Rōran

Early the next morning, Uzumaki Gamu and Mito rode a Gray slowly through the sea of sand... Wait, where had the Gray come from?

A Gray, or golem, was an animated doll originating in Judaism, made by imbuing clay with witchcraft. In the Old Testament, the word referred to an unformed or soulless body. Some theologians believed that before God breathed a soul into Adam's body, he was merely soulless flesh, making him a form of golem. And that concluded the introduction to golems!

What Uzumaki Gamu and Mito called a Gray, however, was a new Earth Release ninjutsu Uzumaki Gamu had cooked up himself. It merely looked like a Gray and had nothing to do with actual golems... So what was the point of that introduction? (Padding the word count, obviously~)

Back to the point, this technique was called Earth Release: Golem Technique!

It was modeled after the Earth Release: Golem Technique created by the Second Tsuchikage, Mu.

The original Golem Technique used compressed chakra to manipulate geological elements, forming a colossal puppet to assist in battle. It combined Earth Release's solid, heavy nature with the Summoning Technique's advantage of instant deployment, making it an excellent ninjutsu! Because it required precise control over earth-nature chakra's shape transformation, anyone learning it needed at least jōnin-level mastery of Earth Release. Of the twelve hand seal variations recorded in the future Iwagakure Scroll, only the Tsuchikage's direct disciples could inherit the complete technique-for example, the Leg Kage!

Uzumaki Gamu already possessed every qualification needed to learn this Ninjutsu. With his powerful chakra control, shaping earth-nature chakra was a breeze!!!

After some research and improvements, Uzumaki Gamu successfully created a Gray Technique with similar effects!

So what exactly had he improved? Oh, mainly its appearance. First, instead of a humanoid shape, he had chosen a beast form so it could move on four legs. He had also hollowed out the stone body in the middle, leaving room for passengers. Riding inside was just like sitting in a car. All right, by now, everyone should have figured it out: Uzumaki Gamu had essentially made a sedan that walked on four legs. (What the hell did that have to do with a Gray? He might as well have called it the Four-Wheel Drive Technique!!)

He had developed it mainly because traveling through a desert under the blazing sun was pure torture! (He didn't want to bake in the sun or walk on scorching sand!)

Uzumaki Gamu, who pursued comfort above all else, had no desire to experience being roasted alive. So he had used the easily molded Earth Release to make this thing, then sat inside the stone construct with Mito and had it move-just like riding in an all-terrain vehicle!

That solved the transportation problem, but... what about the heat?

A partly enclosed space like that would be an oven under the sun. Wouldn't they get cooked sitting inside?

Of course not, because Uzumaki Gamu had also used Ice Release!

Ice Release was a kekkei genkai formed by combining water-style chakra and wind-style chakra. Among the many kekkei genkai, it was relatively easy to learn-after all, several villains in the first Naruto movie, Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow, used it! In that movie, Kakashi had even copied an opponent's Ice Release with his Sharingan, successfully using the only Ice Release technique he would ever cast in his life. (Ice Release: One-Horned White Whale: turning the surrounding water into a one-horned ice whale to attack an enemy.)

With all that in mind, Uzumaki Gamu had figured out Ice Release quite easily. (After all, he wasn't developing an offensive ninjutsu. Making a block of ice was simple enough.)

Uzumaki Gamu used Ice Release to freeze a block of ice inside the Gray's cockpit, then continuously blew wind over it with Wind Release. That created a steady circulation of cool air, bringing the cabin to a temperature any normal person would find wonderfully comfortable!

Showing off, Uzumaki Gamu said to Mito, "Well, little sis? Pretty great technique, huh?"

"It's great, sure! But..." Mito covered her forehead. "You're probably the only person in the world who would develop ninjutsu in this direction, Second Brother." Everyone else researched killing power, combat effectiveness, and destructive force. Uzumaki Gamu alone kept developing ninjutsu for his own comfort.

He really was one of a kind!

Uzumaki Gamu replied, "What's so interesting about fighting and killing? The desire for pleasure is what truly drives humanity forward!"

"...If only everyone thought like you, Second Brother!" Mito sighed. "Anyway, where exactly are we going?"

"We came to the Land of Wind to experience the local customs, so... how about finding a village first?" Uzumaki Gamu suggested.

"A village..." Mito replied. "There's no sign of human activity within my sensing range right now. I can't even sense any living things... This country is far too empty!"

"Yeah, that's one of its problems." Uzumaki Gamu considered it. "It has the largest area of the Five Great Nations, but very little usable land. That also makes the links between its cities extremely weak. It's hard to bring them together into a cohesive whole... Seriously, with something as amazing as ninjutsu, has nobody ever thought of transforming the land here?"

