare hands? Teacher, are you a monster in disguise...?"

"What are you saying?" Katsuki glared at her audacious disciple. "Your ears are sharp enough!"

Kuyue rolled her eyes, and with a swift Hand Seals, and Six Paths Ice Sword flew towards her.

Over time, she came to understand that her teacher wasn't the rigid type; he would often joke around and tease her without taking offense.

"Hey, you little brat, how dare you slander your teacher! It seems I need to teach you a lesson so you won't know your place."

Katsuki Yue chuckled, spreading his right hand outstretched, with thin strands of lightning coiling around his fingers. As he swung his hand down, it spread out like a spider web, easily intercepting all the Ice Sword. The thin arcs of electricity shattered the Ice Sword, and a faint mist spread out.

Seeing that her attacks were completely ineffective, Kuyue's face fell. Having such an unapproachable teacher put a lot of psychological pressure on her as a disciple.

"What? You're already discouraged? If you give up like this, you'll never amount to anything in your life."

"It's not that I lack perseverance, it's just that you're too extreme. Sparring with you will only damage my confidence. I'd better go find my second sister instead."

Kuyue grumbled and left to find Yuki Yoizuki.

Watching his disciple's departing figure, Katsuki touched his nose and smiled silently.

"What's the matter?"

Without turning his head, he questioned the ninja who was walking quickly behind him. Within a radius of twenty or thirty meters, no movement could escape his perception.

"My lord, reinforcements have arrived."

"Reinforcements? Didn't I already say I don't need those useless Grass Ninja?"

"They're not Grass Ninja Village, they're reinforcements from the village."

Katsuki then turned around, looked at the ninja who had brought the message, raised an eyebrow, and strode towards the camp.

Where is he?

"Five kilometers away, we'll be there soon." The ninja who delivered the message followed closely behind Katsuki.

Five kilometers is not a long distance for a ninja.

"Give the order to have the Grass Ninja help set up the camp. We don't expect them to shine on the battlefield, but they can still be useful for logistical work."

"Yes, sir."

"By the way, who is the leader of the reinforcements?"

"There is no specific leader. This reinforcement force is mainly composed of top fighters from the Senju and Uchiha, with forty Jonin support, so there's no need to worry about any problems."

"Forty people?"

Katsuki was astonished; such a grand gesture was quite unusual. (To be continued)