The Land of Waterfalls was called a country, but in reality, it only had one modest-sized ninja village, and its population was not exactly thriving.
Especially after Lord Kakuzu had gone on a killing spree, if it had not clung to Konoha early on and become an allied country of the Land of Fire, it was hard to say whether it could have maintained its national dignity, let alone kept a Tailed Beast.
The terrain around Takigakure was extremely unusual. As its name suggested, it was a land of waterfalls, surrounded on all sides by steep, towering mountains. Anyone trying to climb in would fall into a massive Sealing Illusion.
Takigakure itself was hidden behind one of the waterfalls. Without an experienced guide, it was practically impossible to find the way in.
Of course, none of that was a problem for powerful ninja. In the Shinobi World, people who could smash mountains with a single punch were nothing rare. Lord Kakuzu, the rogue ninja of the Land of Waterfalls, could do it, for instance.
Along the way, Retsuo repeatedly tested Xiaomi, and Xiaomi tested Retsuo in return.
Ninja were best at gathering and analyzing intelligence. Every student at the Ninja Academy had to undergo professional intelligence training. After all their probing, both sides concluded that the other was an old schemer.
The three of them encountered several groups of bandits and rogue ninja. During their brief clashes, Xiaomi took turns using ninjutsu of all five Chakra natures.
Mastery of Five Chakra Natures was itself an achievement that placed someone among the elite of the Shinobi World. It represented complete mastery of the transformation of Chakra nature. The number of ninja across all the great villages who had achieved it probably did not exceed fifty.
Retsuo showed no reaction on the