Chapter 127 – First Exchange
The Land of Fire's terrain was vastly different from the other four great nations—in fact, each of the Five Great Nations had entirely unique geographical features.
The Land of Wind was filled with deserts. The Land of Earth was slightly better, with large stretches of barely arable land. Ishiro hadn't visited the Lands of Lightning or Water, but he assumed their conditions were similar to the Land of Earth.
Only the Land of Fire possessed extraordinarily fertile soil. Its uninhabited regions were blanketed in thick forests, while the areas settled by humans had been heavily cultivated, producing yields far beyond what the other four nations could manage.
Thanks to this, although the Land of Fire couldn't defeat all four other nations militarily, its economic strength far surpassed the sum of the others.
This economic advantage allowed it to allocate significantly more funding to Konoha than any other nation provided to their own villages.
And it was precisely due to this financial backing that Konoha could remain far ahead in so many fields.
Take medical ninjutsu, for example. Its advancement couldn't simply be attributed to Tsunade's natural talent. The research funding involved was so vast that it would make the other nations' Kage wince in pain.
Aside from medical jutsu, Konoha also developed a variety of forbidden techniques—none of which came cheaply.
Ishiro had experienced this firsthand. Back when he was experimenting with the Fire Domain Fragment in the Barrier Division, the cost had already been astronomical—and that was just for his solo research.
Later, once the entire Barrier Division received full backing from the village, they spent nearly a decade conducting various studies. While Ishiro wasn't sure of the exact figures, he knew the expenses had reached astronomical levels.
It was precisely because Ishiro secured the village's full support for the Barrier Division that he was able to access resources others could only dream of. This, in turn, greatly accelerated his personal development.
While Iwagakure only had the Fire Domain Fragment as its sole major research project—barely enough to sustain it—Konoha had begun developing forbidden techniques as early as the Second Hokage's time. During the Third Hokage's era, figures like Danzo and Orochimaru continued the trend with extensive human experimentation.
Particularly the cultivation of Hashirama's cells—the funding that project consumed alone might have been enough to support another full-scale Ninja World War.
Shaking off those drifting thoughts, Ishiro focused back on the present. The Land of Fire's environment far surpassed the others, filled with lush greenery.
With such terrain, a jōnin-level ninja could easily move undetected. Especially someone like Ishiro, who could use both sensory and camouflage techniques.
Traveling unhindered, he passed through the Land of Waterfalls and soon arrived near the Konoha encampment.
However, approaching any closer without being detected was no longer feasible.
Not that he planned to sneak in—doing so would be suicidal.
Instead, Ishiro acted boldly. He approached a patrolling Konoha squad from the north—a team consisting of a chūnin leader and three genin. With a Body Flicker, he instantly closed the distance and landed a straight punch to the chūnin's abdomen before the latter could react.
The chūnin was sent flying and only then realized they'd been ambushed. His three subordinates were even slower—only shouting "Enemy attack!" after he hit the ground.
Ishiro didn't follow up with another strike. He simply stood there, calmly watching the genin scramble to their leader's side.
They checked his condition before finally forming a defensive stance, eyeing Ishiro warily.
When the chūnin regained his breath from the earlier blow, Ishiro finally spoke. "I am Ishiro, Deputy Commander of Iwa's Eastern Forces. Go and tell Namikaze Minato—I challenge him."
Hearing that this Iwa-nin dared to challenge their beloved Minato-sama, the three genin—also of civilian origin—were visibly infuriated and looked ready to attack.
But their superior had recognized the vast gap in power. Upon hearing Ishiro's name, he knew he was merely a messenger.
"Please wait here, sir," the chūnin said respectfully. "We'll deliver your message to Minato-sama immediately."
He shot a fierce glare at his hot-headed subordinates before turning and sprinting toward the camp.
Watching them leave, Ishiro didn't mock their reaction. He understood that without his own innate talent in mental strength, he might have been just another one of those genin.
