Reconnaissance

The main terrain of the Land of Rivers is hilly, with relatively few plains and a rather complex topography.

Shuichi, disguised as a simple-looking boy, followed behind Orochimaru. The two were dressed plainly and looked quite travel-worn, like Rogue Ninja.

They entered from the northeast of the Land of Rivers and, based on intelligence, chose to head to the nearest city, Maruoka Castle.

After passing through several rolling hills, a somewhat dilapidated ancient city appeared before Shuichi.

The city wall was very low, and the mottled marks were visible everywhere, as if it had not been repaired for a very long time.

Surprisingly, there were quite a few people coming and going at the city gate, many of whom were dressed as Rogue Ninja and samurai, all of whom made a living by selling their strength.

"Teacher, should we split up and gather information after we go in?"

After discussing it with Orochimaru, the two decided to investigate Maruoka Castle from both sides after entering the city, to see if they could find anything special.

After passing through the city gate, they stopped, having originally planned to part ways. Shuichi looked at the ostentatious banner on the main street with a strange expression. "Ninja Tavern Opening, Welcome Heroes from All Walks of Life, Address..."

"This... Ninja Tavern? Is this deliberately giving outsiders some kind of information?" Ninjas have always tried their best to conceal their information. But now, this tavern seems to be designed to gather all sorts of unfamiliar ninjas, and it also implies that ordinary people are better off not entering.

Because of this bizarre guy, Shuichi and Orochimaru didn't split up and headed straight for the tavern.

After wandering around the streets for a while and asking some local residents, they arrived at the tavern a few minutes later.

Although it was marked as Ninja Tavern, the atmosphere inside was lively and bustling, with everyone seemingly engaged in conversation.

Shuichi walked in and quickly scanned the area. People with all sorts of unique outfits were drinking and chatting. He and Orochimaru could only find a place to sit down first and then slowly inquire about the information.

At that moment, a waiter saw the new guests and immediately came over. "Sirs, is there anything you need?"

"Well, I'm curious about why this place is called Ninja Tavern. My older brother and I just arrived in the Land of Rivers from a faraway place and are eager to learn about this place," Shuichi said calmly, pulling out several large bills. "And please fill the bowls with your best dishes and drinks."

Upon seeing this, the waiter immediately beamed with joy, realizing this was a generous customer. He then instructed another waiter to prepare food and drinks, while he remained at Shuichi's table.

In response to Shuichi's question, he replied mysteriously in a low voice, "It seems you two have come from afar. Indeed, something has happened in this area. Currently, the area around Maruoka Castle can be considered as either the territory of the Land of Rivers or the Land of Land of Forests, because a major event occurred not long ago."

"The Land of Forests?" Shuichi's mind raced. In the Hokage manga, this seemed to be a tiny country with a very short appearance, bordering Konoha. Could it have split off from the Land of Rivers?

Only after the waiter's detailed explanation did they realize that a huge change had taken place within the Land of Rivers.

First, not long ago, several forces in the northern part of the Land of Land of Rivers declared independence, and nearly half of the Land of Rivers seemed to have become several countries overnight. Many people now call this area bordering Land of Forests Konoha.

Normally, after such an incident, the strongest Valley Ninja Village in the Land of Rivers would have violently wiped out these rebellious forces. However, at the same time, many Jonin and a large number of Chunin left the village, causing the situation to suddenly become chaotic.

This large group of ninjas arrived in what is now the Land of Forests and merged with a previously mysterious local organization, the Hannya Clan, to form a ninja village. They then began to adopt the One Country, One Village system of the Shinobi World in this region.

The waiter became even more cautious at this point, "According to rumors, that Hannya Clan was actually founded by those people from the Valley Ninja Village, and it seems they've been preparing for this for many years."

"They claim to possess abundant resources and Ninjutsu, and are currently recruiting Rogue Ninja and missing-nin from all over the country. Our Maruoka Castle's Ninja Tavern is designed to bring ninja power from various regions into the Hannya Clan, and their scale is constantly expanding."

"The new ninja village's base is located in the center of the nearby Azusagawa River Valley. Whether you choose to go and join the Hannya Clan is up to you two."

After recounting all the information about the newly established Land of Forests, the waiter quietly left, while Orochimaru and Shuichi calmly savored their food and drinks.

"Teacher, the mission intelligence says there's a Konoha stronghold in the Azusagawa River Valley. Do you think the information this servant provided is reliable?" Shuichi began communicating with Orochimaru using a special telepathic method.

"Information that's out in the open should be fine, but the location of that outpost is a different story."

"Hmm? You suspect that the base has been exposed?" Shuichi little puzzled. Even though he was clear-headed and quick-witted, he still lacked ninja experience and wanted to see Orochimaru's opinion. "A base hidden in the shadows must communicate using special codes, right? The village's Anbu shouldn't make such a basic mistake."

"It's understandable that you think this way since you haven't had experience with the Anbu," Orochimaru said. "But no ninja can claim to be completely foolproof in these clandestine intelligence battles. For example, in one of my missions..."

"I see!" Shuichi felt like he'd learned another lesson. Ninjas couldn't be judged by ordinary standards; he still had a lot to learn. "The Anbu squad was a combination of a Special Jonin and two Chunin. To ambush them silently would be quite difficult. The enemy probably had at least two squads."

Orochimaru licked his lips. "Not too far off, so what are you planning to do now Shuichi-kun?"

"To be on the safe side, we shouldn't abandon the intelligence on that outpost, even if it's the worst-case scenario—it's already exposed to the enemy," Shuichi analyzed earnestly. "But sometimes schemes and tricks are useless against absolute strength. Now that you're here, Master, I have a lot of confidence in myself. This is actually our opportunity."

"We should be the first team to arrive in the Land of Rivers. There's no guarantee that the teams behind the village won't find out about this and try to probe that stronghold. That would be tantamount to throwing their lives away, so..."

Shuichi's meaning was clear: go for it. They were running right under the enemy's nose like fish on a hook. With Orochimaru, this "shark," around, they might get caught and eaten along with their boat.

Orochimaru didn't object; this battle strategy was indeed reckless, yet direct and effective. His strength was already fully formed; whether he could wipe out the enemy in one fell swoop this time depended on Shuichi's performance.

That afternoon, the two trekked through the Yamanaka of the Land of Rivers for several hours, following a clear river, and found the new ninja village established by the Hannya Clan in a semi-secluded valley.

This place is picturesque, nestled along the river. The buildings are mostly thatched houses and wooden buildings, and most of them are brand new. They don't look very modern, but they are very quiet.

"Halt! Judging from your appearance, you're just Rogue Ninja coming to join my village." As they approached the village gate, a ninja-dressed man stopped Orochimaru and Shuichi.

"Sorry, joining our village now requires passing certain tests." The ninja's expression was full of pride, a sense of satisfaction as if a dream had come true. "If you don't agree, you can leave immediately; otherwise, we'll consider you our enemies."