Traditional Kusagakure Ninja

Kusagakure even had its own Ninja Academy?

Stop joking!

This tiny country actually had its own Ninja Academy?!

With so few ninja, what was the point of opening an academy? Wasn't that a waste of resources, manpower, and supplies?

Honestly.

When they heard what that Kusagakure ninja, Mujie, said, every Iwagakure ninja present had shock written all over their faces.

At present, only the Five Great Ninja Villages had the means to establish Ninja Academies in the shinobi world!

The Five Great Ninja Villages had strength, resources, and enough ninja. But Kusagakure... a bunch whose ninjutsu was all copied, and they still dared to run an academy?

Wouldn't that make them a laughingstock?

Still, Kitsuchi was somewhat curious that even such a small ninja village had established a Ninja Academy. Since they had no chance to speak with the Grass Ninja Leader for now, they could take the opportunity to gather information on Kusagakure.

That way, they would be prepared when the time came to request passage.

However.

When they arrived at the so-called Grass Ninja Village Hope Academy.

"Repay virtue with virtue, repay grievance with righteousness..."

Clear voices reading aloud reached the ears of every Iwagakure ninja.

This was Kusagakure's Ninja Academy?!

This was a Ninja Academy?!

They stared blankly at the students inside reading from books. "What are they doing?"

They were swaying their heads as they read.

Where were the ninja instructors?

Didn't they need to teach?

As soon as he said that.

Mujie glanced inside as well and sighed emotionally. "Oh, those children? It's noon reading time, so they're reading. Looks like their discipline is pretty good today. They're being quite conscientious."

"???"

The Iwagakure ninja were still utterly confused.

"What use is that?!"

"Eh, I don't know!" Mujie shrugged and said mournfully, "After our leader pushed through all opposition to establish this academy, every part of its curriculum was arranged by him. They have to come for morning reading at dawn, then there's calisthenics and all sorts of miscellaneous classes. They can't leave school until the sun sets!"

He pointed at the large words hanging on the academy wall and pursed his lips.

"He said he wanted to cultivate students with all-round moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor development!"

As soon as he finished speaking.

Hearing that this Kusagakure Ninja Academy differed from what they had experienced at Iwagakure's Ninja Academy, the Iwagakure ninja were rather surprised.

They silently looked at the rows of large words.

This Grass Ninja Academy was a little different!

At that moment.

A young ninja beside Kitsuchi curled his lips and said, "What use is any of this? Ninja only need to learn ninja things! Why learn all this random nonsense? Don't tell me you Kusagakure ninja have nothing to teach, so you built this academy to fool people!"

As soon as he said that.

"Shut up!" Kitsuchi's mouth twitched as he glared at his subordinate. Then, looking at Mujie before him, he said apologetically, "Sorry! Maruhachi didn't mean it that way."

Though he thought the same thing inside—ninja only needed to learn what ninja should learn—how could he say that to their faces?!

"It's fine! It's fine! He has a point!" Mujie waved his hand without the slightest concern and looked smilingly at the young man before him. "Iwagakure really is a cradle of geniuses! This ninja looks like he has the makings of a Tsuchikage at a glance! So many talented people! As expected of Iwagakure!"

As soon as he finished speaking.

"Of course! I'm the genius of Iwagakure's prestigious Jōshūryū Clan, Jōshūryū Maruhachi!" Jōshūryū Maruhachi said confidently. "A man destined to become Tsuchikage!"

"Shut up already." Kitsuchi glared at Jōshūryū Maruhachi again, looking utterly exasperated. "This is Kusagakure!"

Had he forgotten that they were carrying out an important mission? What was the point of offending Kusagakure here?

However.

Mujie seemed entirely unconcerned and continued smiling. "Since no one is interested, let's go somewhere else!"

As soon as he finished speaking.

Kitsuchi stopped dwelling on his subordinate's words. Looking at Mujie, he said seriously, "Sorry to trouble you!"

Honestly.

He had been curious at first, but now... he had lost interest in Kusagakure's Ninja Academy.

Thinking about it, that made sense.

A mere small ninja village that did not even possess its own signature ninjutsu—what qualifications or confidence did it have to establish a Ninja Academy?

Perhaps this Ninja Academy might truly develop in the future, but at the very least, it did not seem worth caring about now.

At that moment.

"Never abandon! Never give up!"

"Fight tenaciously! After the storm comes a rainbow!"

"Prosperity, freedom, patriotism..."

More strange voices rang out. Kitsuchi froze slightly and seemed unable to stop himself from looking inside again.

However.

Mujie called out, "Lord Kitsuchi!"

"I... Sorry, I got distracted!" Kitsuchi came back to himself, smiling as he hesitantly asked, "That inside is..."

"Oh~, that's the new Spirit of Grass summarized by our leader!" Mujie said casually. "It embodies Kusagakure's tenacious will to strive and struggle!"

"The Spirit of Grass?"

When Kitsuchi heard that, his curiosity immediately dropped considerably, and he paid it no further attention.

Though he found it strange that a small ninja village that had been so easily destroyed possessed its own village spirit, he did not look into it further. He had merely been surprised by those words just now.

Every ninja village had its own will. For example, Konoha had the Will of Fire, while Iwagakure had the Will of Stone.

