Under the flickering firelight, Kagetsu quietly immersed himself in a thick book, deeply absorbed in reading. Around him, Itachi and the others stood guard, alert to any danger.
They were stationed at the edge of a camp—Kalan's base—where samurai with swords constantly patrolled back and forth.
As soon as Kagetsu closed the book and stood up from the ground, Asuma quickly approached him. He was filled with curiosity about the special ores said to contain future chakra potential.
Moreover, having grown up surrounded by shinobi teachings and knowledge, Asuma understood very well the strategic value of such ores.
For a ninja village, if used wisely, these ores could rival—no, even surpass—the power of a Tailed Beast!
After all, a Tailed Beast was mainly used for intimidation or as a last-resort weapon.
But these ores, even in their most basic use, could function like explosive tags—mass-produced and equipped by many ninjas to drastically boost their offensive power.
Asuma knew clearly that once news of these ores spread, every hidden village would desire them, leading to a race to seize control. Get full chapters from NoveI★Fire.net
The shinobi world, which had just quieted down, might soon be plunged into another localized war because of them.
And in a chaotic land like the Land of Rivers, Asuma was worried that the secret wouldn't stay hidden for long. Perhaps the Land of Wind had already received word.
After all, the Sand Village had invested more resources in the Land of Rivers than Konoha had. It was one of their main sources of missions and income.
Even though the Land of Wind was technically an ally, when it came to such benefits, who could guarantee they wouldn't act on their own interests?
"Don't worry. Our goal is just to confirm the existence of the ore vein and locate it. As for the rest—nothing will escalate until everything is fully revealed," Kagetsu said calmly, noticing the unease on Asuma's face.
With just a brief moment of thought, he could already guess what was going through Asuma's mind, and offered a few words of reassurance.
In the ninja world, information of all kinds flies around at all times, and there are even more shocking and legendary rumors.
The intelligence systems of the ninja villages usually filter out this kind of information. Unless it appears too often, or there are real signs to back it up.
"Can we confirm the existence of this mine?" Asuma understood what Kagetsu was saying. If there are only a few stones with unusual properties, while they're amazing, that's all they are.
There are so many incredible things in the ninja world. Without large-scale significance, these stones are less important than a few powerful jutsu.
Only if there is a real mine would it be worth fighting over.
"According to the book I have, if the content is true, then it really exists. But if it's fabricated, then it's meaningless."
Kagetsu waved the book in front of Asuma and the others.
"If you're interested, take a look," Kagetsu said, seeing the curiosity on Asuma's and the others' faces, and handed the book to them. "Sometimes, books that record history can be quite useful."
"Hyuga-san?" Kagetsu walked to the side and softly called out. The member on guard duty, Hyuga Hizashi, instantly appeared on the ground from the treetop.
"Kagetsu-sama, do you need something?" Hyuga Hizashi asked.
"No need to be so formal," Kagetsu waved his hand. But seeing the serious, respectful look on Hyuga Hizashi's face, he gave up on the advice and got straight to the point.
"According to what the book records, there was once a huge kingdom here, possibly named Gelel. Is there any information about it in the Hyuga clan's records?"
"Sorry, I'm unfamiliar with that kingdom. Also, the Hyuga clan's records usually only document matters related to the Hyuga family."
Before the establishment of the Hidden Villages, during the time when ninja clans and groups were active, each generally had its own designated area of activity.
Only large clans like the Senju and Uchiha had larger areas due to the number and strength of their members.
I haven't read much of the historical records, but if needed, I can send a message back to the clan leader and the elders to personally review the clan's records."
Hyuga Hizashi shook his head and gave his advice.
Over the thousands of years, too many events have happened in the ninja world for anyone to record every detail, especially those unrelated to their own clan.
Over the millennia, many have collapsed and disappeared, much like the ninja clans that vanished from history. There have been far too many.
If Kagetsu has a request, he could send a message to his clan. He believes his older brother, Hiashi, would indeed help by thoroughly searching through the clan's records.
But he doesn't expect much from the outcome.
"That's not necessary. The powerful nation is said to be built on the very mineral vein we are searching for. In other words, right here!
According to the records, this immense kingdom used a mineral vein known as the Gelel Stone to establish a powerful super civilization in this world.
So, I believe that if this nation truly exists, a long-established ninja clan like the Hyuga should have at least some brief historical records."
Kagetsu declined Hizashi's suggestion.
After all, the history of the ninja world is fragmented, and even the Hidden Leaf, which holds the records of the Hyuga, Senju, and Uchiha clans, cannot claim to have recorded everything from the past.
Instead of having Hyuga and the others search through their old records, it would be better for Kagetsu to pay a price and directly go to the Ryūchi Cave to find the White Snake Sage.
The Sage has a more complete record of past history.
Of course, there's no need to do that right now.
"Send a message back to the village, and assign a few powerful Hyūga clan ninjas with strong Byakugan abilities," Kagetsu pondered for a moment, then requested.
"If that huge country ever existed, there might be ruins left behind by them. And if these ruins haven't been found yet, they're likely buried underground, following the disaster recorded in the books."
"The Hyūga clan's Byakugan can cover a large area, which will help us quickly find those ruins."
Hyuga Hizashi nearly nodded. With Kagetsu here, there's no need for the Ninja Hawk to send messages.
As a contract holder of the Ryūchi Cave, Kagetsu can establish a more efficient way of communicating with Orochimaru through the Ryūchi Cave.
All that's needed is for Hyuga Hyuga to record the situation and send the message to the Hyūga clan.
Once everything was done, Hyuga Hizashi seemed to realize that Kagetsu didn't have any particular bias against the Hyūga clan. His attitude toward the branch family was quite gentle. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Do you really think the Gelel Stone mine exists?"
"I hope it exists, and I believe it does," Kagetsu replied.
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