Kusa was a ninja village without any notable features—mediocre and unremarkable.
Understandably so; this nation lacked any natural geographical advantages. The only thing that could qualify as a natural barrier was the great river, but the Kusa ninjas couldn't exactly build their homes next to the river.
How reckless would that be?
Even if someone's brain were clamped in a vice and they decided to do so, which side of the river would they build on? East, aligning with Iwa? Or west, aligning with Konoha? They certainly wouldn't build houses on the river itself; it's not like this was the Mississippi River with its vast system of levees!
So, like Konoha, Kusa built their village in the forest, but on a much smaller scale.
When Masashi arrived in Kusa, he saw a group of people already waiting for him at the village gate.
The leadership of Kusa, to be frank, didn't have very appealing appearances.
One look at them and you knew they weren't the trustworthy type.
In this regard, Konoha had done a much better job. The Hokage of every generation had faces that inspired friendliness.
"Masashi-sama," the current leader of Kusa greeted him with an ingratiating smile. "The entire village has been eagerly awaiting your arrival."
"That's very kind," Masashi replied with a smile that was even more enthusiastic than the leader's. "Under your leadership, your village has become increasingly prosperous. The Hokage has been paying close attention to your progress."
The Kusa leader's expression didn't change, but a flicker of panic crossed his eyes. His chakra spiked momentarily before he forced it back under control.
There didn't seem to be anything wrong with the words of the White Ghost, but the more he thought about them, the less reassured he felt.
Masashi didn't care about his counterpart's nervousness. With Kusa's rotten state, if Konoha were to take them seriously, they'd have wiped them out long ago.
He glanced at the group of people standing behind the Kusa leader and said, "Your village seems to have done quite a good job preparing for battle."
"You must be mistaken," the Kusa leader's heart skipped a beat as he hurried to reply. "Our village lost so many people to Iwa in the last war that we're barely able to defend ourselves, let alone provoke anyone else."
"You're being too modest," Masashi said cheerfully. "Looking at the people behind you, their killing intent hasn't even dissipated. They've just returned from battle, haven't they? Some Iwa ninja must have infiltrated. Your village's combat capabilities are quite impressive."
"Hahaha…" The Kusa leader forced a laugh, but inside, he was tense to the breaking point.
It was true—many Kusa ninjas had died capturing the Explosion Corps, and even more had been seriously injured.
The village had sent out its elites to capture those individuals, and they were still cleaning up the aftermath.
The most exciting part of the operation was the discovery of two young talents with exceptional potential and extraordinary backgrounds.
However, Kusa had no intention of using them as bargaining chips. After undertaking such a significant mission, they had no plans to let these individuals see the light of day again.
If this "transaction" were properly digested, Kusa's ninjutsu system would undergo a transformation.
As for being suspected by the Tsuchikage? Kusa wasn't worried.
Their specialized cleanup team would arrange the scene to make it look like the Explosion Corps had escaped and that their tracks had been erased.
The escape would be directed toward the Land of Rain—territory under the control of Konoha's ninja forces.
When the dust settled, Konoha would become the prime suspect.
Who would believe that a small village like Kusa could take down the Explosion Corps?
Even the Kusa leader himself couldn't believe his village had the audacity to pull it off.
Although he felt a smug sense of satisfaction, he dared not let it show in front of the White Ghost.
As Masashi's reputation spread across the ninja world, villages began using various means to gather information about him. Each report made them more terrified of the man standing before them.
His feats on the Kiri battlefield, in particular, had become widely known.
Recently, Kumo had been hyping him up even more, greatly enriching the intelligence available to other villages. Their reports spoke of his ability to appear anywhere, at any time, leaving only corpses.
People were shocked to discover that this man wasn't just a newly risen powerhouse.
He was skilled in a wide variety of ninjutsu, excelling in one-on-one combat, assassination, and large-scale battles. His offensive and defensive techniques were top-notch, with no apparent weaknesses.
And, to top it off, the man possessed chakra reserves on par with a tailed beast!
Even seasoned Kage-level fighters weren't necessarily this formidable.
Intelligence specialists in various villages were particularly baffled by Masashi's ease on the battlefield during his first campaign. His performance in the Kiri battlefield had led veterans to remark: "To be this adept at and accustomed to battlefield killing, one must have been raised in the harsh survival conditions of the Warring States Period."
