Lush mountains rose all around them, a wilderness of green hills and clear waters that gave no hint of the shinobi village hidden deep in the forest, whose very name struck terror throughout the shinobi world.
If not for the main road that Konoha Shinobi Village was building specifically to connect it to the Capital of the Land of Fire, Ishikawa, the First Tsuchikage, might have lost his way.
When establishing his own shinobi village, Ishikawa had gathered intelligence on the major villages of other nations.
He had paid particular attention to Konoha Shinobi Village in the Land of Fire.
Rumor had it that the Senju Clan's Princess possessed unparalleled healing abilities, but the healing techniques and other details remained vague.
Ishikawa could no longer afford to worry about that. His trusted guard, Mu, was too severely injured. As long as there was hope, he refused to give up.
Thus, Ishikawa had taken the initiative to request a visit to Konoha and proposed an alliance.
He hoped this gesture would secure Konoha's help.
On a gravel road, however, Ishikawa came face-to-face with the Konoha delegation that had come out to welcome him personally.
Hashirama Senju had enthusiastically led a group of Konoha High Command members out to greet Ishikawa.
He had no choice. The giant hogweed Yanbai had created was simply too terrifying, and it was an extremely aggressive plant.
Giant hogweed was not only highly aggressive toward humans and animals; it also stole nutrients and sunlight from the surrounding plants, crowding out the vegetation that had originally grown there.
As a result, Hashirama Senju had classified this vile Wood Release ninjutsu of Yanbai's as a forbidden technique in Konoha.
Unless absolutely necessary, Hashirama Senju strictly prohibited Yanbai from using Wood Release: Giant Hogweed on their own territory.
Now, to