River Ninja Village

After extorting Obito Uchiha, Yichen happily continued flying towards the Land of Rivers with his four disciples.

Passing over the Dark Akatsuki Organization's base in the Land of Rain, Yichen looked down and saw that the Dark Akatsuki Organization had already completed the reconstruction of the base.

A group of homeless missing-nin lived a relatively peaceful life here.

Yichen also saw Nagato's Deva Path Pain, but he didn't go down; he just waved his hand down from the air.

Deva Path Pain Yichen nodded without saying anything.

After a while, Yichen and his group of five finally arrived at the River Ninja Village.

Yichen and his four disciples landed directly at the entrance of River Ninja Village, where Yahiko and his two companions, who had already received the news, were waiting.

Yahiko immediately gave Yichen a hug and said, "Yichen, you've finally come. It's been so long since you've been to the Land of Rivers."

Yichen also laughed and said, "It seems so. I just visited the Land of Rain when Konoha attacked last time, but it seems I haven't had time to come to the Land of Rivers."

Then Yichen looked at Konan and said somewhat guiltily, "Konan, we meet again."

"Hmph." Konan snorted, without replying.

Seeing that he wasn't immediately attacked, Yichen grew a little bolder and said, "Nagato, let's give each other a hug too."

Nagato wasn't as enthusiastic Yahiko; after being hugged by Yichen, his body stiffened slightly.

After hugging Nagato, Yichen looked at Konan.

Konan was furious and could no longer hold back. With a flick of her wrist, she sent a shower of paper scraps flying towards Yichen.

When Yichen saw that these pieces of paper were all Exploding Tag, he was so frightened that he quickly dodged.

The pieces of paper chased closely behind, occasionally making a popping sound.

Yichen broke out in a cold sweat. He had been careless.

After using up all the Exploding Tag chasing Yichen, Konan didn't use any more. Instead, she pulled Kanako aside and muttered something to herself.

The three of them swallowed hard, watching Konan, who had just been gentle and quiet, Sokai do this, making their teacher, whose image they held in extremely high esteem, run around in a panic.

Sokai whispered, "Ayumi, did that person just use the same ability as Kanako?"

"A wave of the hand and a whole bunch of Exploding Tag appear? That's ridiculous!"

Sasagawa Ayumi whispered, "That should be true, and this older sister seems to be more skilled in Paper Style Jutsu than Kanako- senpai."

Chiga whispered, "She gives off a very strong aura, especially when she was angry just now. The power she exuded was probably at the Kage Level."

"Wow!" Both Sokai and Sasagawa Ayumi exclaimed in amazement. Kage Level, the same level as Teacher Yichen, a peak existence in the Ninja World.

The three of them looked at Konan with a hint of admiration.

Yahiko noticed the three whispering children and asked, "Yichen, is this your new disciple?"

Yichen nodded and said, "That's right, the three of them are also here to participate in this Joint Chunin Exams."

"The girl's name is Chiga, Sensory Ninja. The taller one is Sasagawa Ayumi. The one who looks a bit silly is called Liangtiancheng Zhongxing, whose real name is Sokai Uchiha."

Sokai looked at her teacher speechlessly, then turned to her two companions and asked, "Chiga, Ayumi, do I look stupid?"

Sasagawa Ayumi said against her will, "I'm not stupid, Teacher Yichen was just joking."

Chiga thought for a moment and said, "You look alright, you're still quite handsome. Looks can be deceiving."

Sokai said, "I knew it! I don't look stupid."

Sasagawa Ayumi:...

He thought to himself, "Is it too late for me to take back what I just said?"

Everyone else heard the three children's conversation.

Yahiko and Nagato found it amusing.

Konan said from the side, "He's about the same age as Yahiko when he was a child."

Yahiko:...

Nagato smiled sheepishly, while Yichen laughed loudly.

"Hahahaha, haha, ha." Yichen's laughter stopped abruptly when Konan glared at him.

Yahiko quickly changed the subject, asking Yichen, "The Uchiha Clan? Yichen, how come there are members of the Uchiha Clan in your Iwagakure?"

Yichen smiled and said, "I initially stole the Sokai from Konoha, and it's an open secret now. Even the head of the Uchiha Clan has acknowledged it."

Yahiko nodded, finding the whole thing quite amazing.

Nagato said, "Yahiko, let's go into the village and wander around. Let Yichen see how our village is developing."

"Yes, Yichen, please take another look for me. The establishment of our first village was a failure. Please help me see how it goes this time?" Yahiko said hurriedly.

The eight people split into three groups—front, middle, and rear—and entered the River Ninja Village.

The three women, Konan, Kanako, and Chiga, walked at the front. Led by Konan, Kanako and Chiga had a great time shopping.

Sasagawa Ayumi and Sokai followed a short distance behind the three, bored.

Yichen, Yahiko, and Nagato chatted as they leisurely followed at the back.

Looking at the main street of River Ninja Village, Yichen said to Yahiko, "Yahiko, your village lacks vitality and distinctive features."

Yahiko looked at Yichen with some confusion, along with Nagato.

Yichen said, "You only have shops selling necessities on your streets. That's enough for a closed-off village."

"Compared to the previous village, you have made great progress. It's clear that the villagers are living a stable life."

"But for the villages that are going to hold the Joint Chunin Exams, that's not enough. It won't attract the wealthy people."

"Think about it, although you have no shortage of food, clothing, shelter, or transportation here..."

