In Full Swing

"Ha!" "Ha!" "Ha!" "Ha!"

On the training grounds of the Hidden Sand Village Ninja Academy, several hundred children punched in perfect unison. Leading them at the front were the Kazekage's disciple Hidan and Hidden Leaf Village "exchange student" Might Guy. Their punches were well-formed and forceful, cutting through the air with fierce momentum.

The Hidden Sand Village Ninja Academy's taijutsu instructor was the "foreign teacher," Might Duy. Thanks to his outstanding performances in the last two battles, this lean, bearded ninja had won the approval of parents and students alike. The Kazekage had even personally hired Might Duy to join the textbook editorial team as an editor for taijutsu materials.

Jing Hang placed enormous importance on taijutsu. He knew full well that taijutsu was the measure of a ninja's basic qualities, and that its strength played an absolutely crucial role in a ninja's survival rate on the battlefield. This view had received wholehearted approval from older-generation ninjas such as Ebizo and Chiyo. Naturally, ninjas lived by the blade and rolled through piles of corpses—without a few solid fighting skills, they simply would not survive. After all, ninjas with bloodline limits and inherited secret techniques were a minority. Relying solely on flashy tactics and schemes? Forget it. Without real skill, all of that was nonsense. Besides, given enough time, who could not learn such things? Look at the Kage Level powerhouses of the First Shinobi War—Hashirama, Madara Uchiha, A, Reto, Gengetsu Hozuki, Mu. Which one of them was not a taijutsu master? Which one was not a hero capable of tearing apart tigers and leopards barehanded and crushing white stone beneath their feet?

Whether one had a solid taijutsu foundation depended on these years at the Ninja Academy. In his Education Reform Plan, Jing Hang had raised taijutsu and physical conditioning to a whole new level, even making taijutsu one of the mandatory graduation exam subjects. To that end, he had changed the usual six-year Ninja Academy system into a seven-year system, all to secure one more year for laying a firm taijutsu foundation. Even more outrageously, Jing Hang had ordered Ebizo to establish a dedicated taijutsu research office and taijutsu textbook editorial office. They collected and organized the unique taijutsu styles and finishing moves of every clan, then quickly compiled a series of Sunagakure-exclusive taijutsu techniques that could be progressively learned at different ages. Under Jing Hang's guiding principles, these techniques cut away as many unnecessary movements as possible and cared nothing for visual elegance. Every movement and technique was based on real combat, emphasizing simplicity and efficiency. If one move could defeat the enemy, there was no need for two. If they could be killed, there was no need to cripple them. These were pure killing techniques! Jing Hang had even given this martial art a mighty name—Krav Maga.

"Stop. That concludes today's technique practice. My teaching methods may differ somewhat from what you studied before, but I hope everyone remembers one principle: techniques are dead, but people are alive. You never know where your opponent's next punch will strike. The speed of thought is often slower than the speed of reaction, so I believe the most important thing is to make your muscles and body develop memory. When facing different situations, your body should instinctively choose the most correct response. For example..." Before he finished speaking, Might Duy lashed a whipping kick toward Hidan. Hidan instinctively ducked low, spun around, and swept out with a leg sweep.

"Very good!" Might Duy lightly leaped over the attack. "Everyone, look. Hidan's response was very correct. He chose to duck beneath the attack rather than block it with his elbow, because a whipping kick carries tremendous force. If I had used my full strength just now and he had blocked with his elbow, that arm would most likely have broken. Then he would have lost at least half his combat strength. Ducking not only requires less movement, it is also very effective and allows for an immediate counterattack at the fastest speed. Everyone, give Hidan a round of applause!"

Amid the applause, Hidan scratched his head awkwardly.

"All right, pair up and begin sparring. Start!"

Compared to the peaceful development of Hidden Sand Village, the war outside the village was raging fiercely.

