Battle with Shennong (Part 1)

After running back to his room, Ye Wuji threw himself onto the bed and pretended to sob, just in case someone was following him. Sure enough, Uncle Ken soon appeared, and upon seeing Ye Wuji weeping on the bed, he shook his head and walked away.

Once Uncle Ken had left, although Ye Wuji remained on the bed, his mind was racing with other thoughts. He felt the first thing to decide was whether or not to make a move. Based on his observations over the past two months, Shennong always carried two scrolls with him, and he was extremely protective of them, refusing to let anyone touch them. Ye Wuji had tried several times but never found an opening.

If Ye Wuji were to strike, those two scrolls would be the primary targets. However, given Shennong's personality, the Reanimation Technique for physical activation was likely not kept on his person; it was probably stored within the Angkor Fortress.

Furthermore, he had to consider the true extent of Shennong's strength. Based on his two-month observation, the man didn't seem particularly formidable—at the very least, his physical stamina appeared poor—but these could merely be superficial appearances.

In truth, not acting was the safest choice, especially since the opponent's strength was unknown and the potential gains were uncertain. However, if he didn't act now, things would only get harder later. Orochimaru's Reanimation Technique was largely founded upon Shennong's Reanimation Technique. Even though Orochimaru had been killed several times, he always managed to return; regardless of his actual power, the fact that he remained alive was proof enough that Shennong's Reanimation Technique was highly effective.

The Naruto World was fraught with danger. If he couldn't seize the initiative to grow stronger, he would be eliminated sooner or later. To fall behind by one step was to fall behind in every step, and wealth was often found in the midst of danger.

Finally, a flash of determination crossed Ye Wuji's eyes. He decided to act, and tomorrow would be the best opportunity. He picked up his pack and pulled out the steel wires inside. As he gave them a tug, a cold glint flickered. This would be his first real battle in the Naruto World, so he had to devise a perfect plan. Ye Wuji laid out everything he had and began to meticulously craft his strategy.

In the middle of the night, while everyone was fast asleep, Ye Wuji quietly shouldered his pack and left.

The next morning, everyone from Ukyo's household rose to see Shennong off, but they didn't see Ye Wuji. "Ye hasn't even woken up yet? Doesn't he know we're seeing Mr. Shennong off today?" Rei said, preparing to head to Ye Wuji's room to call him.

"No need, Rei. I already checked; he's gone. No idea where he ran off to," Uncle Ken said from the side.

"That kid, he still hasn't come around, has he? But never mind. Everyone, no need to see me off. I'll be going now. If you see that kid, tell him I said hello," Shennong said.

"Alright, when we see him, we'll definitely give him a piece of our mind. It's so rude of him not to come say goodbye when you're leaving," Aunt Kei added.

"Alright everyone, no more talk. This Humble One takes his leave." With that, Shennong walked alone toward the distance, heading for the exit of the Land of Waterfalls.

Watching Shennong walk away, Aunt Kei asked, "Where on earth did Ye go? He wouldn't have..."

"That shouldn't be it. Although Ye is young, we've all lived together these past few months; you know he's smart and sensible. He wouldn't just run off to follow Shennong. If he really wanted to do that, even if he didn't tell us, he would have left a note. Perhaps he just didn't want to face the separation," Ukyo said to the group.

"That's true." Thinking of Ye Wuji's behavior over the past few days, everyone nodded in agreement.

"Everyone go back. Rei, Yuta, come with me," Ukyo said.

By this time, Ye Wuji was already in a dense forest about five kilometers from the Land of Waterfalls, where he had already set his traps. He had used all the Explosive Tags he possessed; although his heart ached at the cost, this was no time to be stingy. After setting the traps, Ye Wuji reviewed them several times to ensure nothing was missed, and he also mapped out an escape route—if Shennong turned out to be powerful, running would be his only option.

"He's here, moving so fast." Resting in the dense forest, Ye Wuji suddenly opened his eyes; he had sensed his Water Clone disappear.

Ye Wuji had used a Water Clone to scout ahead to determine when Shennong would arrive. Upon sensing the clone's destruction, Ye Wuji stood up from the tree and formed a seal: Water Clone Technique. This time, he created three clones. These were enhanced versions, containing significantly more chakra than usual. With the three clones and himself, there were four of them. Then, Ye Wuji used the Transformation Technique to change the appearance of all four.

Ye Wuji hid with two of the clones, sending one out of the forest to walk along the road. This clone was transformed into a middle-aged man of about forty, carrying a few kunai, and he sat down by the side of the road to rest.

Sure enough, about twenty minutes later, Shennong appeared in the distance. When Shennong reached the clone, the clone slowly looked him up and down. Shennong also scrutinized the clone; at that moment, they were the only two on that stretch of road.