Other than attributing it to innate talent, there was no other explanation. It couldn't possibly be the spirit of some warlord from the Warring States Period reborn, right?
The Uchiha clan, capable of producing someone like this, was truly terrifying!
What other villages thought, Kusa didn't know. All they knew was that when they heard Masashi was coming to visit, they were scared out of their minds.
Otherwise, Kusa's leadership wouldn't have put on such a show of force.
This kind of monster was not to be trifled with…
But then again, currying favor with the White Ghost wasn't shameful.
Plenty of people wanted to get on his good side but didn't have the chance.
The only one suffering was Kusa's leader, who, despite having no heart problems, felt like he was experiencing a near-heart attack.
"It's just routine training, Masashi-sama. The entire Kusa holds you in high esteem. If not for the heavy casualties we've suffered, we'd be eager to serve under your command!"
"Ah, no need to be so formal," Masashi said, slapping the Kusa leader on the shoulder. "Personal adoration is unnecessary. In Konoha, everyone knows I'm a sincere and upright person—strict with myself, lenient with others, and never one to argue with others."
Retracting his hand, he added, "You must have faith in us. Konoha is always reasonable with its allies."
"Absolutely! Ever since we've had Konoha's support, life in Kusa has been wonderful," the Kusa leader replied, doing his best to suppress the urge to glance at his shoulder. "Masashi-sama, we look forward to your continued care for Kusa."
He felt utterly miserable inside. Damn it!
The White Ghost had just marked him. If anything went wrong, he'd be the first to die!
"Don't worry. If anyone bullies you, just let me know, and I'll take care of them," Masashi said righteously.
"As expected of Lord Masashi, so righteous!"
The Kusa leader vowed to strictly control the young troublemakers in his village. If anyone dared to act recklessly, they'd have to be dealt with for the greater good of Kusa.
"Alright, let's not just stand around. Let's go inside. I've never been to Kusa before." Masashi's smile widened slightly.
"Of course, Masashi-sama, please, this way!" The leader gestured with a slightly trembling hand.
Under the deferential reception of the Kusa leader, Masashi walked into the village with two of his subordinates. The village leader's excessive bowing amused him.
Yumi and Keita kept their mouths shut tight the entire time, astonished at how respectful the high-ranking Kusa ninjas were toward their captain.
Both of them, coming from prestigious clans, knew very well that just the title of "Konoha Ninja" couldn't possibly achieve such an effect.
Kusa was, after all, a second-tier organization in the shinobi world. Although it ranked at the bottom among these, it wasn't something just anyone could overwhelm single-handedly.
Among the Five Great Nations, aside from the five Kage, people with such capability were few and far between.
Realizing they were on a mission under someone of this caliber, the two were both thrilled and grateful.
Keita thought that if he could be as strong as their captain, he'd probably receive an endless stream of love letters every day.
Yumi didn't even dare hope for Keita to reach that level. If he could manage half of it, she'd marry him right away—and even promise not to bully him anymore.
After all, she actually preferred being bullied herself...
Masashi had no idea how colorful his subordinates' inner thoughts were at the moment.
He walked through Kusa, observing his surroundings.
The streets of Kusa were rather bleak, poorly planned, and the buildings were crowded together. Wooden structures leaned against each other like tired soldiers, their facades showing years of neglect.
Villagers quickly ducked into their homes or into shadows between buildings upon seeing ninjas, casting curious and wary glances at Masashi and his team. A child peeking from behind a curtain quickly disappeared when Masashi's gaze fell on the window.
This was definitely not a place that would leave travelers feeling cheerful.
The village's commerce was mostly run by its own people, with goods largely limited to daily necessities. Stalls displayed basic weapons and tools, but nothing that would interest a ninja of any real caliber.
"The commerce in your village doesn't seem very prosperous," Masashi remarked as he gestured toward a nearly empty marketplace.
"You must be joking, Masashi-sama. We're just a small nation with a small village; how could we dream of flourishing commerce? The villagers just do small trades for convenience," the Kusa leader replied with a bitter laugh.
Life in Kusa was anything but vibrant.
Entertainment existed, but it was reserved for ninjas due to the limited resources. Even then, what passed for entertainment here would barely qualify as such in Konoha.
