Late April.
The country of tea, canyon.
There are steep and dangerous mountain walls on both sides, forming a natural barrier.
On the road to the canyon, a fight broke out between two groups.
They hold kunai and can use ninjutsu, so they can know that both sides of the battle are ninjas.
The leader of one of them is Mushio, who is a member of Shiraishi's organization. According to Shiraishi's request, they collect intelligence in the ninja world while looking for talents to absorb.
The identity of bounty hunters is undoubtedly very suitable for the five of them.
While collecting intelligence and talents, they can also increase their own extra income, expand the reputation of the five of them, let more employers find them, entrust them to perform tasks, and gain access to more secrets.
This time it was a task entrusted by a businessman from the Kingdom of Tea, asking the five of them to clean up an illegal ninja organization in the Kingdom of Tea.
This ninja organization comes from outside the Kingdom of Tea. It is not affiliated with the five major countries, nor is it the other small ninja villages. It became a ninja by coincidence, that is, a wandering ninja without a ninja village.
They relied on robbing passing business travelers for food, which led to the merchants of the Kingdom of Tea offering rewards on the underground black market to eliminate this wandering ninja organization and restore the stability of the trade routes in the Kingdom of Tea.
To be honest, this kind of task is not too difficult for the five of them.
The average strength of the five of them is above Chunin.
Not only were they given strong physical qualities, but also possessed extremely strong abilities of perception and self-healing. Under Shiraishi's arrangement, they also practiced their own unique secret techniques.
The strength of their five-man team required at least three jounin to defeat them, but not enough to kill them.
As for the ninja strength of the Wandering Ninja Organization, the strength units are mainly genin. The leader's strength is mostly at the chuunin level. The jounin level is very rare among the huge base of wandering ninjas.
"W-What is this!?"
The ninja in green clothes and brown hair used his arms to hold the neck of a wandering ninja from behind, and fierce sparks suddenly appeared on his arms.
To be more precise, the entire arm turned into flames.
The homeless man's throat was immediately burned to charcoal, and he fell to the ground without breathing.
Immediately afterwards, a wandering ninja stabbed his back with a ninja sword from behind. It felt like it had been struck into the air, and the area where it was stabbed turned into a flame without substance.
The wandering ninja was immediately covered in fire and let out a terrifying scream.
Finally returning to his original appearance, the brown-haired ninja had a calm expression on his face.
This kind of battle can be said to be very child's play.
"Fire Man, your ninjutsu is still as cruel as ever."
The ninja in purple clothes came over and smiled.
"There is no way, each of us has been given a systematic ninjutsu."
Appearing from the shadow of the stone, a man wearing yellow clothes and black hair seemed to be very satisfied with the abilities he had acquired.
Fire man's ninjutsu is a secret technique derived from the change in the nature of fire chakra.
His is a secret technique derived from the change of Yin-type chakra properties. He can sneak freely in the shadows and is the most defenseless assassin in the team.
The rest of the people also took care of their assigned enemies.
"The mission is now over. At our rate, we will soon be famous in the underground black market."
“That way, it will be much easier to absorb talent.”
The mission of annihilating wandering ninjas entrusted by the merchants of the Kingdom of Tea was completed, which meant that their team had added another achievement in the black market.
If this accumulation continues, within a few years it will become famous in the underground black market, and it will be able to attract more resources and talents.
"No matter what kind of guy you face, just be careful."
The leader, Bug Man, came to the corpses of these wandering ninjas and searched for things on the corpses as usual.
Sometimes, these wandering ninjas would bring some interesting things with them. Although Bug Man had never encountered such a situation before, he only regarded it as a way to increase his personal treasury.
Anyway, these wandering ninjas are dead, and all their wealth belongs to them.
This is a fulfilling task.
"oh?"
The insect man raised his eyebrows and touched a scroll on the corpse of a wandering ninja.
This wandering ninja bug boy remembers that he is the leader of this wandering ninja organization.
