"The Underground Gold Exchange naturally wouldn't ruin its own reputation, so don't complain about the price being high. If it weren't for last month's incident in the Land of Rivers that required a lot of manpower, I wouldn't have asked for so much money."
The old man from the Underground Gold Exchange said hoarsely as he counted the money, "If the money is too little, no one will take the job. Even if I list it for you, can I get anyone to do it?"
"Wait for the first commission; you'll come to get the intel in a month. As for the second intelligence commission, I can tell you now."
The old man from the Underground Gold Exchange separated the money, keeping the five million ryō for himself, then began to disclose information to Uchiha Yoichi.
"It's a village at the northern end of the Land of Iron, isn't it? There's a group of people who, when peaceful, are calmer than anyone else, so much so that even little birds are willing to land on them. But when they go mad, even those who delight in slaughter are afraid of them because this group loves killing more than madmen."
"I was previously in charge in the Land of Rice Fields when someone happened to publish a revenge task against this group, and many people went... Hehe, but not a single one returned. By the way, when they go mad, their appearance changes drastically. Though they remain humanoid, they don't resemble humans at all."
When Uchiha Yoichi heard this from the old man, he could basically confirm that he was talking about the Jugo Clan.
But why in the Land of Iron?
Currently, he is in the Land of Wind, while the Land of Iron lies on the other side of the Land of Fire. Even if he travels quickly, it would take him three days.
However, if he finds Ryuchi Cave, then it wouldn't just be about locating Shinga. Ryuchi Cave may be one of the few places in the Ninja World rich in Natural Energy, and by then, Shinga will become secondary.
"I'll come for the intel in a month."
"Rest assured, we can find people who specialize in gathering intelligence."
After Uchiha Yoichi obtained the exact location of the Jugo Clan's village, he left the place.
Next, he plans to make a trip to the Land of Iron. Although the journey will take three days, it's much better than aimlessly gathering intelligence in the Land of Wind like a headless fly, and it's much safer.
The Kazekage has vanished, and certainly, the Hidden Sand Village is the most anxious. They can't even find the Kazekage's whereabouts, so what can their twenty-five people do?
As for what happens after finding Ryuchi Cave... The Three Great Holy Lands probably won't reject outsiders. He remembers that the only danger in visiting the Three Great Holy Lands is failing to master Sage Mode.
At Mount Myoboku, one would turn into a toad statue, Ryuchi Cave would swallow you, and although it's uncertain about Shikkotsu Forest, it probably isn't safer than the former two.
Aside from that, Ryuchi Cave shouldn't reject foreigners, and at most, it might tempt him to practice Sage Mode.
Once decided, Uchiha Yoichi began his journey toward the Land of Iron.
There are some railways within the Land of Fire, but their number is small, and the railways are short, lacking connections from the border of the Land of Rivers to the border of the Land of Iron.
Uchiha Yoichi feels that the reason technological development in the Ninja World is so warped is because of the presence of ninjas.
Whenever ninjas can accomplish something, technological advances don't develop much; for example, communications between ninjas, there are television stations already, and clearly building a few more signal towers would instantly allow communication from the borders.
But due to the presence of secret techniques and Ninja Eagles, communication is still quite awkward; when in a hurry, they use Summoning Ninjutsu, and when not, they use Ninja Eagles for communication.
It's very convenient among ninjas. A little Chakra can deliver intelligence to the village, but ordinary people are still using letter mail.
Transportation too, mainly using carriages; when ninjas need to travel for long, they only need to allocate Chakra properly, eating a Soldier Pill periodically to replenish Chakra, and their speed surpasses horseback riding.
Therefore, ninjas don't need those transportation tools, leading to no major development in the Ninja World.
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The Land of Iron is a neutral small nation in the Ninja World because there are almost no ninjas in this country; it is entirely dominated by samurai.
With no ninjas, naturally, it won't participate in Ninja World Wars, except for resisting an invasion from the Land of Rain during the Second Ninja World War; the Land of Iron has been peaceful for a long time.
Entering this country, Uchiha Yoichi naturally won't reveal his identity as a ninja since there's some hostility toward ninjas here, given that ninjas also disdain samurai, viewing them as vestiges of a bygone era.
If discovered by the samurai of the Land of Iron that he's a ninja, it would be bothersome, so after entering the Land of Iron, Uchiha Yoichi didn't approach towns or villages, heading straight toward the Jugo Clan's village.
Soon, Uchiha Yoichi arrived at the village where the Jugo Clan resides.
Desolate, chilly, with few green-leafed trees but quite a few caves.
Not like a place inhabited by people.
Heading inside, Uchiha Yoichi soon encountered some people, wearing coarse linen clothes, simpler than even the poorest places he had seen before.
But their buildings were unique, each household having snake-like sculptures.
Moreover, as an outsider, Uchiha Yoichi stood out, and upon his arrival, everyone looked at him, soon sending someone to report.
"Young man, what brings you to our village?"
A middle-aged man came forward and asked Uchiha Yoichi.
"I want to ask you about something, how do I get to Ryuchi Cave?"
Uchiha Yoichi didn't beat around the bush, directly asking about his objective for this visit; these people, once infused with Natural Energy, were indeed formidable, but not enough against him.
While speaking, Uchiha Yoichi activated his Sharingan, and with the enhanced perception, he clearly sensed the continuous minute growth of Chakra within these people.
They probably continually absorb Natural Energy until their bodies reach the limit, then undergo massive transformations, simultaneously unleashing violence.
The middle-aged man shook his head and said, "Sorry, we don't know about Ryuchi Cave."
"Ryuchi Cave doesn't reject outsiders; there's no need to hide it for Ryuchi Cave. You must be the village chief; I suggest considering it for your people's sake."
Under the gaze of Sharingan, the middle-aged man and his kin felt immense pressure, even though they outnumbered Yoichi, they felt as if confronting a terrifying existence.
"Every household in your village has snake decorations, yet you claim ignorance about Ryuchi Cave—better think about whether you can afford to provoke the other party."
Uchiha Yoichi slowly drew Lightning Fang, expressing diplomacy through inquiry; if this person refused to speak, using the Sharingan to interrogate wouldn't be difficult.
"I indeed don't know about Ryuchi Cave, but deep beneath our village, there's an ancient sacred site which only the devout can enter. If you wish to go, I can guide you."
Under pressure and the looming sense of crisis, the middle-aged man reluctantly disclosed information concerning Ryuchi Cave.