Masashi didn't comment further. He had little interest in the quality of life of Kusa's villagers.
Kusa was clearly a hierarchical village. Ninjas were the elites, and the distinction was blatantly obvious without any attempt to conceal it.
"How about…?" The Kusa leader glanced at Masashi with a sly grin and suggestive look.
Masashi gave him a sidelong glance and smirked internally. "Go to your office? That's fine," he replied.
"Ah… yes, that's exactly what I meant," the Kusa leader stammered, recovering quickly and nodding repeatedly.
Still, he was puzzled.
Wasn't this man supposed to be lustful?
The intelligence they had received shouldn't be wrong. Maybe he simply didn't fancy Kusa's offerings.
The Kusa leader felt a bit indignant about this.
Sure, their resources were scarce, but wasn't that all the more reason to carefully select the best? Since the topic was brushed off, he didn't push further.
"Please, this way." He led Masashi toward his office building, signaling to one of his subordinates to stay behind.
As they walked, the streets remained quiet, but Yumi and Keita felt an increasing sense of familiarity.
Eventually, they noticed it.
Many parts of Kusa seemed to be imitating Konoha's layout, albeit poorly.
"Hmm?" Masashi paused briefly.
He spotted a hospital.
In Konoha, the largest buildings beneath the Hokage Rock were the Ninja Academy and the Konoha Hospital.
Kusa didn't have its equivalent of the Hokage Rock, but they had built their academy and hospital in the same area.
There was also a tall building with a large signboard displaying the kanji for grass.
To the left and right of this building were the Ninja Academy and the hospital, respectively. The entire layout was a pale imitation of Konoha's central district.
Though the Academy was expected, Masashi didn't anticipate Kusa to have a hospital.
For a small village, they were still trying to cover all the bases.
That said, the hospital paled in comparison to Konoha's—just a lone, modest building.
"Your village seems to have plenty of medical ninja," Masashi remarked with a smile.
"Not at all," the Kusa leader replied, forcing a laugh as he glanced at the nearly silent hospital. Internally, he sighed in relief.
They had just finished evacuating the injured patients from the building, narrowly avoiding a potential disaster.
Even though this might lead to more deaths, there was no other choice. The methods of the Explosion Corps were far too identifiable. If Masashi grew curious and took a look inside, he might uncover everything.
Masashi, however, was indeed curious.
Of all Konoha's institutions, hospitals were the hardest to replicate.
Medical ninjsa were rare, even in Konoha.
In fact, Konoha's resources were barely sufficient to establish field hospitals on the battlefield, let alone deploy medical ninjas to every squad.
The other Great Nations faced similar challenges, often on an even smaller scale.
Moreover, medical ninja varied widely in skill, and the weak ones were practically useless.
Only Suna had relatively high medical standards, specializing in poison treatment and surgery. But even they couldn't compare to Konoha in overall medical capabilities.
Masashi stared at the Kusa hospital.
Suddenly, he recalled something.
"Does your village happen to have members of the Uzumaki clan?"
He thought of Karin.
He remembered her mainly because she had ended up working under Orochimaru, who, after his defection, had gathered elite individuals with unique bloodlines.
Before joining the Sannin, she had been a Kusa ninja and even participated in Konoha's Chunin Exams, where Sasuke saved her during the test.
This incident seemed to have left a deep impression on her, turning her into his fangirl later on.
But rather than being infatuated with Sasuke himself, it was more accurate to say that he had become a beacon of hope at the right time for her.
Regardless, Karin was undeniably talented and worth bringing back to Konoha.
"The Uzumaki clan?" The Kusa leader blinked, then quickly said, "Of course not. Why would members of the Uzumaki clan come to a small village like ours?"
The Uzumaki clan had been living in secrecy across the ninja world. Even if there were any, he wouldn't recognize them.
If there were, though, he'd immediately arrange marriages for them with the village's women.
That was the Uzumaki clan, after all!
Though he didn't know much about them, he knew that both the First Hokage and the Fourth Hokage's wives were from the Uzumaki clan, and that the clan had the ability to suppress tailed beasts.
He firmly believed that without their tailed beast, Taki wouldn't necessarily be doing any better than Kusa.
Masashi didn't bother determining the truth of the Kusa leader's words.
Instead, he directly activated his chakra perception.
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4/150 reached for bonus chapter.
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