Queen Rina of Rouran had little ambition as a ruler. She only wished for Rouran to have a stable foothold in the ninja world and for its people to live in peace and prosperity. That would be enough for her. Therefore, during the ninja wars, Rouran always maintained a neutral stance. Fortunately, due to its weak national power, the Land of Wind did not consider Rouran a usable fighting force, merely a place to pass through and rest, thus allowing Rouran to avoid direct involvement in the ninja wars.
When the Land of Wind suffered losses on the battlefield and retreated to its own territory, Rina initially thought she would have to face exploitation from the Land of Fire. However, because the Hidden Leaf Village treated neutral countries well, Rouran did not encounter any difficulties, which made Rina breathe a sigh of relief. She felt that it was indeed a ninja village founded by the First Hokage, and its principles were incomparable to other ninja villages.
Several years after the ninja wars ended, the Hidden Leaf Village began cooperating with merchants to conduct business, greatly promoting the commercial prosperity of the Land of Fire. Especially due to the trade measures signed between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, more and more merchants traded with the Land of Wind, gradually forming a trade route, and Rouran happened to be a necessary stop along this route.
Following the advice of her ministers, Rina formulated trade policies for both domestic and foreign merchants, which gradually enriched Rouran and made it an important location on the trade route between the two great nations. Rina was naturally very happy about this, and seeing her people's lives improve, she couldn't help but hope that such days would continue indefinitely.
During a routine banquet for foreign merchants, Rina unintentionally discovered a note on her person. The note's content simply stated a desire to meet her alone in her room, and it was signed by a Hidden Leaf ninja. Seeing the note, she observed the others and, finding that no one had noticed, carefully hid it, pretending that nothing had happened.
While the banquet continued, Rina observed the merchants below, attempting to find the Hidden Leaf ninja who had discreetly placed the note on her. She quickly gave up this idea because she couldn't discern who among them was a Hidden Leaf ninja. After all, ninjas were ninjas, and not something an ordinary person like her could easily spot.
Although the queens of Rouran possessed the ability to communicate with the earth's Dragon Veins and borrow its power, the queens themselves were merely ordinary people. They could barely use the Dragon Veins' power, let alone ninjas; even an ordinary person with a weapon could easily kill a queen.
"A Hidden Leaf ninja, why would they appear now and want to meet me alone?"
Rina pondered. Although the other party's arrival was sudden, she didn't feel uneasy. As the victors of the ninja wars, and because of their policy of treating neutral countries well, rulers of small nations like Rina actually had a good impression of the Hidden Leaf Village. After all, the Hidden Leaf Village was not like other great ninja villages that, relying on their strength, arbitrarily oppressed smaller nations; instead, they adopted a sincere approach.
For example, now, a Hidden Leaf ninja wanted to meet her and even left a note to give her prior notice. If it were a Sand Hidden ninja, especially those in the Anbu, they wouldn't bother with notifications and would simply appear in your room, often causing a fright.
After the banquet, Rina dismissed her attendants and remained alone in her bedchamber, pondering the Hidden Leaf ninja's intentions and awaiting their arrival. The moment she heard a knock on the door, she knew the person had arrived. Taking a slight breath, she rose, went to the door, and opened it.
"Hello, Your Majesty." The young man at the door bowed slightly and said, "I am a ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village, namedFumori Masaki."
"Kazamori Masaki." Hearing that name, Rina was somewhat surprised. People outside the ninja villages usually only knew the names of the village leaders, and even the names of high-ranking jonin were rarely known to non-ninjas. However, Rina did knowFumori Masaki because he had once collaborated with the First Hokage's daughter to annotate the Shinobi Sect Classics, which was noted in the back of the currently published editions of the classics.
"So you've heard my name,"Fumori Masaki said.
"Yes, I've read the Shinobi Sect Classics, so I naturally wouldn't forget the name of the annotator," Rina said, walking into the room, andFumori Masaki followed her in.
"It's truly an honor to have the ruler of a nation remember my name,"Fumori Masaki chuckled.
"Don't flatter me. In front of the ninja villages of the great nations, our small country doesn't hold such a high position," Rina said with what might have been a wry smile or something else. "I just didn't expect Mr. Kazamori to enter so openly, through the front."
