Unexpected Encounter

Eastern Front Camp.

The ninjas went about their own business, but kept a good distance from the Central Army Tent.

However, judging from their occasional twitching ears and the occasional glances they cast towards the camp, it was clear that each of them was doing their job diligently.

Inside the Central Army Tent.

Jiraiya shrank back, his smile finally faltering as he was Tsunade's barrage of sarcastic remarks.

He scratched his messy white hair, his eyes darting around nervously.

"Ahem—that— Tsunade, it's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding! How could I forget you? Even if I forget myself, I can't forget you."

He squeezed his eyes hard, trying to squeeze out a few heartfelt tears.

"I was busy, yes, I was busy. Don't be fooled by my running all over the Ninja World, I was just gathering intelligence."

"As soon as I heard you needed help, I dropped everything and rushed over without even having a sip of water on the way."

"Oh? You haven't even had a sip of water?"

Tsunade interrupted him without any politeness, looking at his moist lips, a mocking smile curving her lips.

"Don't think I don't know about the war situation in the Land of Rivers. You were bored over there, and when you heard there was fighting here, you rushed over to join in the fun, right?"

"I swear to God! Absolutely not!"

Jiraiya immediately raised his hand and swore, his face showing an expression that said, "I did all this for you." He continued, "I'm just missing you—cough cough—I'm worried about the battle! I'm worried you're exhausted! Look how thin you've gotten—"

As he spoke, he even tried to reach out and pat Tsunade on the shoulder to show his comfort and affection.

"Bang!!!"

A loud bang was followed by a slight tremor in the ground.

Jiraiya Jiraiya's sinister hand could even touch a corner of Tsunade's clothes, Tsunade's fist had already slammed into the ground an inch away from his feet with lightning speed.

A deep pit with spiderweb-like cracks instantly appeared in the hard ground, splashing mud and gravel Jiraiya and face.

The massive tremor immediately drew the attention of everyone outside the tent, who were all incredibly curious about what was happening inside.

Their faces were full of gossip.

I heard that when Lord Jiraiya was a child, Lady Tsunade broke several of his ribs with a single punch, and he spent a month in the hospital before he recovered.

I wonder if Jiraiya will have his ribs broken again this time?

Inside the camp.

Jiraiya remained frozen in place, his Jiraiya outstretched in a comical pose, cold sweat pouring down his face.

His smirk turned to utter terror, like a Toad being stepped on.

Tsunade slowly pulled her fist out of the crater, blew off non-existent dust, and gave the disheveled Jiraiya a cold, sidelong glance.

"Don't touch me, Jiraiya. And stay away from me. I get annoyed just looking at your stupid face."

Now that you're here, go report to Nara Kaoru and follow instructions. If you dare to talk nonsense again or come within three meters of me—"

She clenched her fist, her knuckles making a sickening cracking sound, and gestured with her chin towards the deep crater in the ground. "This is your example!"

Jiraiya stared at the still-smoking crater, subconsciously swallowing hard. All the sweet words he had prepared were swallowed back down by that punch.

He reluctantly withdrew his hand, wiped the dust off his face, and muttered, "Fine, fine—what's with the yelling? Honestly, no classmate spirit at all—I'll just go register, okay?"

He looked back every few steps, his eyes filled with the sorrow of an abandoned Samoyed, but before Tsunade could clench her fist again, he quickly slipped out of the tent.

Tsunade snorted coldly, tidying her slightly disheveled hair, but the corners of her mouth seemed to curl upwards very slightly and uncontrollably.

"Everyone outside, come in."

With a sharp shout, the crowd that had been listening outside all rushed back into the tent.

Everyone stared at the large crater in the ground, outwardly silent, but inwardly they were all pondering what had just happened in the tent.

After a long while, Jiraiya and Nara finally entered, and the discussion that had ended earlier resumed.

However, things are different now. With the addition of Jiraiya powerful ally, the strength of the East Front has increased by leaps and bounds.

The previously somewhat conservative tactics were no longer suitable, so the group discussed and decided to change to an offensive strategy centered around Jiraiya, forming a spearhead of the fighting force.

As the East Coast began to shift from defense to offense, after a seven-day sea voyage, Taiichi finally set foot on the land of the Land of Water.

It is said that the Land of Water is an island nation, but more accurately, it is a Land of Water nation, consisting of a main island and numerous smaller islands.

As a result, the islands have maintained different customs for a long time due to the separation caused by the ocean.

Taiichi's trip took him to the main island of the Land of Water, where Kirigakure and the Daimyo's Mansion are located.

