The border of the Land of Bears
A four-person ninja squad rested in the shade of a tree on the mountain.
They were all wearing Star Ninja Forehead Protector. The leader was a bald middle-aged man, while the others looked like children.
The bald man is named Yotaka, and is one of the current Hoshikage's capable assistants. The other three are Subaru, Hokuto, and Sanren.
Subaruboshi has black hair and brown eyes, and is very handsome; Hokuto Star is a girl with brown hair, and is very cute; while the Sanrensei is rather thin, with bluish-purple hair and brown eyes.
The Sanrensei looked extremely weak. After drinking the water offered by the Hokuto Star, they leaned against a tree, gazing at the endless yellow sands of the Land of Wind across the way. "Lord Yotaka, the environment in the Land of Wind is so harsh, is it really necessary for us to go there?"
Even while resting, Yotaka remained vigilant. "This is Lord Hoshikage's order. Don't ask why."
Subaruboshi looked at Sanrensei, who was sweating profusely, and asked, " Sanren, are you alright? If it's really bad, you should stop Xing's training."
Hokuto Star patted Sanrensei's head. " Sanren, your head is so hot. The star's erosion has gotten worse."
Sanrensei took a few deep breaths. "There's nothing I can do. My talent isn't as good as yours, but what does my own life matter for the sake of Hoshigakure!"
Seeing that the Sanrensei had this realization, Yotaka added, "Stars are a gift from heaven, and not everyone can withstand their immense power. However, as long as one can fully master the Mysterious Peacock Method, one's strength can rival that of a Shadow."
Sanrensei asked, "Completely mastering the power of stars? Does such a being exist?"
Yotaka nodded emphatically. "That's right, the Third Hoshikage perfectly mastered the power of the stars. During the decades he Hoshigakure, he repelled invasions many times. It's unimaginable how powerful he was."
Ninjas who could survive in the chaos of decades ago were all extremely powerful individuals. It was only because of his advanced age that Hoshikage was assassinated.
Yotaka continued, "While personal qualities are part of mastering the power of the stars, willpower remains the decisive factor. Once you've mastered the power of the stars, you won't need to learn Ninjutsu anymore."
Subaru asked with concern, "Captain Yotaka, so many ninjas have come to the village recently. What are they up to?"
Hokuto Star chimed in, "Yeah, those ninjas all look terrifying."
Yotaka said, "They're just mercenaries. The Fourth Hoshikage received intelligence that the assassin of the Lord Third was likely missing-nin from many years ago, Natsuhiboshi, who was hiding on the border of the Land of Wind. To eliminate the danger, they hired them. Once Natsuhiboshi is captured, they will naturally leave."
Under the pretense of searching for the missing-nin Natsuhiboshi, Hoshigakure actually allied with mercenaries to constantly probe the Land of Wind in order to assess the strength of Sunagakure Sunagakure predict its current situation.
Subaruboshi asked, "Captain Yotaka, is that Natsuhiboshi you mentioned very powerful?"
Yotaka nodded, his eyes filled with complex emotions. " Natsuhiboshi is one of the three individuals in the history of Hoshigakure who perfectly combined the power of the stars and fully mastered the Mysterious Peacock Method. Their combat strength is so formidable that even Lord Hoshikage could not defeat them alone."
"Even Hoshikage couldn't defeat him directly?"
"That's right, that's why we recruit mercenaries."
"Lord Yotaka! Look over there! Is that a sandstorm?!"
Suddenly, Hokuto Star saw something, stood up, and pointed to the territory of the Land of Wind. Everyone looked over and saw the desert in the distance churning up sand and dust.
Yotaka, who patrolled the borders of the Land of Bears year-round, had naturally seen sandstorms before, but the scene before him was definitely not a sandstorm. "It's not a sandstorm, it's something else."
The three children stood up and observed carefully. "Captain Yotaka, look, isn't that a ship?"
"Boat?"
Yotaka squinted, and sure enough, ahead of the sandstorm, there was a yellow sailboat speeding along, the billowing sand rising from it. "How could a ship appear in the desert? What's going on?"
The newcomers were none other than Hongshi and his companions. Looking at the rapidly receding scenery, Temari couldn't help but exclaim, " Hongshi-kun, you have an incredible amount of Chakra! Maintaining the Desert Boat for five consecutive days, aren't you tired?"
