First Entry into Iwagakure

For the next period, Xing Ran was miserable. The two members of the Anbu had come with a special mission from the Hokage. They took turns lecturing him on political ideology from the moment they hit the streets. Then it was at the inn, and they didn't even let him off the hook while he was bathing. They even went on and on before bed, like telling bedtime stories.

The next day, Xing Ran, with dark circles under his eyes, continued his journey to Iwagakure in the Land of Earth.

Passing through small countries surrounded by vast nature, the Land of Grass was the most suitable place to establish a "secret base."

Xing Ran and his group soon entered the Land of Earth.

As soon as they crossed the border, a patrol unit of Stone Ninja from the Land of Earth stopped the three of them.

The Land of Earth had already declared defeat in the war during the early days of the Fourth Hokage. Currently, the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth were in a relatively peaceful state. Therefore, although both sides had drawn their weapons and were on guard, they were still somewhat restrained. The Konoha side also clearly explained the purpose of their envoy.

Neighbors sending envoys for peace matters was taken very seriously by the Land of Earth. Moreover, there was a notification regarding the visit of these Konoha ninja, so Xing Ran and his group were quickly "invited" by the Stone Ninja into a nearby outpost to rest.

With all the proper procedures and friendly intentions, everything indicated that Xing Ran and his two companions were friends. However, this world never truly trusted friends; betrayals by comrades from the same village happened every year. No matter how trusting the Stone Ninja were, they couldn't let the three Konoha ninja roam freely within the Land of Earth without supervision. Temporary confinement, or rather, "hospitality" as it was called now, was unavoidable. Soon, people from the Anbu would be arranged to "escort" the three Konoha ninja to Iwagakure to meet the Tsuchikage.

The Stone Ninja's efficiency was remarkable. After lunch, two Stone Ninja Anbu, wearing the distinctive red long and short-sleeved uniforms of the Land of Earth ninja and face-paint masks, found the three of them.

These two were the Stone Ninja Anbu tasked with escorting the trio to meet the Tsuchikage. After his first interrogation, Xing Ran had developed a habit: no matter who it was, as long as they wore a mask, he would use his [Perspective] to remember their face. So, when the two Anbu stated their purpose and the five of them were preparing to depart, Xing Ran was observing the two Stone Ninja Anbu.

There was a man and a woman. The man was tall, nearly two meters, with a muscular build. His broad jaw made his slightly underbite teeth noticeable. If it weren't for his hair being slightly brownish, Xing Ran would have suspected he was a younger version of Kitsuchi.

The woman was an attractive mature woman, not very tall, under 1.6 meters. However, her long yellow hair was very beautiful. Even with the mask on, her expression beneath it seemed to be smiling. Her dark green eyes were slightly hazy, suggesting she wore contact lenses. The combination of her eye and hair color strongly resembled that of the Yamanaka Family members, giving Xing Ran a strange sense of familiarity.

Xing Ran looked at the female Stone Ninja, his gaze deep and tinged with confusion. It was strange; this foreign ninja he had just met gave him a sense of familiarity. Had he unconsciously fallen for a genjutsu again?

"What are you thinking about? Let's go." The two Konoha Anbu had already finished their preparations. Junpei, seeing Xing Ran staring at another village's female ninja, was speechless. Were kids these days so precocious? Fearing that Xing Ran might develop issues with women after his gambling problems, which were already a violation of the ninja's three prohibitions, he nudged Xing Ran. Then, the five of them left the outpost and headed for Iwagakure.

As the group ventured deeper into the Land of Earth, the green scenery in Xing Ran's vision gradually disappeared, replaced by rocks and earthen mountains.

A large portion of the Land of Earth was desolate rock faces. The rocks within the country seemed to exist along the borders, thus obstructing transportation between the Land of Earth and other countries. Furthermore, the wind blowing from the north would cross the high mountains, carrying small rocks from the country to other nations. This natural phenomenon, known as "rock rain," was quite famous.

The water supply here was not abundant, only slightly better than in the neighboring Land of Wind. There were many mountaintops, but most were barren and unsightly. It would be very difficult to set up an ambush here, as one could in the forests of the Land of Fire.

To set traps and ambush enemies here, one would almost solely rely on Earth Style ninjutsu. Along the way, the three Konoha ninja, including Xing Ran, were extremely cautious, fearing they would be ambushed by rogue ninja like they were on the border of the Land of Fire last time.

However, the group of five encountered no attacks until they reached the gates of Iwagakure at midnight. The entire journey was so smooth it felt unreal.

Xing Ran quickly figured out the problem. If the enemy were indeed from the Land of Lightning or the Land of Water, their goal in impersonating Stone Ninja to attack the Konoha ninja would be to provoke conflict between the two countries. Provocation required extreme caution; if not handled properly, it could easily lead to the two provoked parties uniting against the instigator.

Therefore, such a mindless act of provoking both sides simultaneously would not occur in this world of deception and intrigue. If everyone claimed to have been attacked by unknown assailants, and one side accused the other's rogue ninja, and vice versa, the two countries would find something amiss even if they exchanged insults on the battlefield. Only by targeting one side individually could things be made more complex and confusing.

The Land of Earth suffered no harm, so they had no empathy for the annihilation of Konoha. From an outsider's perspective, it would be difficult to suspect a third party's involvement in this incident. The first suspicion would be that Konoha staged the event themselves, aiming to target them. They must not let their guard down.

This explained why Xing Ran and his companions encountered no attacks after entering the Land of Earth.

At midnight, the gates of Iwagakure would normally be closed. However, diplomatic matters were of utmost importance. Although Xing Ran and his group were not famous individuals, anyone representing Konoha on an envoy mission was treated with the highest protocol. Moreover, even if they insisted on keeping the gates closed, the Tsuchikage would fear any accidents befalling the Konoha envoys at their doorstep. After rigorous security checks, they entered Iwagakure.

The darkness greatly affected everyone's vision, but it wasn't a significant problem for Xing Ran. His sharp eyes curiously surveyed the city, which had a completely different style from Konoha.

It was interesting. Although the hidden villages of each country were of a massive, city-like scale, their administrative units were still referred to as "villages." Iwagakure was enormous; describing it as a city was no exaggeration.

The streets here were wide, and the architectural style primarily consisted of low, earth-built structures. Tall buildings usually appeared only in exceptionally grand establishments, clearly indicating either noble residences or administrative centers.

Xing Ran and his group hurried through the streets and soon arrived at their destination.

In the middle of the night, they obviously wouldn't be able to see the Tsuchikage. The meeting was scheduled for the following morning. The two Stone Ninja Anbu led Xing Ran and his group into an earth building.

"This is an inn for hosting foreign guests. The reception from here on will be handled by the staff here. Please get some rest, and goodbye." The tall male ninja, one of the Stone Ninja Anbu who had been silent throughout the journey, spoke a greeting before leading the other yellow-haired, blue-eyed beautiful ninja away. Their self-willed demeanor made the Konoha members a bit unaccustomed to it.

To be continued, thanks to book friends Feng Erdan, Hubian Tu, Chenmo Yu Siwang, and Si Si 420 for their support and recommendations, especially Brother Erdan's daily support, thank you all!