Reflection and Planning

After watching Minato walk away, Ye Wuji also turned and began his journey. From the information Minato provided and a simple map he drew, Ye Wuji realized he was currently on the border of the Land of Rain, which was also the location of Amegakure, the legendary birthplace of the Akatsuki, now reduced to a battlefield between three countries.

However, it was precisely this war that would lead to the Akatsuki's future fame. Therefore, Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato should also be in Amegakure now. In his past life, while watching Naruto, Ye Wuji had assumed Amegakure was just the city-like structure where Pain first appeared. But from what he'd learned in the past few days, Ye Wuji discovered that Amegakure was actually quite large. He wasn't sure of its exact size, but it was at least comparable to a province in his previous life's China, perhaps even several provinces. If Amegakure was that vast, then the territories of the Five Great Nations, including Konoha, must be even larger.

Initially, Ye Wuji's impression of Amegakure was based on Pain's first appearance, where he sat atop a tall tower giving orders to Kakuzu. At that time, as it was the Akatsuki leader's first public reveal and he only spoke a few words, Ye Wuji felt this person must be incredibly powerful. It was from that moment that Ye Wuji believed Amegakure was a city filled with many steel structures.

However, looking at the reality of the Naruto world, the Rain Village was also a country, called the Land of Rain. Although not as large as the Five Great Nations, due to the legendary ninja Hanzo, the Land of Rain's status was just below the Five Great Nations. Unfortunately, due to its geographical location, from the First Great Ninja War to the current Second Great Ninja War, battles had primarily taken place in this country. As everyone knows, war is devastating to civilians, so many civilians in Amegakure frequently fled. Only in the areas controlled by Hanzo was the situation slightly better. However, it was precisely due to Hanzo's protection that Amegakure had not been destroyed.

As a result of the war, the country's Daimyo was merely a figurehead, with virtually no one treating him as such. Later, the Daimyo died in battle, and no one succeeded him.

Ye Wuji walked while looking at the map and thinking. Although he wanted to meet Konan and the other two at this time, it was too dangerous, so he could only dismiss the idea in his heart.

From his discussions with Minato over the past few days, Ye Wuji planned to go to the Land of Rivers first. The war there had already subsided, and the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers was reportedly a good person, who had even established a place specifically to shelter orphans from the war.

The Land of Rivers bordered Amegakure, making them neighbors. His plan with Minato was to stay in the Land of Rivers first. Since the Land of Rivers was also adjacent to Konoha, once the war ended, he could hire someone to slowly escort him to Konoha, and then they could meet. Because the Land of Rivers was so close to Konoha, Konoha, to prevent the war from reaching its own territory, would quickly intervene if anything happened in the Land of Rivers, so the security there was quite good. As for the Land of Fire using the Land of Rivers as a shield, it was a common practice for great nations; it was better for the war to occur on another country's territory than their own. As for the civilians of other countries, it depended on their luck.

This was similar to what happened to Ye Wuji's body's parents. Ye Wuji's parents and the other victims were originally living on the border of Amegakure. Due to the approaching war, which also affected their village, they decided to move, planning to return after the war ended. Unfortunately, they encountered rogue ninja. From Minato's words, Ye Wuji learned that his parents were among the villagers killed by rogue ninja, possibly defectors. After all, killing over a hundred people in such a short time with no survivors was not something ordinary bandits could accomplish.

Minato did not mention whether regular ninja were responsible. Although regular ninja were forbidden from attacking civilians even during wartime, this rule was merely a nice-sounding guideline in any world. Ye Wuji had heard too many such stories in his previous life. While he hadn't witnessed it himself, the internet back then had exposed quite a bit. Moreover, finding excuses for such actions was easy. For instance, regarding the incident Ye Wuji and his companions encountered, no one could guarantee it wasn't Konoha ninja who carried it out. Despite Ye Wuji's good impression of Konoha, he couldn't be certain about such matters.

