Chapter 201: The Land of Rain's Choice
While Ishiro was learning Shinra Tensei from Nagato, his four disciples were accepting challenges from the ninjas of the River Ninja Village.
The current number of ninjas in the River Ninja Village was not large. Although the Daimyō of the Land of Rivers had allocated a lot of funds and provided strong support for the River Ninja Village, the development of a ninja village still required time.
Currently, the River Ninja Village was still in the stage of vigorously recruiting students and cultivating the younger generation. Half of the ninjas in the River Ninja Village were originally from the Akatsuki organization. The students Yahiko had recruited after taking charge of the River Ninja Village were still studying at the academy. The largest class would still need three to five years before they could possibly become Genin.
Ishiro's four disciples were not top-tier among their peers, but they held a clear advantage when facing the River Ninjas.
The Genin among the River Ninjas were no match for any of Ogura Saki's group, while the River Ninja Chūnin were all dealt with by Kawakita in a few moves.
This created a sense of frustration among the River Ninjas. Only then did they realize that the gap between themselves and a major ninja village was not something a single Kage-level powerhouse could change.
None of this concerned Ishiro. It was good that his four disciples had an opportunity to practice and gain experience.
So later, Ishiro proposed letting Ogura Saki's group of three fight against the River Ninja Chūnin, while Kawakita would spar with the River Ninja Jōnin.
This matter greatly angered everyone in the River Ninja Village; they felt Iwagakure was looking down on them too much. They all expressed their intention to teach Iwagakure a lesson.
However, the final result left them somewhat disappointed. Although Ogura Saki's group of three lost more than they won in their matches against the River Ninja Chūnin, even in defeat, the gap between the two sides was not large.
This completely deflated the River Ninjas' morale, especially after they learned that Ogura Saki's group of three was not even among the most outstanding Genin in Iwagakure. Their self-confidence took a massive hit.
Fortunately, the River Ninjas had Yahiko. Yahiko employed his Talk-no-Jutsu, successfully using this incident to motivate the River Ninjas' enthusiasm for training.
Kawakita's sparring with the River Ninja Jōnin was even more embarrassing for the River Ninjas. Because even when Kawakita was outmatched, he could still maintain an undefeated stance, fully demonstrating the strength of a ninja from a major village.
Ishiro, seeing that his S-rank ninjutsu training was effective and that his four disciples had also gained much through challenging those above their rank, directly tossed aside the instructions Ōnoki had given him before leaving.
Ishiro stayed in the River Ninja Village for a full month before leisurely departing with his four disciples. Before leaving, Ishiro also asked Nagato for a black rod. This was also one of the purposes of Ishiro's trip; Ishiro had always suspected that the black rods Mount Myōboku used to aid in Sage Mode training were the same type of thing as the black rods Nagato used.
After leaving the Land of Rivers, Ishiro made a detour to Amegakure.
Ishiro met with Hanzō and conveyed Iwagakure's intention to host a joint Chūnin Exam.
Hanzō was no naive youth like Yahiko. He knew this was essentially choosing sides – deciding whether to stand with Konoha or with Iwagakure.
Before the Third Great Ninja War, Hanzō might not have made up his mind so easily. But now, Konoha had suffered heavy losses in the Third War, while Iwagakure had gained much.
Most importantly, Iwagakure had produced Ikura. Ōnoki plus Ikura meant two Kage-level figures, in addition to Ishiro, whom Hanzō had personally confirmed as a quasi-Kage.
Although Konoha's strength was still above Iwagakure's, Konoha also had many enemies. Furthermore, his previous cooperation with Danzō had been very unpleasant.
Thus, after hesitating for three days, Hanzō finally agreed to Iwagakure's proposal and hinted that Amegakure could form an official alliance with Iwagakure.
Ishiro was not surprised by this result. Although Hanzō had driven out the Akatsuki organization, his control over the Land of Rain had not improved much. On the contrary, because news of the Akatsuki affair had spread, and due to the significant loss of Hanzō's trusted subordinates back then, Hanzō's control over the Land of Rain, and even Amegakure, was far less than before.
Hanzō didn't have many choices. If Danzō's Root elites were still around, Ishiro wouldn't have dared to come to Amegakure alone. But Danzō was still licking his wounds back in Konoha; Ishiro believed Hanzō would be pragmatic.
After Hanzō agreed, Ishiro then requested Hanzō to give some guidance to Kawakita.
This request was very impolite. Given Hanzō's status in the ninja world, Kawakita, an Elite Chūnin, was far from qualified for this.
Moreover, Hanzō was not from Iwagakure. Asking Hanzō to guide an Iwagakure ninja was indeed an excessive request.
But Ishiro didn't care about Hanzō's feelings. Hanzō was someone who understood the bigger picture; this could be seen from him granting the Sannin title and his retreat when facing Nagato.
Sure enough, Hanzō initially acted very angry, but upon seeing Ishiro unmoved, he still yielded.
He didn't yield to Ishiro's strength; Ishiro was still only a quasi-Kage and currently no match for Hanzō.
Hanzō yielded to Ishiro's status. Ishiro's status as an advisor of Iwagakure was enough to overwhelm Hanzō, whose power had been greatly diminished.
Taking a deep breath, Hanzō looked at Kawakita. After a moment, he said, "Draw your sword."
Kawakita knew Ishiro's intentions before coming and wasn't surprised. Upon hearing Hanzō's words, he directly unleashed a full-power sword ki slash at Hanzō, while his body also charged towards the unmoving, seated Hanzō like a sharp sword.
Next, Ishiro witnessed the strength of a true sword master of the ninja world.
Hanzō also used a longsword, but his sword never left its scabbard. He didn't even stand up from his seat and still managed to defend against all of Kawakita's continuous attacks.