As his feet touched solid ground again, Taiichi felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Humans are indeed land animals; even if they love water, they still have a need to be grounded.

Behind him, Swim bid him a grateful farewell, Taiichi didn't turn around, only waving goodbye.

As an island nation, the Land of Water has many port cities, and Taiichi is currently in Ira City, the largest port city on the main island.

Taiichi was like a curious child; everything in front of him was so new and exciting.

Masts formed a forest, obscuring the view, while cargo ships and fishing boats bobbed on the waves.

On land, people were busy loading and unloading goods, workers were shouting slogans, and cables and cantilever arms were swinging between the ship and the shore.

On the other side, fishermen loaded their catch, truckloads of either chilled or live fish were being transported into the city, the air constantly filled with a faint fishy smell.

After leaving the dock, Taiichi walked on foot along the main road leading to the city.

This truly lives up to its reputation as the largest port city in the Land of Water. Taiichi walked along, he was constantly surrounded by a constant stream of cars and pedestrians.

This is already comparable to the surrounding areas of some bustling cities in the Land of Fire.

However, there is one downside.

Taiichi rubbed his nose. The fishy smell that had been lingering in his nose ever since he disembarked hadn't dissipated. It seemed he would just have to get used to it on his own.

Upon entering Ira City, Taiichi, unusually, began strolling through the streets.

Having finally come all the way to the Land of Water, he didn't want to focus all his energy on cultivation. He wanted to experience the Land of Water customs and culture firsthand.

Unlike the Land of Fire, where most buildings are made of wood, the buildings here are mostly constructed of stone.

Looking at the tower-like and cylindrical high-rise buildings on both sides of the street, Taiichi couldn't help but sigh that, apart from Konoha, the architecture of the other four great nations in the Hokage world was so unique.

The rammed earth buildings of the Land of Wind are all a uniform shade of earthy yellow.

The cliffside platform buildings in the Land of Lightning also frequently use glass as curtain walls.

The rock-carved buildings of the Land of Earth are entirely embedded within the mountainside.

It's no wonder that the four great nations always want to attack the Land of Fire; one can tell just by looking at their living environment.

With spacious and comfortable houses to live in, who would want to go to such great lengths to build a house on a mountainside, sandy soil, or steep cliff?

Do you really think that building houses in these places is easy and that living there is comfortable?

This was all forced upon us.

After wandering around for half a day, Taiichi figured it was lunchtime, so he found a busy izakaya and ordered a table full of local specialties.

Tender sea bream, paired with locally made sea salt, is tied with dried seaweed and slowly grilled over charcoal on rocks. The flesh is firm and tender, with a pure, sweet taste of the sea.

Freshly caught scallops and abalone are all large and plump. They don't need much cooking; just a little scallion and ginger, steamed in water, will bring out their exquisite smoothness and make them the most delightful treat.

Add to that the locally made seaweed cheese jelly, and the rich, creamy flavor blends perfectly with the unique taste of the ocean, creating a refreshing and non-greasy taste that's the perfect accompaniment to any seafood meal.

Taiichi was enjoying a delicious meal at the table, unaware that he had already come into the sight of two people not far away.

After Madara Uchiha controlled the Third Mizukage and issued the order to attack Konoha, he continued to hide in Kirigakure for some time.

Firstly, it strengthens control over the Third Mizukage's Genjutsu. After all, no matter how weak the Third Mizukage is, he is still the Kage of a village. If he were to break free from the Genjutsu, things would not go well.

Secondly, it was also to observe the changes in Kirigakure and prevent any unexpected events from changing the established trajectory again.

After this period of consolidation, the Genjutsu stabilized, and things progressed smoothly. Madara decided to leave Mist Village to continue with his plans.

Today, Madara and Zetsu arrived at Ira City, preparing to take a ship back to the mainland.

Although Ban doesn't have much time left to live, he lives a very healthy life, eating and drinking as usual.

So the two of them went to this seemingly popular izakaya and ordered a large table of food.

Of course, only Ban was actually eating; Jue just watched quietly from the sidelines, occasionally answering Ban's questions.

Just as they were finishing their meal and Ban was about to pay the bill and leave, a leisurely figure entered Jue's line of sight.

He knew the newcomer very well; aside from not wearing the Konoha Headband, he made absolutely no attempt to conceal his identity.

Jue's pupils contracted, and he stopped his movement of getting up to pay the bill, then sat back down.

