Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Eastern Border of the Land of Bears
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When Uchiha Shisui arrived at the eastern border of the Land of Bears with his two teammates, searching for a way to leap over Hell Valley...
In the desert region where the Land of Bears bordered the Land of Wind, three figures sped forward against the billowing yellow sand.
The leading female ninja from the Hidden Sand Village moved with nimble grace, her hair—shading from auburn to green—whipping in the wind, her long legs kicking up clouds of dust across the sand.
Trailing close behind her were two chunin from the Hidden Sand Village, clad in the village's distinctive windproof gear, their heads covered with hoods and purple patterns painted across their faces.
"Lady Ye Cang, that's the Land of Bears up ahead."
One of the Sand ninjas spotted a patch of light green woods in the distance, realizing they had reached the border of the Land of Wind.
"Full speed ahead!"
Ye Cang's expression was grim; she had no intention of slowing down.
The two chunin had no choice but to keep pace with their jonin leader.
The three figures soon vanished into the lush forest. As they pressed deeper, the trees around them grew ever taller, the ancient giants completely shielding them from the sky full of yellow sand.
Weaving through the woods, Ye Cang furrowed her brow, deep in thought about the mission the Fourth Kazekage had entrusted to her.
The daimyo of the Land of Bears had been slaughtered by Star ninjas, and along with him, the entire nobility of the country had been massacred. The few nobles who escaped the purge sought aid from the daimyo of the Land of Wind and the daimyo of the Land of Earth.
These nobles' marriage ties spanned the entire shinobi world. Even in the Land of Bears, with a population under a million, the daimyo and aristocracy had long upheld traditions of marrying into neighboring nations—a survival instinct for small countries caught in the cracks between greater powers.
Upon hearing that the Bears' daimyo and nobles had been butchered by ninjas, the daimyo of the Land of Wind flew into a rage and summoned the Hidden Sand Village's Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.
Though it was ninjas from another village who had rebelled, the Wind Daimyo seized the opportunity to berate Rasa and the Hidden Sand Village thoroughly, even using it as pretext to cut back on funding to the village.
After taking the tongue-lashing, Rasa returned to the Hidden Sand Village and summoned Ye Cang, assigning her the task of scouting the Land of Bears and the Star Ninja Village—this to the Scorch Release specialist.
However, on whether to send troops into the Land of Bears to quash the rebelling Star ninjas, Rasa gave no direct orders. Instead, he left the decision to Ye Cang based on her assessment of the situation.
Once inside Land of Bears territory, Ye Cang and her two companions first disguised themselves before slipping into a city in the central region, near the Star Ninja Village, in hopes of gleaning useful intelligence.
As they approached the city gates, the trio even braced themselves for the sight of a massacred populace.
Yet the steady stream of people coming and going at the gates caught Ye Cang and her team off guard.
Ancient cities all levied entry and exit taxes—a universal practice across every city in the shinobi world.
Merchants were the primary targets, while pedestrians paid minimal fees.
But Ye Cang's group noticed that incoming pedestrians were barely taxed at all. The gate guards only inspected small merchants carrying goods, letting ordinary folk pass freely.
The city's prosperity stunned the three after they entered.
Streets teemed with an endless flow of merchants and travelers. Vendors lined both sides, hawking their wares from stalls—clearly, this was the city's bustling commercial hub.
It was nothing like the ravaged city they had imagined in the wake of a rebellion.
Sensing the unnatural bustle and prosperity around her, Ye Cang even suspected she had fallen under enemy genjutsu without realizing it. She hurriedly circulated her chakra.
Finding no anomalies, Ye Cang gave an eye signal to the two chunin at her side.
The pair nodded in response and fanned out to gather intelligence.