After the patrol departed, Ishiro chose a relatively open area nearby to wait. As a long-range fighter, he didn't want the battlefield too cluttered.
Back at the Konoha camp, Minato was discussing strategic matters with two senior shinobi when the patrol team returned.
When they heard the messenger was injured and had urgent news, the leaders didn't delay. They summoned him in immediately.
After hearing the report, the three high-ranking shinobi were surprised. While no official war had broken out between the Lands of Fire and Earth, everyone knew it was inevitable. For Ishiro to come alone was certainly noteworthy.
One jōnin wrapped in a long coat remarked, "This Ishiro's talent in combat might be uncertain, but he's a dangerous strategist."
"You're right, Aburame Shimi-senpai," Minato nodded. "Even Jiraiya-sensei once said that Ishiro likely holds more influence in Iwagakure than we imagined."
"Wait, Jiraiya-sensei?" a second jōnin, Akimichi Dingmei, looked shocked. "Wasn't the destruction of the Uzumaki Clan orchestrated by Iwa? That happened when Ishiro would've still been in the academy!"
Minato explained with a sigh, "Jiraiya-sensei couldn't confirm it, but there are signs suggesting the idea came from him."
Though still speculative, a guess from one of the Legendary Sannin carried considerable weight among Konoha's forces.
Dingmei hesitated before asking, "So, will you accept his challenge?"
Minato smiled. "Of course. The war hasn't started yet. If I beat him now, maybe it'll make Iwa hesitate."
He said this with unwavering confidence in his eyes.
About half an hour later, Ishiro opened his eyes from meditation. He sensed a group of over a dozen approaching fast.
Sure enough, Minato soon arrived with a team including Aburame Shimi and several other elite jōnin. They stopped about a hundred meters away.
Though Minato had wanted to come alone, his companions insisted on escorting him.
Ishiro ignored the others. Once Minato appeared, Ishiro's gaze never wavered.
Minato broke the silence, "Iwagakure elite jōnin Ishiro. We don't seem to know each other. Why challenge me?"
"No need for small talk," Ishiro replied, beginning to form hand seals.
Minato's eyes narrowed. "Fall back!" he shouted, as he used Body Flicker to reposition.
"Water Style: Drizzle Technique—Mass Water Lines!"
A B-rank jutsu requiring just five hand signs. Ishiro cast it in under a second. Hundreds of water lines burst forth, sweeping in waves across a 120-degree cone.
Each time Minato flickered, Ishiro launched another barrage.
Though Minato could use techniques without seals, Ishiro's speed in weaving signs—nearly 5.7 per second—combined with his own Flicker, allowed him to keep pace and prevent Minato from closing in.
The Konoha spectators were stunned.
"This guy's sealing speed… must be over five per second!" one jōnin exclaimed.
"Approximately 5.5," Aburame Shimi calmly confirmed.
Another ninja added, "And his Body Flicker is seamless. He could probably use it five times without hand signs."
"If I tried to approach, I'd just get riddled with holes."
"Guess it makes sense—anyone bold enough to challenge Minato-sama would have this level of skill."
Someone then noticed the terrain where Ishiro's jutsu had struck—small holes peppered the ground and trees. "Thankfully, that technique's power isn't too destructive."
Everyone breathed easier. Though dangerous, the attacks weren't lethal if not aimed at vital points.
However, the dense forest provided cover for Minato. Using the trees to his advantage, he finally closed the distance.
Just as Minato prepared to strike, Ishiro changed his hand seals.
"Water Style: Downpour Technique—Mass Water Pressure Lines!"
This version had fewer water lines, but each carried high-pressure penetration power.
Sensing the change—despite it being only two extra seals, under 0.2 seconds—Minato instinctively veered sideways.
He narrowly dodged the incoming attack, forcing the distance between them back to its original range.
Both sides paused. Though the first round appeared even, Ishiro knew he was at a disadvantage.
His B-rank jutsu consumed more chakra, and while his hand seal speed had been showcased fully, Minato had only used basic Body Flicker.
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