Arriving at the Stone Village

The mountains were yellow and barren, with coarse gravel on the ground that felt like walking on rocks.

Deidara and Kurotsuchi were also in the delegation, and the two little ones were very excited.

Kurotsuchi's face had become a bit rounder.

Deidara actually lost weight.

He now believes that Iwagakure is the most beautiful place in the world.

Mainly because it's quiet there.

However, after spending so much time in Leaf Village, he found that the people of Leaf Village were very kind, unlike what he had previously imagined.

Although they were enemies, I didn't feel much ill will towards them.

If you don't go out, there are really many things you won't know.

For example, the Grass Ninja, who were thought to lack the courage to bare their teeth, actually displayed a very ferocious side, meaning their skills were subpar and all they could do was bare their teeth.

The Leaf Village, which was considered very fierce, was actually quite magnanimous.

But what impressed him most was the White Ghost of Leaf Village.

The White Ghost's power is despair-inducing.

Deidara believed that to counter such Ninjutsu, one must possess extreme destructive power.

Having surveyed the entire Iwagakure, only Dust Release remained.

That skill, apart from his master, is something no one else knows how to do.

"We've discovered a lake!" someone in the delegation exclaimed.

Deidara glanced at it.

A lake appeared not far away, its intoxicating blue color standing out against the desolate landscape.

That's right, it's Cold Lake, then we'll be almost at Iwagakure.

"Deidara, is this the way?" Uchiha Shingen asked.

"Yes, just follow the river until you see a town, then we'll be there," Deidara said.

Uchiha Shingen nodded, waved his hand, and the delegation continued forward.

Fortunately, since everyone was a ninja, and there were no big or small vehicles, they were all good men with swift feet, so their travel speed was reliable.

According to the units of length on Blue Star, after the delegation crossed the lake, they traveled north along the river for about fifteen kilometers and came to see an abandoned town. To the right of this town, a misty mountain range rose up.

As the clouds moved across the sky and the sunlight changed, the colors of the mountains shifted from yellow to black in an instant. The wind blowing from the other side of the mountains swept up the sand and gravel, creating the unique stone rain that was characteristic of the Land of Earth.

Having grown accustomed to this kind of weather, the crowd sought refuge from the "rain" in the small town.

Upon entering the house and looking out the window, the mountains receded into the distance, and the world seemed to merge into a hazy, indistinct expanse, as if one had entered another world.

The "rain" came quickly and went even faster, soon subsiding as the wind died down.

As the group left the large house, the air was filled with dust, which was unpleasant. They prepared to continue their journey into the mountains, but then a group of Rock Ninja emerged from the hazy air ahead.

The Rock Ninja's gazes first fell on Deidara and Kurotsuchi in the crowd.

Then their attention fell on Uchiha Shingen, and they saw his face clearly. Among the several Rock Ninja, one particularly burly man stepped forward.

"The envoys from Leaf Village have come a long way and have had a long journey. I am Kitsuchi, here to guide you."

The image of Kitsuchi perfectly matches the stereotypical image of Rock Ninja from the outside world.

His face was weathered, with strong features, bright eyes, and short, stiff hair. He stood motionless in the wind, like a rock rooted to the ground, unmoved by wind or rain.

This man, as hard as a rock, had a cold, stern gaze.

Kurotsuchi's eyes lit up when he saw his father.

However, her time in Leaf Village taught her to control herself.

Many seasoned veterans in the Leaf Village delegation also brightened up and were eager to offer their opinions.

This is actually not a good habit. When Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, the village was not very peaceful. Before White Fang and the Legendary Sannin grew up, the village's strategy was always very cautious, avoiding fighting if possible. So, in order to serve this purpose, the Doves got used to giving everyone a basketful of free nice words first.

Kitsuchi is no ordinary person; he is the son of the Tsuchikage and a "Tsuchikage- level" ninja from Iwagakure, making him one of Leaf Village's key targets.

