Mifune nodded and took a sip of his tea, clearing his throat. Then he began, "Going back to that era, the world was in a state of even greater chaos. Samurai and shinobi would kill each other. But in the end, they were rooted in the same origins. Their final paths were different, and eventually, your shinobi gained the upper hand, and the world became what it is today."
Hibari nodded along. The history of samurai and shinobi was long, and there was no need to delve into it. But it was true they had the same origins and had influenced each other to a certain extent, as they were both essentially chakra wielders.
Just look at the Susanoo of the Uchiha clan; its form was essentially that of a samurai. This was one example of their influence. If you looked closely, you could find traces of samurai in many aspects of shinobi culture, and it was the same for samurai, who had been influenced by shinobi.
Mifune continued, "But unlike today, the strength of the samurai back then was much greater. Our Land of Iron was at the forefront. As I just said, the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Grass were originally part of our territory. Later, we had many disputes with the Land of Rain. The samurai's way of thinking was still somewhat rigid, and they couldn't keep up with the times. For various reasons, we were gradually eroded by the Land of Rain and became what we are today..."
Hibari nodded. He had heard a little about this. The conflict between the Land of Rain and the Land of Iron was no secret. The two nations were now separated by the Land of Grass and the Land of Waterfalls.
During the Second Great Ninja War, the Land of Iron had even invaded the Land of Rain, and Mifune had fought Hanzō the Salamander there. It was easy to imagine the long-standing resentment between the two countries. If there was no grudge, why would things get to that point?
Mifune then looked at Hibari again and said, "To be frank, your Land of Fire might not have been uninvolved in all this. Later, your Land of Fire 'dismantled' the Land of Rain, which had occupied a large portion of our territory. At the same time, you didn't return these lands to us. Instead, you propped up two new countries."
Hibari rubbed his nose, feeling a little awkward. This made a lot of sense. If he were the leader of the Land of Fire, he wouldn't want a powerful samurai nation to emerge directly to his north, especially since samurai and shinobi would clash and fight even more viciously because of their differing ideologies.
The Land of Fire would naturally not allow the Land of Iron to grow stronger right on its doorstep, so secretly allying with the Land of Rain to trip up the Land of Iron wasn't impossible.
And then, playing a game of "crossing the river and tearing down the bridge," they dismantled the increasingly powerful Land of Rain into three smaller countries, creating a situation where the Land of Fire was dominant, and all the surrounding countries were small.
This wasn't impossible; on the contrary, it was very plausible!
This wasn't a matter of the Land of Fire being despicable. After all, this was how national strategies worked. If anyone was to blame, it was the people of that time, whose intelligence wasn't enough to outsmart the clever Land of Fire.
Perhaps it was these events that laid the solid foundation for the Land of Fire's current power.
Fortunately, this all happened several hundred years ago. Mifune had recognized the times, so while he still felt some regret, he didn't hold it against Hibari.
Seeing Hibari's slightly awkward expression, Mifune changed the subject. He continued, "Those are old stories; I won't dwell on them. As for what you mentioned about the Yamata no Orochi, according to the general's office records, it is indeed a true event. But our Land of Iron's territory has shrunk, so the legend remains, but the location is no longer ours..."
"Then, where is the place where the legendary samurai slayed the Yamata no Orochi now?" Hibari asked softly.
Mifune said in a deep voice, "According to our general's office records, that location should now be within the Land of Grass, near the Land of Rain. The climate there is very hot and humid, and in ancient records, it was called the 'Serpent Valley' because of the frequent appearance of snakes. It is also said that people saw a Sage there..."
Hibari's eyes lit up when he heard this. He then said, "That might be the place we are looking for. Do you know what that place is called in the Land of Grass today?"
Mifune shook his head and replied, "I don't know that. You might have to go to the Land of Grass yourself and ask around. But the Land of Grass isn't large. If you look for an area with many snakes, it shouldn't take too long."
Seeing that Mifune didn't know, Hibari didn't press him. Having this clue was already very satisfying. So Hibari nodded and said, "Thank you for this information, Mifune-dono."
"It's not important information, just a story. You don't have to thank me, Hibari-dono," Mifune said politely.
Through this conversation, Mifune and Hibari had formed a friendship. Hibari also felt that Mifune was a good man, and he had a promising future as the future general of the Land of Iron, commanding its military forces. From all angles, Mifune was valuable and a good connection to have.
So, to deepen their relationship, Mifune was willing, and Hibari was happy to oblige. He and Orochimaru stayed for two nights at the general's residence, saying a reluctant farewell to Mifune afterward.
During their stay, they discussed many things, even about the Mitsumine Group entering the Land of Iron. Mifune was in the middle of his bid for the general's position, and he not only needed prestige but also tangible achievements to prove his ability to lead the people of the Land of Iron to a better future.
Hibari could help him with this, and it would be a win-win situation. If the Mitsumine Group could open its doors to the neutral Land of Iron, their weapon forging and military equipment techniques would greatly improve.
At the same time, Mifune could use this as a political achievement, giving his people a great answer to their questions, couldn't he?
