Fortress

Under the radiance of his Primordial Spirit, Bai Sui did not need to experiment or grope in the dark.

Naturally, Bai Sui understood exactly what he was capable of, and among these abilities, the one he valued most was flight.

Although Bai Sui could not truly fly yet, the combined influence of his Divine Sense and Qi allowed him to hover. By leveraging the wind or the ambient Qi of heaven and earth, he could barely manage physical flight, though his speed was sluggish—slower, in fact, than his own walking pace.

Yet, this was flight. The ability to achieve free flight by one's own power was a desire etched deep into the human soul.

Next was his Divine Sense. Without projecting his Primordial Spirit, Bai Sui's current range of perception extended 10 meters around his body.

Within these 10 meters, Bai Sui could manipulate the Qi of heaven and earth at will; aside from not being able to act directly upon physical matter, he could accomplish almost anything.

One could almost consider these 10 meters his private domain. Though he hadn't tested it, Bai Sui felt that within this radius, he could directly disperse or rebound ninjutsu.

Bai Sui was now effectively capable of instant-cast techniques. After all, as long as he willed it, a single thought could reshape the Qi within his range. While he possessed no spells from his past life, the pure application of Qi was sufficient.

Of course, this 10-meter range referred to the area where Bai Sui's Divine Sense could operate in a unified, circular flow.

If he did not form such a domain but instead extended his sense in a single direction, he could reach out a hundred meters. While the precision would drop sharply, everything within a hundred-meter radius could be "seen" by Bai Sui.

He could even extend it further, up to 1,000 meters, though at that range, he could only vaguely perceive the surroundings without seeing clear details.

If he projected his Primordial Spirit, all these ranges would increase a hundredfold, though he would be more vulnerable to injury without the protection of his physical body.

Just then, with a single thought from Bai Sui, the sword previously stuck in the distant ground was lifted by the force of his Qi and flew straight toward him. Upon entering his 10-meter domain, it was guided by his Divine Sense, circled around him, and attached itself to his back.

"Hahahaha! Hahahaha!" At this moment, even a man like Bai Sui felt genuine joy, laughing heartily from the bottom of his heart.

The laughter echoed through the mountain forest, startling flocks of birds from the woods that had just fallen silent.

And so, using that slow but elegant method of travel, Bai Sui drifted back to the small village.

Standing above the village, looking down from afar at the scattered, uneven houses, a peculiar feeling rose in Bai Sui's heart.

"I have been in this world for over ten years, yet I have either been holed up in the Uzumaki Clan Territory or practicing in this small village. Before, I stayed in this chaotic world only because I lacked the strength to protect myself. Now, while I cannot claim to be invincible, I have more than enough to ensure my own safety. It is time to see this world."

Bai Sui was not an impulsive man. Even with the desire to leave, he would not act immediately, but rather make thorough preparations.

First was the arrangement for the village. He had lived here for a long time and held some affection for the place.

He gave his apprentice a final set of instructions and entrusted him with various matters. Whether it would ultimately prove useful, he did not know, but Bai Sui's own conscience was clear.

Afterward, he found Kubota Noriyuki and stated clearly that he was leaving the village to travel.

Kubota Noriyuki, now over forty, felt a desire to follow, but sensing his own aging body, he ultimately said nothing.

Before leaving, Bai Sui infused a strand of earth-attribute Qi into Kubota Noriyuki's body—a parting gift for his old friend.

Bai Sui had a premonition that the two of them would never meet again.

The news of Bai Sui's departure did not cause a stir. Iwai Yasuharu, the apprentice who read Bai Sui's letter, silently took up the mantle of village doctor. Fortunately, Bai Sui had intentionally cultivated him; with his years of experience and the medical texts Bai Sui left behind, he could at least manage to sustain the village.

As for the village, once Iwai Yasuharu fully assumed the role of doctor, they gradually forgot about Bai Sui. After all, what they truly needed was a doctor, not Bai Sui specifically; who held the position was of little importance.

Traveling light, Bai Sui carried only a sword and a cloth bag containing a change of clothes, a few bottles of pre-prepared medicine, and some money.

This money consisted of gifts of gratitude from villagers he had treated in the past, totaling 2 monme of silver and 5,400 mon of copper (1 ryo of gold = 50 monme of silver = 4,000 mon of copper).

At this time, 1 monme of silver equaled 80 mon of copper, making Bai Sui's total funds 68.5 monme of silver.

Based on current prices, the average daily wage for a person was 3 monme of silver, with daily food costing roughly 1 monme and lodging roughly 1 monme, leaving a surplus of 1 monme.

In other words, for lodging alone, Bai Sui could survive for at least 70 days, and even longer if he found cheaper rates.

Bai Sui did not head toward the nearby Land of Fields, but instead toward the Land of Iron in the west. He wanted to first see this nation, protected by samurai who had existed in the Ninja World for thousands of years.

Bai Sui had no specific destination; he simply wanted to tour this land, walk about, and learn more of its customs.

The small village was located on the border between two nations, so it did not take long to reach the Land of Iron.

He was certain of his arrival because, from afar, Bai Sui saw a massive, high-walled fortress.

The fortress was built against a cliff and guarded by countless samurai. Furthermore, even far outside the fortress, many patrolling samurai were visible, clearly projecting a somber atmosphere.

Kubota Noriyuki had once spoken of the situation in the Land of Iron, so Bai Sui was not surprised, merely moved by the hardship of these samurai's existence.

Bai Sui did not hide himself, emerging from the forest and walking toward the fortress gate with a leisurely air.

From a distance, he hadn't noticed, but upon approaching, he discovered some differences.

First, these samurai were not wearing the gas masks from his past-life memories, but standard helmets.

He surmised that the attire seen in the plot was likely a modification made after suffering losses at the hands of Hanzo of the Salamander.

Next was the fortress itself. It was pitch black. From afar, Bai Sui had assumed it was built of earth and stone, but up close, he realized it was constructed entirely of metal, with only a layer of anti-rust coating on the exterior.

This wall is at least 20 meters high and who knows how many miles long, yet it is built of metal. Even if it is just a outer plating, the materials consumed must be astronomical.

Note: The currency of the Warring States period is based on the exchange rate of the Edo period in Japan (1 ryo of gold = 50 monme of silver = 4,000 mon of copper) to distinguish it from the later Hidden Village era.