How many countries are there in the Ninja World? Probably no one knows for sure.
Unless you drag the late Otsutsuki Hagoromo from the edge of the Pure Land and have him update today's list of changes in the Ninja World's nations.
The Five Great Nations occupy the four cardinal directions and the center, with countless medium, small, and micro nations interspersed between them.
More famous ones include the Land of Rain, Land of Grass, Land of Hot Springs, Land of Waterfalls, and Land of Bears.
These are countries with relatively strong power and their own independent Hidden Villages.
With a Hidden Village, a small nation gains the ambition to become the sixth great power, much like how India in his past life dreamed of joining the Permanent Security Council every year.
The Land of Waterfalls was once powerful and even received a Tailed Beast, the Seven-Tails Chomei. However, after being thoroughly farmed for experience by Master Kakuzu, they quieted down. Now, they huddle in a corner relying on geographical advantages, occasionally popping out to grab some benefits.
The Land of Rain produced a "Demi-god," Hanzou, who attempted to challenge the position of the sixth great power by invading neighboring countries, sparking the Second Great Ninja War, only to be beaten down by the combined forces of Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Konoha.
Currently, they are also behaving and begging for mercy.
There are also some countries with vast territories but no Hidden Villages, such as the Land of Rivers, Land of Rice Fields, and Land of Demons. They hand over all their mission requests to the surrounding great nations.
Together with the Five Great Nations, these countries form the current Ninja World. Since the establishment of the One Country, One Village system, although the successive Great Ninja Wars have been brutal, they haven't changed the territorial landscape of these nations.
What most people don't know is that interspersed between these larger countries are countless tiny nations, such as the Land of Pupils, Land of Claws, Land of Fangs, and Land of Vegetables. Some may only have a territory the size of a single city.
These small nations are established and destroyed daily, with no one caring.
Famous Ninjas in the Ninja World, like Sasori of the Red Sand, who often claim to have destroyed a nation single-handedly, are usually referring to these kinds of countries.
It sounds intimidating, but it's actually no big deal; many people in the Five Great Ninja Villages could do the same.
Great nations bully small ones, small ones bully smaller ones, and the smallest... having no one else to bully, they can only endure it or bully their own citizens for fun.
Among all countries, the Land of Fire, where Konoha is located, is not the largest in area, but it has the best natural conditions. Most of the country is covered in dense forests and rich in resources.
The country has excellent rainfall and temperature conditions, fertile soil, and is very suitable for agricultural production. At the same time, commerce is developed and the economy is prosperous.
No wonder it gets attacked first in every war; looking like a rich guy, who else would they hit if not you?
---
Is the Ninja World large? For ordinary people, yes.
But for Ninjas, the Ninja World isn't that big. One of Uchiha Madara's pretentious quotes: "The Ninja World is too small, not enough for me to stir up trouble alone."
In the forests of the Land of Fire, four figures were leaping forward at high speed. Their feet touched the tree trunks, making slight 'da-da' sounds.
This is the Ninja's way of traveling: high speed, high efficiency, and the ability to ignore any complex terrain.
Ninjas don't have Qinggong; their jumping relies on bursts of Chakra. Therefore, it's inevitable that they make some noise when landing. The stronger a Ninja is and the more perfect their control over Chakra and their body, the less noise they make.
However, among the four figures today, one clearly had a different style from his companions. His form was like a gust of wind, elegant and free-spirited yet extremely fast, making no sound at all when he landed.
This unique style was, naturally, Higashino Shin.
Wind-attribute Chakra has the nature transformations of lightness and flow. To realize his wish to fly, Higashino Shin has put a lot of effort into training this nature transformation over the years, relying on the ultra-high Chakra control brought by his Natural Energy modification.
To this end, he likewise divided it into three stages.
Stage One: Wind Release: Light Sky Technique. By utilizing the light and flowing nature of the wind attribute, one can increase their movement speed and achieve maximum silence.
