Though the Land of Water was known to outsiders as a gloomy, terrifying country, this island nation was actually a place of beautiful scenery.
Unfortunately, the civil war that broke out even before the Third Shinobi World War had caused severe damage to the land. Although the conflict had ended, the remnants of the fighting could still be seen everywhere.
Qi was now on his way to the Kaguya Clan's territory. Through conversations with the Yuki Clan member escorting him, he had finally learned when he was.
It was the early days of the Third Shinobi World War. In other words, he was from the same era as Kakashi and the others.
However, because the Land of Water hadn't participated in the war, it had become the first of the Five Great Nations to achieve peace, while the other four were still locked in a stalemate. What an irony...
More importantly, the Third Shinobi World War seemed to be far from over. The Yellow Flash's legendary feat of instantly taking down five Rock Ninja with the Flying Thunder God Technique hadn't happened yet, which meant Qi still had plenty of time.
That hadn't been easy. At last, some good news...
Qi couldn't help sighing.
After the Third Shinobi World War, the war between Konoha and the Cloud Ninja would break out soon enough. That was a rare opportunity. Most powerful people were born in times of war, and he would have plenty of time to grow stronger. Of course, that was assuming he didn't go looking for trouble with certain monsters.
Once he was strong enough, though, none of that would matter.
The difference between a weak ninja and a strong one could be surprisingly subtle. Once they reached a certain level, it wasn't just their cultivation that mattered.
That was what it meant to leave your life in fate's hands. The moment you became a ninja, you had one foot in the grave. It was no surprise to die at any moment.
A ninja could do anything to stay alive, but they couldn't be afraid of dying. Those who feared death lacked the ruthlessness to take risks, and ended up dying even sooner.
An elder had told Qi that a few days ago, calling it the way of survival for a ninja. After hearing it, Qi had to admit that although he'd been in this world for six years, he still didn't belong here.
The differences between the two worlds couldn't be explained by their levels of civilization alone. Their values, their view of the world, even their most basic ways of thinking all followed entirely different standards from those on Earth.
It seemed that getting used to this place—even becoming a true local—would take a long time...
The journey wasn't especially long or short. It took Qi a full week.
That wasn't surprising, given the state of transportation and public safety in the Land of Water. It was even worse than Africa had been in his previous life!
As he traveled, Qi did the math. Eating, sleeping, and walking took up only about a third of the time. For the other two-thirds, they did one thing: beat up bandits and thugs who jumped out along the road—or refugees...
One of the wounds left by the war was the rise of refugee bandit gangs throughout the Land of Water. Most were farmers who had lost their homes and land. To stay alive, they had no choice but to take up robbery.
But if they failed, they wouldn't lose money. They'd lose their lives...
Qi was still a fairly kindhearted kid, so he pleaded with the clan member to go easy on them. There had been some violence along the way, but very little killing. At least that counted as a good deed.
"Kindhearted, are you? Too bad a ninja's motto is that kindness never pays."
The clan member agreed to Qi's request. He really didn't kill anyone, but after beating and driving the refugees away each time, he would point at them and tell Qi,
"Look. There's nothing in their eyes but hatred. That's what it means to be a ninja: living amid other people's hatred."
Honestly, that week on the road had affected Qi far more than his six years with the Yuki Clan. These were scenes he'd never seen in the anime from his previous life.
In particular, the way the clan member looked at ordinary people as if they were pigs and dogs had shown Qi what power meant in this world.
Several times, he had watched the clan member break people's limbs from a distance with ice spikes, wearing an almost playful expression and laughing as if it were all entertainment.
No wonder he'd agreed so readily to Qi's request to go easy on them. To him, ordinary people were ants. Whether he killed them or not depended entirely on his mood. It didn't matter.
For Qi, though, it was a formidable trial. He'd never seen anything like all that blood and gore. When the first refugee was disemboweled in front of him, he turned his head without hesitation and vomited.
Once was followed by a second time, then a third. As the clan member's methods grew more vicious, Qi vomited less and less often, and brought up less each time.
Eventually, he stopped vomiting. His revulsion gradually faded, until at last he simply faced it all with numb indifference. That was how he underwent his first transformation in this world.
