Seen It

The population issue was also a problem for the Land of Grass. After all, the country had only recently been destroyed and had then gone through internal strife and corruption, so its population was relatively small.

If the Uzumaki Clan... reached over a hundred people, perhaps the Land of Grass would truly gain a genuine bloodline-limit clan.

Instead of how things were now...

Just over twenty people.

Only four ninja!

How embarrassing!

"If Leader has the time, you can send someone to the Uzumaki Clan's Namen Hall! There are treasures hidden there from before the Land of Eddies was destroyed!"

"And Namen Hall... could I trouble Leader to help relocate the Uzumaki Clan here?"

Uzumaki Yangzheng watched Kusana's departing back, a relieved smile appearing on his face.

He could feel it...

This leader had truly accepted the Uzumaki Clan.

He possessed a broad mind and the bearing to accommodate others!

No wonder he had been able to lead the Land of Grass in restoring itself amid the chaos, earning the following and recognition of so many people.

If this had been the Warring States Period... Leader Mang would surely have become an extraordinary figure like the First Hokage, the God of Shinobi—Hashirama Senju!

After all, Lord Hashirama had been followed by the various clans and established the strongest ninja village—Konoha.

"What a pity. Kushina has already been sent to Konoha. Her talent was the best. It would have been wonderful if she could have stayed here too. I wonder how she is doing now." The Third Elder sighed wistfully, shook his head, and hunched his way toward his home. "And Old Six and the others? I wonder how they are doing now."

Before coming to the Land of Grass, he had never imagined that the Uzumaki Clan could still be accepted by another country!

Elsewhere.

Kusana was heading home with Kana.

He had not expected such an unexpected gain!

Sure enough, how could a country about to be destroyed possibly have prepared nothing?

The moment they learned their country would fall, they had hidden away some valuable things.

If they could restore their country someday, that would be ideal. If not, the money could still let the Uzumaki Clan live well.

They simply had not expected the ninja from the other villages to be so ruthless. Even after the Land of Eddies was destroyed, they still refused to let them go and kept sending people to hunt them down.

Just like the Uchiha Clan—when they were exterminated, aside from a certain foolish little bean, even ordinary people had not been spared!

The Land of Eddies had been a country around the same size as the Land of Grass, yet stronger. Presumably, the wealth left behind after its destruction would allow the Land of Grass to get through for a while.

At least...

He would not have to keep... racking his brains every night!

Kusana sighed emotionally.

Suddenly.

He seemed to notice something and blinked. "What are those two little ones doing?"

As soon as he spoke.

Kana, who had been lost in thought beside him, came back to herself and looked in the direction Amang was heading.

There, she saw two little brats...

Nagato and Yahiko.

Sneaking furtively into a small grove.

They looked extremely suspicious.

She opened her mouth, about to call out, when she saw Amang quietly follow them with an amused expression. After thinking it over, she said nothing and followed as well.

"Yahiko, why did you call me out here? I still have to help Mom move!"

"Relax! There is not much to move anyway, and it is just next door. Konan and Auntie Fusang are enough!" Yahiko said indifferently, then curled his lip. "Honestly, what is with you all? Why move? Wasn't living at Teacher Amang's place perfectly fine?"

"That is Teacher Amang's home, after all. It would not be right to stay there forever!"

They had only stayed because they had nowhere else to go at first, and because Mom happened to have clansmen there.

Nagato raised a brow, rolled his eyes, and said irritably, "So tell me! Why exactly did you call me out?"

"I have something good here. I secretly took it from Father Mujitsu!" Yahiko blinked. "I would not let you see it if we were not close!"

"???" Nagato became curious too. "What is it? Stealing is not good!"

"Ta-da! This!" Yahiko pulled a book from beneath his clothes. "I am only borrowing it. Father Mujitsu said he would let me read it when I grew up, so I just borrowed it early to take a look!"

As soon as he finished speaking.

The two of them looked toward the book in Yahiko's hand.

It was colorful!

It had all sorts of strange drawings: toads? Snakes? Slugs? And things with wings...

But they were all drawn so strangely!

And on it...

Guide to Appraisal

Four large words!

It looked incredibly mysterious!

Nagato blinked. "What... is this?"

"I heard Father Wu Wei mention it. It seems to be a book written by someone called Teacher Ooki!" Yahiko said mysteriously. "It records an incredibly powerful cultivation method."

"Really?"

