Chapter 382: The Land of Spring
The Land of Silence.
Within an unnamed pocket of space.
Isshiki Otsutsuki slowly opened his eyes. He felt the power of the Otsutsuki once again.
"It is near. I will reclaim everything that is mine."
Isshiki's pupils shifted coldly.
"This is the location of the space-time portal that leads to the moon. Can it be reopened?"
In the space where the moon had once been traversed, a group of ninja wearing the specialized gear of Exploration Shinobi were conducting reconnaissance of the surroundings.
Exploration Shinobi—ninja holding this specific certification—could be hired to perform protective exploration in various countries without being immediately expelled. This was a system established by the Ninja Association to accommodate different types of ninja specializations.
"It's a bit difficult, but not impossible," replied a ninja familiar with Space-Time Ninjutsu.
"Be careful. If Konoha catches us using illegal methods for exploration, we might be blasted out of here."
Exploration Shinobi were forbidden from using violent means; they were only permitted to perform protective exploration. Otherwise, the Ninja Association would not recognize their status, giving Konoha a perfect excuse to drive them out. They had to be cautious.
However, non-violent exploration wasn't working. The space here was different from the space outside. The space-type ninja they brought along could only proceed via brute-force exploration.
"Why do we absolutely have to open the portal? Can the things inside really make us stronger?" one ninja asked doubtfully. Usually, a ninja's growth required study. Could they really just become stronger?
"As long as there is a sliver of possibility, we cannot let it go. Otherwise, how can we hope to contend with the Five Great Nations?" the leader replied.
He was a ninja from the Land of Spring. The Land of Spring enjoyed spring-like weather year-round, yet its population was sparse. This was because the Spring there was different from other places. Under the influence of an unknown power, only a small portion of the Land of Spring could be trained during the season. Recently, the establishment of the World Ninja Association had been squeezing their nation's living space, slowly assimilating the Land of Spring. They were forced into this desperate measure to acquire power capable of rivaling the Great Nations.
"Understood. We will complete the mission."
"Too naive. The moment they start using violent ninjutsu for exploration, we'll escort them back."
In the shadows, Kiba Inuzuka led his newly formed team. His team consisted of three members—young ninja who had graduated within the last two years, but who were the top performers of their classes, each possessing special talents.
With the founding of the World Ninja Association and its title-based ranking system, nations everywhere had revamped their training methods. Konoha was at the forefront of this. The Ninja Academy had launched a Specialized Ninja Training Program, and the training ninjutsu developed by Tobitake Tonbo had officially entered widespread use.
Kiba was now starting his own journey as a squad leader, leading a new breed of ninja who, like himself, possessed both specialized abilities and high combat proficiency.
"Understood!" the three youngsters replied seriously. This was their first combat mission against ninja from another country. The establishment of the Shinobi Alliance meant that battles between ninja were now extremely rare. Most of their work involved dealing with wild beasts or summoned creatures in the wilderness. They were excited to finally use the combat skills they had learned in school.
The corner of Kiba's mouth curled up. Heh heh heh, becoming Hokage starts with taking down these crooks. He hadn't fought in a long time himself and felt a bit rusty.
Boom!
Just then, the ninja from the Land of Spring initiated a ritual. The entire space vibrated. Stalactites broke loose from the ceiling, falling into the lake below with heavy splashes. Runic formulas glowed all around the area.
"Success! In fifteen more seconds, we'll break through the channel to the moon. I want to see what kind of power it is that can move the moon itself!" The leader of the Spring ninja looked ecstatic, his hands trembling.
He had put in a lot of work to trick the Daimyo of the Land of Spring into believing that without this power, their nation would vanish. In reality, the Land of Spring showed no signs of disappearing; in fact, it had begun to thrive since the Association's founding. Because Spring ninja had unique abilities to provide nutrients to plants, they were highly successful in the outside world, producing high-yield crops. Most of them had the potential to earn the One-Star Ninja title in agriculture.
However, to satisfy his own lust for power, the leader had orchestrated this. He possessed a special ability—perhaps he could steal that power for himself.
Swoosh!
"Nobody move!"
Several shuriken flew out, pinning themselves directly into the exposed runic formulas of the array.
"Secret Art: Barrier Dissolution!"
The surrounding formations suddenly disconnected, and the vibrations ceased instantly.
"Who's there?" The leader looked up in shock to see a mere kid standing before him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, explosions erupted in the air. The Spring ninja were sent flying by invisible forces. Even their leader was caught in the blast.
Whish!
In the direction they were blown, several iron wires appeared out of nowhere, entangling them tightly. A few paper charms were attached to the wires.
"How is this possible...?" Before they could counterattack, their chakra was sealed. They couldn't move an inch.
"A small country is just a small country. This power is too weak." A boy walked out looking bored, holding the iron wires. The power sealing the enemies came from his own chakra nature.
"They really are a bit weak," the other two team members added, sounding disappointed. They expected other nations' ninja to have some skill, but this was underwhelming.
"It's not that they're weak; it's that you're too strong," Kiba told them. "Other nations don't have Konoha's training technology—especially Tonbo-sensei's Genjutsu Training System. It has put our academy leagues ahead of theirs. You kids are lucky."
"Tonbo-sensei? You mean the one who founded the Ninja Association? The Honorary Chairman, the Hero of the Shinobi World, one of the few Three-Star Ninja, and the Vice Director of the R&D Department? Kiba-sensei, you know him?" the boy blurted out a long string of titles.
The others turned their eyes toward Kiba in awe. That was a legendary figure; they didn't expect Kiba-sensei to actually know him!
"Heh. When I was little, he was my private tutor. Half the reason I'm this strong is thanks to Tonbo-sensei."
Kiba reminisced about his youth. He was only five years old back then, tricked into studying by his sister and parents—and fooled by Tonbo-sensei as well. Tonbo had told him that doing so would make him Hokage. Even now, Akamaru still looked forward to Doggy Festival every year.
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