What he didn't notice was that when the clan member saw how slowly he was changing, a trace of satisfaction appeared in his eyes. After that, his methods of driving off the refugees grew gentler, and he stopped doing anything like that again...
In any case, by the time Qi finally reached the Kaguya Clan, he had become far more accustomed to bloody scenes than he'd been before.
"Now then, from this day on, you'll be living here. Train hard. The family's future rests on you children."
After escorting Qi to the Kaguya Clan's gates, the clan member patted his shoulder and smiled as he said goodbye.
"Us?"
Qi realized that this man wasn't actually cruel. He had a hearty smile and had treated Qi well. Yet this same man had been so merciless toward the refugees.
The ninja world could make you feel as if you had a split personality...
"Of course. How else can you revive the clan by yourself? The family has secretly trained plenty of children like you. If the clan ever falls, you'll be the hope of its revival."
After a few offhand remarks, the clan member's gaze suddenly shifted to the gate.
Compared to the elegant buildings of the Yuki Clan, the Kaguya Clan's architecture was obviously much more "rugged."
Perhaps those big, burly men thought a house only needed to be sturdy enough to live in...
The Yuki Clan's buildings were made of wood, while those of the Kaguya Clan used a mix of stone and timber. The gate, for instance, had been carved from a single enormous boulder. Qi had no idea how they'd managed it...
"Hmph! You Yuki Clan sissies, don't go corrupting my nephew!"
The voice arrived before its owner, booming toward them from a distance like a gong.
The Yuki escort couldn't help frowning...
Clearly, although the two clans hadn't rolled up their sleeves and fought, that didn't mean they had a good relationship.
"Boy! Got a problem with that? Since you escorted my nephew here, I'll let you off the hook today!"
The speaker finally appeared—or, more precisely, a whole group of them did...
The Kaguya Clan was a famous warrior clan in the Land of Water. Outsiders tended to describe them in blunt, simple terms:
Madmen, lunatics, savages...
In short, nothing complimentary.
Just like in the original story, the Kaguya Clan's appearance was incredibly old-fashioned. Their hairstyles were especially strange: men and women alike wore the same style, with a pair of "braids" on either side of their heads. It made Qi cringe.
Fortunately, he'd grown up with the Yuki Clan. If they'd made him wear his hair like that, how could he ever show his face in public?
The burly man at the front grinned, then stepped up before Qi, looking thoroughly up to no good.
"Those Yuki sissies don't feed you enough, do they? Look at my nephew! He's skin and bones!"
"Hahahaha!"
"Exactly, exactly!"
The big louts behind him laughed lewdly, their fierce eyes roaming over Qi.
Some people were born with frightening faces. The Kaguya Clan took it a step further: every last one of them looked terrifying. Even when they smiled, they sneered!
Of course, there were exceptions. Kimimaro from the original story, for instance, didn't look "Kaguya" at all...
Qi didn't know why the Kaguya Clan had imprisoned Kimimaro, but he couldn't imagine that it had been out of "fear."
In the original story, the Kaguya Clan had all charged off to fight the Mist Ninja, and every one of them had been delighted despite knowing they were doomed. People that single-minded seemed almost immune to "fear."
But the reality was that Kimimaro hadn't even been born yet, and this crowd of Kaguya Clan members didn't look like the sort who would lock their own people in a dark cell.
On the contrary, they were almost too enthusiastic. Qi could barely hear anything else over their ever-louder roars.
"Boy! Don't be scared. If the Yuki Clan won't give you meat, we will! You can eat your fill!"
That was nothing but a joke. As the others roared with laughter, the big man seemed to grow a little embarrassed. He turned around and snapped,
"Shut up, you glutton!"
After that brief scolding, the Kaguya Clan's big louts finally quieted down.
"All right. Now that my nephew's here, you can go back and report."
Without the slightest courtesy, the burly man gestured for his people to take Qi away, then dismissed the Yuki escort. He was the current Kaguya Clan Leader.
"We agreed long ago that our clans wouldn't encroach on each other. My people don't enter your territory, and yours don't enter ours."
"That's right. But our clan elder has written you a personal letter. Please read it so I can report back."
The Yuki escort bowed slightly, then calmly took out a letter and handed it to the Kaguya Clan Leader.
"That old geezer's such a pain. Let me see it!"
