Dragon Vein

Haku, Fujii Kusaka, Kamizuru Tsuruhime successfully infiltrated Rōran after evading the Sunagakure.

The original Rōran had no ninjas, and naturally, no Sensory Barrier.

After the Sunagakure controlled Rōran, they did not set up Sensory Barrier because firstly, it had not been long since they took control, secondly, they lacked funds, and thirdly, they were afraid of information leaks.

So the three of them stumbled upon Rōran and infiltrated it very smoothly.

Considering that Rōran was just a small city, and that the people there might know each other, Bai and his two companions did not disguise themselves as civilians, but instead used Transformation Jutsu to impersonate Sunagakure.

The three of them crept into a secluded alley. Kamizuru Tsuruhime nodded to the two of them, indicating that her Little Bee had already monitored the surroundings and confirmed that it was safe.

Haku also set up Ice Release mirrors around the area, completing his surveillance.

Yi Chen had encountered this move from Yichen before in Kirigakure. Back then, Yichen's Camouflage Jutsu was seen through by the Ice Release of the Yuki Clan.

After accepting Bai as his disciple, Yichen naturally shared this idea with Bai.

With her teammates protecting her, Fujii Kusaka crouched down and began to use her Sensory Ninjutsu.

She used the same Sensory Ninjutsu that Yichen used to frequently employ. She pointed one finger at the ground and closed her eyes to begin probing.

Her perception range is limited, but it's sufficient for the current situation.

A moment later, Fujii Kusaka opened her eyes and said, "Fifty meters to my left front, there is a temporary stronghold of Sunagakure. There are eight Sunagakure inside, and their strength is unknown."

"There are no other Sunagakure nearby; this is a relatively isolated Sunagakure stronghold."

With relatively accurate intelligence, the three of them got together again for a discussion.

Considering that a patrol of Sunagakure Ninja had been killed by them, it would be discovered sooner or later by other Sunagakure.

Therefore, sensing the urgency of time, Bai decided to take a risk.

He thought for a moment, then took out an Exploding Tag and handed them to Kamizuru Tsuruhime, saying, "Use the Little Bee to place these Exploding Tag around the area to create chaos. We'll launch a full-scale attack this time."

"Don't rush. Right now, the enemy is in the open while we are in the dark. We still have time."

"After the Exploding Tag detonate, I'll lead the charge. This time, I'll use large-scale Ice Release."

"You guys cooperate with me. After we're done fighting, we won't clean up the battlefield. We'll just leave the city and return to our previous shelter."

Both Kamizuru Tsuruhime and Fujii Kusaka nodded solemnly.

The three then devised a more detailed plan for a strong attack. Once the plan was finalized, they decisively launched their attack.

Although Yichen in the air couldn't hear the three's plan, he shook his head when he heard the sudden explosion from Rōran City.

The three of them are still too inexperienced; they chose to launch a direct attack so quickly.

Facing fifty men, if their whereabouts are exposed, not only will their mission fail, but they will likely Yichen to save them.

However, Yichen did not stop them. The purpose of Yichen bringing the three of them today was to give them more opportunities for real combat, not to really expect the three of them to kill all the Sunagakure in Rōran.

It's enough that my three disciples experienced a life-or-death crisis.

What happened next went pretty much as Yichen had predicted.

The three-man assault was successful this time.

The three, exhausted but well-coordinated and taking advantage of the surprise attack, quickly withdrew from Rōran after killing eight Sunagakure without taking any damage.

However, this commotion was too great, Sunagakure, realizing that a powerful enemy had invaded, quickly began a siege. At first, the three of them managed to buy themselves a little time to recover thanks to that shelter.

But after the shelter was discovered, the three had no choice but to fight and flee.

In the end, the three were cornered on a small sand dune by more than thirty Sunagakure.

At this moment, all three were injured and their Chakra was greatly depleted, leaving them almost unable to fight. If the Sunagakure launched another attack, the three of them would be finished.

From the moment the three decided to launch a full-scale attack until they were surrounded by sand, only about half a day had passed, making Yichen's five-day deadline a complete joke.