Judging from the texture of the scroll, it is very cheap, but it is sealed using magic. Is there any secret hidden in it?
"What's inside?"
"I don't know. I can't rule out that it's a trap."
The insect man pondered for a moment, even if it was a trap, he still had to open it to see what was inside.
However, preventive measures must also be taken.
After unlocking the spell above, the insect man immediately jumped back to prevent any trap spells in the scroll.
But there was nothing on the scroll, only scrawled writing on it. The content was probably that they planned to use a certain 'secret' to sell it for a large sum of money.
The five insect men were puzzled as to what the 'secret' these wandering ninjas were talking about could be sold for a large sum of money.
From the looks of it, they've found the right buyer and today is the day to close the deal.
Unfortunately, the five of them were ambushed in advance, and it is estimated that this transaction will not be able to proceed.
"Boss, do you want to see this so-called 'secret'?"
"Let's stop by and have a look. It doesn't seem to be that far from here. After all, we will need to recruit a lot of people in the future, and even the smallest mosquito legs are still meat."
The four of them agreed with Insect Man's opinion.
Although the salary of the organization is very good, since it has only been established for a few years, money is needed in many places.
Only with money can we recruit talents.
The talents specified above are not just ninjas, but talents in all aspects.
Craftsmen, research, education, medicine and more.
They need to complete the initial accumulation in this area as soon as possible and stabilize the basic framework of the organization before they can develop rapidly.
Even mosquito legs must be scavenged.
◎
In the cave, the road was extremely bumpy and humid, and the air was filled with a dirty smell.
This is the smell of poverty and death.
The five insect men are very familiar with this smell. In the past and in today's Rain Country, this smell can be seen everywhere.
This is the lair of the wandering ninjas, and their 'secret' that they want to trade with unknown buyers is also here. The scroll says that this 'secret' is of great importance and can be sold for a very good price.
In this regard, the five insect men are of course very interested in coming here to hunt for treasures.
I just hope that this secret will not disappoint them too much.
Because it was too dark inside the cave, the fire man picked up a wooden stick and started burning it as a torch for lighting.
There are a lot of food waste and remnants placed in the cave. It can be imagined that these wandering ninjas must be living in a very miserable and poor life.
"Here?"
After dismantling all the traps on the road, the five insect men came to a closed wooden door.
There is a sealed iron lock on it, and the top of the lock is rusty.
An unspeakable stench and rotten smell came from inside.
This is the only place in the lair that can be used to hide 'secrets'.
From the perception of the five of them, they didn't know what the 'secret' inside was, but there were many living people behind the door.
The quantity is eight.
In the room inside, there are eight living people.
Locked inside, couldn't they be the companions and captives of those wandering ninjas?
Or was he a passerby who was attacked and captured by those wandering ninjas?
The insect man was a little troubled, but he broke the lock on the door and opened the door.
The light of the fire shone in, and there was also light in the room inside. It was very weak and flickering. The power supply was not very good, but it was enough for the five insect men to see clearly the conditions of these people.
He was skinny and looked like he had been abused for a long time.
There are men, women, old and young, just like members of a big family.
Their lips were chapped and their faces were bleak. The wandering ninjas gave them the bare minimum food and water.
They were all burdened with heavy shackles and handcuffs.
The insect man looked around at the eight people, and finally his eyes settled on a child who was only a few years old.
The shining light of hope and desire is the persistence of life.
There is also a trace of nervousness and uneasiness.
"Boss, they seem a little different from ordinary people."
The fire man said softly next to him.
"Even after being abused like this and provided with the minimum amount of water and food, the vitality in the body is still beyond that of others, and all of them have red hair..."
The insect man squinted his eyes and discovered that these eight people, both men and women, had extremely bright red hair.
"The remnants of the Uzumaki clan..."
This is the secret to making money selling it.
An outstanding 'treasure' indeed.
Insect Man took a few steps forward and came to these people.
