"Inoue-senpai, why did Lord Hanzo take the initiative to start a war between the villages? Our country's strength and resources are nowhere near on par with those of the Five Great Shinobi Villages."
A young Amegakure ninja asked the middle-aged shinobi who seemed to be leading the group. He kept his voice low, his eyes full of anxiety and confusion.
Amegakure's numbers and high-level combat strength were clearly far inferior to those of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
The middle-aged Jonin known as Inoue looked grim. "Kid, you only became a Genin recently. There's a lot you don't understand. Do you think Lord Hanzo started this war because he's gone mad?"
He paused and pointed to the ground beneath their feet. "Amegakure lies at the crossroads of three great nations. It's a transportation hub and a strategic location.
"On the surface, the Five Great Shinobi Villages have called a truce. In secret, they've been clashing constantly over resources in recent years.
"We're caught between Konoha, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure. When they fight, they don't care at all about the lives of the people of the Land of Rain."
"But isn't starting a war ourselves even more dangerous?" the young ninja couldn't help arguing. "If the three great nations unite against us, Amegakure will really be finished!"
He patted the young ninja's shoulder, his tone softening. "Lord Hanzo has already thought it through. The other villages call him the 'Demigod.' If we can't show the Land of Rain's strength, our situation will only become more dangerous.
"Now we can show the other villages what we're capable of. As long as we prove in this battle that our strength is no less than that of the other hidden villages, they won't dare provoke us."
"In the world of shinobi, there's no absolute right or wrong, only survival and destruction. Either you live by stepping over other people's corpses, or you're replaced when someone steps over yours. Lord Hanzo is doing this so more people of Amegakure can survive."
"Lord Hanzo wants to establish a village independent of the Five Great Nations and become the sixth Kage—the Amekage!"
"Then why did Lord Hanzo go alone to the Land of Iron? It's so far away that he'd have to cross half the Land of Fire. It won't affect our battles with the other villages at all."
Inoue shook his head, indicating that he didn't know the reason.
Bai Lin, hiding nearby and listening in, summoned a snake and placed the scroll in his hand into its mouth.
Nawaki and Uchiha Mikoto were still some distance away. Bai Lin didn't want them getting involved in this battle.
Even if Bai Lin thought he couldn't beat this group of Rain Ninja, he was confident he could escape.
"Right, why would Hanzo of the Salamander cross half the Land of Fire to go to the Land of Iron? It makes no sense!"
Bai Lin remembered a scene from the anime: Hanzo of the Salamander faced off against Mifune. Mifune collapsed after being poisoned, and Hanzo spared him because he respected his samurai spirit.
But in the real Ninja World, the Land of Rain and the Land of Iron were nowhere near each other. Why would Hanzo take the long way around? Was he deliberately provoking the Land of Iron?
Bai Lin was puzzled. It was as bizarre as members of the Uzumaki Clan ending up in Kusagakure, even though Kusagakure and the Land of Whirlpools were on opposite sides of the Land of Fire.
The sky gradually darkened. Only three Amegakure shinobi kept watch at the camp; the rest slept soundly.
"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique!"
Bai Lin formed hand seals and used one of the few genjutsu he knew on the three sentries.
He wasn't skilled in genjutsu, but with the boost from his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, it was enough to deal with opponents who weren't on their guard.
The three Rain Ninja stiffened. Their eyes instantly went blank, and their bodies froze as if bound by invisible chains. They couldn't move or even make a sound.
"Lightning Style: Chidori Senbon!"
The Lightning Release Chakra gathered at Bai Lin's fingertips instantly split apart, turning into dozens of thin blue needles. Guided with pinpoint accuracy by his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, they shot toward the three Rain Ninja trapped in the genjutsu.
"Damn, it's a genjutsu! Release!" The oldest of the three Rain Ninja quickly reacted and broke free of the genjutsu.
"So, a Jonin? Just as I expected!"
As Bai Lin threw the Lightning Style: Chidori Senbon, he had already retrieved the Kusanagi Sword from the System Space. He used the Body Flicker Technique to appear in front of his opponent.
The Jonin's pupils contracted. Instinctively, he yanked a young comrade in front of him, forming hand seals at the same time. "Water Style: Water Wild Dance!"
A torrent of water gushed from his mouth like a high-pressure hose, sweeping toward Bai Lin in an attempt to drive off the enemy at close range with the force of the Water Release.
Bai Lin's Kusanagi Sword swept easily across the neck of the young Rain Ninja the Jonin had pulled in front of him. The man's head flew into the air.
[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have killed a Genin and earned 50,000 ryō.]
The system notification rang out again, but Bai Lin had no time to pay attention to it. Having landed a hit, he swung at the ninjutsu rushing toward him.
The water split in two, scattering into a cloud of spray.
He dashed through the mist, the Kusanagi Sword aimed straight at the Jonin's chest. He wanted to take this chance to quickly eliminate one of the Jonin in the group.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
A voice came from behind him. A wall of earth sprang up in front of the Jonin Bai Lin had attacked, shielding him.
"Chidori Blade!"
Bai Lin poured Lightning Release Chakra into the Kusanagi Sword. Blue-white lightning instantly enveloped the blade, emitting a sharp buzz as its cutting power surged.
Faced with the suddenly rising earth wall, he didn't hesitate. He swung down with all his strength, the long sword wreathed in lightning.
"Shrrk!"
Lightning Release Chakra was the natural counter to Earth Release. The wall was cut through in an instant, like flimsy cardboard, leaving a jagged opening.
The Kusanagi Sword's momentum didn't falter. It continued toward the Rain Jonin's chest.
"Damn!" The Jonin's expression changed. He hadn't expected Bai Lin's Lightning Release to pierce his comrade's Earth Release defense so easily.
He hurriedly rolled to the side, dodging the fatal blow, but the lightning still scraped his ribs and left a charred wound. A violent numbness spread through his body at once.
"What a shame!" Bai Lin regretted that his sneak attack had only killed one Genin.
He pressed his advantage, following like a phantom as he swept the Kusanagi Sword toward the Jonin's neck.
Just then, all the Rain Ninja snapped out of their daze at the sound of Bai Lin's fight.
They launched attacks in unison, stopping Bai Lin's assault.
"Damn it!"
Dozens of shinobi surrounded Bai Lin, forming a battle formation.
The Jonin he'd just injured took the chance to retreat into the crowd. Two comrades helped him stay upright. His face was pale, but he still glared at Bai Lin with vicious eyes.
"Who are you, daring to sneak into an Amegakure camp alone? We'll bury you here today!"
Inoue's enraged voice came from the crowd.
"Remember this: the man who kills you is Bai Lin, a Konoha Genin and the future master of the Ninja World."
Bai Lin looked at the Rain Ninja surrounding him and gave them his name.
He held the Kusanagi Sword, blue-white lightning dancing wildly along its blade, his gaze as proud and sharp as an eagle's.
He really didn't like wearing the somewhat cumbersome Forehead Protector, so he'd put it in the System Space.
His long hair was bound with a wooden hairpin. His exposed Three-Tomoe Sharingan glimmered crimson in the night. Combined with the icy killing intent radiating from him, it made the surrounding Rain Ninja instinctively retreat half a step.
"Arrogant brat!" Inoue roared.
"You're still too young. Even Konoha's genius shinobi Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru wouldn't dare face this many of us alone at your age."