"So, this is that legendary climate phenomenon where crossing one mountain feels like stepping into a completely different world?"
Akio hovered in midair, genuinely impressed.
He had departed the Land of Iron shortly after lunch, pushing southeast through brutal wind and snow. Yet the moment he cleared the mountain range behind him, the freezing cold and blizzard vanished as if someone had flipped a switch.
The air here wasn't exactly pleasant, but it was comfortably mild. On the western side of the mountains lay thick, untouched snow; on the eastern side, lush greenery stretched as far as the eye could see. It was one of those rare natural wonders that made Akio regret not bringing Kimimaro and the other two along to see it.
Of course, he wasn't alone.
Floating beside him was the young prince of the fallen Land of Hi Shu, who clearly had a fear of heights. Far below, two samurai who refused to be carried were struggling over the mountain on foot.
"Which way from here?" Akio asked, glancing over. "Your name's Shu, right?"
Shu's face tightened, and he shook his head blankly.
"Well, great," Akio sighed. "Poor kid's probably in shock, doesn't even know where home is anymore, or who he is."
With no better option, Akio descended slowly and waited for the Land of Iron's general, Mifune, and the samurai Chongjie to catch up.
Fortunately, both were elite warriors. They arrived quickly.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, sir," Mifune said with a respectful bow. "Let's proceed."
After cutting through dense forest, Akio carried Shu several more kilometers forward. A massive ruin soon came into view.
Tents surrounded the site, and over a hundred young men dressed in various styles were digging frantically through the rubble.
"They're… disaster relief?" Akio asked, surprised.
Chongjie nodded. "They're led personally by the daimyō of the neighboring Land of Ci. But it's been a full day, no survivors."
Shu's face crumpled, and tears streamed down again. Akio could only shake his head helplessly. Kids these days really cried too easily.
"I'll take a look," Akio said, rising into the air and heading straight toward the center of the ruins.
The moment he arrived, his expression hardened.
"So it was him."
Below lay a massive bowl-shaped crater. Every structure had been blasted outward toward the rim.
It was a sight Akio recognized instantly.
Konoha had looked exactly like this after Pain's attack.
He could almost picture it, the bastard with the Rinnegan floating where Akio now stood, palms pressed downward, a single Shinra Tensei erasing the Land of Hi from the map.
"What could a tiny country like this have done to piss him off?" Akio muttered. "If you've got that kind of power, why not pick a fight with the Land of Whirlpools instead?"
He shook his head grimly.
"There was no Katsuyu here to shield civilians. Their chances were practically zero."
After scanning the area and sensing nothing unusual, Akio flew back. From afar, he saw Mifune speaking with a richly dressed, heavyset man wearing a ceremonial fan-shaped hat, the daimyō of the Land of Ci.
"At least he showed up himself," Akio noted. "Seems like a decent ruler."
"Sir," Mifune asked as Akio landed, "have you identified the culprit?"
"Yes," Akio replied. "I'll explain later. First, I'm going to check for survivors. Have the civilians pull back."
Mifune relayed the order. The daimyō immediately complied, he'd already been informed of Akio's identity and knew better than to act casually around someone like him.
Once the area was cleared, Akio formed seals.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Towering trees burst from the ground, engulfing the entire ruin.
Ignoring the mixture of awe and fear around him, Akio closed his eyes, sensing life through the forest itself.
"No pulse… nothing… gone…"
Then
"…Wait. There. Someone's still alive."
Five minutes later, Akio exhaled slowly.
Only one survivor.
And that was solely because the man possessed unusually strong chakra.
Akio pulled the middle-aged man down from the tree with gravity manipulation and immediately began medical ninjutsu.
As the forest settled, Mifune approached, visibly shaken.
"So this is the Wood Release of the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju… I never imagined, wait. That's Daidao!"
Akio blinked. "You know him? His chakra's strong, was he one of your samurai?"
Mifune nodded. "He left the Land of Iron years ago. I never expected to see him here."
"Even someone like Daidao was injured this badly…" Chongjie said, approaching with Shu.
Daidao's strength rivaled that of an elite jōnin. The only reason he'd been hurt so severely was because samurai had no counter to attacks like Shinra Tensei.
While healing him, Akio explained, "The ones behind this are a group called Akatsuki. They've been undermining the old bloodlines for years. If I ever find them"
Mifune frowned. "Then this was connected to your arrival?"
"No, no," Akio waved him off quickly. "Don't pin that on me. It's just coincidence. Their motive's still unclear."
After a moment's thought, Akio turned to Shu.
"Does your country have any legendary artifacts? Ancient relics, lost treasures anything like that?"
Shu shook his head, confused.
At that moment, the daimyō of the Land of Ci approached.
"Ancestor of the Uzumaki," he asked cautiously, "no other survivors?"
Akio smirked slightly. Ancestor of the Uzumaki… He liked that.
"No."
The daimyō sighed, clearly shaken. "Then the Land of Hi truly ends here. Just this child and that samurai remain."
Akio raised an eyebrow. "You're still thinking about rebuilding for them?"
The daimyō laughed awkwardly. "I just remembered his father boasting about their long history, how the Land of Hi had been destroyed and rebuilt four or five times."
"This time," Akio said calmly, "there won't be a next one."
"Oh?" Akio's interest piqued. "A long history, you say? Any ancestral relics?"
Mifune also focused intently.
The daimyō shook his head. "Just exaggerations. He claimed their history went back a thousand years before ninjas even existed. Said they were once one of the strongest nations."
Akio chuckled softly.
"You don't believe it either, right?" the daimyō continued mockingly. "The funniest part is how he said their downfall came from offending a divine maiden."
Akio's smile froze.
"A thousand years ago… offending a divine maiden?"
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