There was an unbearable stench on their bodies, there was a lot of dust on their faces, the wounds on their bodies were infected and there was no medical treatment, and there were cockroaches crawling on the lunch box next to them.
Here they can only survive.
"It's really sad that the Uzumaki clan, which was once so famous in the ninja world, has fallen to this point."
Not only was the country destroyed, but even the clan members were scattered in all directions, wandering in the ninja world, living a precarious life.
"Since you are alive, why don't you go to Konoha for help? As a result, you are captured by wandering ninjas and live a wandering life worse than underground rats?"
The insect man touched the little head of the Uzumaki clan child and asked doubtfully.
The Uzumaki clan and Konoha have had an alliance since ancient times.
Even the Jounin costumes of Konoha are printed with the Uzumaki clan's mark to show the friendly relationship between the two parties.
After losing their country, their first reaction should be to seek refuge in Konoha, instead of living a beggar-like wandering life in various parts of the ninja world.
"A distress signal was sent out... but they only took one person away..."
A middle-aged man with red hair lowered his head and said this, and you could hear his cry. This question from the insect man seemed to bring back bad memories of his past.
It was less than ten years since the Kingdom of Whirlpool was destroyed.
For this middle-aged man, it was a painful experience he had personally experienced.
Carrying the name of a slave to a subjugated country, he wandered around the ninja world and was ostracized and captured.
At that time, he clearly remembered that Konoha did not extend any helping hand.
Regardless of whether it was before or after the incident, the distress signals they sent seemed to be lost in the sea. What they got was always despair.
That kind of thought must have faded away a long time ago.
For the destruction of the Whirlpool Kingdom, Insect Man could only express his condolences.
Perhaps in the future, his former homeland, the Country of Rain, will follow this path and become a victim of a great power.
At that time, the people of the Rain Country will become like mice in the darkness who cannot see the light, just like the people of the Uzumaki clan now.
When people see people from the Kingdom of Rain, they will also call them slaves of the subjugated country.
The so-called covenant is just a piece of paper.
It's just worthless paper.
"I sympathize with your experience. Everyone feels the same heart-breaking feeling when they see their motherland being ravaged."
Insect Man felt deeply.
"Our organization is recruiting outstanding talents. If you are willing to join, you will be our companions in the future. A living environment, clean water and food, and safety will be enough, but at the same time, your loyalty is also required. If you don't agree, We won’t make things difficult for you, just live your own lives.”
These people looked hesitant, worried and hopeful.
The nerves of these people are already weak and they dare not, and they only need to give them hope and then become desperate, and they can only commit suicide.
The insect man smiled and said: "Our leader said that he will not save those who only pray for rain from the sky all day long. In this world, there is no such thing as a good thing. While doing good things, you can gain greater benefits. This will give us more motivation to do good things.”
The benefits that the Uzumaki clan can provide are undoubtedly their bloodline and their rich collection of sealing techniques.
Even if their country is destroyed, they will be of great use sooner or later.
"There is no need to feel ashamed whether you are living like a human being or living like a dog. What is important is the future. As long as a person is not dead, there is the possibility of changing his destiny. Anyway, your country is gone, and now you only have one dead life. What else can you do? What’s there to lose? Who hasn’t been a homeless dog?”
The insect man looked sad.
Because of the war, his family was broken up, and then he relied on robbery and murder to make a living, and then he was captured and used as a miserable experimental subject. Thinking about those years makes me feel terrible, and cold sweat breaks out behind me.
Fortunately, after the storm comes a rainbow. Many things have been put aside and we are no longer as naive as before.
This is the way the world is.
He hoped that these remnants of the Uzumaki clan would make a choice that they would not regret.
The important thing is to lure them into the organization first.
That way, you will have money, women, luxury houses and everything else.
This is his insect man's principle of doing good things.
◎
Shiraishi's daily job is to rush to the ninja school before three o'clock to assist Tsunade in teaching the students in the experimental class and learn medical ninjutsu knowledge.
In addition, he was occasionally dragged to the hospital to work as a coolie.
