Jashin

After Yichen finished arranging the training tasks for the three members of Team Seven, most of the girls from Kurotsuchi and Yuki Kinuyo's group had already left, and even Neji had slipped away without anyone noticing.

However, Shion is still there, but Shion didn't stay because of Yichen; she's playing games with the two little Tailed Beast.

The Little Rhino Dog and Little Chōmei recognized Shion, Shion also remembered the two little guys; they were catching up.

Yichen stepped forward and asked, "Little Shion, when did you come to Iwagakure?"

Shion looked up at the Tsuchikage, whom she barely recognized, and said, "I came here as soon as the Ninja Academy started."

Yichen then asked, "So where do you live now?"

Before Shion could answer, Sakura spoke up for her, "Shion lives in the exchange student dormitory area; the exchange students from the other branches all live there."

Yichen was taken aback and asked, "Is Shion an exchange student? How long will she stay in the village?"

Shion shook her head and said, "I'm not an exchange student. My mother wants me to study in the village and not return to the Land of Demons before graduation."

Yichen nodded and said, "I understand. If you have any difficulties, you can come to me. My house is near Sakura's. You can also come to the Hokage Building to find me."

"Yes, Mom also said that if there's anything I need, I can ask Lord Tsuchikage," Shion said honestly.

Yichen:...

Very good. As one of the biggest connections at the Iwagakure Ninja Academy, it's normal for you to have this kind of awareness.

Sakura, standing nearby, was somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected that this new friend and classmate would have a connection to the Lord Tsuchikage.

Just as Yichen was about to leave, he heard Shion say, "Lord Tsuchikage, I need something right now."

Yichen asked curiously, "Princess Shion, what do you want?"

"I want Little Rhino Dog and Little Chōmei to play with me," Shion said, pointing to the two little Tailed Beast.

"I've seen the Little Rhino Dog and Little Chōmei before. My mom said they would come to play with me, but they never did."

Upon hearing this, Sakura immediately became extremely wary.

Outwardly Outer Sakura only looked at Shion with unfriendly eyes. Inwardly, Inner Sakura was already cursing.

Yichen looked at the two little Tailed Beast, then at Shion and Sakura, and wondered if he had fallen into Bai's trap as well.

Yichen thought for a moment and said, "Little Rhino Dog and Little Chōmei are currently supervising Sakura's studies. If you also want them to supervise your studies, then I'll have them come over and play with you often."

Sakura was initially unhappy because her new best friend was going to steal her pet. Although the outer Outer Sakura didn't say anything, the Inner Sakura was already cursing loudly.

However, upon hearing that Yichen had used two small Tailed Beast to trap Shion, neither Inner Sakura nor Outer Sakura spoke, quietly watching Shion fall into the trap.

Sakura now reads a lot of books related to Medical Ninjutsu every day after school. Whenever she wants to slack off because she hasn't finished her studies, her two little Tailed Beast urge her on.

Every day, it was amidst Inner Sakura's constant cursing that Outer Sakura managed to persevere.

Sakura felt that if Shion also learned a lot more than others, like herself, she would be willing to share the two Tailed Beasts.

Shion was still young and was easily tricked by Yichen into agreeing to the extra training and learning tasks.

However, Shion's cultivation method is different from that of ordinary people. She needs to write to her mother to ask about the specific things she needs to cultivate.

Taking advantage of Shion's presence, Yichen checked Sakura's study progress again.

Yichen then left Iwagakure.

Yichen did not go directly to the Land of Hot Water, but instead went to the Land of Bears Branch first.

When Yichen arrived in the Land of Bears, Yichen nodded slightly as he looked at the nearly completed new branch.

Upon entering the branch, Yichen first summoned the person in charge and inquired about the situation.

The branch manager reported to Yichen, "Lord Tsuchikage, most of the construction work on the Land of Bears Branch is complete, and we're currently finishing up. It won't be long before we can arrange for civilians to move in."