"Of course! I have seen it! Every day, Father Wu Wei cultivates until his eyelids are heavy, his legs tremble, and his back bends. How could it not be powerful if it is so exhausting? Want to see?"

"Then... let's see?"

As they spoke.

The two curious little brats stared at the book again, swallowed, and were about to open it with nervous, apprehensive hearts.

Suddenly.

A hand reached over and snatched the book directly from them!

"???" x2

"Why are you sneaking around here instead of training properly?" Kusana looked at the two little brats with a face full of black lines. "Is the move finished?"

And Mujie really should have hidden it better. How had he let a child find it?

The next time he saw him, he had to give him a proper scolding and mention it to his wife as well.

"Ah~, Teacher Amang is here?" x2

Yahiko froze for a moment, then held out his hand and said with a grin, "Auntie Fusang is at home. Teacher Amang can just go inside. As for that cultivation manual..."

Before he could finish.

"What manual?" Kana's voice came over. "Huh, what are you holding, Amang?"

"..."

Kusana was so startled that he immediately fumbled about. Just as he was about to put it away, Yahiko reached for it, accidentally knocking it to the ground.

Kana had already walked over. She bent down, picked it up, and curiously examined the cover. She froze, then opened it.

Before long.

Her cheeks flushed at once. She looked at Kusana strangely and hesitated. "Amang, you..."

"It is not mine!"

"I took it from Father Wu Wei!"

Yahiko and Kusana spoke at the same time.

The blush on Kana's face faded, and her strange expression immediately changed. "How could Wu Wei let children see something like this? This is completely unacceptable!"

Kusana: ...

Yahiko and Nagato blinked. "Isn't this a cultivation manual?"

"..."

The two of them fell silent. In the end, Kusana coughed twice and said solemnly, "It is! But~" He dragged out the word. "This is not something children should cultivate. If children cultivate it, their bodies will be depleted. Their limbs will become weak, their hands and feet cold and limp, their hair will fall out, and they will become very ugly!"

"?!"

"This is an evil technique, so you cannot read it again!" Kusana smiled as he patted the heads of the two pale-faced children. "Now... go home and help out. Since you have so much free time, your training will be doubled tomorrow!"

"..."

"I'm going back first! Sister Kana, the book... forget it, Father Wu Wei is still waiting for me!"

"I'm going back too! It is all Yahiko's fault. I was helping Mom!"

The two little ones hurriedly scampered away.

After watching them leave, Kusana shook his head with a sigh. Then he looked at Kana, who was secretly flipping through the book with flushed cheeks, and hesitated. "Kana..."

Before he could finish.

Kana smiled at Kusana and asked gently, "What is it?"

"Nothing!"

"I'll destroy the book!" Kana blinked, her cheeks faintly red. "Amang cannot read it either~, this Teacher Ooki..." She looked at the cover. "He does not look like a good person at all!"

As soon as she spoke.

"...That's right! This Ooki is definitely not a good person!" Kusana nodded seriously, gave an awkward laugh, and said, "Come on. We should head back."

Teacher Ooki not being a good person had nothing to do with Kusana, leader of the Land of Grass!

Meanwhile.

"What? My book is outdated? It is already outdated?" Jiraiya, who had been preparing to write a book for travel funds, stared seriously at the bookstore manager before him. "How did it become outdated? This is my confident masterpiece!"

"My apologies, Mr. Traveling Toad! Of course, we can still sell it here, but due to the risk involved, your share will have to be reduced!"

"???" Jiraiya eyed him suspiciously. "You are not lying to me, are you? Trying to drive down the price?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Then show me this supposedly hottest book of yours! This immortal does not believe it!"

"Please wait."

Before long.

The manager brought out a book and handed it to Jiraiya.

"It does not look like much. It just has a colorful cover, does it not?" Jiraiya pursed his lips and disparaged it outright. "If this immortal's book had a cover like this too..."

Before he could finish.

Jiraiya: ⊙ω⊙

His eyes widened instantly!

What was he seeing?!

Toads? Snakes... snakes?! Slugs?!

He sucked in a sharp breath and said in disbelief, "It can be drawn like this? I have seen it! I have seen it! This immortal willingly admits defeat!"

"Teacher Ooki is a true genius! His other works are also extremely popular!"

"Give it to me!" Jiraiya immediately pulled out money, then stared gravely at the author's name and muttered, "Teacher Ooki..."