Unyielding and immovable!

Only these Kusagakure ninja were rather shameless, making up some new Spirit of Grass. Everyone in the shinobi world knew that the spirit of Kusagakure was... being a fence-sitter!

What did they mean, never abandon and never give up?!

"Advisor Mujie, where will you take us next?"

"I don't know~. How about we just wander around?"

"..." Kitsuchi's eyelid twitched. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Actually, we came here under the Tsuchikage's orders, for the peace between our two countries..."

Before he could finish.

"Oh, we're here!" Mujie suddenly pointed ahead. "The Land of Grass is in the middle of the autumn harvest right now, and the autumn breeze is quite nice here. Let's all enjoy the wind!"

"..."

After that, led by Kusagakure's advisor, they saw the broad roads and golden wheat fields of the Land of Grass.

They also saw strange machines in the fields that could help ordinary people harvest crops.

They were incredibly fast!

At first, they went over to inspect them with some curiosity.

But before long, they discovered...

They seemed to have been invented by ordinary people with the assistance of ninja. Once they learned that they offered no improvement whatsoever to a ninja's physical abilities, every Iwagakure ninja lost interest.

After all, they were still carrying an important mission assigned by their village!

However.

Whenever they brought it up, the Kusagakure ninja before them would change the subject. He even enthusiastically threw an arm around their shoulders, introduced them to the harvesters, and asked whether they wanted to purchase a few!

Yet.

Each one cost several million, and they were completely useless to ninja. Why would ninja buy something like that?

Harvesting farmland... had nothing to do with ninja, after all!

So, after they expressed their refusal, that Kusagakure ninja listlessly led them around. He even took them to see the now-famous Grasswood of the Land of Grass!

Honestly, compared to everything else, Grasswood interested them more.

After all, quite a few places in the Land of Earth now screened those things Kusagakure made called movies. They were quite interesting.

Especially when they secretly smeared Konoha... that made them even more interesting!

They wandered around for a while longer. As the sky gradually darkened, the Kusagakure ninja arranged accommodations for them.

At this moment.

Inside a small room.

The Iwagakure ninja gathered in a circle. Kitsuchi said with a solemn yet somewhat troubled expression, "It seems Kusagakure has already guessed why we came. They don't appear willing to talk with us and are deliberately changing the subject!"

As he spoke, he sighed.

"What about you? Did you find anything?"

As soon as he finished speaking.

A female Iwagakure ninja beside him pushed up her glasses and said, "Based on the information we currently have, this Grass Ninja Leader seems to have quite a good reputation in the Land of Grass! Combined with the changes in the Land of Grass... perhaps we should reconsider our view of it!"

"Perhaps." Jōshūryū Maruhachi yawned and said indifferently, "But that so-called senior advisor, Mujie... I have a feeling he isn't a good person!"

"That guy really isn't a good person!"

"???" Kitsuchi and the other two subordinates looked at the female Iwagakure ninja in confusion.

That direct?

Then.

The female Iwagakure ninja flipped through the intelligence in her hands. "According to information I gathered in secret, this Mujie is very likely one of the old-school Kusagakure ninja. Stubborn, foolish, a fence-sitter! He should have long been dissatisfied with the Grass Ninja Leader."

"According to information from ordinary people, this Mujie of Kusagakure once seemed to have betrayed Kusagakure and was arrested on the spot by the Grass Ninja Leader. He was imprisoned for over a month. After being released, he maintained contact with Konoha ninja and was suspected of conducting unknown transactions in secret."

"While guarding their fields at night, some civilians saw him sneaking alone into a small grove. Not long afterward, another furtive figure entered the grove. A few days later, this Kusagakure ninja was imprisoned again!"

"?!"

Was this Kusagakure advisor actually a rogue ninja?!

But.

Why had the Grass Ninja Leader not dealt with him?

"He does not count as a rogue ninja! At the same time, the Mujie family is one of Kusagakure's two major clans, so its influence should be quite substantial! Of course, it is also possible that the Grass Ninja Leader still needs him!" The female Iwagakure ninja shook her head. "That is the intelligence I gathered secretly. It can be said that this advisor likely has a fairly good relationship with Konoha, and the Grass Ninja Leader did not punish him too severely afterward. Perhaps... our mission has failed." She sighed. "Kusagakure places great importance on its alliance with Konoha!"

However.

Just as the other Iwagakure ninja sighed regretfully.

Kitsuchi narrowed his eyes slightly, curled his lips upward, and said, "No! We have not failed yet! Though we can't make an opening through that leader, we can..." His large, fleshy hand slammed onto the table. "We can start with this guy!"

As soon as he finished speaking.

The Iwagakure ninja froze, then all lowered their heads to look at Teacher Kitsuchi's hand.

Teacher Kitsuchi's hand had landed directly on one of the intelligence reports...

Their eyes narrowed as well.

Kusagakure Advisor: Mujie

A suspected traditional Kusagakure ninja!

Elsewhere.

After receiving word that the Iwagakure ninja had been settled in, Kusana lowered his head to examine the intelligence report on them. His eyes narrowed as he looked at one foolish-looking youth in particular. "The Jōshūryū Clan..."