"During this period, thanks to the efforts of the Village Anbu and the newly Genin, the wandering and missing-nin within the Land of Land of Bears and in surrounding small and medium-sized countries, including the Land of Birds, have been almost completely eliminated."

"Those who weren't wiped out were all driven away. Some went to the Land of Rain and joined the Akatsuki Organization, some went to the Land of Rain of Land of Wind, and the rest crossed over to the Land of Grass."

"It won't be long before all the wandering and missing-nin in the area north of the Land of Wind are wiped out."

Yichen nodded. He was somewhat aware of these matters, as he would see related information whenever he dealt with backlogged official business.

"Lord Tsuchikage, there's something we haven't been able to handle properly," the branch manager continued.

"When we annexed the Land of Bears, we scattered and disposed of the Land of Bears Hoshigakure. However, according to subsequent intelligence, some ninjas had already left before we dealt with the Hoshigakure."

"Not many ninjas left, but they did take their village's prized possession, 'Star,' with them."

"I've been investigating this matter within the Land of Bears for some time now, but without any results."

"Star?" Yichen had a vague recollection of this thing.

I vaguely remember some things related to "stars" in the original work.

After thinking for a moment, Yichen said, "Keep an eye on it, but don't go out of your way to look for it. Just keep an eye out for things."

"If we push too hard, they won't show themselves. If we loosen our grip, they might come out on their own."

"Yes," the branch ninja replied.

"How have Liangtiancheng Zhongxing, Chiga, and Sasagawa Ayumi been performing lately?" Yichen asked again.

Although the Land of Bears Branch is not yet fully built, many of its functions are already in use.

For example, the Land of Bears Branch serves as a rest and supply point for all ninjas on missions in the vicinity.

Even the missions they carried out were assigned by the Land of Bears Branch.

All three members of Team Six are carrying out missions in this area. All three are disciples of Yichen, so the person in charge of this branch should pay special attention to them.

Sure enough, the person in charge smiled and said, "They performed well. Zhongxing is a very strong kid. He has been outstanding in the recent battles against the Sunagakure."

"It's just Zhongxing..."

Yichen smiled and finished his sentence for him, "Zhongxing's individual strength is quite good, but he still lacks experience in commanding a small team, right?"

The person in charge gave an awkward laugh. He thought to himself, "The Lord Tsuchikage really knew. I'd heard before that the Lord Tsuchikage had a disciple named Uzumaki Riori, who seemed to be this type of ninja as well."

"Could it be that Lord Tsuchikage deliberately educated these children abducted from other villages into people who only have strength but no brains?" The person in charge dared not think any further after this thought.

It's something only senior management should care about; as a branch manager, he'd better pretend he doesn't know.

The branch manager was naturally aware that Sokai was a member of the Uchiha Clan.

Besides him, the captain of the Anbu Squad where Sokai was located, as well as the Anbu Captain to which this unit belonged, all knew about it.

That's why the person in charge thought in that direction.

It's no wonder he had so many inner monologues, because apart from the two children snatched from other ninja villages, all of Yichen's other disciples were intelligent.

He also heard that many of Yichen's disciples were research geniuses in their respective fields.

Given the Lord Tsuchikage's skill in teaching his disciples, he could easily raise them to the Jonin or even Elite Jonin. It's impossible that he couldn't teach them how to lead a squad.

Then there's only one possible explanation: Yichen did it on purpose.

Yichen had no idea about the complex inner thoughts of the person in charge; otherwise, he might have granted him a Light Release.

Seeing that the other party didn't respond, Yichen asked again, "Where's Sasagawa Ayumi?"

"Sasagawa Ayumi at the branch. He said a while ago that he received a scroll from you, Lord Tsuchikage, and then went into seclusion to cultivate."

"Chiga's squad has gone on a mission and probably won't be back until tomorrow."

"The two are far less capable than Zhongxing, but they are still among the top in their age group."

"Especially Sasagawa Ayumi, his Super Beast Imitation Drawing ability is very comprehensive, possessing various abilities such as offense, defense, and sealing. He is a very rare talent."