The clone looked at Shennong, a look of confusion slowly spreading across his face. Finally, as if realizing something, he stood up in a hurry and started walking toward the Land of Waterfalls, giving Shennong a wide berth and moving along the other side of the road. As he walked, his hand remained pressed against his waist, where a kunai could be seen.

"Sir, do you know me?" Shennong hadn't initially paid much attention to the man, assuming he was just heading toward the Land of Waterfalls.

"I don't know you. I've never seen you before," the clone said, feigning panic, and hurried his pace.

Swish. Shennong suddenly blocked his path and looked closely at the clone again. "I'm certain I haven't seen you, but by the look of you, it seems you've seen me. Sir, you seem very afraid of me. Why so nervous? Care to explain?"

"I really don't know you. I have urgent business and need to hurry, that's why I'm nervous," the clone said, trying to sidestep him.

"You don't look like a man with urgent business to me. Or if you do, it's only because you saw me. You'd better explain yourself," Shennong frowned. He clearly didn't know why this man was acting this way, but he felt it might be related to him, so he had to get to the bottom of it.

"I really don't know you, and I don't know what you do. Why are you blocking me? I don't have any money on me." The clone took a step back, drew a kunai, and held it across his chest in a defensive stance.

"It seems you really do know me, otherwise why be so nervous?" Shennong became increasingly suspicious of the man before him.

"I don't know you! I don't know that you are a Sky Ninja..." The clone stopped himself mid-sentence.

Hearing the words "Sky Ninja," Shennong's expression shifted, and his eyes turned sharp. "Who exactly are you?"

Whoosh, whoosh. The clone didn't answer the question. The act had gone far enough; if he kept going, he might slip up.

The clone threw several kunai directly at him and then bolted toward the nearby forest, though his primary direction remained toward the Land of Waterfalls.

Clang, clang, clang. Shennong used his own kunai to deflect the incoming blades and, seeing the clone fleeing, gave chase.

In the dense forest, the clone and Shennong exchanged blows several times. The clone kept trying to run toward the Land of Waterfalls, and Shennong, seemingly realizing the clone's intent, kept blocking his path.

Finally, the clone appeared unable to break through and began to retreat, running in the opposite direction of the Land of Waterfalls.

Shennong watched the direction of the clone's flight, hesitated for a moment, and then pursued. At first, Shennong had suspected there might be a trap ahead, but he quickly dismissed the thought. He considered his identity to be highly classified. Over the years, he had had absolutely no contact with any remnants of the Sky Ninja. Although he knew that if he reached out to the survivors who had fled after their village was destroyed, they would surely obey his orders, he had avoided all contact as a precaution. Even when those people were being hunted by other nations, he had never intervened. There were times when the remnants were being wiped out right in front of him, and he hadn't lifted a finger.

Shennong's refusal to act wasn't just to preserve the final secrets of the Land of Sky; it was also because he had always been a medical ninja. Before the village was destroyed, he had never even left it, so not only were outsiders unaware of him, but the vast majority of the Sky Ninja themselves didn't know who he was. As a medical ninja, Shennong was incredibly skilled—his medical prowess could easily rank in the top three in the Naruto World, even including Tsunade.

One could even argue that at this time, Shennong's medical skills surpassed Tsunade's. He had always wished to dedicate himself to researching medical ninjutsu, but because he focused solely on that, his combat ability was extremely low. Thus, even if he wanted to save the remnants being hunted, he lacked the strength to do so.

Furthermore, Shennong was currently guarding the last hope of the Sky Ninja: their ultimate weapon, the Sky City, Angkor Fortress. During the final moments when Konoha destroyed the Land of Sky, the leader of the Sky Ninja had ordered him to pilot the Angkor Fortress to safety, while others stayed behind to intercept Konoha and prevent them from capturing it.

However, due to Konoha's overwhelming assault, the Angkor Fortress hadn't had time to store sufficient energy and supplies, so it failed to unleash its true potential during the attack. It could be said that if the fortress had been at full power, Konoha might not have succeeded in destroying the village.

Shennong, who was piloting the fortress at the time, had to manage the flight while simultaneously activating the stealth systems. With the energy reserves on the fortress running low, it eventually crashed near a remote village.

To hide the Angkor Fortress, the ninjas on board at the time, seeing it had crashed and lacked the energy to restart, used Earth Style to bury it underground. Given that it was called a "Sky City," one could imagine its massive scale—it was at least as large as a major castle, capable of housing thousands of people without issue.

The impact of such a massive object crashing was immense. Although the Sky Ninja had managed to set up a barrier to deter civilians, they knew that if word got out and reached Konoha, the last hope of their village would be lost. The ninjas on board had exhausted their chakra to the point of death to bury the fortress before the news could spread, ensuring that later search parties would find nothing. Shennong, being a medical ninja, was the only one who survived.