The Land of Bears

The Land of Bears was covered in dense forests, and there was also a poisonous gas-filled canyon in the central region. If a woodcutter accidentally fell into it, or if he happened to be there during a strong wind that blew the poison gas out, he would die on the spot in an instant.

For this reason, the canyon shrouded in poisonous gas was known as Hell Valley. It was a place the locals feared to even speak of, and one they took great pains to avoid.

Hell Valley was quite vast. Due to its unique terrain, rare medicinal herbs that were seldom seen elsewhere grew in its outer areas.

The medicinal herbs that could cure the sick and save lives preferred to grow in places steeped in death. Their high prices naturally attracted a few bold profiteers.

As more people ventured in, more bodies came to lie around Hell Valley.

According to some lucky people who had made a fortune from the herbs, poisonous insects and ferocious beasts also lived inside Hell Valley. Some of the insects had wingspans larger than those of adult eagles.

The local elders scoffed at this claim. They knew the Land of Bears had its own shinobi village, called Hoshigakure.

The ability to spread their wings and fly was the distinctive mark of this village's ninjutsu. Yet, for some reason, after a certain point, the shinobi of Hoshigakure had suddenly stopped appearing before outsiders.

They had shut themselves away inside the poisonous Hell Valley. Still, some elders considered the shinobi of Hoshigakure to be the Land of Bears' protectors.

After all, the country had seen almost no warfare. In their eyes, that was surely thanks to the efforts of the elusive Star Ninja.

High above the lush forest hovered a cloud of gold. Two young men stood side by side atop it. One was a handsome young man with black hair, who was reaching out to feel the empty space in front of him.

They were Souya and Sasori, who had finished recuperating in the Land of Fire.

"Are the stars in Hoshigakure really that miraculous?" Sasori asked, watching Souya feel around.

He had listened to Souya boast about the star's wonders for the whole journey, but still had his doubts.

After all, if the star's effects were so powerful, why had the village's reputation barely spread beyond its borders?

Before Souya brought him here and he sensed the sealing barrier with his own eyes, Sasori had even doubted whether the village existed.

"Miraculous, certainly, but the side effects are severe. Its method of aiding cultivation is more like draining the body's life force. It's less a star than a devil that trades power for human life," Souya said without turning around.

"When you're immersed in the steadily growing power, your life reaches its end before you even realize it."

"Still, this power system grants the ability to fly. The person who developed it must have been remarkable."

As he spoke, Souya maneuvered the gold cloud from one position to another.

Sasori looked down. The morning sun had already spread across the land, and dewdrops beneath some trees still stubbornly glimmered with a captivating light.

The sight of green as far as the eye could see and the natural scents filling his nose were things he could hardly imagine in the Land of Wind.

He turned to gaze into the distance, where he could just make out a faint white line along the horizon.

Soft sunlight fell over them. Even Sasori, usually so serious, couldn't help narrowing his eyes as he enjoyed this rare moment of ease.

In an instant, the wind rose. The forest below rippled like layers of green waves. The trees swayed in the breeze, waving their branches and rustling their leaves.

But wisps of yellow smoke also began to spread from somewhere.

Before long, the smoke had covered a vast area below. The trees within it lost their vitality. No matter how gently the breeze stirred them, they stood there like lifeless statues.

"Here! Put this on first, just in case!" Sasori caught the gas mask Souya tossed him.

As someone who often dealt with poison, Sasori understood the importance of protective measures. After all, it would be a laughing matter if he took himself out before he could poison his enemies.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

A fierce gust suddenly roared out, bending the trees below and sending leaves and branches flying through the air with a constant rustle.

Most of the yellow mist was blown away, and the area below returned to its original appearance.

But soon, yellow smoke began seeping out again from the area within the Sealing Technique, clinging to the earth and the trees. Slowly, it swallowed the green forest once more.

"Sasori, what are you doing?" Souya complained, his tone displeased.

"Nothing. I got curious and wanted to study the poison gas."

"What if you disturb the people of Hoshigakure?"

"Impossible. This sealing barrier clearly has a sound-dampening technique in it. A ninjutsu of this level can't penetrate the barrier..."

Behind his mask, Sasori was clearly speaking with his usual confident, indifferent expression.

"Then what about disturbing me?" Souya protested. He had been completely focused on finding the barrier's weak points, and Sasori's sudden commotion had inevitably startled him.

"Oh!"

Sasori paused, then said a single word. He had clearly paid no attention to Souya's complaint.

"Make your carpet bigger. I'll collect some of this poison gas and study it later," Sasori said.

"This isn't a carpet. Calling this glittering golden cloud a carpet makes it sound so cheap..." Souya grumbled, but still got to work.

A small stream of Gold Sand emerged from the Gold Rod on Souya's back and flowed into the golden cloud beneath them.

A moment later, the cloud had expanded several times over. There was more than enough room for a dozen people to stand on it.

Souya usually kept the cloud as small as possible. The larger it was, the harder it became to control, and the more Chakra it consumed.

But since he didn't need to make it fly at high speed, only keep it slowly hovering, expanding it was fairly easy.

Sasori didn't hesitate. He took a scroll from his back and, with a puff of smoke, summoned a bull-shaped puppet with a round belly.

It walked to the edge of the golden cloud and opened its mouth. Huge streams of yellow smoke poured into its body like water sucked up by a whale.

After a while, Sasori formed several hand seals and slapped the puppet. It stopped moving at once, its mouth closing.

At the same time, a black Sealing Technique appeared on its back and spread over its entire body.

Only after checking that everything was in order did Sasori contentedly put the puppet away.