The Kaguya Clan Leader clicked his tongue in annoyance and opened the letter.
Gradually, his expression darkened and his brow furrowed.
"Hmph!"
He gave a cold snort, then read the letter from beginning to end once more. After going through it about three times, he tore it up and tossed it into a nearby fire.
"Now that you've finished reading it, I'll take my leave."
From the Kaguya Clan Leader's expression and actions, the Yuki escort knew he had read the letter. His mission was complete.
"Get lost. Tell that old man that the Kaguya Clan can handle its own affairs."
The Kaguya Clan Leader waved impatiently without even looking at the Yuki Clan member, then went back inside the gate. Two Kaguya Clan members remained at the entrance, glaring at the Yuki escort with hostile expressions.
Looking around, the Yuki escort realized he wasn't welcome. After one last glance in the direction Qi had gone, he left without hesitation.
In the near future, more Yuki children like Qi would gradually be sent away. Those who survived would one day be the seeds of the clan's revival.
As for the Kaguya Clan Leader, the elder's letter had annoyed him, but he didn't give it much thought. Instead, he hurried back to the main hall.
The Kaguya Clan might not care much for formalities, but they still had a place for family meetings. And the clan didn't have many members to begin with, so this was truly the entire clan gathered together.
"Boy, come up and kowtow!"
Settling into the only chair in the main hall, the Kaguya Clan Leader urged Qi, who stood in the middle of the room.
"Once you've kowtowed, you'll be accepted back into the clan and can start learning the Kaguya Combat Arts."
"Oh."
Qi didn't say anything more. The elder had told him on the way that whatever the Kaguya Clan asked him to do, he should do it.
He obediently knelt and kowtowed three times.
"Good! Very good! From this day on, you are Kaguya Qi!"
Qi's straightforwardness delighted the Kaguya Clan Leader. Qi had barely finished kowtowing before the man pulled him back to his feet.
"Your body's a little weak, so we'll start by strengthening your muscles and bones. You can't use the Kaguya Combat Arts without a strong body!"
As he spoke, he crooked a finger at one of the Kaguya Clan members.
"Come here. From now on, you'll train him!"
And so the ceremony welcoming Qi "home" came to an end. It was simple, and very "Kaguya."
The taijutsu training that followed gave Qi a real taste of what the "Kaguya Style" was like...
He also understood why his Kaguya uncle had said his body was too weak...
The Kaguya Clan's taijutsu was a lot like Muay Thai from his previous life.
There were no unnecessary moves. Attack with the greatest speed and strength, from the best position and angle, and kill the enemy. That was the sole standard of the Kaguya Combat Arts.
That was the general standard across the Shinobi World, but the Kaguya Clan had taken it to the extreme.
They were even more extreme than the Hyuga Clan of Konoha. At least the Hyuga had the Byakugan, which let them resist genjutsu and see through ninjutsu. The Kaguya Clan's only asset was their bodies.
So when it came to taijutsu alone, the Kaguya Clan was even more terrifying than the Hyuga!
When people talked about the Kaguya Clan, they didn't think of the Shikotsumyaku first. They thought of the Kaguya Combat Arts. The clan's true foundation was the way they honed their bodies and fighting techniques.
After all, the Shikotsumyaku was rare. Across the generations of the Kaguya Clan, those who possessed it could be counted one generation at a time. It was common for an entire generation to have no one with the Shikotsumyaku at all.
Over time, although the Kaguya Clan was a bloodline clan, they stopped caring much about whether their members awakened the Shikotsumyaku. They focused all their energy on honing their bodies and combat techniques.
As for why Kimimaro, who awakened the Shikotsumyaku years later, was imprisoned, only those involved could know the reason.
In short, after all that explanation, one important problem had become clear to Qi: his body was too weak...
The Kaguya Clan's combat arts had incredibly demanding requirements. A weak body meant lacking the necessary strength and even speed.
Physically, Qi was clearly more like the Yuki Clan. They specialized in ninjutsu, and their physical strength couldn't compare to that of the Kaguya Clan.
Of course, Qi hadn't inherited absolutely none of the Kaguya Clan's advantages. His body was fragile compared to theirs, but it healed remarkably well—several times faster than an ordinary person's.
He'd confirmed that after being beaten to a pulp countless times...
