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"I didn't expect to find a place like this..." Akio sighed in awe as he lay back in the hot spring.
After leaving the Hidden Leaf Village, Akio had traveled northward and arrived in a country called the Land of Hot Water.
Naturally, to travel safely through the shinobi world, Akio used the Transformation Jutsu to disguise himself. His current appearance was that of a tan-skinned young man in his early twentiesâcompletely ordinary-looking, except for his blond hair, which didn't quite match the rest of his features. Aside from that, he blended in with the crowd with no one paying him any special attention.
"This Land of Hot Water... it really feels like a hidden paradise," Akio muttered, shifting positions in the spring and closing his eyes in contentment.
It had been nearly half a month since Hashirama's death. Word had spread throughout the shinobi world, and the air was thick with the tension of impending war.
But just a day earlier, Akio had arrived in the Land of Hot Water, where the locals showed no signs of worry. Merchants and tourists bustled aboutâthe country truly felt like an untouched sanctuary.
True to its name, the nation was filled with "hot water," or rather, hot springs. Akio had been soaking for half a day now and felt like he might melt from comfort.
"Now then, how do I sneak into the Land of Lightning..." he mused aloud, shifting again.
That's rightâAkio's ultimate destination was the Land of Lightning. His choice of a dark-skinned appearance was deliberate; most people from that land shared that trait, so it helped him blend in.
As for the blond hair, that was tied to one of his objectives. He wanted to secretly learn the Land of Lightning's secret techniqueâthe Lightning Release Chakra Modeâand the accompanying taijutsu styles. Activating it would give him a "Super Saiyan" kind of look, which honestly was part of the appeal.
Taijutsu had always been Akio's weak point, even after mastering the Eight Gates. The technique lacked a full set of compatible taijutsu moves. Sure, he could pull off things like the Front Lotus and Reverse Lotus, but they weren't particularly useful. He'd been working on techniques like Morning Peacock and Daytime Tiger for ages with little progress. His natural talent in taijutsu was average at best, and even his mentor Jitou had started getting embarrassed for him... So, by learning the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, he hoped to gain new insights and finally improve.
"I wonder how many stages there are in the Lightning Release Chakra Mode... If there are four, then this blond hair might not fit the aesthetic," Akio muttered. But honestly, looking like a Super Saiyan was still his top priority.
His decision to go to the Land of Lightning wasn't just about learning techniques.
According to his memory, two major events would take place during the First Great Ninja War. One was the battle between the Hidden Stone and Hidden Mist, in which the Second Tsuchikage, Mu, and the Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hozuki, would die together. The second was during the alliance ceremony between the Hidden Leaf and Hidden Cloud, where the Gold and Silver Brothers would launch a coup, killing the Second Raikage. Tobirama and six of his students would pursue them, leading to Tobirama's final sacrifice.
Akio's real goal was to prevent Tobirama's death from the very start. He hoped to infiltrate the Hidden Cloud, maybe even join the Gold and Silver Brothers' special unit, and when the time cameâboomâmake his move.
"I couldn't save Hashirama⊠thanks to Black Zetsu's meddling. If Tobirama dies too, this whole reincarnation will have been pointless..."
"Hah..." He took a deep breath and stepped out of the hot spring. After drying off and getting dressed, he picked up his pack and gave it a quick check.
Inside was a sealing jarâthe one containing the Yang half of the Nine-Tails' chakra.
"If the opportunity arises, I might even be able to retrieve the missing portion of the Nine-Tails' chakra..." Akio had recently discovered that the chakra inside the jar was incomplete. After some thought, he concluded that the missing portion was likely within the Gold and Silver Brothers.
"Why does this trip feel like such a hassle..."
"Anyway, first stepâfigure out a way to infiltrate the Hidden Cloud..." But the shinobi world wasn't what it had been a few years ago. With the war looming, all five great nations were on high alertâgetting in wasn't going to be easy.
Sure, Akio could sneak in using stealth. But once he was inside, things would get complicated...
After pondering for a while without coming up with a solid plan, he muttered, "Guess I'll take a walk and see what turns up..."
"Take care, sir!" The innkeeper saw him off with a friendly wave as Akio left the hot springs.
He wandered aimlessly through the streets of the Land of Hot Water, but after half a day, he had found nothing useful. The place was full of hot springs, inns, and restaurantsâresidential homes were few and far between.
"This place is basically a tourism nation... Hm?" Something unusual caught Akio's eye in the distance.
As he got closer, he saw the sign: "Guard Recruitment Center?"
Scratching his head, he stepped inside.
The place was sparsely furnished, with a few tables lined up. Behind one of them sat a fierce-looking middle-aged man, a long blade resting in his lap. A scar ran diagonally across his face.
"You here to apply? Samurai or shinobi?" the scarred man asked casually.
Akio glanced aroundâno one else was inside. "What exactly is this place?" he asked.
The scarred man blinked. "Outsider, huh?"
He went on to explain the purpose of the "Guard Recruitment Center."
It turned out that many merchants traveled between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Lightning. But to get there, they had to pass through the perpetually war-torn Land of Rivers. So, merchants often hired guards to protect them.
In the past, most would hire shinobi from the Hidden Leaf, but in recent yearsâdue to rising conflictâthe Leaf had stopped accepting escort missions to the Land of Lightning. That's why this recruitment center had been established.
Akio grinned inwardlyâhe'd just found his ticket into the Land of Lightning. Once he was in, he'd figure out the rest.
"Is there a test to join the guard?" he asked.
"I need to record your info first," the scarred man replied. "You're a shinobi, right? What's your name and background?"
Akio hesitated for a moment. "My name is Akio... uh, I mean, Aaron. I'm a wandering samurai from the Land of Iron." At this point in time, the Land of Iron was engulfed in civil war, so there were plenty of wandering samurai.
The scarred man sat up straight and muttered, "Aaron? What kind of name is that..."
Akio silently rolled his eyes. No knowledge of kanji, clearly.
"Also," the man added, "as a wandering samurai from the Land of Ironâwhat's your rank?"
Akio's eyes shifted. "What do you think?" Truth be told, he didn't actually know how samurai ranks worked.
The man's face darkened. "You messing with me? Judging by your look, you're probably a low-ranked samurai at best."
Akio shook his head. "No, I'm high-ranked."
The man immediately drew his blade. "You are messing with me! A high-ranked samurai without a katana on him?"
Akio blushed. "Ahâsorry! I must've left it at the hot spring. I'll go get it!" With a whoosh, he vanished.
The scarred man stood frozen, stunned. "That speed... Maybe he is a high-ranked samurai?"
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