His actions naturally caught Madara's attention. Madara slowly put down his chopsticks, sat up straight, but did not turn around. Instead, his gaze was fixed on Zetsu opposite him.

Not wanting to disturb the other party at this moment, he dipped his finger in water and wrote on the table - Taichi Matsushita.

Upon seeing the words Zetsu had written, Madara's brow twitched, but he wasn't as cautious as Zetsu.

He was confident in his strength and believed that few people in the Ninja World would recognize him.

Moreover, he was quite curious about this junior named Taichi Matsushita.

Judging from the rewards given by Zetsu, Taichi Matsushita's current strength is definitely much greater than that of the Third Mizukage who was being controlled.

To have such strength at such a young age is something even Madara Uchiha couldn't achieve back then. He really wanted to have a chat with such a young prodigy.

Ban stood up calmly, but as soon as he turned around, he saw a boy with his back turned not far away.

Just by looking at his back, you could tell that he was a very self-disciplined person.

Mealtimes are often a time when people are very relaxed, and it's easy to see a person's lifestyle habits from their posture and small gestures at this time.

Just like Taiichi now, he sits upright, holding the bowl in one hand and chopsticks in the other, his movements are steady and light, and he does not speed up his eating because of the quality of the food.

Such people are mostly well-mannered, self-disciplined, emotionally stable, and act with discretion and without impatience.

At least at this moment, Madara's first impression of Taiichi was good. At his age, seeing such a junior, even though he was an enemy, was still very gratifying.

Such a blatant gaze naturally alerted Taiichi immediately, but since there was no hostility in it, Taiichi didn't pay much attention to it at first.

Even if you don't care, there's a limit. Feeling the endless stares scrutinizing him, he couldn't take it anymore.

Taiichi put down his bowl and chopsticks and was about to turn around when he heard the person who had been observing him walking towards him from behind.

Could I possibly run into an acquaintance in this Land of Water?

Taiichi, filled with curiosity, turned halfway around and, out of the corner of his eye, caught sight of the person approaching.

The pupils contracted, contracted again, contracted a third time, until they were all the size of a pinhead.

Fortunately, he only turned halfway around, and the other person didn't notice anything unusual about him.

"Madara Uchiha, that guy is actually in the Land of Water. No wonder Mist Village suddenly went berserk and attacked Konoha again; it's most likely that he's behind it all."

Taiichi's mind raced, but his expression returned to normal in an instant.

He watched as Ban swaggered over to his table and sat down, acting as if he were no outsider at all.

At his original table, there was another person quietly watching them.

At this point in time, it should be Black Zetsu, but it's unclear whether it's Transformation Technique or possession of someone else.

"What is this, sir?"

Taiichi turned his gaze back, his brows furrowing slightly, and asked, feigning ignorance.

"I just happened to see a famous ninja in the Ninja World here, so I came to get to know him."

Madara acted quite boldly, picking up a pair of chopsticks again and actually starting to eat Taiichi's food.

"You're very bold; ordinary people wouldn't dare to act like this in front of a ninja."

Taiichi was testing him, trying to see what identity Madara wanted to use when speaking to him.

"Haha." Madara didn't respond. "The White Reaper terrified Mist Village on the battlefield. I bet even Mist Village themselves never expected you to appear in the Land of Water like this."

Madara gave Taiichi a thumbs up, "Just based on this courage alone, your title is well-deserved."

Taiichi remained silent, quietly watching Ban's performance, while continuing to eat his food at a leisurely pace, seemingly unaffected at all.

Madarami Taiichi didn't want to talk to him and didn't care. He just said to himself, "Young man, I have traveled the Ninja World for many years, but I have found that whether it is the Warring States Period or now, war has never stopped for a moment."

"You hit me today, I'll hit you tomorrow, what's the point of a world like this?"

Taiichi looked up in surprise and sized up Madara sitting next to him.

What does this old man mean by coming over to discuss the war? Could he be trying to recruit him?

Where there are people, there will be war; as long as human desires persist, war will never disappear.

But the world isn't just about war; there are also many beautiful things like family and friendship.

Society is developing. From the precarious existence and fear of danger during the Warring States Period, to the current era of the Five Great Nations where wars are limited to certain areas, isn't this a positive change?

Uncle, you're generalizing from a single instance. You only see the bad side and not the good side. That's not a good habit.

Madara's lips curled into a sneer, but he wasn't angry at Taiichi's words.

"Young man, you say that because you haven't yet experienced the malice of this world. When your loved ones are killed, your friends are brutally murdered, and even your dreams are shattered, you will understand that kind of pain."