"12.65 million ryo in one night, hahaha! I made a fortune!"
Bai Lin left the area a few kilometers from Takigakure and found a secluded cave where he began restoring his Chakra.
He leaned against the cold rock wall, panting heavily, but his face was lit with barely concealed excitement.
The spending total on the System Panel had already reached 20.55 million ryo, one-fifth of the way toward his goal of a Kage-level Ten-pull.
If the circumstances hadn't been so unusual—with all the Takigakure Ninja in the water—his Lightning Style: Chidori Current couldn't have covered such a terrifying area. He might not have been able to kill so many Ninja in one go.
That combination of "favorable terrain and circumstances" had let him not only seize the Hero Water without a hitch, but also make a fortune.
"I've completed my first objective since leaving the village. So this is the Hero Water?"
Bai Lin steadied his breathing, then took the crystal-clear, gourd-shaped jade bottle from the System Space.
The bottle felt cool in his hand. Its transparent sides revealed pale green liquid gently sloshing within, radiating an almost tangible aura of Chakra.
Just getting close made the Chakra inside him stir restlessly, and even his Cursed Seal seemed to resonate with it.
Bai Lin frowned, then quickly relaxed.
His Cursed Seal was an innate ability of the Sasuke Uchiha (Snake Sasuke) template, not something Orochimaru had forcibly implanted. It contained no fragments of Orochimaru's soul, so there was no need to worry about being possessed.
The Cursed Seal was an experiment Orochimaru had developed to activate the body. In essence, it imitated Jugo's technique for absorbing Natural Energy from the outside world, making it a weakened version of Sage Mode.
It couldn't compare to Hashirama's Perfect Sage Mode or Naruto's Mount Myoboku Sage Mode, but it had the advantage of passively absorbing Natural Energy from the outside world when activated and combining it with his own Chakra to form a low-grade version of Senjutsu Chakra.
"The Hero Water is connected to that giant tree guarded by the Takigakure Ninja. Could it be related to the God Tree, too?"
Bai Lin rubbed the jade bottle, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.
"The God Tree descended upon the Ninja World alongside the Otsutsuki. Essentially, it absorbs the world's Natural Energy to produce Chakra Fruits."
"The Hero Water resonated with my Cursed Seal, so it most likely contains highly refined Natural Energy."
Compared to the Military Ration Pills Ninja commonly used, the Hero Water was in a completely different league.
Military Ration Pills could only replenish a small amount of Chakra and put a strain on the body.
The Hero Water, on the other hand, was made directly from Natural Energy. It could not only increase one's Chakra dozens of times over, but also let them surpass their limits for a short time. Its only drawback was its brutally severe side effects.
Bai Lin suspected that the Hero Water consumed its user's life force because the user's own Chakra reserves were far smaller than the amount of Natural Energy they absorbed. Unable to withstand that violent power, the body was forced to burn life force to neutralize and buffer it, ultimately shortening the user's lifespan or even causing their body to burst from the energy.
Now that he understood the Hero Water's properties, Bai Lin's lips curled into a confident smile. He had gained another ace up his sleeve.
"Next is my second objective outside the village: Kusagakure."
The next day at noon, the sun shone brightly.
Bai Lin stood at the edge of a dense patch of grass, gazing at the village not far away.
It was smaller than Konoha and surrounded by low hills. Most of its houses were built of wood and grass, and wisps of smoke rose from their chimneys. It looked peaceful and serene, nothing like a Ninja village in the midst of a turbulent era.
Kusagakure was the Ninja village of the Land of Grass, tucked between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, and its precise location was kept fairly secret.
It was also close to Takigakure, so Bai Lin hadn't spent much time traveling.
"So this is Kusagakure?" He narrowed his eyes, a playful smile tugging at his lips.
"The most distinctive Ninja village. In my previous life, I heard Uchiha Madara's underground base might be near Kusagakure. I wonder if that's true. If it is, things could get interesting."
"Our Obito went down the path of rebellion and was dragged into darkness because of the incident at Kusagakure. Could this really be that coincidence?"
"If I really run into Madara, things will get interesting." Bai Lin thought to himself as his Three-Tomoe Sharingan quietly activated and scanned the village's layout.
Kusagakure was a fence-sitter, scraping by between the major Ninja villages. It had plenty of Ninja—probably no weaker than the Land of Rain at the time.
Its way of surviving was to help whoever paid the most. That was why Konoha would later suffer such a heavy loss there.
Bai Lin took his Konoha Forehead Protector from the System Space, put it on with practiced ease, straightened his clothes, and strode openly toward the village entrance.
"Stop!"
As soon as he approached the entrance to Kusagakure, two Kusagakure Ninja stepped forward to block him, warily looking him up and down, from his Forehead Protector to his clothes. "You're a Konoha Ninja? What business do you have in Kusagakure?"
Bai Lin smiled and replied in an even tone, "I'm a Konoha Ninja, one of Orochimaru's subordinates. I'm here on Lord Orochimaru's orders to discuss a deal with your village."
"Orochimaru?"
The two Kusagakure Ninja exchanged a glance. One nodded, then responded to Bai Lin, "Our village has recently banned outsiders from entering. Since you're a Konoha Ninja and one of Orochimaru's subordinates, we'll need to ask the village chief for permission first. Please wait here for a moment."
Bai Lin nodded at that, showing no sign of displeasure. "Sorry for the trouble."
Once Bai Lin agreed, one of them used the Body Flicker Technique to leave, apparently to ask the village chief for permission.
"Please come with me. Our village chief would like to see you."
It wasn't long before the Kusagakure Ninja who had left hurried back and gestured for Bai Lin to follow.
Bai Lin nodded and followed him toward the center of the village.
The Kusagakure Ninja along the way cast curious or wary looks at him. Many secretly gripped their Ninja tools, clearly on guard against this outsider.
Bai Lin wasn't worried. He watched his surroundings as they walked, committing everything he saw to memory.
"I haven't seen any Uzumaki Clan members. Have they not made their way here yet, or has Kusagakure hidden them away?"
He observed the village, wondering to himself.
He had two reasons for coming to Kusagakure. First, he genuinely wanted to make a deal with the village. Second, he wanted to confirm the Uzumaki Clan's whereabouts.
On one hand, he already had a plan to make money through the System by doing business; on the other, he wanted to make Kushina happy.
As for whether Kusagakure might try to keep him there by force, that was possible.
But he still had the ability to fly in Cursed Seal State Two. The Kusagakure Ninja would never expect him to possess such a rare means of flight, which would let him escape with ease.
Bai Lin shook his head, putting the Uzumaki Clan out of his mind for now.
Whether he could take them away from Kusagakure was a problem in itself. At the very least, he couldn't let anyone find out what he was after.
He was only here to make a deal and earn money. Women would only slow down my money-making!
After passing through several alleys paved with gravel, the two arrived at a large wooden building.
This was probably the Kusagakure village chief's office.
The Ninja opened the door and called inside, "Chief, I've brought the Konoha Ninja."