Several days later—Ninja World—deep within a dense forest somewhere in the Land of Iron
Moonlight filtered through gaps in the dense forest, casting mottled shadows across the dry riverbed.
The surroundings were silent, save for the occasional birdcall and the rustling of leaves in the wind.
The nearest town was hundreds of miles away, and few people ever came here.
The Land of Iron was a neutral nation, with no battlefield and no spies from the various ninja factions—making it the perfect place for a secret base.
Tianyi's figure appeared out of thin air in the middle of the riverbed.
He surveyed the surroundings and activated his Byakugan. There were no chakra signatures within several miles.
He took several dozen specially made kunai from his robes and began placing them along the edge of the riverbed.
Each kunai bore a Flying Thunder God Mark. He buried them in the soil and covered them with a layer of fallen leaves, leaving no visible trace on the surface.
Trap formulas were layered around the kunai one after another: explosive tags, alarm barriers, illusion formations—three layers of defense, enough to stop any beast or lost traveler that wandered in by accident.
After finishing the setup, he returned to the center of the riverbed, sat cross-legged, and took out the Book of Ten Thousand Worlds.
The pages opened, and light flared.
A moment later, space distorted slightly, and twelve figures appeared out of thin air on the riverbed.
Wang Qiang stood at the front, his military uniform crisp and his expression resolute.
He stepped forward, raised his hand in a salute, and said in a booming voice:
"Captain Tianyi, Thunder Squad: twelve expected, twelve present! Report complete, awaiting orders!"
Tianyi rose and returned the salute. He raised his wrist and checked the time.
"Synchronize