Similarly, the Sensory Barrier Yichen had set up to prevent the Sunagakure reinforcements from arriving quickly was also rendered useless.

Even if the Sunagakure in Rōran City immediately sought help, it would be too late by the time the main force arrived.

The Sunagakure Village ninja, observing the three people surrounded, did not immediately issue the order to attack. Instead, he repeatedly asked a Sensory Ninja beside him, "Sensitize again and see if there are any other people around."

However, with Yichen's current strength, hiding himself under the noses of ordinary Sensory Ninja would be far too easy.

Yichen himself is an expert in perception and a master of Sealing Jutsu, so he has many ways to avoid conventional perception methods.

"Yes." The Sensory Ninja carefully sensed the surroundings but still found nothing. He said, "Chisaku, there's no one else nearby besides our own people and these three brats."

"Chisaku, do you suspect that there are still Mist ninja lurking in the vicinity?"

The Sunagakure Village Elite Jonin, known as Chisaku, shook his head and said, "The possibility of a large force is slim. The real concern is that the three of them also have a powerful instructor."

"That ice-style Ice Release kid from the Mist ninja, while not weak, is still too inexperienced; he doesn't seem like the captain of this squad."

"But his talent is truly extraordinary; at such a young age, he already possesses strength surpassing that of a typical Jonin. Just imagine the treatment our village's geniuses receive."

The Sensory Ninja thought for a moment and said, "The Lord Kazekage's son was mentored by Baki."

"It is said that Ryosuke was personally taught by Lord Kazekage in the past."

When Ryosuke was mentioned, Chisaku paused for a few seconds. Ryosuke was the eternal pain of the Sunagakure.

Chisaku a deep breath and said, "I'm afraid that these three Mist ninja might also have some powerful figure behind them."

"Perhaps that important figure is watching his disciples' performance at the last moment."

"In my opinion, this Ice Release ninja's talent is no less than Ryosuke's; Ryosuke was far from having this level of skill at his age."

This is the truth, because Ryosuke didn't receive the same guidance and resources as Haku in the past.

Ryosuke truly rose to prominence after participating in the Joint Chunin Exams held by Iwagakure, where he came in first place and caught Rasa's attention.

The Sensory Ninja, feeling uneasy after hearing what Chisaku said, asked, "Lord Chisaku, what do we do?"

Chisaku, Chisaku said, "Take ten people and leave separately. I won't make a move yet. You guys pass on the information."

"If I don't make a move, even if someone is hiding in the shadows, I won't rush to attack. This way, you'll have a chance to survive."

"After returning to the village, tell Lord Kazekage everything that happened here."

"If I'm not mistaken, we have enough men left to kill these brats without any loss."

"Yes," the Sensory Ninja responded and immediately selected ten ninjas skilled in Taijutsu and fast to leave the group.

"Huh?" In the sky, Yichen looked at the Sunagakure's actions below and couldn't help but let out a surprised exclamation.

"What are the Sunagakure doing? They were about to wipe out the enemy, why are they splitting their forces?"

Yichen did not stop the departing Sunagakure, just as Chisaku had predicted; he wanted to see how his three disciples would react at the last moment.

Although the three of them probably guessed that he was nearby, it would be good to experience the fear of impending death.

The Sunagakure, Chisaku, waited for a long time, and only launched his attack when he felt that the person who had left should be safe.

Yichen decisively intercepted the Sunagakure's attack and quickly killed all of Sunagakure.

When the Chisaku first sensed that a powerful figure had made a move, he sighed, thinking, "Just as I thought. Luckily, I sent someone ahead to deliver the message."

"I just wonder which Mist ninja it is? Mei Terumi or Hozuki Mangetsu? It shouldn't be the Mizukage himself, right? Hozuki Mangetsu's Water Release Technique is easier to conceal, so he's more likely."

But when he saw that nightmarish Porcelain Release, his eyes immediately turned bloodshot.

"The Tsuchikage! It's the Tsuchikage!" Chisaku shouted, then launched a suicidal attack on Haku and the other two.

Porcelain Release is the symbol of Yichen, and also the nightmare of all Sunagakure.

The Sunagakure had finally seen a glimmer of hope for a resurgence, boasting four Kage from a single village—a peak the Sunagakure had never reached before.