Stage Two: Wind Release: Levitation Technique. It allows one's body to stay in the air for a short time and perform various maneuvers to catch the enemy off guard.
At the same time, it can be considered a preliminary realization of the dream of flight, with almost no sound during movement, just like a ghost.
He is currently at this stage. He used it a few days ago during the strength assessment battle with Gekko Yun Jian. Even though he was suspended in the air in front of Gekko Yun Jian with nowhere to exert force, and was about to be caught and disqualified instantly, he suddenly appeared behind him and almost succeeded in a counter-kill.
Stage Three: Wind Release: Sky Dance Technique. This name naturally comes from the world of Dragon Ball. At this level, one can fly freely like a bird.
At the same time, Higashino Shin also felt that the third stage should also be a type of Wind Release Chakra Mode, similar to the Lightning Release Chakra Mode of the successive Raikage.
Gekko Yun Jian led the team in front, expressionless.
Yūgao Uzuki and Gekkō Hayate watched Higashino Shin's uniquely styled moving figure with envy as they traveled. So cool, I want that too.
Higashino Shin naturally didn't keep secrets from his companions, but knowing something is one thing; being able to do it is another. It requires talent.
There is a limit to an ordinary person's control over Chakra.
As a Jonin, Gekko Yun Jian naturally tried it secretly in private, only to find that it was damn hard. Without spending ten years, it would be impossible to achieve the so-called first stage. His Disciple wasn't human; he was a Chakra monster.
Come to think of it, if it were easy, then the Ninjas of Sunagakure and Iwagakure would all be in the sky, and there'd be no point in fighting.
---
"Da-da-da!"
Gekko Yun Jian took the lead in landing: "Let's rest here for a while. When Ninjas are traveling outside, try not to over-consume Chakra to avoid being unable to resist if danger is encountered."
Hearing this, Yūgao Uzuki wiped the sweat from her face and nodded in agreement. This was her first time traveling at such high intensity, and she was indeed a bit tired.
Gekkō Hayate didn't sweat, but he let out slightly heavy gasps. His body severely dragged down his strength; this was Innate and couldn't be solved for now.
Only Higashino Shin landed lightly on the ground as if nothing had happened.
The three of them took a look and had nothing to say.
Gekko Yun Jian gave Higashino Shin a look, and the latter sensed the surrounding environment before returning a 'safe' gesture.
After seeing it, Gekko Yun Jian nodded and said to the three: "Although it's just a mission to track down and clear out bandits, it's wartime now. A large number of Rogue Ninja and intelligence squads from other countries are roaming the Ninja World, so we must be especially careful outside. The mission could upgrade from C-rank to B-rank or even higher at any time."
Yūgao Uzuki asked curiously, "Are there still bandits who dare to cause trouble in the Land of Fire? Aren't they afraid of death?"
Gekko Yun Jian sighed slightly and said, "They're mostly people from surrounding small nations. Since it's wartime and Konoha is short-handed, they're thinking of taking the opportunity to make a quick buck."
There was one more thing he didn't say, which was that there were also people from their own country who couldn't survive and turned to banditry. After all, the Ninja World is a distorted world; it seems to have entered the electrical age with advanced technology, but in essence, it's still a feudal system of Daimyo and Lords.
Some lords don't treat the people under their rule as human beings at all, which naturally gives rise to a large number of wandering bandits.
This is a bit too dark; the Disciples are still young and don't need to know about this for now.
After resting, the four set off again. After spending most of the day, they arrived in the evening at the southwestern corner of the Land of Fire, a port city by the sea called Hema.
This is a major port in the southwest of the Land of Fire. To the west lies the Land of Rivers. Through the maritime routes of Tea Island Bay, it connects to the Land of Islands at sea, the Land of Tea and Land of Commerce on the peninsula, as well as the Land of Wind to the west. It is one of the important outlets to the sea in the south of the Land of Fire.