The two concluded that after Hibari was done with his business, he would arrange for people from the Mitsumine Group to visit the Land of Iron for an inspection. Mifune would be in charge of receiving them and would allocate a permitted area for them to operate in, allowing them to make relevant investments.
A few days later, Hibari and Orochimaru, traveling on their "Frost Giant Dragon-brand plane," crossed the Land of Iron and the Land of Waterfalls and arrived in the Land of Grass.
Every country had its own characteristics, and the Land of Grass's was its vast plains. It was a northern country of prairies, but its climate was surprisingly hot and humid, a bit strange. Since it was near the Land of Rain, the climate in the western part of the Land of Grass became even more humid and hot.
Hibari and Orochimaru were currently walking through the plains.
The divine sword Ame no Murakumo was at Hibari's waist. Unlike his previous short sword, which he wore at his waist due to its appropriate length, the Ame no Murakumo was almost a meter and a half long.
It would be very awkward to wear it at his waist, so Hibari had it slung diagonally, with the handle at his left hip and the tip of the scabbard behind his right hip. The look gave him a dashing, uninhibited aura.
As they walked, Hibari drew the Ame no Murakumo and swept it horizontally, cutting down a patch of wild grass that was almost taller than he was.
"This is a good sword! Even if I hadn't gotten that information from Mifune, this trip wouldn't have been a waste, would it, Orochimaru?" Hibari said happily, admiring the tachi in his hand.
Orochimaru, who was following behind Hibari, had an unexpected sight to show. The boy had somehow gotten a venomous snake to wrap around his neck, constantly flicking its tongue.
But judging from Orochimaru's calm expression, he didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, he even seemed a little proud.
"Even without Mifune's suggestion, I was planning to suggest we come to the Land of Grass first, aniki," Orochimaru said softly.
Hibari glanced at Orochimaru and said, "Be careful, I'm telling you. I'm good at a lot of things, but I'm not great with genjutsu or medical ninjutsu. If that venomous snake bites you by accident in the middle of this vast prairie, I wouldn't be able to find anyone to save you."
Orochimaru didn't seem to mind at all and said naturally, "No, this is a venomous snake I tamed with my ninjutsu. It won't bite me. Besides, I am very good at medical ninjutsu, so I can save myself if I get bitten."
As soon as he finished speaking, Orochimaru's gaze fell on a spot nearby. He seemed to have discovered something and then yelled, "Striking Shadow Snakes!"
He then extended his arm, and in the next second, seventeen or eighteen snake heads shot out from his empty sleeve, biting toward where he was pointing.
After biting something, the snakes immediately retracted. At the same time, Orochimaru held a fox whose nerves had been paralyzed by the venom.
Seeing this, Hibari raised an eyebrow and said, "That's a very good ninjutsu."
Orochimaru also showed a very proud smile. He said, "This is the first ninjutsu I developed. If you want to learn it, aniki, I can teach you... No, wait, you should already understand the basic principles of this ninjutsu, so I don't need to teach you."
"Hahahaha, you're right," Hibari said with a big laugh.
When Orochimaru was developing his Striking Shadow Snakes, he had consulted Hibari a lot, so Hibari basically understood the principles. If he had two or three days, he could figure it out himself.
"Even though I know it, this is still a ninjutsu that you conceptualized and perfected. I just provided some help along the way. Until you agree to let me learn it, I won't use it even if I know how," Hibari said with a chuckle.
Orochimaru didn't feel any regret and said directly, "Then, aniki, you can use it whenever you need to. Not only that, I'm also planning to add this ninjutsu to the Necro Cult. Do you think that's okay?"
"Oh? That's great news! Of course, it's okay," Hibari said with a smile.
He was just thinking about how to convince Orochimaru to enrich the cult's teachings. He was very happy that Orochimaru was so proactive and enthusiastic.
In fact, Hibari was very interested in Orochimaru's snake-style secret jutsu. In Hibari's opinion, this style was the perfect match for the Wood Release bloodline limit. A forest and venomous snakes, combined with his Shikotsumyaku kekkei genkai, would be a nightmare.
Anyone who fell into his Deep Forest Emergence would have to worry about not only the vines but also the bursting bone spikes and countless venomous snakes hiding within!
While Hibari was discussing these things with Orochimaru, they both suddenly stopped. On a nearby shallow beach, a seemingly unconscious person lay there. The person had lost a shoe, and their foot was bloody.
After a quick glance, Hibari and Orochimaru, neither of whom liked to get involved in other people's business, both looked away and prepared to leave. It was a remote, uninhabited place, so it wasn't exactly normal for a person to suddenly appear, but it wasn't entirely abnormal either. There was no need to get involved.
Just then, Orochimaru heard the person mumbling in their sleep.
"Snakes... I don't want to die... I don't want to be a sacrifice... I want to live..."
At the same time, Hibari turned his head. He first looked at the unconscious person, then at Orochimaru, and said, "Interesting. Wake that guy up..."
Orochimaru nodded and walked toward the unconscious person.
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