Time flew by, and a month passed in the blink of an eye.
——
Yufu Forest, Wolf Valley.
The morning light filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting a faint golden hue over the entire valley.
In the clearing, dozens of Ninja Wolves were training vigorously—some were chasing and fighting to practice coordination, some were practicing Storm Blade against wooden stakes, and others were sparring in pairs.
Shouts, roars, and the sound of claws and fangs clashing intertwined, merging into a scene of vibrant vitality.
Above Wolf Valley, on a massive rock.
Yang Jiu's massive body lay lazily, his four-meter-long silver-white frame shimmering with a soft luster in the sunlight, while blue arcs of electricity occasionally leapt between his fur before quietly fading away.
He looked down from on high at the clansmen training below, his eyes slightly narrowed, like a lazy monarch reviewing his army.
Meanwhile, a different kind of change was occurring within his body.
Wisps of pure Chakra were continuously pouring into his dantian from the void.
This was the one percent feedback he received from all members of the wolf clan according to the system rules whenever they refined Chakra.
A single wolf did not refine much Chakra each day, but when added up across over a hundred wolves and multiplied by thirty days—
the number was quite considerable.
Yes, during this month, the wolf clan had moved from Yufu Forest into other forests, capturing and subduing quite a few wolf packs.
Now, the number of wolf clan members had reached 150!
This could be considered a qualitative leap.
Furthermore, during this month, all members of the wolf clan had successfully refined Chakra.
Even those who had just been recruited and had slightly poorer aptitude, under the dual enhancement of the life spring water and the system talents, had at least reached the level of barely being able to release one Storm Blade.
Therefore, the Chakra fed back into Yang Jiu's body this month was far more than what he could have gained by practicing alone.
With a thought, he checked the total amount of Chakra in his dantian.
Hmm.
Although he had not yet broken through to the Kage level, he should have reached the Jonin level.
Besides that...
Yang Jiu's gaze swept over the Ninja Wolves training below.
After a month of integration and growth, the overall combat power of the wolf clan was more than a notch stronger than when they first started.
Three Chunin-level combatants, over thirty elite Genin-level combatants—such a lineup, apart from the five great hidden Villages, was a force that could not be ignored in other small Ninja Villages.
He then moved his mind.
[strongest wolf clan system]
Race: Wolf Clan
Level: 2 (9900/10000)
Members: 150
Racial Talents: Wind Body, Bronze Skin and Iron Bones, Forest Favor
Racial Ninjutsu: Storm Blade, Chakra Refining Technique (Wolf Clan Exclusive Version)
Clan Points: 9850
[Rise of the Wolf Clan mission progress]
· Chunin-level members: 3/50
· Special Jonin-level members: 0/15
[Village of a Hundred Ninjas mission progress]
· Current number of Ninja: 26/100
Yang Jiu's mouth curled up slightly.
One month, to have reached this point, was already very fast.
However, what made him somewhat helpless was that the mission for the rise of the wolf clan was based on percentages.
In other words, the more new members the wolf clan added, the higher the difficulty of completing this mission became.
"Once I get two more wolves to join, I can reach level 3. By then, I can obtain another racial talent and Ninjutsu, greatly enhancing the wolf clan's strength!"
He muttered to himself, looking out into the forest beyond Wolf Valley.
——
Meanwhile, to the west of Wolf Valley, on the hillside.
The former bandit stronghold had completely changed its appearance.
Above the gate, a brand-new plaque hung high, inscribed with three large characters—
Wolf Ninja Village.
In one month's time, earth-shaking changes had taken place here.
The outer fences had all been reinforced and heightened, the wooden stakes replaced with ironwood as thick as a thigh, sharpened at the tips and coated with fireproof resin.
Five guard towers were distributed in every corner of the Village, with people on duty in shifts twenty-four hours a day, so no creature approaching could escape the sentries' sight.
Inside the Village, the originally chaotic shacks had been torn down and rebuilt, replaced by rows of neat wooden houses.
Although simple, they at least didn't let in wind or rain, and it felt like a proper place for people to live.
In the center of the Village, a training ground covering hundreds of square meters had taken initial shape, with dozens of wooden training dummies standing on the field, and targets for Kunai and Shuriken piled in the corner.
The Village's population had also grown from the initial fifty-plus people to over a hundred.
During this month, Kawajūrō had sent people to run through a dozen surrounding towns, recruiting over twenty Wandering Ninjas with the condition of "providing food, housing, and teaching Ninjutsu"—although most were just types who only knew the basic Three Body Technique, they at least had a foundation in Chakra and could be used as half a combatant.
More importantly, the orphanage had been built.
In a separate courtyard at the east end of the Village, dozens of growing children were currently living.
The oldest was eleven, and the youngest was only five.
Some were orphans whose parents had both died, others were abandoned stray children, brought back from various places by Kawajūrō's subordinates.
At this moment, these children were sitting in a circle, listening to a Wandering Ninja explain the basic knowledge of Chakra refining.
Although they only half-understood it, every little face was filled with seriousness.
They knew that this was home.
They also knew that being able to have a meal, a place to live, and the ability to learn skills meant they had met a benefactor.
Besides that, not far from the orphanage, in front of the training ground.
A five-meter-tall stone statue stood majestically, facing the direction of the Village entrance.
It was a statue of a wolf.
It was carved entirely from blue-gray granite, with lines that were rough yet expressive—the limbs were thick as pillars, the muscles bulging, the back slightly arched, as if ready to pounce on prey at any moment. The head was held high, howling at the sky, with fangs exposed, looking majestic and awe-inspiring.
The most vivid part was the eyes.
The sculptor had inlaid them with black obsidian and embedded two pieces of golden crystal in the pupils; when the sunlight hit them, the eyes would shine brilliantly, as if a giant wolf were truly looking down over the entire Village.
And the fur.
On the back and neck of the stone statue, fine, dense lines had been carved, resembling wolf fur blown by the wind.
Someone had even applied a thin layer of silver powder on it, which shimmered with a faint silver light in the sunlight.
The base of the statue was a two-meter-square boulder.
On the front of the boulder, four large characters were carved—
"Wolf God's Blessing"
At this moment.
Several children were gathered under the statue.
The oldest one, eleven or twelve years old, looked up, staring unblinkingly at the stone statue, while the smaller ones beside him couldn't reach, standing on tiptoe and jumping desperately.
"Is this the Wolf God?" the smallest one asked in a milky voice.
"It's not the Wolf God, it's the Wolf King!" the older child corrected, "The Village chief said that the Wolf King is the owner of our Village; it is he who lets us have food to eat, a place to live, and allows us to learn Ninjutsu!"
"Wow..." the smaller ones exclaimed together.
"The Wolf King is so big..."
"His eyes are glowing!"
"I want to be as powerful as the Wolf King when I grow up!"
An adult passing by heard the children's conversation and couldn't help but chuckle, but quickly restrained his smile, bowed respectfully to the statue, and then hurried away.
In the distance, Kawajūrō stood on the guard tower at the Village entrance, watching this scene.
A trace of a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
He had personally supervised the construction of this statue, which took a full ten days, using everyone in the Village who could move stones, and he had specifically gone outside to hire a stonemason.
The purpose was to let every villager—especially those orphans—see it every day.
Seeing it, they would know whose people they were.
Seeing it, they would know who was protecting this Village.
Seeing it, they would know who to pledge their loyalty to.
Kawajūrō withdrew his gaze and looked toward the verdant forest outside the Village.
He knew that in the depths of that forest, the true Wolf King was lying on some rock, his eyes narrowed, watching all of this.
And he could not betray that trust.