First Meeting

The three of them came down from the mountain. Ming Jing felt that it was quite a feat to get the Third Hokage to leave the village, but unfortunately, Asuma would never go along with his nonsense.

Over the next few days, Tamamachi Seiyo and Yamashita Taiji, the pair, developed increasing rapport. Under their organization, the disaster victims worked with great enthusiasm, each person filled with drive and hope. Ming Jing would occasionally appear before the victims, eating, living, and working alongside them, boosting his reputation.

On the fifth day, Ming Jing, along with Qing Yan and Asuma, arrived at the mountaintop once more. Asuma, holding a cigarette in his mouth, looked at Ming Jing and asked, "Do you have any ideas?"

"What do you think about using explosive tags?" Ming Jing said, stomping around excitedly. "Prepare a million explosive tags, and I don't believe we can't blow this mountain away!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down!" Ming Jing's words startled Asuma so much he almost swallowed his cigarette butt. "A million explosive tags, where are you going to buy so many? And where will the money come from?"

"Does Captain think I've ever lacked money?" Ming Jing asked back, a look of curiosity on his face.

Uh... Asuma was speechless. The Kurama Clan... didn't seem to lack money! No, that wasn't the point! Asuma quickly pulled his mind back from its wandering and asked, "The problem is, where are you going to get so many explosive tags? And who are you going to get to detonate so many?"

"Hmm... that makes sense!..." Ming Jing pondered, resting his chin on his hand. Back then, Konan was able to detonate so many explosive tags in the Land of Rain because of her secret technique. Why not ask Konan for help? It felt less difficult than asking the Third Hokage and tricking Nagato!

"Young Master..." Qing Yan suddenly spoke at this moment, a rare expression on his face.

"What is it?" Ming Jing asked, confused.

"This mountain... seems to be hollow," Qing Yan said, squatting on the ground with his palm against it.

Hollow...

Hollow...

Hollow...

"What did you say?!" Ming Jing and Asuma shouted at the same time. Ming Jing was surprised, while Asuma was inexplicably relieved.

"Mm... I feel like it is," Qing Yan retracted his hand, returning to his usual impassive expression.

"Captain!" Ming Jing looked at Asuma. It was natural for Asuma to take action now; it would be terrifying if Ming Jing's Illusion Techniques had any effect on this mountain.

Asuma nodded. As the Third Hokage's son, he had encountered a wide variety of ninjutsu. Although his chakra natures were wind and fire, he had also dabbled in Earth Style. Asuma half-crouched on the ground, formed hand seals, and exclaimed, "Earth Style: Moving Earth and Turning Palms! Hah!"

Asuma concentrated his chakra into his palm and slammed it onto the ground. With a dull "boom!", the ground shook a few times. Asuma stood up, a look of joy on his face. "It really is hollow!"

"Go back and tell Tamamachi Seiyo. He's an expert in civil engineering; perhaps his approach will be different from ours," Ming Jing shouted happily. He looked at Qing Yan and patted his shoulder with satisfaction. "Qing Yan, thank you so much!"

"It's my duty," Qing Yan nodded. He was happy to be able to help his Young Master.

The three returned to Muchuan County and delivered the news to Tamamachi Seiyo. They expected Tamamachi Seiyo to be delighted, but instead, the old man frowned and began studying a map. Ming Jing leaned in to take a look, but the various professional symbols made his head spin.

A while later, Tamamachi Seiyo looked up from the map. Ming Jing immediately asked, "Are there any problems?"

"Of course, there are problems. Big problems," Tamamachi Seiyo shot Ming Jing a glare. Talking to an amateur was troublesome. The old man drew on the map and explained, "The reason mountains are usually hollow is the long-term dissolution by groundwater in limestone regions. Calcium carbonate, which is insoluble in limestone, can be converted into slightly soluble calcium bicarbonate through the action of water and carbon dioxide. Because the limestone layers vary in their calcium content and the degree of erosion, they are gradually dissolved and divided into interdependent, varied, steep, and beautiful caves. In other words, there is likely an underground river beneath that mountain."