Most of the time I still stay in the laboratory, doing research quietly.
Of course, in school, from time to time there would be a spiky brat named Uchiha Obito who would come back to cause trouble for him.
Today's naughty children are really scary. They are jealous even when they are only five or six years old.
The key is that he didn't do anything to the girl named Lin, he just taught her some medical knowledge after class every day.
There are many aspects of the ninja world that cannot be inferred using common sense.
The more you extrapolate, the more outrageous the answers you get.
For example...the white humanoid creature now lying on his experimental table.
It was an unidentified person captured by Insect Man and the others before. When they were monitoring "Akatsuki", Insect Man and the others discovered him and crushed him to death before sending him here.
After that, Shiraishi became very interested in this white creature with a simple life structure.
However, after dissecting the entire corpse and revealing the secrets inside, Shiraishi got an answer that was even more puzzling.
The energy extracted from this creature can revitalize a dead branch and sprout new shoots.
Wood escape?
And there is an aura that is similar to that of a tailed beast.
What is the origin of this creature?
The combination of Tailed Beast and Wood Release?
So weak.
According to Insect Man, this creature has extremely weak combat power and can be easily defeated with one move with one hand, without even the need for ninjutsu.
"It seems there's something wrong with Akatsuki."
Although this creature was weak, its secrets shocked Shiraishi.
Wood escape and tail beast, no matter which one they are, they both have extremely brilliant legends.
The former is the power of the ninja god who calms down troubled times.
The latter is a chakra monster that has existed since ancient times. It is an immortal and transcendent creature that cannot be countered by human beings.
If it can be related to the two, Shiraishi thinks there must be something interesting in it.
Who is behind the white creature?
Why monitor Akatsuki?
Is this creature really created using the power of Wood Release and Tailed Beast?
If it is true, where does Mudun come from?
Since the death of the first Hokage, Wood Release, which can suppress the power of tailed beasts, has disappeared from the ninja world and become a legend.
Shiraishi thought of a very big possibility.
Konoha high-level officials!
They are secretly doing research on the Resurrection Wood Escape.
It must not be difficult for Konoha to extract hidden cells from corpses like him.
Because they were the only people who had access to the body of the First Hokage.
Extract the cells containing the power of Wooden from the corpse of the first Hokage, and then use human bodies to experiment to create Wooden ninjas in batches.
The creature in front of them is the result of their research.
Then the question comes, why are they sent to monitor Xiao?
An organization with only eight or nine people is a group of young boys and girls who have not grown up. If they really feel threatened, just send ANBU to eliminate them directly.
There is no need to spend so much time monitoring.
Bai Shitou felt pain. Many places were full of contradictions, but based on the information he had learned, this was a more reasonable inference.
What on earth are the top brass of Konoha plotting?
Just when Shiraishi was worried about what the top management of Konoha was going to do, the soil on the floor loosened, and the head of a man made of khaki mud came out of the soil, with black eyes staring at Shiraishi.
A scroll appears from the mud and is placed on the ground. It continues to serve as a perfect communication tool and sneaks into the ground.
Shiraishi didn't care about this 'stupid son' leaving without saying goodbye. For the time being, Shiraishi didn't have any expectations for his intelligence.
He used magic to unlock the scroll, and as expected, it was the scroll mailed by Chong Man and the others.
The content of the scroll was extremely simple. Shiraishi glanced at it and understood the general meaning.
"The Uzumaki clan? I thought all the people in this clan were dead."
Shiraishi pondered for a moment, then immediately took out a blank scroll, attached a few words to it, rolled the scroll up, and sealed it with a technique.
"Give them this scroll."
It is said to the earth people underground.
The clay man appeared on the surface again, and there seemed to be human resentment in his empty eyes.
Despite this, it was still very obedient and accepted the task entrusted to him by Shiraishi.
At only half a year old, he had accomplished the feat of running through most of the ninja world alone.
There is no doubt that it is the perfect tool that Shiraishi expected.
