In the dense forest of Kumogakure, the Root commander was fleeing in chaos.
Suddenly, the surrounding air compressed under an unknown force.
Instantly, a tremendous weight bore down on him—as if two mountains had been placed on his shoulders. His body staggered and plummeted to the ground.
Crash!
He dropped to his knees, cracking the surface beneath him. Under the invisible pressure, he couldn't even lift his head.
The enemy's techniques were unfathomable, completely beyond the Root commander's comprehension.
Tap-tap-tap.
Accompanied by the sound of a cane striking the earth, an old man with white hair and childlike features, carrying a turtle shell on his back, stepped out from the woods and approached the fallen man.
"Immortal Sage…"
The Root commander struggled to lift his head, barely managing to force the name 'Immortal Sage' through his lips.
According to Root intelligence, the Mist Immortal Sage ranked among the most dangerous threats personally identified by Danzo—deemed unbeatable. If encountered on the battlefield, immediate retreat was recommended.
Now the famed Immortal Sage had appeared here, interfering in the affairs of Hoshigakure. Could it mean that the Mist Village was preparing for expansion?
Countless thoughts flashed through the commander's mind in an instant.
At that moment, the Immortal Sage—actually Heiyan—spoke.
"I know you bear the Seal of Sinful Tongue, which prevents you from speaking anything about Danzo. Therefore, I'll read your mind directly."
He looked down at the Root commander and spoke those words as terror filled the man's eyes.
Then Heiyan seized the commander and lifted him up before conjuring a [Green Chakra Sphere] in his other hand and driving it straight into the man's chest.
Immediately, the man's expression went blank and his eyes lost all luster as Heiyan began extracting his memories.
From there, Heiyan learned everything about Root's current mission.
Historically, Konoha rarely launched invasions against other ninja villages—not because Leaf ninja loved peace, but because the land occupied by Konoha itself was the best across the entire shinobi world, its resources so rich they equaled the combined total of the other great villages.
With golden mountains of wealth already at their disposal, why bother seizing barren lands from others?
This rare act of external aggression by Konoha was orchestrated by Danzo himself, who ordered Root agents to carry out a military operation.
Danzo's objective had been to obtain the Star Meteorite of Hoshigakure and Kujaku's Mystic Art, though he could never have predicted that years earlier, the Star Meteorite had already been given to Heiyan and Tsunade by the **Star Shadow**.
Thinking about this, Heiyan smiled faintly.
That fellow Danzo really was interesting.
Once killed by Heiyan and robbed of his Mangekyou Sharingan, he'd been resurrected by Madara using **the Impure World Reincarnation**. Then after Madara's death, the Edo reincarnation binding Danzo had accidentally been released, granting him free will as an Edo body—an almost immortal state.
What a persistent pest he was—a life tougher than a cockroach's.
Still, for Heiyan, this might actually be a good thing.
The longer Danzo remained in Konoha, and the higher his position rose, the greater the damage he would bring to the village.
If Danzo hadn't weakened Konoha and driven the great ninja clans apart, how could Heiyan have had the chance to poach them?
Heiyan realized that Danzo could become a useful tool for him.
Therefore, after taking control of the leader of Root, Heiyan released him, planning to use this person to monitor Danzo's every move.
Then he walked out from the woods to reunite with Yurou and others.
"It's a shame, but Hoshigakure no longer exists. After we leave today, enemies will come again. Only next time, there won't be anyone to save you."
Heiyan looked at those young boys and girls from Hoshigakure, tapping his cane on the ground as he spoke, "So come with us. On an island in the southern sea, there is a village called Penglai that will accept you."
When they heard these words, the youths glanced at each other uncertainly before finally turning their gazes toward Summer.
Summer stared at the kindly Turtle Sage before her, bit her lip, then bravely asked, "Excuse me, Turtle Sage-sama, what is your relationship with Master Heiyan?"
What?
Upon hearing this, Heiyan glanced at Yurou and Pakura. The two immediately realized they had slipped up earlier.
However, Heiyan didn't reprimand them. Instead, he revealed his true identity directly to Summer and the others.
"Do you still remember me?"
He asked Summer with a smile.
"So it was you… You're actually Master Heiyan?!"
Summer gasped in astonishment, her expression a mix of shock and delight.
She still remembered clearly how, back then, it had been Heiyan and Tsunade who defeated Hoshigakure's rogue ninja and saved their village. Despite numerous rumors and slanders about Heiyan circulating in the outside world, the villagers of Hoshigakure had always believed in him.
Now, when their village had been destroyed and they were exhausted, facing their darkest moment of despair, Heiyan had once again saved them. Moreover, he was inviting Summer and her friends to join him in building a new home together.
Summer could find no reason—no good one, at least—to say no. Overjoyed, she readily agreed and led her companions in bowing deeply to Heiyan and the others to express their gratitude.
After that, everything went much more smoothly.
Once Summer and her group had made their preparations, Heiyan activated his ocular power again, transferring all of them into Kamui's space.
Then, Heiyan and his party continued heading south.
One day later.
In the Land of Crafts, at Craft Ninja Village.
Heiyan and his companions stood atop a hill, gazing at the ruined Craft Ninja Village below. Towering trees within the village bore clear traces of Wood Release techniques.
For many years, the blacksmiths of Craft Ninja Village had been forging weapons and crafting superior ninja tools for various nations across the ninja world, allowing the villagers to enjoy relatively prosperous lives.
However, not long ago, ambitious figures among the high-ranking elders of Craft Ninja Village grew dissatisfied with remaining subservient under the shadow of the shinobi nations. They went to great lengths to perform a resurrection ritual reviving the ancient ancestor, Chinming.
The resurrected Chinming declared his intention to sweep through all the great ninja villages and conquer the world of shinobi. His very first act was formally declaring war against Konoha, the strongest among the Five Great Ninja Villages.
Once again, it proved just how dangerous it can be to underestimate yourself.
Chinming declared war that morning, suffered defeat by afternoon, was reburied by evening, and the entire village ended up throwing a party in honor of his burial that night.
His defeat was delivered by none other than Konoha's princess herself, Lady Tsunade.
Tsunade completed her mission by defeating Qingming and returned to Konoha the same day, leaving behind a contingent of ninja forces to take control of Craft Ninja Village.
The Land of Crafts had now, in all but name, become part of the Land of Fire.
Rather than forcing those villagers unwilling to join the Land of Fire, Konoha's ninja let them go in peace.
Thus, Heiyan and his companions U and Nagare found this group of people.
These blacksmiths were men who had spent their whole lives hammering steel at the forge. Their inner pride made them reluctant to bow beneath Konoha's shadow, yet they had nowhere else to go. After all, the entire world of shinobi was now engulfed in war, with not a single peaceful corner left.
Just when everyone had lost all hope for the future, Heiyan arrived.
Appearing under the identity of the Immortal Sage (Turtle Hermit), he invited these people to settle secretly in Penglai Ninja Village overseas, far away from the conflicts of the shinobi world.
This group of war-weary blacksmiths agreed almost immediately without hesitation.
Since then,
Engineers, technicians, and equipment from the Snow Country,
young ninja from Kumogakure,
and blacksmiths from the Land of Crafts
all came together as one united family in Penglai.
People within the world of shinobi—especially those overlooked individuals whose talents held the potential to reshape the course of history—gradually flowed like countless rivers toward Penglai upon the sea, drawn together through Heiyan's efforts.
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