Who Does He Think He Is, Demanding My Sharingan?

The Land of Grass.

A small nation caught between great powers, destined to be their chessboard and battlefield, struggling to survive and fated never to grow strong. But...

That was exactly what Shinji valued.

A battlefield for the great powers. What better foundation could he ask for? To the east lay the Land of Fire; to the west, the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind. And to the south was an even more interesting neighbor—

The Land of Rain!

Exactly.

Shinji would have to be out of his mind to obediently carry out Hiruzen Sarutobi's mission to investigate the Akatsuki.

Even if Uzuki Yugao had never proposed "special training," he would have found some roundabout way to reach the Land of Grass.

On this trip,

Shinji had set himself a few modest goals...

His first target was Orochimaru. That goal was half complete; the other half involved researching Wood Release, Hashirama Cells, and whether they could be used more broadly...

His second target was here.

Kusagakure... No!

From now on, it should be called the Reed Hideout!

"What a peculiar village..."

The village in the distance was small, but it left an impression.

A pitch-black tower like a castle rose at its center, enclosed by high walls that gave it a sinister air. Beyond those walls stood ordinary village buildings.

At the outermost edge sprawled a shantytown of thatched huts, home to all sorts of refugees, wandering ninja, exiles, and mercenary ninja.

According to Kakashi, tiny Kusagakure had no fewer than three underground Bounty Stations...

After watching for a while,

Shinji leaped down from his vantage point and headed toward Kusagakure.

Meanwhile,

another group was approaching Kusagakure from a different direction.

The one in front wore a snow-white, high-collared robe that revealed only the upper half of his