Turning desert back into fertile land was extremely difficult, but with something like chakra, it wasn't completely impossible. If they kept at it for a few hundred years, they could reclaim some usable land instead of spending their lives huddled in scattered oases!

"Second Brother, someone's coming!" Mito suddenly warned him. "Three kilometers to the northwest."

Uzumaki Gamu looked in the direction she indicated. "...I see them. Three people, hopping along pretty energetically. They should be shinobi. Are they from yesterday's group?"

Mito shook her head. "I'm not sure, but they seem to be searching for something."

Uzumaki Gamu nodded. "Yeah... They might be looking for us. Either way, let's go ask what they're doing~" They had finally encountered a few people. They couldn't pass up the chance to get some information!

A few minutes later, Uzumaki Gamu looked at the three men kneeling before him and said, "Oh~~ So you really were looking for me... Am I that famous?" After interrogating them, Uzumaki Gamu and Mito had learned that the three had come looking for him.

Of course, they weren't the only ones. That morning, their shinobi organization had suddenly received intelligence that Gamu Uzumaki, the genius shinobi of the Land of Fire's Uzumaki Clan, had entered the Land of Wind for unknown reasons! Along with that information, they had learned that Uzumaki Gamu's bounty was a staggering thirty-five million. In this country, thirty-five million was an enormous sum, enough to drive plenty of people wild with the desire to claim it!

Their entire organization had mobilized for a sweeping search. They had truly... gone completely mad!!

"It feels like someone's deliberately spreading the news that you're here, Second Brother," Mito observed.

"Well, unless something unexpected happened, it's that shinobi organization that found us last night... Not bad. They know how to pit a tiger against the wolves... Trying to use me as their weapon?" Uzumaki Gamu could roughly guess what that organization's leader intended.

"What do we do next?" Mito asked. "A lot of people might come looking for you!"

"Let them come~" Uzumaki Gamu said casually. "I came to this country with friendly intentions. I have nothing against the locals, but if they insist on causing trouble and dying at my hands, I don't mind sending them on their way!" Uzumaki Gamu was no bleeding heart. If people left him alone, he would leave them alone. If they attacked him, he would hit back twice as hard!!

As he spoke, Uzumaki Gamu suddenly entered Sage Mode. Since obtaining the Six Eyes, he had become much faster at entering it, nearly matching Hashirama's speed!

Once in Sage Mode, Uzumaki Gamu raised his right hand. A Rasengan formed in his palm-no, not a Rasengan. A Rasenshuriken!

And it was a Rasenshuriken infused with a special nature transformation!

"Sage Art: Lava Release: Rasenshuriken!!" That was Uzumaki Gamu's new ninjutsu!

Lava Release was a kekkei genkai formed by combining fire- and earth-nature chakra, producing the properties of magma or volcanic bombs. This Sage Art: Lava Release: Rasenshuriken had immense destructive power and a scorching effect. Naruto had also used it, though he had infused his version with chakra from the Four-Tails, Son Goku, making it far more powerful than Uzumaki Gamu's current version!

Once the technique took shape, Uzumaki Gamu simply hurled it.

The three Land of Wind shinobi kneeling on the ground watched the red chakra shuriken fly from Uzumaki Gamu's hand and explode in the nearby desert. Had a new sun appeared?

You came from Dandong and turned me snowy white; now I want some Cantonese food! Uzumaki Gamu's kindness had to be repaid~~ Just kidding!

The three Land of Wind shinobi watched the sphere burst into a sun, then raise an enormous mushroom cloud. When the thick smoke cleared, they discovered... the blasted area had been scorched into crystalline material.

Their jaws nearly hit the ground. As country bumpkins who still fought in close quarters with blades and kunai, they had never seen anything like it!

Was that really a ninjutsu a human could use?

Uzumaki Gamu said to them, "See that? My unrivaled power... I came to the Land of Wind for a vacation. If you dare bother me, I won't mind dropping that technique on your heads... Do you think you could survive it?"

All three hurriedly shook their heads.

"That's right. At your level, you definitely wouldn't survive. I doubt many people in the Land of Wind would... So... why don't you spread the word?" Uzumaki Gamu told them.

"...Huh?" The three were dumbfounded. What did he mean? Was he letting them go?

Uzumaki Gamu continued, "If anyone still dares come looking for trouble after seeing this, let them come! I'll show them the terrifying power of the Land of Fire's Number One Technician!! Get lost!!"

