Land of Hot Water

At an inn near the border of the Land of Iron, Hyuuga Nen sat on the edge of the bed, holding a map.

As he studied the map, Hyuuga Nen wondered where he should go next.

He had finished learning all the ninjutsu his father had left him. Now, the only things that could make him stronger were growing older and the effects of the Cell Activation Forbidden Technique.

"Staying in the Land of Iron won't help me grow stronger. I need to see more kinds of ninjutsu, but where should I go?"

His finger traced the map as he murmured, "The Land of Iron lies in the north of the continent. It's surrounded by three great nations: the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Lightning."

"I'd better avoid the great nations for now, so I don't get into unnecessary trouble."

Hyuuga Nen turned his attention to the countries bordering the Land of Iron.

The Land of Fire lay to the south, and the Land of Waterfalls was to the west. Beyond the Land of Waterfalls lay the Land of Grass, Rika's homeland.

"But the Land of Grass is surrounded by the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Rain. It's also been a battlefield during the Shinobi World War time and again, so going there would be dangerous."

"If I head west, I'll be limited to the Land of Grass and the Land of Waterfalls. Takigakure has a Tailed Beast, and as for the Grass Ninja, even here in the Land of Iron, I sometimes hear about how shamelessly they stab their allies in the back."

"I can rule out going west," Hyuuga Nen added.

Hyuuga Nen shifted his gaze to the east of the Land of Iron. "The Land of Fields." He frowned.

"Orochimaru has already defected from Konoha. I remember he joined the Akatsuki at some point. Is he with the Akatsuki now, or is he in the Land of Fields?"

Hyuuga Nen had no idea when Orochimaru founded Otogakure, so he didn't dare take a chance and enter the Land of Fields.

"To the east of the Land of Fields are the Land of Frost and the Land of Lightning. The Land of Frost has a ninja village, but given the Land of Lightning's domineering ways, it's probably under their control. So there are likely to be ninja from the Land of Lightning there."

Looking at the map in his hands, Hyuuga Nen sighed. He couldn't help feeling that the world was so vast, yet there was nowhere for him to belong.

Hyuuga Nen rested his finger on the Land of Hot Water and considered what he knew about the country.

The Land of Hot Water had a ninja village, but little was known about it. That was probably because it wasn't very strong.

"Though the Land of Hot Water was a battlefield between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, I've hardly heard of it doing anything like the Land of Grass."

"Maybe I can take a boat to the Land of Hot Water. From there, I can continue southeast, where there are many island nations, including the Land of Water, the Land of Sea, the Land of Waves, the Land of Artisans, and the Land of Tea."

"Most importantly, more than half of the island nations over there don't have ninja villages, so they'd be ideal places for me to start. I'll just avoid the Land of Water and operate in the smaller countries nearby."

Having chosen his destination, Hyuuga Nen put away the map, lay down, and rested.

The next morning, in the room, Hyuuga Nen and Taro were saying goodbye.

"Taro, let's part ways here. Where are you planning to go?"

At Hyuuga Nen's question, Taro raised a paw and pointed south.

"You're going to the Land of Fire? Is that where you used to live?" Hyuuga Nen asked, looking at Taro.

Taro nodded, then walked over to Hyuuga Nen and circled him a few times.

Hyuuga Nen crouched down and gently stroked Taro's fur, speaking softly:

"Taro, thank you for protecting my mother and me all these years."

"But I really can't go adventuring with you now. If I do, we could both end up in danger. I'll visit you in the Land of Fire when I get the chance."

Taro looked at Hyuuga Nen, wagged his tail, and licked his hand a few times. Then he turned and strode away.

Watching Taro's retreating figure, Hyuuga Nen sighed to himself. In the end, I'm all alone. I've been in this world for almost fifteen years. It's about time I went out and saw more of it.

Before meeting Rika, Taro had lived in a forest in the Land of Fire and had hardly ever encountered ninja. Even so, Hyuuga Nen couldn't travel with him.

If Hyuuga Nen and Taro traveled together, they would inevitably leave plenty of traces. If someone discovered Hyuuga Nen's identity, Taro would be the first to suffer. Kuromaru and Hyuuga Nen's father might also be dragged into it.

Hyuuga Nen gathered his things and headed for the harbor in the Land of Iron. Once there, he boarded a ship bound for the Land of Hot Water.

A few days later, Hyuuga Nen arrived in the Land of Hot Water. He found a secluded spot and combined the Seal of Resilience with the Transformation Technique to turn himself into an ordinary-looking young man.

When Hyuuga Nen reached the southeastern part of the Land of Hot Water, he immediately noticed the difference. Compared with the northwest, living standards were clearly higher here, and people looked more relaxed.

"The northwest of the Land of Hot Water was a battlefield where the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning fought. The war left it much more desolate, even though it ended more than ten years ago," Hyuuga Nen thought.

Hyuuga Nen planned to stay for a few days. He went to an inn and greeted the owner.

After paying, Hyuuga Nen struck up a casual conversation with the innkeeper.

"Sir, I'm a writer, and I'm gathering material for my next book. Are there any fun places around here you'd recommend?"

The owner complimented Hyuuga Nen before continuing, "Our Land of Hot Water has beautiful scenery and plenty of attractions. The most famous are the many hot springs throughout the country. Once you've tried them, you're sure to love them."

As they chatted, Hyuuga Nen turned the conversation to ninja. Feigning casual interest, he asked, "When I went through the inspection just now, I noticed that the ninja in your country seemed very friendly. They were nothing like the ones I've met in other countries."

"Of course! Yugakure is known as the village that forgot war. The ninja in our village all value peace and dislike killing." The innkeeper sounded rather proud.

From his conversation with the innkeeper, Hyuuga Nen learned that Yugakure's leader was an ordinary person. He was a little surprised, but the owner couldn't explain why, so Hyuuga Nen didn't press the matter.

Finally, the innkeeper said, looking a little nervous, "Most people in our country value peace, but there are still some dangerous people. They formed something called the Jashin Cult. If you run into them, stay away."

When Hyuuga Nen tried to ask more about the Jashin Cult, the owner shook his head frantically and refused to say anything. Not wanting to make him suspicious, Hyuuga Nen said goodbye and returned to his room.