Uh... Ming Jing suddenly understood how the Daimyo must have felt when he was being tricked.

In short, this was a very, very, very troublesome matter, and it was highly likely that Ming Jing's canal plan would be cut in half.

After leaving Tamamachi Seiyo, Ming Jing couldn't help but sigh. His luck was too bad! He thought he had found a shortcut, only to have it turn into a dead end the next second.

"What do we do now?" Asuma also asked, looking bewildered. He hadn't understood what Tamamachi Seiyo had said.

"Tomorrow, we'll break through a path and go inside to see what's going on! I refuse to believe my luck is so bad that I'll encounter a cave when trying to do something good!" Ming Jing gritted his teeth and said fiercely.

The next day, Ming Jing and the other two prepared some tools and set off. However, halfway there, they unexpectedly encountered someone, a beautiful woman.

Asuma drew Flying Swallow and stood in front of Ming Jing, his eyes warily fixed on the other person. Qing Yan also moved to the front, his expression extremely serious. The most relaxed of the three was Ming Jing, who was being protected. He looked at the woman and smiled gently. "Hello, I am Akira Kurama."

"I know you," the woman said, her voice clear and slightly mature. She looked at Ming Jing and continued, "Akira Kurama, a member of the Kurama Clan of Konohagakure, skilled in Illusion Techniques and Swordsmanship, Prime Minister of the Land of Fire."

"I'm surprised you know so much about me! I'm deeply honored! What's your name?" Ming Jing's expression showed no tension; he remained gentle.

"Konan, my name is Konan," Konan slowly stated her name, looking at Ming Jing. She continued, staring at him, "You are different from other Konohagakure ninjas." Why was Konan here? After returning that day, Konan began investigating Ming Jing's information. This superficial information was easily uncovered by her. Her purpose in investigating Ming Jing was to understand why Hanzō's remnants were trying to assassinate him. As her investigation deepened, Konan realized that Ming Jing was completely different from other ninjas; he was too unconventional. Whether it was writing books or serving as an official, these were not things ordinary ninjas would do (except for Jiraiya's adult novels, and Jiraiya himself wasn't an ordinary ninja). Especially Ming Jing's actions for disaster relief, which astonished Konan even more. No ninja or official had ever cared so much about disaster victims, yet Ming Jing cared deeply and truly involved himself personally.

It should be known that Konan was an orphan of war, with a background even more tragic than the disaster victims. Before meeting Jiraiya, she, Yahiko, and Nagato lived a life worse than the bottom rung. Now, she had become a divine envoy, second only to one person in the Land of Rain. However, she had not forgotten her childhood experiences, so when the disaster victims of the Land of Fire encountered difficulties, she had considered helping them, but Honma had thwarted her.

Because of this, Konan was curious about what kind of person Ming Jing truly was. Thus, she came to Muchuan County in the Land of Fire alone, wanting to meet this anomaly who was an official serving the people despite being a ninja.

"What's different?" Ming Jing curiously glanced at Asuma, then looked down at himself, asking in wonder.

Konan did not answer Ming Jing's question. Seeing that the three of them were carrying luggage, she asked, "What are you going to do?"

Ming Jing was taken aback, then smiled and said to Konan, "The mountain ahead is hindering our project, and we plan to enter the mountain to see what the situation is. If you're not busy, would you like to come with us?"

Asuma's expression was awkward. This subordinate of his was really reckless! He invited her without even knowing her identity.

Konan thought for a moment, feeling like she had nothing else to do, and nodded. "Okay."

Thus, Ming Jing was happy, Asuma was bewildered, and Qing Yan lowered his guard and returned behind Ming Jing. This slightly unusual team was formed, and the four of them walked towards the mountain.