Land of Rice Fields Situation

As Yuhi Kurenai and her party returned to Konoha, Dongfang Mao and his group gradually approached the border of the Land of Fire.

The Land of Fire possessed the most fertile land in the ninja world and had always maintained strict scrutiny for those entering, though exit procedures were far more relaxed.

After spending some money to grease the wheels and streamline the process, the group finally arrived at the border checkpoint.

However, the scene before them was vastly different from the desolation Dongfang Mao had anticipated.

Along the border line, nearly a hundred well-equipped soldiers of the Land of Fire patrolled strictly, with cold iron fences separating the inside from the outside world.

On the other side of the fence, the crowd surged; countless sallow and emaciated refugees in rags were squeezed against the boundary, staring longingly toward the Land of Fire, their eyes a mixture of numbness and yearning.

"Inumaru, go find out what is going on here."

Watching this scene, Dongfang Mao spoke to a young man beside him who had a plain face, a lean build, and exceptionally bright eyes.

This person was remarkably clever and skilled at social interaction, serving as the small scout for their mountain stronghold.

It was precisely because of him that, back at the mountain, he had sensed something amiss and rushed back to inform Dongfang Mao in time.

This allowed Dongfang Mao to preserve a portion of his strength and successfully escape under the encirclement of the Land of Fire's officials and ninjas.

"Understood, Big Brother."

Hearing this, Inumaru swept his eyes quickly over the crowd at the border and nodded.

He followed a merchant caravan that was also leaving the country toward the guard post.

Before long, Inumaru returned.

"Big Brother, I found out. These people are all refugees from the Land of Rice Fields. Life has been hard in the Land of Rice Fields these past few years; everywhere has suffered from either severe droughts or floods. Many people can no longer survive, so they ran here to try their luck, hoping to either sneak across or be spotted by passing merchants and taken as servants just to stay alive."

Dongfang Mao was stunned upon hearing this.

With Tsunade as his backing, there would actually be no problem at all if he wanted to continue staying in the Land of Fire.

But the Land of Fire was too stable. As he had been before, entrenched on a mountain with hundreds of men, he had already reached his limit; if the officials simply went to Konoha and summoned a few ninjas, they could crush him without any effort.

That was why he had decided to follow his original plan and head to the more turbulent Land of Rice Fields to see if he could develop his strength there.

Yet, he had not expected the internal problems within the Land of Rice Fields to be this severe.

To him, this seemed like a good thing?

But then Dongfang Mao shook his head. He only understood the general situation now; as for how to act in the future, he would have to enter the Land of Rice Fields and see the specific circumstances before drawing any conclusions.

Just then, Tsunade, who had been bored in the carriage, heard the conversation between Dongfang Mao and the others and stepped down with Shizune.

When she saw the scene at the border, she was startled at first, and then a flash of pity crossed her eyes.

Shizune, having grown up in the Land of Fire, had never seen such a sight. She was frightened at first, but after realizing what was happening, her eyes turned red.

"They look so pitiful... Lady Tsunade, can we help them?"

Tsunade glanced at Shizune, sighed, and shook her head.

"Shizune, our medical ninjutsu can save lives, but it cannot save them. They have no wounds and no illnesses; what they need is not us, but someone who can provide them with a way to survive."

Tsunade's words were profound, and the six-year-old Shizune found them difficult to grasp, her young face filled with confusion.

In contrast, Dongfang Mao, standing to the side, felt his eyes flicker as he pondered what this meant.

After comforting the dejected Shizune, Tsunade turned to see Dongfang Mao lost in thought. She walked up to him, reached out to ruffle his soft hair, and asked curiously.

"Mao, what are you thinking about?"

"Nothing."

Dongfang Mao came back to his senses, shook his head, and asked instead.

"By the way, Sister Tsunade, do you know the situation in the Land of Rice Fields?"

"I have a general understanding of it."

Tsunade rested her chin on her hand, pondered for a moment, and then nodded.

"The environment in the Land of Rice Fields is poor, prone to natural disasters, and its geographical position is somewhat awkward. It borders the Land of Lightning to the west and the Land of Fire to the north, serving as a buffer zone between the two. Once they go to war, the Land of Rice Fields is the first to suffer."

"However, because of this, the Land of Rice Fields is also able to trade with both countries during times of peace, earning significant profits."

Dongfang Mao nodded thoughtfully as he listened.

It seemed the Land of Rice Fields was not as precarious as he had imagined.

Since they had money, it proved that the Land of Rice Fields still had a decent foundation. It seemed he would proceed as before: occupy a mountain, develop slowly, and fish in troubled waters.

"Big Brother, it's our turn!"

Just as Dongfang Mao was deep in thought, Yasuke's voice came from behind.

Dongfang Mao turned to look and saw that the caravan in front of them had already passed, and it was now their turn to enter. He said to Tsunade.

"Sister Tsunade, we are about to enter the Land of Rice Fields. You and Shizune should go back to the carriage and rest."

"And what about you?"

Tsunade glanced at Dongfang Mao.

Before they left, Dongfang Mao had specifically arranged a carriage for her and Shizune.

Everything was going perfectly fine, and the journey could have been a relaxing one, but Dongfang Mao insisted on traveling outside with this band of mountain bandits. No matter what Tsunade said, she couldn't move him, and it made her grit her teeth in frustration.

"Sister Tsunade, don't worry. If I get tired, I'll naturally go into the carriage to rest."

Dongfang Mao smiled, then turned directly and walked to the very front of the procession.

Seeing this, a look of helplessness appeared on Tsunade's face. Mao was good in every way, but he was just a bit too stubborn, which made Tsunade doubt whether she would be able to help him shake off this group of bandits.

Soon, the group crossed the border and entered the territory of the Land of Rice Fields. The procession traveled along a level road, while on both sides of the path, many refugees lay scattered in disarray.

Some were too hungry to stand, while others had fallen into a permanent sleep from which they would never wake.

There were others who tilted their heads, staring at Dongfang Mao's caravan with greedy, green glints in their eyes.

However, setting aside Dongfang Mao, the fierce expressions and the malevolent aura radiating from Yasuke and the others were enough to make those with restless intentions shrink back in fear.

As the procession continued to move forward, Dongfang Mao realized that the wave of refugees was even greater than he had imagined.

Everything he had seen along the way added up to nearly ten thousand people, and there was still no end in sight.

This situation made Dongfang Mao shake his head involuntarily.

These people clearly knew that the Land of Fire would never take them in, yet they kept pushing toward it regardless.

They would rather wait before those cold fences for a slim, illusory chance and eventually starve to death than pick up blades and spears to turn around and fight the Land of Rice Fields to the death.

It was no wonder this country, riddled with problems as it was, could still maintain such stability.