At Uzumaki Gamu's command, the three immediately took to their heels without the slightest hesitation!

Once they had left, Mito looked at Uzumaki Gamu and asked, "Second Brother, did you come out to travel the shinobi world just to show off your power?"

"Huh? Not really. I just wanted to look around, though... I can't say the thought never crossed my mind!" Uzumaki Gamu considered it. "Honestly, I'm pretty envious of Hashirama and Madara... Those two are already famous. Someone like me, who's always holed up at home, probably isn't known by many people. Since someone put a bounty on me, I might as well seize the opportunity to show what I can do and leave legends of yours truly all over the shinobi world!"

"What a rare sight," Mito remarked. "My second brother, who never cared about fame and only wanted to have fun, has finally decided he wants to be famous..."

"Don't make me sound like a little kid~" Uzumaki Gamu complained helplessly. "All right, we got a map of the Land of Wind from those guys. Let's head to the nearest town. Let me see what it's called... Oh? It's actually here!" An intrigued expression appeared on his face.

Mito walked over to look at the map with him. "Is there something special about this place?"

"Uh... Not yet, I guess? Anyway, we'll find out when we get there!" Uzumaki Gamu stared at the map. Written over the place he was looking at was a name: Rōran!

-Preparing ninja tools-

That afternoon, after receiving the report, Reto came to the crater Uzumaki Gamu had blasted into the desert. He stared silently at the sand that had melted and solidified!

After thinking for a while, he asked his deputy, "Are you sure this was caused by that Gamu Uzumaki's ninjutsu?"

"Yes," the deputy replied. "Some of our people were nearby at the time. They saw what looked like a sun appearing, followed by an enormous mushroom-shaped cloud rising into the sky. It was terrifying!"

"...Are all shinobi from the Land of Fire monsters?" Reto frowned. He had already heard that the Land of Fire had produced two young prodigies, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. At only twenty, they were already among the country's finest fighters!

And now... he had to add this Gamu Uzumaki to the list!

To be honest, although he hadn't witnessed the technique himself, the changes it had inflicted on the terrain alone told him how powerful it was.

As far as he knew, the only being currently capable of unleashing an attack stronger than this was their Land of Wind's tailed beast, the One-Tail, Shukaku!

Reto thought bitterly, The Land of Fire has shinobi whose combat power rivals natural disasters. Even if I unite the shinobi forces of the Land of Wind, could we really gain anything at their expense?

Born in the Land of Wind, Reto knew his homeland very well. Poor!

That single word was enough to describe their country's plight. Its barren land couldn't even produce grain. Food had to be purchased from other countries. Many people went hungry every day, and sometimes they couldn't even get water to drink.

Faced with that hardship, Reto had resolved to change things as soon as he was old enough to understand. He would find a way, through his own strength, to give the people of the Land of Wind prosperous lives!

His first task was to truly unite the Land of Wind, which was fragmented among competing powers. After unification, he would have to find a way to acquire the resources needed to change their country's circumstances.

With his long-term plans in mind, Reto had settled on a target from the very beginning: the Land of Fire!

Of the Five Great Nations, the Land of Fire had the richest resources. It was practically swimming in wealth!

That was also why so many powerful ninja clans lived there. The best places were naturally occupied by the strongest people!

Now, however, a cruel reality stood before Reto. The Land of Fire's ninja clans were far stronger than he had anticipated. Even if he unified the Land of Wind, he would struggle to contend with them... What was he supposed to do in the future?

Seeing Reto fall silent, his deputy asked, "Lord Reto, are you worried he'll cause destruction in our Land of Wind?"

"...No, there's no need to worry about that." Reto shook his head. "Judging by how he used this technique here, he knows where to draw the line... At the very least, he understands making an example to warn the others. Someone like that probably isn't a bloodthirsty killer~"

"Then what are you considering, my lord?" the deputy asked curiously.

"How to deal with him..." Reto replied. If he couldn't defeat him through strength, he would use another approach-for instance, establishing a friendship with Uzumaki Gamu, then using that connection to form an alliance with people from the Land of Fire and obtain resources.

It had to be said that while Reto might not have overwhelmingly dominant strength, he had a good political mind... At least, he was much better than Gaara's father!

But how could he establish a friendship with Uzumaki Gamu...? That required some careful thought!

If Uzumaki Gamu had seen Reto pondering this, he would definitely have considered his decision to show off his power with a big move the most brilliant strategic maneuver in history!

Look, the other side had already abandoned the idea of confronting him head-on and was thinking about how to get close to him instead... Sure enough, the bigger fist made the rules!