"But for wealthy people, they don't lack these things anyway. Why bother coming all the way to River Ninja Village?"

"Think about it, your village isn't the Great Ninja Village, and you don't have Hokage Rock with a statue of the First Hokage, Konoha god of Ninja World."

"Without any well-known tourist attractions, everything seems ordinary Mu Qi. Who would want to come here?"

Yahiko asked, "Yichen, what should we do?"

Yichen smiled and said, "First, we can build some entertainment facilities, such as ninja games that ordinary people can participate in."

"For example, amazing Ninjutsu performances. We could even open gambling dens related to the Chunin Ninja Exams. If you don't want to open one, you can leave your shop vacant for merchants who come later."

"As for food streets, they shouldn't just cater to daily life; they should focus on attracting wealthy customers."

"Secondly, it needs to be unique. You've been the leader of the Land of Rivers for some time now, so think about what unique features the Land of Rivers that you can bring to the River Ninja Village."

"Special local delicacies and unique customs can all be used to attract tourists' attention. Adding small sculptures, toys, and souvenirs will allow them to take home gifts and also increase the village's visibility."

"In short, you need to make people who have been here feel that River Ninja Village is special, and that they want to come back after they leave, and even bring their relatives and friends."

"You need to get those rich people willing to spend money, and for them to feel happy and proud after spending it."

Nagato asked, "Yichen, does your Iwagakure do this too?"

Yichen shook his head and said, "No, Iwagakure has already become the Great Ninja Village in the Ninja World. We don't need these methods to attract a continuous stream of people."

"What we want to show outsiders is the sense of superiority that comes with living in Iwagakure. We want them to want to move to Iwagakure and to envy those who can live Iwagakure."

Yahiko and Nagato nodded, seemingly lost in thought.

Yahiko was a man of action; upon hearing Yichen's words, he immediately went to do it.

While Yichen and Nagato were still strolling around the streets with Konan and the others, Yahiko had already begun to alter the layout of the streets with his men.

According to Yichen, Yahiko began constructing entertainment facilities within River Ninja Village and started renovating the shops.

Yichen said to Nagato, "What I admire most about Yahiko is this: he seems a bit silly, but he thinks things through and then acts on them, which is a prerequisite for success."

Nagato nodded and said, "Me too. Yahiko is the true Child of Prophecy. His actions easily resonate with those around him."

Yichen glanced at Nagato. Nagato's words were clearly spoken from the heart; someone must have told him that he was the Child of Prophecy.

It will likely be Black and White Zetsu and Obito Uchiha.

However, Yichen had no intention of getting to the bottom of it; this was Nagato's own choice.

Moreover, Yichen believed that Nagato in this life would not be so easily fooled.

Furthermore, given the relationship between Yichen and Nagato would not take action against Yichen or the Iwagakure where Yichen resides.

Yichen called out loudly to Konan in front of him, "Konan, take us to see your Ninja Academy!"

Konan replied without turning her head, "Okay."

Before long, the group arrived at the Ninja Academy of River Ninja Village.

This Ninja Academy is much smaller than the Iwagakure, but it has all the necessary facilities. This is normal, as this Ninja Academy was originally modeled after Iwagakure, Yichen even helped come up with some ideas.

Yichen flipped through the textbooks of the River Ninja Village Ninja Academy and roughly understood why the ninjas trained in River Ninja Village were so different from those trained in the Great Ninja Village.

"Nagato, there's something wrong with the textbooks at your Ninja Academy," Yichen said, patting a large pile of books in front of him.

Nagato asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

Konan was standing nearby, also cast a concerned glance.

Yichen said, "There are no major problems with the students' training content, but the guiding ideology behind their learning is problematic."

"A ninja's strength is closely related to their willpower. A ninja who doesn't have a clear Ninja Way can never become a powerful ninja."

"And your Ninja Academy doesn't do a good job in this regard."

"Does Yahiko often come to give lectures? That's the purpose of his lectures—to help the ninjas of your village develop the correct Ninja Way."

"But that's not enough. You need to organize this content and incorporate it into the textbooks, and then treat it as a regular course for the children to learn."

"Take the Will of Stone from our Iwagakure, for example. It's not just simple brainwashing; it helps us find the right Ninja Way."

"Learning the Will of Stone over a long period can help children develop the Ninja Way of fighting to protect the peace of the village and to safeguard the villagers."

"This Ninja Way based on protection is extremely powerful. It can fundamentally change the strength of a ninja, and it can also change the overall strength of a village."

"Taijutsu and Ninjutsu are merely ways to demonstrate strength; they are just means, not the essence."

Nagato seemed to be deep in thought. Nagato's thought, he said, "Yichen, I think I know what to do. I'll go and discuss it with Yahiko now."

Yichen nodded without saying a word.

After visiting the Ninja Academy, Konan gathered many Genin from River Ninja Village and had them spar with Sokai and his two companions.

Yichen didn't care about that; he planned to have a Nagato session with Nagato, who had finished dealing with matters at the Ninja Academy.

Nagato's strength is currently the strongest in the Ninja World; there is no doubt about that.

Nagato is probably the only ninja in the entire Ninja World who can fight at least Three Kage-level ninjas without being at a disadvantage, and even has a high chance of winning.

Sometimes, Yichen felt that classifying Nagato as Kage Level was actually detrimental to the division of strength.

Nagato should be a special level between Kage Level and Sage.

Let's call it Super Kage-level for now.

Yichen wanted to see the gap between himself and ninjas of that level by fighting Nagato.