Chapter 7

After watching Water Gate walk away, Ye Wujì also turned and began his journey. He had received news from Water Gate and had him draw a simple map. It seemed that Ye Wujì was now at the border of the Land of Rain. The so-called Land of Rain was home to the Rain Hidden Village, the birthplace of the Akatsuki. However, it had now become a battlefield between three countries.

It was precisely this war that led to the formation of the Akatsuki, which would later become famous. If that was the case, then Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato should also be in the Rain Hidden Village. In his previous life, when watching *Naruto*, Ye Wujì thought the Rain Hidden Village was just the city where Pain first appeared, sitting on a high tower and giving orders to Kakuzu. However, from what he had learned in recent days, Ye Wujì realized that the Rain Hidden Village was quite large. Although he couldn't ask for its exact size, it was at least as big as a province in his previous life, perhaps even several provinces. Since the Rain Hidden Village was so large, the territories of the Five Great Nations, including Konoha, must be even larger.

At the beginning, Ye Wujì's impression of the Rain Hidden Village was from the scene where Pain first appeared, sitting on a high tower and giving orders to Kakuzu. At that time, since it was the first exposure of the Akatsuki leader, and with just a few words, Ye Wujì felt that this person must be very powerful. From then on, he thought the Rain Hidden Village was a city with many steel buildings.

However, from the reality of the *Naruto* world, the Rain Hidden Village was also a country, the Land of Rain. Although it wasn't as large as the Five Great Nations, due to the legendary ninja Hanzo, the Land of Rain's status was just below the Five Great Nations. Unfortunately, due to its geographical location, from the First Shinobi World War to the current Second Shinobi World War, most of the battles have taken place in this country. As is well known, war is harmful to civilians, so many civilians in the Rain Hidden Village often fled. Only in the areas controlled by Hanzo was the situation better. However, it was precisely because of Hanzo's protection that the Rain Hidden Village had not been destroyed.

Due to the war, the daimyo of this country was merely a figurehead, and no one really considered him a daimyo. After the daimyo was killed in battle, no one else took the position.

While looking at the map and walking, Ye Wujì was thinking. Although he wanted to meet Konan and the others from this period, it was too dangerous, so he had to abandon the idea.

After several days of discussion with Water Gate, Ye Wujì decided to go to the Land of Rivers first. The war there had already subsided, and the daimyo of the Land of Rivers, according to the Fourth Hokage, was a decent person. It was said that he had set up a place to take in orphans during the war.

The Land of Rivers bordered the Rain Hidden Village, making them neighbors. The plan with Water Gate was to stay in the Land of Rivers first. Since the Land of Rivers was also close to Konoha, they would wait for the war to end and then hire someone to slowly transport Ye Wujì to Konoha, where he could meet up with them. Because the Land of Rivers was close to Konoha, to prevent the war from spreading to the Land of Fire, Konoha would quickly respond to any incidents in the Land of Rivers, so the security there was quite good. As for the Land of Fire using the Land of Rivers as a shield, it was normal for great nations. It was better for the war to happen in another country's territory than in their own. As for the civilians of other countries, that was a matter of luck.

Just like the situation that Ye Wujì's parents in this body had encountered, his parents and the other civilians originally lived at the border of the Rain Hidden Village. Due to the war and its impact on their village, they decided to move, planning to return after the war. Unfortunately, they encountered wandering ninjas. From what Water Gate said, Ye Wujì's parents and the other villagers were killed by wandering ninjas, possibly rogue ninjas. After all, it was not something ordinary bandits could do to kill over a hundred people in such a short time without leaving any survivors.

As for whether it was regular ninjas who did it, Water Gate did not say. Although regular ninjas were not supposed to harm civilians even during wartime, this rule was just a nice-sounding one. Ye Wujì had heard a lot about this in his previous life, though he had never seen it himself. The internet had exposed a lot. Moreover, such incidents were easy to justify. In the case of what happened to Ye Wujì, no one could guarantee that it wasn't Konoha's doing. Although Ye Wujì had some good feelings towards Konoha, he couldn't be sure about such matters.

Ye Wujì shook his head, clearing his mind of these chaotic thoughts, and continued on his way. Since he didn't know how far the journey was, the wolf he had killed had been turned into dried food by the Fourth Hokage. Water Gate had taken only a small portion, while most of it was with Ye Wujì. It was worth mentioning the dried food in the *Naruto* world. Whether it was meat or vegetables, it was processed very well. From Water Gate, Ye Wujì had learned some techniques. Perhaps because people in this world often had to travel, the dried food was not only smaller in size but also retained its energy content. A small piece could alleviate hunger, making it an excellent military ration in his previous life. The only downside was the taste, but when outside, one couldn't be too picky.

While walking, Ye Wujì used the chakra training methods he learned from Water Gate to refine his chakra. From their conversations, Ye Wujì realized his strength was in his mental power. After all, he had lived two lives, and his mental strength had been honed from working multiple jobs in his previous life. However, his physical condition was somewhat lacking. Although he could improve it through exercise and some strengthening herbs, his chakra level was only slightly above average, perhaps comparable to Itachi and Kakashi. However, compared to Naruto, Kisame, and Madara, he was far behind. While a ninja's strength wasn't solely determined by chakra amount, having more chakra had its advantages, such as using a Shadow Clone Jutsu to overwhelm many opponents. Naruto had relied on this technique to defeat many strong enemies.

Given this, Ye Wujì thought he was more suited to genjutsu or medical ninjutsu due to his strong mental power, which would give him better chakra control. The first priority now was to increase his chakra. Ye Wujì thought this should be his top priority. So, he was trying to see if he could multitask, forming a habit of training whenever possible. As for significantly increasing his chakra, becoming a jinchūriki was not a realistic option. Not only did he lack a tailed beast, but even if he found one, who could seal it in him? Moreover, the Akatsuki were always watching, so this was not an option. For now, he could only do what he could and think about other options later.

Another priority was to practice chakra control, such as tree climbing and water walking. From what he knew, these techniques were not common among genin, and if he continued with Water Gate, he might not have the chance to practice them for a long time.

Feeling the urgency of time, Ye Wujì decided to practice these techniques while refining his chakra. He had secretly tried gathering chakra in his feet while with Water Gate. Although he could do it while standing still, it became chaotic when he moved, either forgetting to gather it or having it only in one foot. In battle, this would be even worse.

In the *Naruto* world, running through the forest required good tree climbing skills. While it was possible to jump between a few trees, doing it for a long time would result in falling. Ye Wujì had tested this and could only manage a few trees before becoming unstable.

Ye Wujì was also curious about his chakra nature. Unfortunately, Water Gate, having just returned from the battlefield, did not have chakra test papers. This disappointed Ye Wujì, who was eager to know his chakra nature and the jutsu he could use. However, he found some comfort in the possibility that he might have all five chakra natures, a thought that often appeared in his dreams.

What disappointed Ye Wujì the most was that, according to Water Gate's investigation, he seemed to be an ordinary civilian's child, not from a declining noble family. This disappointed him, as having a bloodline limit would greatly enhance his strength. Thinking of the Uchiha clan, without the Sharingan, they would just be an elite family, not a major power in Konoha or the ninja world.

As he walked, Ye Wujì recalled the *Naruto* plot, thought about what to do next, and connected various events, sometimes even thinking about his previous life on Earth.

Although Ye Wujì had roughly planned his future, reality might not follow his plans. However, for now, this was the best he could do. After all, he was only six years old, and there was still time before the Fourth Shinobi World War.