As soon as the words were spoken, the Desert Boat shuddered and began to gradually disintegrate.
Hongshi: "Zzzz."
"Σ(ﾟ∀ﾟﾉ) Oh my god! What's wrong with you! When did Hongshi fall asleep?!"
Shino said calmly, "Don't you know that when he's not talking, he's asleep?"
Hōryūsai had been meditating in a seated position, opened his eyes. "This ship is going to be lost, we need to get out of here quickly."
Having said that, he hoisted the Hongshi, which had fallen into a deep sleep, onto his shoulder, leaped away, and left.
Temari and Shino didn't linger any longer, leaving the bow a second before the Desert Boat completely collapsed.
"Boom!"
The Desert Boat was completely reduced to a sand dune, and the group had just entered the border of the Land of Bears.
The endless yellow sands of the Land of Wind stand in stark contrast to the verdant mountains of the Land of Bears, making the border between the two countries immediately clear.
"Ding ding ding!"
Temari pounded Hongshi's head repeatedly with her Great Sickle Weasel Fan, but it had no effect. "That bastard! He messes up at the crucial moment! What are we going to do now?"
Shino patted the yellow sand off his clothes. "Finally, we've reached a place with greenery again. Let me carry you, let's eat and rest first."
"What? Dinner's ready? Put me down!"
As soon as Hongshi heard that dinner was served, his eyes lit up and he woke up from his sleep.
Temari: "..."
"There's a Star Ninja squad over there, heading towards us now?" Hōryūsai pointed to the right, then to the left. "There's a four-man mercenary ninja squad coming over here soon, Captain Temari. What should we do?"
Upon hearing this, Temari snorted coldly, "Hmph, let them witness the power of the Sunagakure, avenge those two squads from before, and I also want to see your power as the strongest of the Thirteen Nuclear Guardian Pillars."
Hōryūsai, still leaning on his cane and squinting, said, "Well, since that's the case, then this old man will stretch his muscles first."
Hōryūsai slowly took off his haori, revealing his upper body covered in scars.
Temari: "Damn, the scars you drew are way too exaggerated! You used a brush? Do you think we're idiots?!"
"Swish, swish, swish!"
Four figures, dressed in different clothes and armed with different weapons, leaped out from the left side of the group and approached rapidly.
"We actually managed to run into each other! Now we've got a reward! Hahaha!"
Temari looked at Hōryūsai, who stood frozen like a statue, and asked, "Aren't you going to draw your sword?"
"Draw your sword?" Hōryūsai chuckled lightly. "These ants aren't even worthy of staining my sword with their blood."
"Click click click"
Where Hōryūsai stood, the pebbles and yellow sand on the ground began to tremble. His hands quickly Hand Seals: " Fire Style: Unrivaled Flame Explosion!"
Hongshi: "Σ(ﾟ∀ﾟﾉ) Hōryūsai, you're on fire!"
Hōryūsai's entire body erupted in intense white flames, instantly raising the temperature in the air. This technique was Nintaijutsu he had developed on his own, using the nature of flames—"high temperature" and "burning"—to enhance his own abilities and unleash extremely strong combat capabilities.
"That old man is very strange, everyone..."
"Boom!"
Before the hired ninja could finish speaking, Hōryūsai vanished and reappeared in front of him, throwing a right punch that instantly engulfed the ninja in a fireball.
"Boom boom boom!"
With the simplest Body Flicker Technique combined with a punch, the mercenary ninja squad was knocked unconscious and completely incapacitated in just two seconds.
Shino: "So strong! So fast! So hot!"
Lord God: "(°ー°)..."
The next second, Hōryūsai used the Body Flicker Technique again, returning to where he had been standing. He leisurely put on his haori and said, "Alright, that's settled. I was lucky this time; I encountered an enemy a little weaker than me."
It's here! The fingertip universe!
Temari swallowed hard. "Thank goodness. You said there was another squad. Let's go find them."
Shino nearby, spoke up, "I already released a Kikaichū that can use paralyzing toxins at the beginning; they're probably unconscious by now."
Hongshi: "So! When are we going to eat?!"