Yichen nodded and said, "I'll stay at the branch office for one night. I'll take Chiga away tomorrow. You can make arrangements for the rest of her team."

"Yes." Seeing that Yichen had nothing else to say, the person in charge left.

Yichen first went to the location where Sasagawa Ayumi was in the branch office.

With his Mind's Eye Global Vision, Yichen didn't need to ask anyone for information; he quickly located Sasagawa Ayumi's position.

Sasagawa Ayumi has been staying at the branch office for the past few days, studying the Super Beast Imitation Drawing that Yichen sent him. He has figured out many methods from this scroll.

For example, right now, when Yichen walked into the temporary courtyard where he was staying, he saw small animals formed by the Super Beast Imitation Drawing everywhere in the courtyard.

Under Sasagawa Ayumi's control, these small animals formed neat formations and were practicing group combat.

Yichen found it amusing, so he used his Porcelain Release to test the strength of Sasagawa Ayumi's small animal army.

Sasagawa Ayumi saw Yichen and was about to greet him when he saw Yichen's Porcelain Release. His eyes lit up, realizing that Yichen was instructing him, so he immediately began to control the small animals to attack Yichen.

Although they are in animal form, they do not fight in the manner of animals when they launch an attack.

They advanced in orderly fashion, following the formations of human battle.

Upon reaching the muddy area of Yichen, these animals uniformly used their less important body parts to meet the Porcelain Release.

Upon seeing this, Yichen's eyes lit up, and he thought to himself, "Not bad. This precise control shows that Sasagawa Ayumi has made considerable progress."

Yichen did not use the Porcelain Release to launch overly complex attacks; he merely tested Sasagawa Ayumi's various tactics.

After several rounds of attack and defense, Yichen was very satisfied and said, "Not bad, not bad. You learned all of this from that scroll?"

Teacher Yichen Sasagawa Ayumi said, "Most of what I learned was taught in the scrolls, but a lot of it was my own thinking."

Yichen is very satisfied with Sasagawa Ayumi's ability to learn independently.

Sasagawa Ayumi didn't receive much guidance from Yichen; Yichen simply helped him find some things that allowed him to utilize his strengths.

Sasagawa Ayumi has always trained on his own; he's basically used to thinking about problems on his own.

The two discussed for a long time how to cultivate the Super Beast Imitation Drawing technique, and finally Yichen encouraged Sasagawa Ayumi a few more times before leaving.

The next day, after completing her mission, Chiga returned to the Land of Bears Branch with her squad leader.

Chiga's Anbu Squad originally planned to rest for two days before carrying out their next mission, but Chiga was taken away by Yichen at the last minute.

The branch manager also assigned other tasks to the other three members of Chiga's team.

As Yichen flew with a bewildered Chiga, he explained the purpose of their trip to her.

After hearing Yichen's words, Chiga asked excitedly, "Teacher Yichen, are you saying that the Jashin Cult in the Land of Hot Water can also use blood?"

Yichen said, "That's right, and their method of using bloodline limits is more direct than yours. They can easily kill their enemies after obtaining their blood."

"So be careful on this trip to the Land of Hot Water, and make sure you don't lose any of your blood."

"Yes, I understand, Teacher Yichen," Chiga replied.

Yichen said, "The main purpose of taking you to the Land of Hot Water this time is to see if there is any way to learn from their methods of using blood."

"Your Blood Sensation ability hasn't changed much, and it's still far from what I expected. I hope this time you'll see some improvement."

"Yes, yes." Chiga was also very much looking forward to the trip.

Last time, Yichen obtained some research data related to blood from Kirigakure. But to be honest, the research data from Kirigakure didn't attract much attention from Chiga.

Chiga's Blood Sense ability has not improved.

Then Yichen came up with a new method.

That is to let Chiga try eating the blood of a ninja with a blood limit and see if there is any difference.

However, Yichen has not told Chiga about this idea yet. Kekkei Genkai are a major event for any ninja village or clan.

Their blood contains the secrets of the Kekkei Genkai ninjas' lineage, and it's not Yichen can easily make them happily hand over their blood with just a few words.