"You're so fragile, kid! Good thing you've got decent stamina, or I wouldn't know how to train you!"
The Kaguya Clan man responsible for teaching him their combat arts had said that countless times. He was just as troubled.
It wasn't that he was deliberately hitting Qi so hard. That was simply how the Kaguya Clan trained...
Their clan members were naturally thick-skinned and tough. Ordinary falls and punches did nothing to them, so training meant hitting hard enough to make every strike count. They could sleep it off and be fine by morning.
Of course, if they were cut with a blade, they'd still die. Even the Kaguya Clan's bodies weren't so monstrous that they were no longer human.
But by Qi's standards, he really was too weak. That didn't mean he couldn't learn the Kaguya Combat Arts.
The Kaguya Clan had produced frail people before. They had perfected their training of the body and combat arts to the point that they could train anyone, as long as they were human.
If your raw strength was too low, then train your explosive power instead!
That approach turned out to suit Qi well, because his explosive power was surprisingly strong.
The Kaguya Clan members were delighted to have finally found the right path for him. They immediately assigned him a new master: the clan member best at killing with a single strike, and the only taijutsu expert in the entire Land of Water with a real reputation.
"Kid, we meet again! Have you been eating plenty of meat lately? Hahaha!"
That voice was awfully familiar. Qi suddenly remembered: wasn't this the guy the Clan Leader had called a "glutton" at the gate?
Everyone from the Kaguya Clan's current generation seemed to be built like a wall, and this man was no exception. He was every bit the macho tough guy.
"Quit looking around, kid. You ought to know your old man's name! How can a student not know his master's name?"
Seeing Qi scrutinizing him, the big man rolled his eyes and shamelessly picked his nose.
"I'm Kaguya Ogata. I can't speak for anywhere else, but in the Kaguya Clan, no one can match me when it comes to killing with a single strike! You're lucky to have me as your master!"
"Is there really someone stronger than you out there?"
Qi couldn't help asking. He was genuinely curious, and that boast sounded a little too big. In the original story, only Kimimaro had escaped the Kaguya Clan. Qi didn't know whether Ogata would still be alive by then. People in the Shinobi World didn't seem to live that long, what with the high mortality rate.
After all, according to the original story's timeline, the Kaguya Clan's massacre was still years away. It wasn't like the Yuki Clan, which could fall at any moment.
Maybe it was because he was too weak, but Qi felt as if the people around him had always been ridiculously strong. In the anime, these people had all been little more than background characters...
"I guess not in the Land of Water."
Ogata scratched his head, seeming unsure.
"But there's someone in Konoha, though I don't know if he's still alive."
"Konoha?"
Qi was stunned. He hadn't expected to hear about a Konoha ninja in such an isolated country. Even the Yuki Clan knew very little about the outside world.
"His nickname is the White Fang of the Leaf!"
The White Fang of the Leaf!?
Qi understood at once. In terms of reputation, that man was probably the most famous in the Shinobi World right now. But he didn't know if he was still alive. It seemed the White Fang had taken his own life around this period...
"But I heard he has a son about your age."
Ogata suddenly gave Qi a wicked look.
"Since you've learned my skills, you'll have to beat that kid someday. I couldn't beat the White Fang, but surely my student can beat his son."
"Huh?"
Qi was dumbfounded. He was supposed to fight Kakashi? He hadn't forgotten how monstrous Kakashi was. Although he'd had to change his fighting style after awakening the Sharingan as a boy, he was still absurdly strong. Later on, it was really only Itachi and Pain who managed to put him in a tough spot.
And if you compared their talents, Kakashi might even have been more gifted than Itachi. He didn't have Uchiha blood, yet somehow he'd awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
So, to be safe, Qi Jia asked, "But what if I lose?"
"Easy!"
Ogata let out a cackling laugh, though there wasn't a trace of amusement in his eyes.
"I'll beat the hell out of you!"
"That's unreasonable! You said yourself you're no match for White Fang. How can you expect me to beat his son?"
Qi swallowed. He had a feeling that this beast in front of him really would do exactly what he said.
"I'm unreasonable because I'm your master!"
This time, there was a hint of amusement in Ogata's eyes.
"Kid, if you don't want a beating, then train hard!"