The war between Hidden Stone Village and Hidden Cloud Village had entered its most intense stage. Both sides suffered losses in the battle at Grey Crow Crossing. The Third Tsuchikage had intended to retreat in order to lure the enemy deeper in, but the Third Raikage was experienced and steady, advancing step by step. Neither side would yield, and the conflict once again fell into a stalemate. Their resources, wealth, and manpower were being constantly drained. The prices of kunai, shuriken, and explosive tags produced by the Land of Crafts had directly doubled, while both nations' treasuries were gradually drying up.

By comparison, Hidden Leaf Village was relatively relaxed and under little pressure. Having won two consecutive campaigns in Hidden Rain Village and formed an alliance with Sunagakure to the west, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, could calmly redeploy his forces and consolidate internally. He sat securely and waited for the right moment to intervene in the conflict between Hidden Stone Village and Hidden Cloud Village, deciding the balance of power with a single blow.

However, Hidden Mist Village in the east remained restless. After its failed sneak attack on Sunagakure, it turned its attention toward Hidden Leaf Village, repeatedly provoking border conflicts. Not long ago, it had even attacked the Hyuga Clan, killing a main-family ninja named Moyue Hyuga and stealing one Byakugan. (No need to doubt it—that was Ao's eye.) This shameless act of banditry thoroughly enraged the Hyuga Clan, one of Hidden Leaf Village's great clans. The Hyuga patriarch immediately petitioned the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, for permission to launch an expedition against Hidden Mist Village and reclaim the Byakugan! This gave Hiruzen a terrible headache. If he fought, his troops would have to travel a long distance, much of it by water, making losses likely. Moreover, Hidden Mist Village was poor and had little worth taking, so the cost would outweigh the gain. If he did not fight, he would easily offend the powerful clans within the village and damage its unity. Left with no choice, Hiruzen Sarutobi chose a compromise. On one hand, he issued Hidden Mist Village an extremely stern diplomatic note. On the other, he openly organized a powerful punitive force led by Hiashi Hyuga and Orochimaru, sweeping away every covert landing base Hidden Mist Village had established along the coast. This greatly eased the Hyuga Clan's dissatisfaction and also curbed Hidden Mist Village's arrogance.

During this period, the only real beneficiary was the Hidden Sand Village led by Jing Hang. Not only had it stayed far from the battlefield and withdrawn early from the war, it had also shamelessly secured an interest-free loan of two hundred million ryo from Hidden Leaf Village. After crushing Hidden Mist Village's sneak-attack scheme, the entire village worked at full capacity under Jing Hang's leadership. Construction in Moon Lake New District flourished, while the Hourglass Ninja Tools Factory and cannery in Hidden Rain Village opened up their markets, with sales soaring. Damascus Ninja Blades and canned pork, fish, and peaches had become star products, receiving especially large orders from Hidden Stone Village and Hidden Cloud Village, where the war was at its height, earning the village a tremendous amount of foreign currency. Just as Rasa was making a fortune, he received instructions from Jing Hang to launch two new products—tactical boots and tactical vests. As soon as they were released, they were welcomed by ninjas from every nation and sold out immediately upon hitting the market. Hourglass-brand ninja tools had become synonymous with premium ninja tools.

Meanwhile, the Desert Expressway Construction Bureau organized by Garukei was officially established. The construction research division, with six Crystal Release ninjas from the Wuzhong Clan as its main force, had successfully tested the construction of the Crystal Tunnel. The expressway connecting Hidden Sand Village and Moon Lake New District—the Sand-Moon Expressway—had officially begun construction and was expected to be completed within two years. Maki, the highest administrative official of Moon Lake New District, appointed Shazhou Tuo, the chieftain of the newly allied Sandboat Clan, as director of the Logistics Bureau. Using the Sandboat Clan's unique summoned beasts, camels, he would transport supplies and provide logistical support for the expressway construction bureau.

As a popular saying in Hidden Sand Village went: outside, the fighting raged; inside, construction was in full swing.