There are quite a few ninjas in Iwagakure who possess bloodline limits, but Yichen needs to communicate with them and obtain their consent.

Next, while listening to Chiga Yichen her experiences after joining the Anbu, Yichen quickly flew towards the Land of Land of Hot Water.

Above the Land of Hot Water.

Yichen and Chiga looked down from the Porcelain Platform. Although they didn't go down, they could tell that something was wrong in the Land of Hot Water.

This country is in chaos now, completely devoid of its former prosperity and bustling with tourists. There are very few people doing honest work, and Jashin Cult members can be seen everywhere.

The members of the Jashin Cult wear distinctive uniforms, making them easy to identify.

"No wonder the Daimyo of the Land of Hot Water was willing to allow the Iwagakure to establish a branch in order to change the status quo," Yichen thought to himself.

"If this continues, the Land of Hot Water might be destroyed by those lunatics in a few more days."

The two landed about 20 kilometers away from the former Yugakure.

The headquarters of the Jashin Cult is located within the former Yugakure. To be on the safe side, Yichen decided to conduct reconnaissance first.

Yichen had already entered Sage Mode, and he using Mind's Eye to sense the Jashin Cult's defenses from twenty kilometers away.

A moment later, Yichen opened his eyes, his lips twitching.

Yichen realized he had overestimated the Jashin Cult; the Jashin Cult's headquarters had virtually no defenses.

Not only was there no defense, but perhaps most of the people had been sent out to spread their doctrines and recruit followers, so there weren't many people left in Yugakure.

There were no ordinary civilians among them, and the number of members of the Jashin Cult was also less than Yichen had imagined.

These few members of the Jashin Cult did not conduct any patrols or guard duties.

Was it because they were overconfident or had they become arrogant after easily defeating Tang Ren?

Yichen felt the latter was more likely.

Yichen said, "Let's go straight to Yugakure. These lunatics have no idea they're in danger."

"The entire Yugakure only has a few hundred people, and it's practically defenseless. Those few aren't even worth killing in one round with my Porcelain Release."

Chiga:...

Chiga thought to herself, "Teacher Yichen, is it really okay for you to say that? It makes it seem like all the hard work we ordinary ninjas do on our missions is meaningless."

The two quickly approached the Yugakure.

As the distance closed, the situation in Yugakure became clearer and clearer to Yichen through his senses.

Those few hundred members of the Jashin Cult were easy to deal with; Yichen never took them seriously from beginning to end.

However, in the center of Yugakure, there is a somewhat hidden energy source that gives Yichen a vague sense of danger.

This energy made Yichen wary again.

Therefore, after arriving at Yugakure, Yichen did not reveal himself directly. Instead, he first used Porcelain Release to create a large amount of mud, and then divided the mud into hundreds of streams, which quickly rushed into Yugakure.

The mud scattered throughout Yugakure, rushing towards the members of the Jashin Cult who had already been located by Yichen.

Surprisingly smoothly, in no time at all, Yichen had silently eliminated the scattered members of the Jashin Cult in Yugakure.

After a while, once he confirmed that there was no unusual activity in the center of Yugakure, Yichen shook his head and said to Chiga, "I really don't know how Tangren was defeated by such a piece of trash."

At this time, most of the members of the Jashin Cult in Yugakure had been sealed by Yichen technique - Porcelain Release.

The process was completely uneventful and caused no disturbance whatsoever. Yichen didn't even kill a single person, yet he sealed away hundreds of members of the Jashin Cult.

This would be impossible with hundreds of ninjas. Yichen could easily deal with hundreds of ninjas of similar strength by controlling hundreds of Porcelain Mud.

However, doing so would either cause a significant disturbance or require killing the vast majority through a sneak attack.

Unlike now, not a single one was killed; they were all sealed away.

After sealing away the members of the Jashin Cult, Yichen led Chiga on a continued journey towards the center of Yugakure.

Soon the two arrived at a huge Blood Pool in the center of Yugakure.

Upon seeing this, both Yichen and Chiga gasped in shock.