Ye Wuji shook his head, pushing away these chaotic thoughts. He checked the map and continued on his way. Since he didn't know how far the journey would be, the wolf he had killed had been made into jerky by the Fourth Hokage. Minato had only taken a small portion, with the vast majority remaining with Ye Wuji. This brought to mind the preserved food in the Naruto world. Whether it was meat or vegetables, they seemed to be able to process it very well. Ye Wuji had learned a bit from Minato. Perhaps due to the frequent travel in this world, this preserved food, while reduced in volume, seemed to retain its energy-replenishing properties. A single piece was usually enough to alleviate hunger. In his previous life, this would have been excellent material for military rations, though the only drawback was the taste. However, when traveling outdoors, one couldn't be too picky.

As Ye Wuji walked, he practiced the chakra refining method Minato had taught him. From his conversations with Minato, Ye Wuji also learned about his strengths: his spiritual power seemed to be a bit stronger, which made sense given he had lived two lives and his spirit had been honed by working multiple jobs in his previous life. However, his physical body seemed a bit lacking, though it could be strengthened through later training or by using medicinal herbs.

In terms of chakra levels, Ye Wuji was considered above average, perhaps comparable to Itachi and Kakashi later on. However, compared to Naruto, Kisame, or Madara, he was significantly behind. While a ninja's strength wasn't solely determined by chakra quantity, having more chakra offered undeniable advantages; a single Shadow Clone could overwhelm many opponents. Thinking about it, Naruto relied almost entirely on this one technique to defeat so many powerful foes.

From this perspective, he leaned towards being a genjutsu-type ninja. Or, due to his strong spiritual power, his chakra control might be much better than average, making him well-suited to be a medical ninja.

Therefore, the immediate priority was to find a way to increase his chakra. Ye Wuji thought this should be his primary goal for now. He was considering if he could multitask, developing the habit of cultivating at all times. As for significantly increasing his chakra, was he supposed to become a Jinchuriki? Unfortunately, that was unrealistic. Not only was there no Tailed Beast available for him, but even if he found one, who could seal it within him? Moreover, with the Akatsuki lurking and watching, this option was completely out of the question. It seemed he could only proceed as things were for now, and deal with other matters later.

He also needed to start practicing chakra control in advance. This meant that climbing trees and walking on water needed to be put on the agenda. It was this thought that made Ye Wuji want to part ways with Minato. From Naruto, he knew that climbing trees with one's feet and walking on water were skills that even average genin didn't possess, nor did they know such methods. If he continued to stay with Minato, he might not be able to train this way for a long time.

Ye Wuji felt time was pressing and he didn't have the luxury of slow, deliberate training. He could only train while refining his chakra.

While he was with Minato, Ye Wuji had secretly tried to gather chakra on his feet. Although he could gather it when he was stationary, it became chaotic when he started moving. He would either forget to gather chakra, or one foot would have it while the other wouldn't. This was difficult enough normally, let alone during combat.

Furthermore, in the Naruto world, if one didn't master tree climbing, it was impossible to run through forests effectively. It was manageable between a few trees, but for extended periods, he would surely fall. Ye Wuji had already tested this; he could currently only manage between four or five trees, any more would become unstable.

Regarding chakra nature, Ye Wuji was very curious about what nature his chakra possessed. Unfortunately, Minato, having just come from the battlefield, didn't have any chakra nature transformation paper with him. This greatly disappointed Ye Wuji, who was eager to know his chakra nature and what ninjutsu he could use. Of course, there was a sliver of comfort: since it hadn't been tested yet, perhaps he possessed all five basic chakra natures. If only he could have all five, Ye Wuji had often dreamt of it in the past few days.

What disappointed Ye Wuji the most was that, according to Minato's investigation, he seemed to be the child of ordinary civilians, not someone from a fallen noble clan. This greatly disappointed him, as he desperately wished to possess a Kekkei Genkai. If he had a Kekkei Genkai, his strength would increase significantly. Consider the Uchiha Clan; without the Sharingan, they would merely be an elite family, not a prominent clan in Konoha, let alone a powerful force in the ninja world.

Thus, as he walked, Ye Wuji recalled past events from Naruto, thought about his future plans, connected various events, and let his mind wander. Sometimes, he would even think about Earth in his previous life.

Although Ye Wuji had roughly planned out his future actions, reality might not unfold according to his wishes. However, he could only plan this way for now, as it was possible a powerful individual might appear at any moment and eliminate the current Ye Wuji. After all, he was only six years old. There was still considerable time before the Fourth Great Ninja War.