However, before the old pigeons could speak, Uchiha Shingen spoke first.

"Thank you for your trouble. Please lead the way."

As he spoke, he glanced back at the old pigeons, his expression helpless.

The old pigeons were somewhat disappointed, realizing they had been a bit reckless earlier.

Mainly, it's been too long since I've performed well, and my mouth is itching to try something new.

Leaf Village won the two wars after the Third Shinobi World War quite decisively, which made the enemy even more eager for a ceasefire, as they had all the skills they needed but no opportunity to use them.

People who are Doves aren't necessarily doves at heart; they might just be looking to make some extra money.

Uchiha Shingen didn't really want these people, but he knew it was a normal situation. These old pigeons had many friends, and the Uchiha Clan wasn't exactly strangers to them.

During the most difficult time for the Uchiha Clan, it was these old pigeons who were truly loyal to them.

So although it's troublesome, we have no choice but to accept it.

Guided by the Kitsuchi, the group continued their journey.

As the group ventured into the mountains, speeding along for a while, the surrounding air began to become humid.

After running out of a thicket, a grassy lake appeared before my eyes. As far as the eye could see, the grass was lush and the birds were singing. Fish were playing in the water and flocks of birds were flying. Under the blue sky and white clouds, the grassy lake stretched into the distance.

Uchiha Shingen had never been to Iwagakure, but he remembered that the Iwagakure was built in the mountains at the source of a great river to ensure its defense and abundant water supply.

Judging from this grassy lake, the environment is really quite nice.

Uchiha Shingen stopped in his tracks, and the Leaf Village members behind him also stopped.

"Lord Shingen, would you like to rest for a while?" Kitsuchi Tu stopped when he saw this, guessing that Uchiha Shingen might like the scenery here.

"Lord Tsuchikage has come in person, of course I must wait," said Uchiha Shingen, his gaze fixed on the sky.

Kitsuchi was taken aback for a moment, then realized what was happening and looked up at the sky just like Uchiha Shingen.

Chapter Fifteen: Arrival at Iwagakure

After that battle, Uchiha Shingen saw Ōnoki again.

In Uchiha Shingen's view, the Third Tsuchikage's flight was urgent.

Having fought a battle before, their flight speed must have reached a relatively high value at that time. By comparison, the speed that Ōnoki is currently displaying is roughly at his full power.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, a black dot first appeared in the sky, and soon the dot magnified to the point that people on the ground could clearly see that it was a person.

As Ōnoki's figure gradually became clearer, the Rock Ninja present unconsciously revealed a sense of admiration in their eyes.

Kitsuchi was an exception; he had his back to the people of Leaf Village, and his eyes were filled with a look of utter dismay.

He felt that he and his father were simply not on the same wavelength.

The two always had opposing views on various matters.

In Kitsuchi's view, the fact that Leaf Village sent a ninja like Leaf Village White Ghost as the chief envoy meant that Leaf Village's diplomatic strategy during the Fourth Hokage's era was to adopt a hardline approach. Under such circumstances, as the Tsuchikage, Ōnoki should have received him in the Tsuchikage's office.

How long had he been gone? The old man flew over on his own.

"It's been a long time, Uchiha Shingen." Ōnoki floated in front of the group, his eyes seemingly only on Uchiha Shingen, and the old man's expression was surprisingly kind.

After all, he spotted the two little guys behind Uchiha Shingen at a glance.

I feel more at ease now.

When I'm in a better mood, my tone softens and I become less aggressive.

"Have you given my suggestion a proper consideration?" Ōnoki asked with a smile, stroking his beard. "Iwagakure welcomes the Uchiha Clan."

The Rock Ninja, who had initially felt somewhat humiliated by the Tsuchikage personally greeting them, suddenly realized what was going on.

They felt they understood.

The Third's condescension was not due to Hidden Leaf Village, but rather because he wanted to recruit the Uchiha Clan.