As a result, Chiyo, Pakura, Ryosuke all died at the hands of Iwa ninja.

The Sunagakure didn't understand why the Iwa ninja were always targeting them for killing.

In the present-day Sunagakure, the few older Elite Jonin like Chisaku harbor a hatred for Yichen that exceeds Yichen's imagination.

Therefore, the moment he recognized Porcelain Release, he immediately decided to perish together with Bai and the other two.

But it was no use. When his sword was still half a meter away from Bai, he was riddled with holes by Yichen's Porcelain Release.

Actually, the Chisaku was able to run up to Bai was because Yichen was letting him off easy; Yichen wanted to put more pressure on his three disciples.

Even in death, Chisaku's eyes were filled with hatred.

He hated Yichen for turning the Sunagakure into what they are now, and he also hated himself for misjudging the enemy's identity because of Yuki Haku's Ice Release.

If the Sunagakure left beforehand managed to escape Yichen's pursuit, the information they brought back to the village would only be that the Sunagakure's stronghold in Rōran was attacked by the Mist ninja, and all the Sunagakure were wiped out.

After all, the Ice Release Bloodline Limit was never publicly revealed, and most ninjas were unaware that Yichen and Obito Uchiha had snatched people from Kirigakure.

After dealing with the Sunagakure who were attacking his three disciples, Yichen did not pursue the fleeing Sunagakure.

A dozen or so Sunagakure, they ran away, so what?

Yichen landed in front of the three disciples and treated their injuries.

Yichen didn't rush into Rōran. Instead, he had the three of them eat something and began to recover their Chakra.

After a long while, Yichen finally said, "Alright, let's rest and summarize what we've gained and lost this time."

Yichen glanced at the three of them and asked, "Who wants to speak first?"

Kamizuru Tsuruhime said, "Teacher Yichen, let me go first. We made many mistakes; we shouldn't have chosen to expose ourselves so early..."

Fujii Kusaka said, "Teacher Yichen, we shouldn't have blindly trusted our abilities and didn't make any backup plans..."

Bai said, "Teacher Yichen, I underestimated the strength of the Sunagakure Jonin, and I didn't expect that more than thirty Sunagakure would be so powerful when they joined forces..."

The three then began to discuss the gains and losses of this mission.

"We should prepare more safe shelters in advance, and set traps around these shelters."

"We shouldn't leave Rōran; it would be foolish to fight the Sunagakure in the desert."

Yichen listened quietly to the three of them summarizing their points, nodded, and then added his own comments.

Yichen did not blame the three; these mistakes were all due to a lack of experience. In truth, it was Yichen 'Yichen own fault; he had been too busy cultivating and hadn't had time to teach the three.

There was one thing that made Yichen very happy: during the final escape with the two of them in this First Shinobi War, Bai became Quasi-Jonin.

At that time, Chakra Kamizuru Tsuruhime had exhausted too much chakra while raising Little Bee, and she fell down due to exhaustion while escaping.

Fujii Kusaka risked her life to save them, but both girls were injured in the process.

Upon witnessing this scene, Bai thought of his two younger sisters whom he needed to protect, and he felt deeply ashamed of his own powerlessness.

Then he overcame the first major hurdle on his path to adulthood.

This can be considered as achieving Yichen's initial vision.

After resting for a while, Yichen said, "Alright, although my performance this time wasn't perfect, I still learned a lot."

"After you get back to the village, take some time to tidy up and think about what you should do next time you encounter this situation."

"Now, let's go to Rōran and check out that mysterious Dragon Vein."

"Dragon Vein? What's that?" Bai asked.

Yichen explained, "Dragon Vein are also a type of energy, somewhat similar to Natural Energy, but with differences."

"I don't know the specifics either, let's go check it out first."

While Bai and the other two were fighting, Yichen had already carefully sensed the Dragon Vein beneath Rōran using Mind's Eye.

The feeling of the Dragon Vein is somewhat similar to the Natural Energy beneath the Rainbow Ice Wall of the Land of Snow, but also different.

Yichen couldn't quite put his finger on the specific differences.