Respect was always earned through strength!!

Of course, not everyone was as wise as Reto. Some people had developed a keen interest in Uzumaki Gamu and wanted to see just how strong he was.

And we generally called people like that... idiots!

-Preparing ninja tools-

Rōran also had a counterpart on Earth. It was a small kingdom on the Ancient Silk Road, situated west of Lop Nur at a crossroads of the Western Regions. Its territory stretched from the vicinity of Ancient Yang Pass in the east to Niya Ancient City in the west, from the Altun Mountains in the south to Hami in the north. It held an extremely important position on the Ancient Silk Road. Today, only ruins remained.

In the Hokage World, the Ancient Kingdom of Roran appeared in the movie The Lost Tower.

More than a decade before Shippuden, the Ancient Kingdom of Roran was a city-state within the Land of Wind. A mysterious power beneath the city, known as the Dragon Vein, made this urban kingdom extremely wealthy. With that power, it existed independently of Sunagakure and maintained its own military, making it considerably stronger than an ordinary shinobi organization. For certain reasons, however, the Dragon Vein's power went out of control and nearly destroyed the country. To prevent the city from being blown apart by it, the queen at the time decided to seal the Dragon Vein. After that, the city-state lost its protection, became embroiled in warfare, and eventually fell.

Even though the country had fallen, its people survived. They moved elsewhere and started new lives!

Of course, that was several decades in the future. The current Rōran wasn't yet that wealthy Ancient Kingdom of Roran. It was only its predecessor, a place called Rōran Town!

Uzumaki Gamu and Mito reached the outskirts of the town toward evening!

Upon seeing it, Mito exclaimed, "There are actually so many trees around this town? It's completely different from the surrounding landscape!"

The oasis containing Rōran Town could hardly be described as just an oasis anymore. As far as the eye could see, there were tall, straight trees, seas of colorful flowers, and crystal-clear water. Brimming with life and flourishing growth, it looked nothing like a desert! If not for the sea of sand surrounding the town, Mito would have thought she was back in the Land of Fire!

"It's like this because of the Dragon Vein... Little sis, take a careful look underground with your senses," Uzumaki Gamu prompted.

Following his instructions, Mito extended her senses underground and felt... an extraordinarily powerful chakra.

"This is... the Dragon Vein?" Mito exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah," Uzumaki Gamu replied. "The Dragon Vein contains chakra far beyond what's found elsewhere in the earth. It's a place where this planet's power surges out. That power can restore life to dried-out land. It's incredibly potent."

"...The world is vast and full of wonders!" Remembering something Uzumaki Gamu had once said, Mito couldn't help echoing it.

Uzumaki Gamu continued, "Although this power is impressive, it can also destroy this place if used improperly. Well... that said, judging by the current situation, the people here don't know how to use the Dragon Vein's power yet. Most of it is still flowing underground. These plants have simply grown from the energy leaking out."

"This is only the tip of the iceberg? That power is terrifying!" Mito marveled. "Speaking of which, were you so excited about this place because of the Dragon Vein, Second Brother?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty curious about this kind of planetary energy~" Upon seeing the name Rōran, Uzumaki Gamu had remembered the Dragon Vein-and someone else as well: Boruto Uzumaki!

Wait, Boruto had absolutely nothing to do with this movie. Why had he thought of him?

Well, he had mainly remembered one of Boruto's techniques: Rasengan Uzuhiko.

Rasengan Uzuhiko injected chakra into another person's body, where it would rotate along with the planet's rotation. As long as the planet kept spinning, the attack would never stop.

It was a technique that harnessed planetary energy. Honestly, because the concept was rather abstract, Uzumaki Gamu still couldn't figure out how to reproduce it. That was why he wanted to see the Dragon Vein, a manifestation of this planet's energy, with his own eyes. Perhaps it would inspire him to create the technique!

Now that he had seen the Dragon Vein, had Uzumaki Gamu figured out how to use Rasengan Uzuhiko?

I still can't imagine how to make my chakra resonate with the planet's rotation... It's so abstract. Is this a skill exclusive to an Otsutsuki body? Or am I just too stupid? Uzumaki Gamu sincerely marveled that Boruto really was a prodigy to have come up with a technique like that.

Well, if I can't figure it out, then I can't figure it out! It's not like I don't have other techniques. Ever optimistic, Uzumaki Gamu set that move aside and devoted himself to sightseeing. The brother and sister entered the town disguised as ordinary travelers and began exploring the new map!

What neither of them knew was that a group of bandit-like fellows was heading toward the town... It looked as though things would get very lively here tonight!