Chapter 357: Offending the Goddess
"Is this the legendary, most mysterious climate type, where the climate on this side of the mountain is different from the other side?"
Masahiko floated in mid-air, a look of emotion on his face.
He had set off from the Land of Iron after lunch, heading southeast against the wind and snow. But when he flew over the high mountains behind him, the severe cold and blizzard instantly disappeared.
This place, if not completely pleasant, had a moderate temperature. The western side of the mountain was covered in thick snow, while the eastern side was full of greenery. It was truly a natural marvel. Masahiko even somewhat regretted not bringing Kimimaro's trio to see the scenery.
Of course, he didn't come alone. Floating beside him was the young lord of the Land of That, Shu, who was somewhat afraid of heights. Behind him were two samurai, who refused to let him carry them in flight, currently climbing over the mountains.
"Which way do we go next?" Masahiko turned his head and asked. "Your name is Shu, right?"
Shu's face was tense, and he shook his head blankly.
"Great, this child has probably been struck silly by the shock. He doesn't even know where his home is or what his name is." Masahiko was helpless. He could only slowly land with him and wait in place for the Land of Iron's General, Mifune, and the samurai Okisuke.
Fortunately, those two were top-tier experts among samurai and quickly arrived in front of Masahiko.
"Senior, sorry to keep you waiting," Mifune bowed slightly. "Let us go."
Passing through the lush jungle, Masahiko floated with Shu for another few kilometers. A massive expanse of ruins appeared in front of them. Around the ruins were many tents, and upon the ruins, over a hundred able-bodied men dressed in various attires were continuously turning over the rubble.
"Are they... a post-disaster rescue team?" Masahiko was somewhat surprised.
Okisuke explained from the side, "It's the rescue team personally led by the Daimyo of the neighboring Land of This. But a whole day has passed now, and not a single survivor has been found."
Beside them, Shu's face crumpled, and he started crying again. His tear-stained appearance made Masahiko shake his head helplessly. Why are these boys all like this nowadays...
"I'll go over and take a look first." Leaving a remark, Masahiko shot into the sky and flew to the center of the ruins.
"It really is him!"
Appearing before Masahiko's eyes was a giant bowl-shaped crater. All the buildings had been pushed to the edge of the bowl. This was a very familiar scene of ruins; in the original story, Konoha looked exactly like this after being attacked by Pain.
Masahiko could even imagine the scene at that time. That bastard who took the Rinnegan hovered in the exact position he was in now, pressed his hands down, and wiped the Land of That off the map with a single strike of Shinra Tensei.
"How did this small country offend him? If you're so capable, why don't you go show off in the Land of Whirlpools." Masahiko sighed and shook his head. "There is no Katsuyu of Tsunade's here to protect them. The hope of civilian survival is truly slim."
Masahiko concentrated and looked around. He didn't sense that guy's presence, nor could he sense any abnormalities. Helplessly, he could only fly back. From a distance, he saw Mifune conversing with a luxuriously dressed, fat man. The fan-shaped hat on the fat man's head indicated his identity—the Daimyo of the Land of This.
"The Daimyo personally leading a team for rescue, he seems like a decent guy."
"Senior." Seeing Masahiko fly back, Mifune immediately spoke up, "Did you learn the culprit's identity?"
"Mm, I know." Masahiko nodded. "I'll explain in detail later. I'll first look for any survivors. Tell those civilians to step back."
Hearing this, Mifune turned to the Daimyo of the Land of This. The fat man immediately stepped forward and organized the evacuation of his personnel. He had already heard of Masahiko's identity from Mifune and kept his posture very low. A small country's Daimyo still needed to know his place.
Once all the able-bodied men evacuated, Masahiko directly formed hand seals. "Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Hundreds of towering giant trees uprooted from the ground, covering the entire ruins of the Land of That.
Ignoring the gazes of worship or terror from the surrounding crowd, Masahiko closed his eyes tightly, sensing for vitality through the trees.
"This one is cold, this one is also cold, cold... Eh? This one seems to still be breathing."
Five minutes later, Masahiko sighed and shook his head. He only found one living person. That person managed to survive because he possessed a fairly strong chakra fluctuation.
Walking forward quickly, Masahiko used attractive force to pull down the middle-aged man hanging on a tree and immediately began applying medical ninjutsu.
The giant trees slowly stopped growing. Mifune walked forward with a face full of shock. "Is this the Wood Release of the legendary God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju? I didn't expect that you, Senior... Hmm? This is Tatewaki!"
Masahiko was startled. "You know him? The chakra in his body isn't weak. Could he be a samurai from your Land of Iron?"
Mifune nodded. "He left the Land of Iron a long time ago. I didn't expect him to be here."
"To think even Tatewaki was injured this badly..." The samurai Okisuke led Shu over. He also recognized this survivor.
Tatewaki's strength was not low. Horizontally compared to ninjas, he could be called an elite Jonin. The only reason he was injured so badly by Shinra Tensei was that samurai lacked defensive methods against such attacks.
While treating Tatewaki, Masahiko explained, "The ones who attacked the Land of That are an organization called Akatsuki. They have been secretly opposing Great Ancestor all along. They better pray I don't find them!"
Mifune frowned and said, "So it was because of your arrival..."
"No, no, no." Masahiko waved his hands repeatedly; he wasn't going to take the blame for this. "It's just a coincidence. The reason they annihilated the Land of That is still unclear."
After pondering for a moment, Masahiko turned his head and asked, "Shu, does your country have any legendary treasures? Like... One Piece?"
Shu shook his head blankly, looking innocent.
At this time, the chubby Daimyo of the Land of This also brought his people over. "Senior Great Ancestor Uzumaki, are there no other survivors?"
The corner of Masahiko's mouth curled up slightly. 'Senior Great Ancestor Uzumaki'—he liked this title.
"No more."
The fat man sighed, feeling a bit of sympathy for a fellow ruler, and turned to look at Shu. "So, the Land of That only has this child and this samurai left? It seems rebuilding is hopeless."
Masahiko smiled. "At a time like this, you're actually kind-heartedly thinking of helping them rebuild?"
The fat man smiled awkwardly. "I just remembered when his father chatted with me while he was still alive. He boasted about the long history of the Land of That, saying they had been annihilated and rebuilt four or five times. It looks like they won't be able to rebuild ever again this time."
"Oh? A long history? Are there any treasures passed down from their ancestors?" Masahiko's interest was piqued, and Mifune also looked over intently. This might be related to the annihilation of the Land of That.
The fat Daimyo shook his head. "Great Ancestor, you don't need to pay it any mind. Those were all just boastful words. He even said their country's history could be traced back a thousand years, to the era without ninjas. He also said they were one of the most powerful countries at that time."
"Heh." Masahiko chuckled and shook his head.
"You don't believe it either, Great Ancestor, right? The most ridiculous part is when I asked him how such a powerful Land of That was annihilated, his explanation was vague, and he even said the records stated they offended the Goddess. Haha, offended the Goddess?" The fat Daimyo's tone was full of mockery.
Masahiko's smiling face, however, suddenly stiffened. "A thousand years ago, offended the Goddess?"
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