---
"Okay, what do you want to ask?" The burly middle-aged man finally spoke after a pause.
"Do you know where the Pony Village is?"
Chen Xing's question made the man's expression stiffen. He stared at Chen Xing for a moment, clearly taken aback, as if weighing whether this stranger could be trusted. The hesitation alone told Chen Xing enough — this man knew exactly where the place was.
"I do know where the Smash Village is," the man admitted at last. "But I advise you not to go. It's a dangerous place. The people there are short-tempered and not easy to deal with. Best to stay away..."
(He was a local craftsman who knew the area well.)
After getting the information, Chen Xing left the small city without lingering, heading toward the location of the Smash Village under the craftsman's curious gaze.
Using the Peacock's Magic Technique to traverse a forest and a low hill in a straight line, Chen Xing finally arrived near the village just as dusk began to fall.
From the treeline, he spotted several run-down wooden houses scattered across the clearing. The place looked half-abandoned.
"If someone can grow strong in a place like this, that's strange in itself," Chen Xing muttered. "No wonder the village has been fading away."
He already knew that the Four Treasures — the village's strongest fighters — were all gathered here. Without them together, the likes of the former Raikage, the Sirius, or even the One-Tailed Jinchūriki wouldn't have been defeated so badly. For now, he decided not to attack directly. Instead, he landed quietly and began carefully sensing the village's chakra signatures.
His perception revealed fewer than thirty shinobi in total. Most had the chakra reserves of ordinary chūnin at best. Only four stood out with significantly stronger chakra, each at elite-jōnin level — likely the so-called "Four Treasures."
Chen Xing knew better than to underestimate them. The Four Treasures' weapons were said to have strange abilities, and if one of them could absorb chakra on contact, he'd be in trouble.
---
Inside the Smash Village, dim candlelight flickered in one of the larger wooden houses. Four shadows sat around a low table.
"Peacock, what's the situation in the nearby shinobi world?" a gruff middle-aged man asked.
"The Herzer of the Wei Ming Sect has been destroyed," the kunoichi called Peacock replied. "Recently, there's also been a boy calling himself the 'Peacock King.' His strength is… surprising. Several veteran fighters have already fallen to him."
Before she could continue, a brash fourteen-year-old cut her off impatiently. "We're not asking about that. Did you find any information on the tailed beasts' jinchūriki?"
"Long Eye, just because you got the Dragon Whip Sword doesn't mean you're invincible," another muscular man said sharply. "Don't be so quick to interrupt." He turned back to Peacock. "The most important thing right now is finding a tailed beast's host. Did you learn anything useful?"
"Tch..." Long Eye muttered, but said no more.
"There is news," Peacock said at last, shaking her head, "but I'm afraid we have no chance. I've only confirmed two — both from Kumogakure. They're called the most 'perfect' jinchūriki. Especially the Eight-Tails' host, Killer B… they say only the Fourth Raikage himself can match him. We wouldn't stand a chance."
---
Chen Xing remained hidden, watching the house for over two hours until the Four Treasures finally left the village.
Spotting his opportunity, Chen Xing moved silently through the trees, targeting Peacock first. She seemed preoccupied, perhaps still irritated from the earlier discussion. A strange sword was strapped to her back.
Once they were far enough from the village, Chen Xing struck without hesitation.
The forest was quiet except for the crackling of dry branches underfoot. Chen Xing crouched slightly, right hand low, lightning chakra gathering with a sharp, high-pitched chirp. In the next instant, he exploded forward at blinding speed.
The sudden sound of a thousand birds startled Peacock. She spun around and reached for her twin swords, but it was already too late.
Chen Xing's lightning-coated hand pierced straight through her chest. Her eyes went wide with shock, disbelief flooding her face. Blood spilled from her mouth, staining the ground beneath her.
A clean Chidori strike — no surprise for Chen Xing. Against someone who'd been caught completely off guard, there was no chance to dodge.
He withdrew his hand and smiled faintly, sealing her body into a storage scroll. Though bodies weren't worth much in bounty terms, they had research value — especially for the human experiments Chen Xing had in mind.
---
The next day, Chen Xing hunted down the youth called Long Eye and claimed his weapon as well. Over the following hours, he eliminated the remaining two Treasures — the Stone Turtle and the Water Tiger — using a henge transformation to infiltrate the village before striking.
Before long, in front of the terrified villagers, Chen Xing left the Smash Village carrying all four of their prized weapons. Without them, the village's strength collapsed, and their so-called "resurrection plan" was dead in the water.
---
After leaving, Chen Xing's next destination was the famed master blacksmith of the Land of Lightning — Akita Sairō.
Sairō was known for his eccentric rules: to have him forge a weapon, you needed either rare ores that could channel chakra or… his own severed sword hilt — something few dared to attempt. But if he was satisfied with your materials, he would forge the weapon for free and even waive his usual fee.
Following the directions he'd gathered, Chen Xing arrived at a massive cave at the base of a steaming mountain. It was said that a magma pool inside kept the temperature perfect for forging.
As soon as he stepped inside, a wave of heat slammed into him. He circulated his wind-nature chakra slightly to push the heat away and walked deeper into the cavern.
There, hunched over a workbench, was a ragged old man sorting through piles of ore. Without looking up, the man said, "If you want me to forge something, show me the materials. You should know my rules."
Chen Xing sensed immediately that this old man was an elite jōnin in terms of chakra, which was surprising for a smith. He nodded, unsealing a scroll and laying out the Four Treasures' weapons — along with the Sword of the Thunder God.
"All here. Take a look," Chen Xing said calmly.
The old man — Akita Sairō himself — finally turned, eyes widening.
"Isn't this the Sword of the Thunder God, once wielded by Konoha's Second Hokage? I never thought I'd see it in person." He lifted it carefully, channeled chakra into the blade, and watched as the weapon crackled with blue lightning.
Then his gaze shifted to one of the other weapons.
"This one… I've never seen before. But the material is exceptional."
Chen Xing explained with a faint smile, "That's the hardware of your country's own Four Treasures."
"What?" Akita Sairō's eyes widened even further.
---