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The Land of Bears, Hoshigakure, Hell Valley.
Hell Valley was a long canyon that encircled Hoshigakure. The valley was filled with the rotting corpses of countless animals that had died over the years, releasing a highly toxic miasma. Any living creature that inhaled this miasma would perish, making it a forbidden zone and the gateway to death.
At this moment, Mujin and Karin were searching along the edge of Hell Valley for their target.
"There are very few shinobi in the ninja world who possess the ability to fly. If we can acquire this ability, it will greatly enhance our safety. Hoshigakure's secret technique, Hoshigan no Jutsu (Peacock Whirling Technique), grants its users the ability to fly. That's one of the reasons we're here," Mujin explained.
Karin nodded and then asked, "What kind of village is Hoshigakure?"
Mujin thought for a moment before replying, "Hoshigakure's origins trace back about two hundred years ago when a meteorite fell from the sky to this location. A shinobi who discovered the meteorite noticed that training near it enhanced the activity of chakra. They named the meteorite 'Star' and established a shinobi organization here. Based on the characteristics of this activated chakra, which is easier to manipulate and shape, they created the secret technique Hoshigan no Jutsu."
"Later, after Hashirama Senju founded Konoha, this place officially became known as Hoshigakure. However, its scale never grew significantly, and its overall strength remained weak. One interesting detail is that while leaders of such small factions usually call themselves 'Chief,' Hoshigakure directly refers to their leader as 'Shadow.' This suggests a certain level of ambition on their part."
Karin looked surprised and asked, "The Land of Bears borders the Land of Fire. Didn't Konoha react to having a 'Shadow' so close by?"
"It might be because Hoshigakure is too small. And look at that…" Mujin pointed to a few birds flying across Hell Valley. Midway through their flight, the birds succumbed to the toxic miasma and plummeted into the valley. "This Hell Valley not only protects Hoshigakure but also isolates them from the outside world. So, the title 'Shadow' might not have spread far."
After walking for another half-day, Karin suddenly stopped. After sensing something, she pointed ahead and said, "Mujin-niisan, there's a chakra signature over there. It's fairly strong."
"That should be our target. Let's go."
The two increased their speed and soon arrived at the location Karin had sensed.
Karin looked down at Hell Valley below and confirmed, "It's down there. But isn't that area filled with miasma? How could anyone survive there?"
"Hoshigakure has lived here for generations. They've likely found some safe zones. But we don't need to take unnecessary risks," Mujin said as he placed his hand on Karin's shoulder. "Let's dig a tunnel and go straight down."
Karin nodded and borrowed the power of Itadori's Eye. The ground beneath their feet transformed into something like an elevator, carrying them swiftly toward the depths below.
In the dimly lit cave, a female shinobi named Natsu lit a candle. Staring at the flickering flame, she sighed deeply.
Natsu was an elite jounin of Hoshigakure and a rare genius who had mastered the Hoshigan no Jutsu. She had taken the technique to an extraordinary level, earning her a status similar to Kakashi's in Konoha.
However, about seven or eight years ago, she discovered that the Star, while enhancing chakra activity, also emitted radiation that drastically shortened the lifespan of its users. Only those resistant to the radiation could master the technique fully; the rest died young.
To protect the village, Natsu and her husband stole the Star, hoping to end this cruel practice. But they were eventually discovered by the Third Hoshikage. As punishment, they were exiled from the village, and her husband succumbed to the Star's side effects shortly afterward.
Since then, Natsu had been living in seclusion within Hell Valley.
Mujin sought her out because the Third Hoshikage had been killed in a rebellion, leaving Natsu as the sole possessor of the complete Hoshigan no Jutsu training method.
As Natsu reflected on her past, she suddenly heard faint rustling sounds. Dust began falling from the ceiling above, and then…
BANG! Two red-haired figures dropped down!
"Who's there?!" Natsu immediately leapt back, drawing a kunai and preparing for battle. Having lived in isolation, she was unaware of recent events in the shinobi world and didn't recognize Mujin or Karin.
Mujin calmly stated, "There's no point in wasting words. We're here for the Hoshigan no Jutsu."
Natsu frowned. "Are you allies sent by Akaboshi?"
Akaboshi was the man who had killed the Third Hoshikage and now served as the acting Hoshikage. His incomplete mastery of the Hoshigan no Jutsu drove him to seek Natsu, hoping to obtain the full technique.
Mujin shook his head. "No. But if you cooperate, we can help you eliminate Akaboshi."
"Do you think I'd believe you?!"
"Please trust us."
"..."
After a brief silence, Natsu suddenly brought her hands together and shouted, "Hoshigan no Jutsu: Peacock Beast Transformation!"
A massive surge of purple chakra erupted, enveloping Natsu like a chakra cloak. Moments later, the chakra condensed into a colossal dragon-like beast in front of her, charging straight at Mujin!
Mujin instantly materialized a black staff and thrust it toward the dragon's head.
BOOM!
A ring of air exploded outward as the dragon pushed Mujin back more than twenty meters, gouging deep trenches into the ground.
But simultaneously, countless runes surged out of the black staff, quickly wrapping around the dragon's body.
Mujin raised his left hand in a sword-finger seal and softly muttered, "Barrier Art: Severance!"
With a hum, the runes transformed into a glowing barrier, leaving deep gashes across the dragon's form!
Gashes?
Mujin's eyebrows shot up. This was the first time his technique failed to cut through something. Was it due to the Star? Or the Hoshigan no Jutsu itself?
Regardless, it proved he had come to the right place.
Realizing further probing was unnecessary, Mujin nodded to Karin. "Capture her."
On cue, Karin drew Samehada from her back.
Seeing this, Natsu immediately channeled more chakra into her technique. The dragon's wounds vanished in an instant, and it turned to charge at Karin instead.
The quality of the purple chakra was exceptionally high, second perhaps only to tailed beast chakra. Moreover, the Hoshigan no Jutsu allowed infinite regeneration as long as the user still had chakra. Had the harsh training conditions not limited the number of people who could master it throughout Hoshigakure's history, the village might have grown to rival smaller hidden villages like Kusagakure or Amegakure.
Karin didn't hesitate. She simply swung Samehada downward, slicing through the dragon like a hot knife through butter. With a sharp tearing sound, Samehada effortlessly shredded most of the purple dragon apart.
Samehada could devour even tailed beast chakra cloaks—let alone the Hoshigan no Jutsu.
"What?!" Natsu was utterly shocked. Her technique, which she had relied on for years, was being torn apart like paper. This shattered her long-held worldview.
Karin didn't stop to let her recover. Swinging Samehada repeatedly, she tore away large chunks of Natsu's chakra cloak each time. Despite Natsu's desperate attempts to regenerate the damage, she couldn't keep up with Samehada's voracious consumption. Within moments, Natsu collapsed to the ground, panting heavily from severe chakra exhaustion.