Chapter 57: Heading to the Land of Rice Fields
Half a month later, in a small village along the northern border of the Land of Fire, Ryūno and Pakura, both wearing straw hats, walked through the settlement.
This place was located on the northern frontier of the Land of Fire, not far from the battlefield where Kumogakure and Konohagakure were currently clashing.
In order to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, both Ryūno and Pakura had changed into the attire of wandering ninja.
"Right now, Konoha and Kumogakure are fighting fiercely. You really don't need to hurry back?"
Pakura asked as she casually scanned the dilapidated village.
"I'm just a lowly chūnin. Getting injured during a mission and taking some time to recover is perfectly normal,"
Ryūno replied indifferently, glancing over the deserted village.
Ever since a month ago, when Jiraiya and Orochimaru led a large number of Konoha elites to reinforce the northern border, the forces of Kumogakure and Konohagakure had fallen into a stalemate along the border of the Land of Fire.
Both sides fought back and forth, yet neither managed to gain a clear advantage.
As two of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya and Orochimaru had already reached the pinnacle of the shinobi world. The young Eight-Tails' jinchūriki, Killer B, and the Two-Tails' jinchūriki, Yugito Nii, were no match for them.
However, since Kumogakure had launched the first surprise attack and the battlefield was within the Land of Fire, Kumogakure held the initiative. Konoha's ninja forces could only remain in a passive defensive position.
Each side had its own advantages, which ultimately caused the war to fall into a deadlock.
The desolate state of the small village where Ryūno and Pakura now stood was precisely the result of the war.
The entire village was nearly empty—its residents had all fled as refugees.
After spending several days recuperating along the western border of the Land of Fire, Ryūno and Pakura rushed here without stopping.
Hearing Ryūno's words, Pakura smiled faintly.
"A mere chūnin? Konoha's chūnin really are something else."
"Heh, you're wrong. The strongest ones in Konoha are actually the genin,"
Ryūno said with a smile, unable to help but recall the running joke from the original story about how one should never provoke Konoha genin.
Not to mention recent events—during the Third Shinobi World War, Might Duy, who kicked the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist into becoming the so-called 'Lucky Three,' had been a genin for over twenty years.
"Konoha genin?"
Pakura looked at Ryūno in confusion, clearly not understanding.
Ryūno chuckled. "You'll understand in the future."
Seeing that, Pakura didn't pursue the topic further and instead asked,
"So what exactly are you planning to do in the Land of Rice Fields?"
After her injuries had healed, Ryūno brought her straight toward the Land of Rice Fields, yet he had never explained what they were coming here for.
Along the way, the disheartened Pakura hadn't asked much either.
But now that they had already reached the northern border of the Land of Fire and were about to enter the Land of Rice Fields, she wanted to clarify things so she could prepare herself.
Ryūno stopped walking, turned to look at Pakura, and said solemnly,
"I plan to establish a force in the Land of Rice Fields. I want you to help me manage it."
A look of shock appeared on Pakura's face.
"You want to establish a ninja village?"
A ninja village was not something that could be established casually—it required massive manpower and enormous funding.
Pakura didn't believe that the two of them alone could build a ninja village.
Ryūno shook his head.
"Not necessarily a ninja village. But once the conditions are right, it's not impossible."
Pakura's expression turned serious.
"What exactly are you trying to do? Are you planning to betray Konoha?"
Ryūno slowly swept his gaze across the empty village and said,
"This shinobi world is dangerous. I just want to do everything I can to protect the people and things I care about."
Pakura turned her gaze toward the nearby houses and said in a low voice,
"The Akimichi Clan is one of Konoha's great clans. Dangers like this shouldn't fall upon you."
Ryūno replied,
"No one can say for sure. Maybe one day, even Konoha itself could be destroyed."
Hearing this, Pakura fell silent.
Although Konoha had slightly declined in recent years, its overall strength was still the greatest among the Five Great Ninja Villages. Without uniting the power of multiple great villages, defeating it would be impossible.
And given the tangled interests between the major ninja villages, such a situation was unlikely to occur.
Even though Pakura couldn't fully understand, she could clearly sense the deep worry and firm resolve in Ryūno's heart.
Could there really be a force capable of completely destroying Konoha?
After that, neither of them spoke much, and they continued on their journey.
Crossing the border of the Land of Fire, Ryūno and Pakura soon entered the Land of Rice Fields.
The Land of Rice Fields was a small country bordering the Land of Fire. It had no ninja village of its own, nor any notable shinobi forces within its borders.
In the original story, after leaving Akatsuki, Orochimaru came to the Land of Rice Fields, bribed its daimyō, and established Otogakure—the Hidden Sound Village—within the country.
After Otogakure was founded, the Land of Rice Fields became Orochimaru's primary base.
In Ryūno's original plan, he had not intended to establish his own power so soon.
However, after unexpectedly saving Pakura during this mission, the idea naturally arose.
Based on their interactions over this period, as well as Pakura's portrayal in the original story, Ryūno had already formed a rough judgment of her character and abilities.
At this point, Pakura harbored intense hatred toward the high-ranking officials of Sunagakure who had persecuted her, and she needed Ryūno's strength to take revenge on them.
Coupled with the life-saving favor he owed her, Ryūno was confident that he could entrust this matter to her.
With Pakura's strength, she was more than capable of taking charge of a small shinobi force in its early stages.
As for choosing the Land of Rice Fields as the base, there were three reasons.
First, the Land of Rice Fields was a small country with no powerful shinobi forces and very little presence in the shinobi world. Placing Pakura and the others here would keep them out of sight and unlikely to draw attention.
At the same time, without interference from other major forces, the organization's early development would be much smoother.
Second, with Otogakure from the original story as a reference, Ryūno was relatively familiar with the situation in the Land of Rice Fields, making it easier to recruit talent and expand influence.
At the very least, he wouldn't step on any hidden landmines here.
Third, Ryūno had an acquaintance in the Land of Rice Fields, and he planned to begin his money-making plans here as well.
Establishing a shinobi force without massive financial backing was impossible.
In the Land of Rice Fields, Ryūno had once saved Yoshida Jin, the country's wealthiest man, making him an acquaintance.
When he saved Yoshida Jin back then, Ryūno had used the Seal of Disease Suppression to improve his body.
At the time, Ryūno had only done it casually, hoping to form a good relationship, but it ended up producing unexpected results.
Under the transformation of the seal, Yoshida Jin not only improved his physique, but his overall physical condition increased dramatically—his performance in "bedroom matters" improved even more.
For a wealthy magnate like Yoshida Jin, such benefits were irresistibly attractive.
As a result, after Ryūno completed the mission and returned to Konoha, Yoshida Jin repeatedly sent people to Konoha with messages, hoping to further contact him.
Ryūno never refused, and now he planned to head to the Land of Rice Fields to ask Yoshida Jin for help.
With a local powerhouse like Yoshida Jin backing them, it would be far easier for Pakura and her group to establish a firm foothold in the Land of Rice Fields.
Moreover, Ryūno's money-making plans were also centered on Yoshida Jin.
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