The battle between Yichen and his group and the Sunagakure had already affected the people of Rōran. When Yichen and his companions walked on the streets of Rōran City, there was not a single person on the streets.

Yichen could sense that everyone had hidden in their homes, trembling with fear, afraid of being involved in the ninja battle.

Yichen was unaware of the aura of the two Queen of Roran in the original story, nor did he find anyone resembling a queen in the dwellings of these Rōran people.

Yichen led his three disciples directly to the center of Rōran. The four of them followed a wide passage down to the underground Dragon Vein.

Seeing a Dragon Vein on the ground that resembled an eye and was in a semi-open state, Yichen, who had been maintaining his Sage Mode, began to perceive it at close range using Mind's Eye.

With nothing else to do, Fujii Kusaka, and Kamizuru Tsuruhime were quietly discussing something around the Dragon Vein.

Kamizuru Tsuruhime asked Bai in a low voice, "Bai, have you ever been in contact with Natural Energy?"

Fujii Kusaka also cast a curious glance at him.

Bai said, "When I was a child, before my Third Lord went out to travel, I had not yet mastered Senjutsu."

"Therefore, my understanding of Senjutsu and Natural Energy, like yours, is only some basic information I learned from Teacher Yichen."

"I've heard that learning Senjutsu places great emphasis on talent, Teacher Yichen's disciple Matsutani Shinya, is the one in the village who has mastered Senjutsu the best."

Fujii Kusaka asked curiously, "I often see Teacher Yichen enter Sage Mode and use Senjutsu. Is Teacher Yichen's talent for Senjutsu also very impressive? How does it compare to Matsutani Shinya -Senior Brother Shinya?"

Bai glanced cautiously at Yichen, who was sensing the Yichen Dragon Vein with his eyes closed. He then lowered his voice further and said, "No."

"I heard that Teacher Yichen's talent for immortal Senjutsu is actually quite poor. He was ridiculed for a long time when he was practicing balance."

"My parents told us about this as a funny story. They said that back then, people even invented a unit of time: dust."

"People measure their talent in Senjutsu by a few dust particles or tens of dust particles."

Rarely hearing gossip about Yichen, Fujii Kusaka and Kamizuru Tsuruhime were both excited. Kamizuru Tsuruhime whispered, "Shiro, have your parents told you any other interesting stories about Teacher Yichen?"

Bai whispered to the two of them, "Yes, there is. I'll tell you the details later."

The two little girls nodded vigorously.

Although Yichen heard what Bai said, he didn't have time to pay attention to him for the time being.

After some perception, Yichen finally discovered the difference between the Dragon Vein, normal Natural Energy, and the Natural Energy beneath the Land of Snow.

The Dragon Vein possesses life; in comparison, it is more like Tailed Beast. Yichen also found the Spirit of the Dragon Vein.

Yichen is trying to communicate with the Spirit of the Dragon Vein.

At first, the dragon Spirit of the Dragon Vein couldn't understand the messages Yichen conveyed, but after several attempts, Yichen discovered that the Spirit of the Dragon Vein's intelligence seemed to be quite low.

It's like a newborn baby; if we had to make a comparison, it's more like Yichen's Little Rhino Dog and Little Chōmei.

Unfortunately, Yichen didn't bring the two little Tailed Beast with him this time.

Both Tailed Beast were assigned tasks by Yichen: to supervise Sakura and Shion's studies, respectively.

Sakura is doing well. Ever since she was instigated by Yichen and became a competitor with Karin, she has been very self-disciplined in her studies and training.

But Shion is different; she needs a little Tailed Beast to supervise her training at all times.

Otherwise, you could let the two little guys have a good chat with the Dragon Vein; they might get some unexpected insights.

However, even without Little Rhino Dog and Little Chōmei, Yichen had his own ideas.

Dragon Vein possess some Natural Energy properties. Yichen himself knows Senjutsu, so he can get closer to it.

However, this Dragon Vein seemed to have never practiced how to communicate with people, and it ignored any information that Yichen conveyed.

Yichen crouched down, placed his hand on the Dragon Vein, and slowly channeled a Senjutsu Chakra into Dragon Vein.