Such a large Blood Pool, combined with the surrounding scenery, must be flowing with human blood. It must have taken the blood of at least several thousand people to form this size.

Although Yichen had killed many people, he was still shaken by the scene before him.

Needless to say, Chiga exclaimed in surprise.

Before Yichen and the other person was a huge Blood Pool. In the center of the Blood Pool was a small island-shaped platform with an altar on it. Around the altar stood a dozen pillars filled with congealed blood.

Ropes lay scattered around the pillars, and below them were trenches connecting to Blood Pool. It's likely that many people were once bound to these pillars.

These people were likely sacrificed to the Jashin that Yichen was very interested in. Their blood eventually flowed into the Blood Pool.

There are dozens of members of the Jashin Cult in this area; they are also the last remaining members of the Jashin Cult in Yugakure.

Most of them were soaking in Blood Pool, which were unusually bright red, perhaps due to the addition of some special substance.

In addition, there were several people standing on the central altar, fiddling with something.

The entire Blood Pool area was very quiet, so Chiga's scream immediately attracted the attention of all the members of the Jashin Cult.

Yichen didn't care about the gazes from the members of the Jashin Cult; he had never intended to hide his whereabouts.

After scanning the scene, Yichen using Mind's Eye to pinpoint the location that gave him a vague sense of danger.

Soon, Yichen locked onto his target; the source of that feeling was at the center of the altar.

However, when Yichen looked with his naked eye, there was nothing in the center of the altar.

Upon seeing someone break in, the members of the Jashin Cult became excited. Several of them jumped out of the Blood Pool and, like ninjas Water Walking, rushed towards Yichen, stepping through the blood.

It seems they are vying for Yichen and Chiga, their two prey.

However, not everyone was excited. A person standing by the altar suddenly shouted, "Don't go over there! Quickly summon the Lord Jashin! You are no match for him; he is the Fourth Tsuchikage of Iwagakure!"

"Hmm, there are actually people who recognize me. It seems the Jashin Cult isn't so arrogant after all," Yichen said to Chiga.

The next moment, a large amount of Porcelain Mud appeared out of thin air and quickly headed towards the dozens of members of the Jashin Cult.

The few hotheads who rushed over were immediately Yichen. The dozens of people in the Blood Pool were also successively pulled out by Yichen's Porcelain Release and sealed together.

Only a few people, Yichen, encountered unexpected problems during the sealing process.

Suddenly, an energy fluctuation far exceeding their own strength erupted from them.

Yichen's Porcelain Release was repelled by this energy in that instant.

These dozens of people were originally only at the Jonin level, and Yichen's Sage Art - Porcelain Release was based on their strength.

Therefore, those with weak combat awareness were easily sealed away.

The remaining survivors, due to their quick reflexes, significantly improved their strength, reaching the level of Elite Jonin.

"Hmm?" Yichen was somewhat surprised.

However, his gaze was not on those who had slipped through the net, but on the center of the altar.

If the center of the altar had only given Yichen a vague feeling of flickering Fire Star before, now, in Yichen's Mind's Eye, it was like a bright torch.

Mind's Eye told Yichen that there was something there. To be precise, that location connected to some unknown, powerful being.

After careful examination, Yichen quickly came to a preliminary conclusion: this was a soul entity.

Now, Yichen's knowledge and experience are far beyond what those Jonin had when they first encountered the Jashin.

Yichen's strength has also undergone a comprehensive and qualitative change. In particular, his Yin Release level has reached the third stage.

Yichen had a feeling that the true form existed somewhere unknown, and that Yin Release was also at the third stage.

Although both are in the third stage, it is closer to the fourth stage, the Sage level, and in terms of quantity, Yichen felt that this guy should be no weaker than Moryo.

Jashin!

I previously misunderstood Hoshigakure. I always thought it was a Hoshigakure within a small country, without connecting it to the Land of Bears. However, the "Hoshi" part will be useful later, so I changed the original plan and forcibly added Hoshigakure back in. Thank you for pointing this out.