Kazemori Masaki and his companions were standing on the outskirts of the Ninshu Ruins, watching as sections of the site slowly emerged. Although he had deliberately tried to minimize the damage, the Blue Dragon he had used in his battle with Kakuzu had still placed tremendous strain on the rock face, forcing the excavators to work even more cautiously.
Fortunately, Hyuga Qi's Byakugan could easily see through the rock face and distinguish solid sections from hollow ones, revealing which areas were weaker. Under his guidance, the excavation proceeded without incident. As the Ninshu Ruins drew closer to being uncovered, Kazemori Masaki could feel his anticipation mounting.
"Mr. Kazemori, are you nervous?" Kana suddenly asked beside him. When Kazemori Masaki turned his head, he saw a certain eagerness in her eyes.
"Of course I am," Kazemori Masaki replied.
"So am I." Kana took a deep breath, as though trying to calm herself. "I wonder what these thousand-year-old Ninshu Ruins will look like. I've only ever read about Ninshu in books. This is my first chance to see the real thing. I can hardly wait."
"I understand. I'm looking forward to it too." Kazemori Masaki nodded slightly.
Even the others were curious about what had once been the state religion practiced across the Shinobi Continent a thousand years ago. Though they normally professed no interest whatsoever, Tsunade and the others were now quietly discussing what the Ninshu Ruins might look like, leaving Kazemori Masaki struggling not to laugh.
"It would be wonderful if this made them come to like Ninshu too." Kana glanced at the three youngsters discussing it and smiled at Kazemori Masaki.
"Yes. Even if they don't become followers of Ninshu, I hope they can understand some of the valuable ideas in the Ninshu Doctrine and develop sound moral principles,"