"If I'm asking for a favor, I must show respect to the other party, so my actions should naturally be polite,"Fumori Masaki replied.
Rina looked atFumori Masaki in surprise, and couldn't help but say, "If only the ninjas of the Land of Wind could be as respectful as you." From her tone, one could tell the frustrations she had encountered with the Sand Hidden Village.
"Honestly, my behavior isn't typical of a ninja, but that's exactly what I hope for. For the future, ninjas should also seek new paths, rather than sticking to old rules,"Fumori Masaki said.
"So, Mr. Kazamori proposed that ninja villages cooperate with merchants?" Rina, who had some understanding of the ninja profession, knew that cooperation between ninja villages and merchants went against the traditional closed nature of ninjas.
"That's one reason, I suppose,"Fumori Masaki didn't elaborate further.
Rina nodded understandingly and asked, "Then, Mr. Kazamori, what is the matter that requires you to meet me alone? If there's anything I can help with, I'll do my best."
"It's wonderful that you say that. I don't have any other ulterior motives,"Fumori Masaki chuckled. "You must know that the Shinobi Sect Classics were unearthed in the Land of Demons, right?"
"Yes."
"Actually, not only were the Shinobi Sect Classics unearthed there, but also the secret scroll of the builder. It recorded her daily experiences, and it mentioned that beneath a certain barren place, there was a vast amount of chakra, somewhere between the natural power of the world's cycle and a ninja's chakra. Coincidentally, my ninja training requires me to study this power. After investigation, I've determined that this is the place described in the secret scroll, and that's why I've come to ask for the Queen's help,"Fumori Masaki said.
"Is what Mr. Kazamori is referring to the Dragon Veins?" Rina asked with some hesitation.
"Ah, I heard that the Queen of Rouran has the ability to communicate with the earth's power. That earth power is what you call the Dragon Veins, isn't it?"Fumori Masaki nodded and said, "It's probably just as the Queen thinks."
"So you've come for the Dragon Veins," Rina said with a wry smile. "I never imagined that something even the Sand Hidden Village didn't know about would be discovered by a foreign ninja."
"Isn't that because the Queen has never used the power of the Dragon Veins? The Sand Hidden Village probably only regarded it as a rumor,"Fumori Masaki chuckled softly.
"The power of the Dragon Veins is extremely potent. Although I have the ability to communicate with them, I can only use a portion of it, and I don't wish to use it," Rina shook her head slightly. "Our family's ancestral teaching is to never try to profit from the Dragon Veins, otherwise it will surely bring disaster."
"An innocent man is guilty only because he possesses a treasure,"Fumori Masaki couldn't help but utter a common saying from his previous life. "With Rouran's national strength, if the immense power of the Dragon Veins were discovered, it would likely lead to the danger of national annihilation. Therefore, the Queen's ancestors left such a warning."
"Yes, after all, our royal family cannot truly utilize the power of the Dragon Veins. Against truly powerful individuals, there is no chance of winning," the Queen said.
Kazamori Masaki deeply agreed. Even the rogue ninja Mukade from the Sand Hidden Village, despite gaining the power of the Dragon Veins, was defeated by a mere three-person squad. His so-called dream of using the Dragon Veins to conquer the Five Great Nations was an unrealistic fantasy—the power of the Dragon Veins was indeed immense, but its low utilization efficiency meant that even with this treasure, its true potential could not be unleashed.
"Since you're worried about that, Queen, aren't you afraid I might have ill intentions by being so frank?"Fumori Masaki said somewhat jokingly.
"Mr. Kazamori, you're truly fond of joking. Since you've come for this, what's the point of me concealing it?" The Queen smiled and shook her head, saying, "Moreover, I believe Mr. Kazamori isn't the type of person who enjoys aggression, and likely wouldn't use the Dragon Veins for such purposes. I can sense this from Mr. Kazamori's books."
"It's truly an honor to receive such an assessment from the Queen,"Fumori Masaki said. "Indeed, as the Queen surmises, this is a mutually beneficial transaction, not just Rouran's contribution. I understand the challenges Rouran faces, and just like our cooperation with merchants, our Hidden Leaf Village and Rouran can also establish a partnership."
