The Land of Iron.A country of steel and snow — ruled not by shinobi, but by samurai.
They were outliers in the ninja world, clinging stubbornly to their own code.They rejected ninja authority yet still borrowed chakra and techniques. They refused to join shinobi wars, but flaunted power in their own way.
Basically ninja… but with extra steps.
Unlike other nations, the daimyo here held absolute sway, with the samurai bound tightly to his command. Defying him wasn't just rebellion — it was treason.
"So why are we taking this route again?"
Uchiha Jinzō trudged alongside Hatake Sakumo — White Fang himself — looking unimpressed. "Going through the Land of Iron to reach the Land of Lightning? That's a detour with extra snow."
"Don't you want to meet the samurai here?" White Fang asked, half-teasing.
"Not interested." Jinzō deadpanned, fiddling with some contraption in his hands.
The boy's "Distraction No. 2" mode was in full swing: when bored, tinker. Ninja village secret techniques fascinated him, but since his basic chakra training wasn't paying off the way he wanted, his curiosity had shifted toward… gadgets.
As for the Iron Country?"A bunch of fossils. Nothing to see."
He hadn't bothered lowering his voice. Samurai passing by threw him furious looks.
White Fang coughed, dragged Jinzō into a side street, and only relaxed once they'd shaken off the glares. "You could at least try saying that a little quieter."
"The Iron Country's 'power' is overrated." Jinzō snorted. "They're wannabe shinobi swinging swords. No real ninjutsu, no innovative chakra use. Even minor villages outpace them. The only reason they look impressive is because they recruit from their whole population, not just select clans. But strength-wise? Meh.
Compared to real shinobi sword arts—like your Hatake clan's? Iron Country gets stomped."
White Fang sighed. "Funny. Their sword style's impressive enough that I thought you'd like it."
"This a sightseeing trip then?" Jinzō raised an eyebrow. "Can't picture you burning mission funds just to play tourist."
White Fang scratched his cheek. "Not exactly. The assignment's tied to Kumogakure. After their poor showing in the First Great War, it's unlikely they'll commit heavily to this one. We're just here to keep watch. Think of me as a commander-in-waiting — not a scout."
Jinzō blinked. "…So basically, we're killing time?"
"Pretty much."
White Fang's gaze drifted to the thing Jinzō was tinkering with. "By the way… what exactly are you building?"
"This."
Jinzō held up a strange device: pistol-shaped, but unfinished, its mechanisms exposed. He pointed it at White Fang with an exaggerated grin and pulled the trigger.
"Click—whoosh!"
A shuriken launched from the barrel, chakra-wrapped and whistling past White Fang's head before embedding itself into a wall.
White Fang blinked at it. "…Did you just build a shuriken gun?"
"Prototype." Jinzō shrugged. "It'll shred genin, but chunin could shrug it off. Needs chakra infusion to work properly, and the materials I've got are junk. Still, better than starting from scratch on new ninjutsu, right? Tools scale faster."
His eyes lit with that manic inventor spark. "The world already has ninja tools, food pills, secret family meds. Why not take it further? Weapon refining, alchemy… all possible if someone actually tries. Shame most people only care about raw strength. Tsunade and Orochimaru are the only ones dabbling in the basics I've shared. Everyone else? Useless."
White Fang frowned at the gun, serious now. "Average in a shinobi's hands… but in civilian hands? Dangerous. And if you mass-produce these…"
He didn't finish the thought. The implications were obvious.
Before he could press further, his ninja pouch vibrated. White Fang's expression sharpened. He bit his thumb, slammed a palm to the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu."
A puff of smoke — a wolfhound appeared, scroll in its mouth. White Fang unrolled it, eyes flicking across the contents. His face darkened.
Jinzō leaned over, frowning. "What's wrong? Don't tell me they've got some suicide mission lined up—"
White Fang's tone was clipped."…Kirigakure has declared war."