After about ten minutes, when Hanzō saw that Kawakita's attacks no longer showed any novelty, his entire person leaped up from his seat.
Then, a flash of sword light, and Hanzō was back in his original position. Kawakita, however, stood there motionless. The longsword in his hand was now broken in two, but he himself was completely unharmed.
Even with Ishiro's keen eyesight, he could only barely make out the speed of Hanzō's attack. Ishiro estimated that if he faced Hanzō, unless he flew into the air from the very beginning, he would have no way to escape such a fierce offensive.
"Phew~~" Ishiro knew Hanzō was making a display of power, but Ishiro admitted, Hanzō had done it very successfully. Ninjutsu-type ninjas like Ishiro most hated encountering close-combat swordsmanship masters.
"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Hanzō. With Senior Hanzō present, Iwagakure will not enter the Land of Rain," Ishiro expressed his stance.
Of course, for such a matter, Ishiro, as just one advisor, didn't have the final say. But Ishiro could cast his vote in high-level meetings, and that was enough for Hanzō.
What Hanzō needed most now was the personal recognition of his allies, not recognition for Amegakure. If his allies recognized only him, Hanzō, then the threat from all opposing forces would be reduced by a level.
Ishiro had precisely seen this point, which was why he deliberately gave Hanzō a worthless guarantee. Hanzō's strength was unquestionable, but Hanzō's spirit had aged. Ishiro was not yet Hanzō's match, but Hanzō had long since been removed from Ishiro's list of specially watched individuals.
Ignoring Hanzō further, Ishiro turned his gaze to Kawakita, who had been thrown into a dazed state by Hanzō's single sword strike.
Ishiro was not unfamiliar with Kawakita's state; this was precisely the precursor to becoming a Jōnin. The reason Ishiro had called Kawakita out from the Anbu this time, wasting over a month, was for this very moment.
Neither Hanzō nor Ishiro spoke again, both quietly waiting for Kawakita to regain his senses.
After about an hour, Kawakita finally emerged from his dazed state. He looked at the broken sword in his hand; something seemed to have been added to his heart, yet nothing seemed to have changed.
This occasion was not suitable for Kawakita to reflect deeply. Ishiro directly bid farewell to Hanzō.
Hanzō didn't see Ishiro off, and Ishiro didn't mind. Leading Kawakita out of Hanzō's reception hall, he rendezvoused with Ogura Saki and the other two outside the door. Then, the group of five embarked on their journey back to the village.
With all matters settled, Ishiro finally remembered Ōnoki's warning before he left, and then Ishiro began to panic. Now, Ishiro didn't want to stay outside for a moment longer.
Looking at his four disciples, Ishiro had them hold hands, then applied the Light/Heavy Rock Technique to them. Then, the five of them took off directly from the entrance of Amegakure and flew towards Iwagakure at full speed.
After returning to the village, Ōnoki's anticipated anger did not materialize, because Ōnoki was busy finding a suitable inheritor for the summoning technique.
After learning Ōnoki's whereabouts from the Anbu in the Tsuchikage building, Ishiro went alone to a small hill outside the village.
This place was originally empty. Now, Ōnoki had arranged for people to set up a natural energy sealing barrier here, and Ōnoki himself was currently inside the barrier. After Ishiro entered the barrier, he stood still. Because what appeared in Ishiro's line of sight at this moment was a giant panda, about two stories tall.
And Ōnoki was currently floating in mid-air in front of the giant panda, seemingly communicating with it. Ōnoki's size formed a stark contrast with the giant panda. If not for Ishiro's good eyesight, he might not necessarily have spotted Ōnoki's figure.
Encountering a national treasure here surprised Ishiro somewhat. Ishiro didn't know this giant panda's temperament and didn't dare to approach rashly. So, Ishiro walked over to Zero, the captain of the Shadow Guard, who was nearby, and inquired about the giant panda's situation.
Zero, seeing Ōnoki was still chatting with the giant panda, then recounted the development of events in detail.
It turned out that after the summoning scroll was delivered to the village, Ōnoki had arranged for a Jōnin to write his name on the summoning scroll. Then, this Jōnin, as required, summoned the giant panda before them.
However, the giant panda disliked that Jōnin. Although it didn't dispel the summoning, it did not cooperate with the Jōnin's commands.
Later, it was Ikura who thought of a way, bringing the giant panda to the natural energy sealing place and letting it experience the richness of the natural energy inside.
Tempted by the natural energy, the giant panda only then agreed to move its home there. Then, according to the giant panda's description, Ōnoki and Ikura acted together and brought this giant panda back from some corner of the ninja world.
However, although the giant panda agreed to make its home in the natural energy seal, it was unwilling to accept the summons of ninjas it didn't approve of. This gave Ōnoki a major headache. These past few days, almost all the Jōnin in the village had been brought over by him to try, but not a single one could gain the giant panda's approval.
Hearing the Anbu's words, Ishiro didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Had he really brought back a national treasure? Only for viewing, not for work?
After thinking for a moment, Ishiro stepped forward and said to Ōnoki, "Lord Tsuchikage, among my disciples, there is one who is quite close to small animals. How about letting him try?"
Ōnoki thought for a moment and said, "You're talking about Matsutani Shinya, right? Then let's try. It's just that he's only a Genin. Even if he gains approval, he doesn't have enough chakra to complete the summoning ninjutsu."
This giant panda was different from the toads of Mount Myōboku. Although its strength was considerable, it was not gregarious; it had no companions. Unlike Mount Myōboku, where if you couldn't summon Gamabunta, it didn't matter, you could still summon other small toads, or even tadpoles.
So, just as Ōnoki said, even if Matsutani Shinya could gain approval, he wouldn't be able to use this giant panda in the short term.
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