That's fine then. That's how recruitment works: show sincerity, agree on a price, and then join.

Uchiha Shingen inflicted heavy losses on the Rock Ninja army on the battlefield, single-handedly annihilating thousands of them. However, no one in the village hated Uchiha Shingen, mainly because he was too strong; hatred was futile.

Kitsuchi's gaze became even more pained.

Isn't this just asking for trouble?

In Kitsuchi's heart, there is a dream—to destroy Kumogakure.

Leaf Village was the most suitable ally in his mind.

As long as Iwagakure and Leaf Village achieve a long-term peace of non-hostility, Iwagakure can be quite adept at maneuvering. To the south, they can bully Sand Village on a daily basis, and to the north, they can join forces with Leaf Village to fight Cloud Village. The joy of Iwagakure is that monotonous and simple.

"I haven't considered it." Uchiha Shingen shook his head. "Lord Tsuchikage, this move is terrible."

"Hmph, what a greedy little fellow." Ōnoki scoffed. "In that case, I'll wait for you in the Tsuchikage's office."

After saying that, the old man flew away again with a "BIU".

"Lord Kitsuchi." Uchiha Shingen glanced at Kitsuchi, "Is your Tsuchikage really this mischievous?"

"Lord Tsuchikage is a free spirit, sometimes he can be like this," Kitsuchi said, controlling his expression. "Everyone, please."

After saying that, he turned around and continued leading the way.

An old pigeon approached Uchiha Shingen and nudged his arm.

"What's wrong, Uncle?" Uchiha Shingen turned around and asked.

"Young Shingen, Ōnoki isn't quite what I imagined," the old pigeon said. "Looks like he has potential."

The old pigeon comes from the Shimura Clan.

Although it sounds funny, the Shimura Clan and the Inuzuka Clan are the opposite; the entire clan is basically made up of pigeons.

The only exception was Shimura Danzō.

He was also one of the legendary old spies from Hidden Leaf Village in the Hokage Building Danzo order to help the Uchiha Clan.

It is said that Danzo that his face turned blue, but there was nothing he could do.

After all, in terms of seniority, Danzo should call him uncle.

"Uncle, he's just like you think. Don't say anything out of line later. This old man is cunning." Uchiha Shingen sighed. "He's here to vent his anger by teasing people."

"That can't be..." Old Pigeon was skeptical. "People who act as shadows, how could they be so bored?"

"You've met the First, what did you think of him?"

The old pigeon choked immediately.

"Sigh, you young people, you just love listening to gossip. Don't believe those stories written in those novels. Actually, the First Lord was quite a good person." He muttered, then shrunk back with a sullen look on his face.

Uchiha Shingen's words reminded him that, because he was so used to Sarutobi Hiruzen's art style, he had almost forgotten that a Kage could be really boring.

Several old ninja clans in the village knew that the First Hokage was truly a good person, but many things about him were simply hard to explain.

It's just that he can't beat him, otherwise he would have been beaten up long ago.

Following the Rock Ninja, the Leaf Village delegation crossed the grassland lake region and re-entered the mountains. This time, they did not travel far before finally seeing Iwagakure.

Unlike Hidden Leaf Village, Iwagakure has no walls.

Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. Iwagakure is located in the mountains, and all the Rock Ninja Earth Release, so what's the point of building walls?

However, Iwagakure still has a gate.

After all, the buildings here are connected by bridges.

The so-called gate is the entrance to the main bridge that connects to the mountain.

When the Leaf Village delegation arrived, Iwagakure had already made the necessary preparations to welcome them.

The level of formality that an envoy can accept generally depends not only on the village's status but also, and more importantly, on the envoy's status.

Facing Uchiha Shingen, a "Kage Level" figure, Iwagakure displayed the appropriate level of discipline.

As the delegation walked across the main bridge, they could see that the surrounding suspension bridges were also filled with Iwagakure ninjas and ordinary villagers, with flower petals falling from above and fireworks going off in the village.