"Oh, does your Hidden Leaf Village have such capabilities?" Rina was somewhat surprised.
"Of course, our cooperation with merchants is not merely an employer-employee relationship; it involves the ninja village participating as well. We can fully leverage our merchant connections to achieve cooperation,"Fumori Masaki said. "If the Queen agrees, I can guarantee that Rouran will receive favorable treatment in the future. I believe our village's reputation over the years should be enough to give the Queen confidence."
Rina pondered for a moment. She could senseFumori Masaki's character from his books, and thus trusted him. The Hidden Leaf Village's reputation was also very good, and their credibility could certainly back up any guarantees. After a while, she nodded and said, "As long as Mr. Kazamori can guarantee that Rouran will not be dragged into war, I can agree."
"Please rest assured, if cooperation is achieved, as long as Rouran encounters danger, we will certainly protect Rouran's safety. In the future, perhaps we can…"Fumori Masaki said.
InFumori Masaki's view, the Dragon Veins were definitely a resource comparable to oil. In the envisioned Chakra technology, aside from scientific theory, the biggest problem faced was energy. Since it was Chakra technology, what naturally drove it was Chakra. However, if ninjas were to provide Chakra, it seemed it would limit the potential of Chakra technology, and the Dragon Veins, as a purely natural source of Chakra, were simply perfect.
Before that,Fumori Masaki had envisioned using Tailed Beasts to provide Chakra. After confirming Rouran's existence,Fumori Masaki decided that Rouran must become an ally of the Hidden Leaf Village. The Dragon Veins would become the energy reserve for future Chakra technology, and the Rouran royal family, who could control the Dragon Veins' power, was naturally an object to be courted.
ForFumori Masaki, he stood on the side of the Hidden Leaf Village, aiming to make it the hegemon of the ninja world—this was also a guarantee for maintaining peace in the future—but that didn't mean he had to treat other countries with an oppressive attitude. Good cooperation often brought greater benefits. After all, Rouran was just a small country, and it could completely exchange other things for what the Hidden Leaf Village needed. For Rouran, what it needed was peace and a good life for its people, something the Hidden Leaf Village could completely provide. As long as Rouran's fragile position was guaranteed, it would only be able to rely on the Hidden Leaf Village.
Of course, this was just the beginning. The Hidden Leaf Village's Chakra technology had not made much progress due to limitations in researchers and financial resources, and the Hidden Leaf Village currently lacked the ability to continuously shelter Rouran under its wings. Therefore, the news of the Dragon Veins still needed to be kept secret, and the Hidden Leaf Village also needed to continue developing, but the two sides could begin to establish a relationship.
"Then, Mr. Kazamori, I'll take you to see the Dragon Veins first," Rina said.
The two arrived at the basement of the Rouran Royal Palace, a place known only to the royal family. For this purpose, a secret passage had been built to allow entry from within the palace. Rina walked ahead, and they came to a room that looked like a place of worship. She said, "This is the key place for communicating with the power of the Dragon Veins."
Then, Rina gently knelt on the ground, muttering incantations, and placed her hands on a section of the floor in the center of the room. A purple light slowly emerged, as if an eye on the ground had opened. Simultaneously,Fumori Masaki felt the power flowing beneath the earth begin to become active. This time, upon entering Sage Mode, even the power of the Dragon Veins involuntarily merged into his body.
The chakra condensed within his body was still Sage Chakra, but it was different from his usual Sage Chakra.Fumori Masaki couldn't quite articulate the difference, but after inhaling the Dragon Vein Chakra, which possessed properties of natural energy, he felt a sudden enlightenment, vaguely grasping the crucial point between natural energy and chakra.
"That's enough,"Fumori Masaki stopped the Queen from further releasing the Dragon Veins' power. The Queen turned her head in confusion, listening as he said, "I've already obtained what I needed, Queen. Soon, Rouran will also receive the rewards of this transaction."
It was after that encounter that Fumori Masaki continuously savored the feeling of that day at home. Before the joint Chunin Exams were held, he had gained an understanding, and his Sage Mode had undoubtedly entered a new stage.
"Oh, then let me test your current strength, Masaki," Tobirama said.