Yichen could clearly sense the doubt emanating from the Dragon Vein. However, the Dragon Vein did not react in any other way; it stared blankly at Yichen like a child.

The Senjutsu Chakra that Yichen inputted into the Dragon Vein unable to be absorbed. It allowed the Senjutsu Chakra to circulate within its massive Chakra body before naturally expelling it.

It's like a child who doesn't like the food a stranger feeds them and naturally spits it out.

Yichen frowned; the Dragon Vein's simple action astonished him.

Yichen thought to himself that if someone else were to input Chakra into his body, he wouldn't be able to control the Chakra to circulate within his body and then be expelled, just like a Dragon Vein.

The limit that Yichen could achieve was to wrap his own Chakra around the opponent's Chakra and then forcibly expel both of them together through Ninjutsu.

However, the Dragon Vein controlled Yichen's Senjutsu Chakra both within and outside his body very naturally.

When Yichen's Chakra was released, the Dragon Vein Chakra did not dissipate at all.

This shows that although the Dragon Vein has a very low intelligence, its control over its own Chakra or Natural Energy far surpasses that of Yichen.

This should be the Hon of the Dragon Vein. Although this Spirit of the Dragon Vein seems to have only recently gained sentience, the Dragon Vein may have been extremely powerful and possessed diverse abilities in the past.

Yichen tried to absorb some of the Dragon Vein 'Chakra again, but unfortunately, the Dragon Vein was like a child guarding its food. Not only did Yichen fail to absorb it, but he also successfully sensed its wariness.

Yichen was very familiar with this emotion; she had shown it before when he bullied Uzumaki Riori.

Yichen quickly stopped, not wanting to anger the Dragon Vein.

Although Yichen's own attempt failed, he was not flustered. He had no hope, but he still had alternatives.

Then Yichen turned his gaze to Kamizuru Tsuruhime and said, "Tsuruhime, try releasing some Little Bee into the Dragon Vein Chakra."

Kamizuru Tsuruhime nodded with some confusion and said, "Okay."

After saying that, she reached out and placed more than a dozen Little Bee into the Dragon Vein.

She lost many Little Bee in the recent battle with the Sunagakure. Although she managed to breed some more during her rest period, the number was still small.

Therefore Kamizuru Tsuruhime was very careful and only released a dozen or so.

The Little Bee quickly entered the Dragon Vein.

Yichen sensed that the Dragon Vein was hesitant. Upon closer examination, he discerned that one emotion seemed to be the desire to kill outsiders, while the other was curiosity—curiosity about what this was all about.

While worrying about the choice of the Dragon Vein, Yichen was also speculating about the life form of the Dragon Vein.

Yichen was able to clearly sense the Dragon Vein's emotions because of his Sage Mode.

This suggests that there must be something in common between Dragon Vein and Senjutsu Chakra.

However, the Dragon Vein rejected Yichen's Senjutsu Chakra. This means that the Dragon Vein can clearly distinguish the difference between the two.

Just as Yichen was pondering the essence of the Dragon Vein, the dozen or so Little Bee that had circled the Dragon Vein were actually sent back.

However, when more than a dozen Little Bee left the Dragon Vein, only two survived.

Yichen and Kamizuru Tsuruhime's eyes lit up at the same time, Kamizuru Tsuruhime immediately put the two live Little Bee into her body to cultivate them.

Slightly slower, but having already realized what was happening, Fujii Kusaka and Shiro, along with Yichen, nervously turned their gazes toward Kamizuru Tsuruhime.

After a long while, Kamizuru Tsuruhime suddenly opened her eyes. She was very excited and said to Yichen and the other two with great enthusiasm, "It works! It works! The Little Bee has become stronger, but I don't know its abilities yet."

Yichen listened to Kamizuru Tsuruhime's somewhat incoherent words and also showed a happy expression.

This trip was worthwhile; following Haku's attainment of Quasi-Jonin, Kamizuru Tsuruhime also made significant gains.

Although it's still unknown what form the Little Bee of the Kamizuru Tsuruhime has taken, after being baptized by the Dragon Vein, which is similar to Senjutsu Chakra, Yichen feels that the Little Bee's improvement must be significant.