33 Chapter 33

As the battle raged on for another hour, the last Kumo Jonin finally fell. Despite the more than sixty Kumo Shinobi present in town, the Leaf Ninjas emerged unscathed. The veterans among them were surprised by this unexpected outcome. Little did they know that, without Kazuki's covert assistance, the Leaf would have undoubtedly lost several of their own in the fierce clashes.

The town, once echoing with the clash of lightning and the shouts of battle, now fell into an eerie silence. The Leaf Shinobi, despite their victory, remained vigilant, aware that the dust of conflict could settle only temporarily. Gai, still brimming with energy, couldn't help but commend his team.

"Great work, everyone! This victory is a testament to the strength of youth and teamwork! Tenma Senpai, your reinforcements were invaluable. Without your assistance, we might not have been able to complete this mission."

Kazuki also warmly conveyed his thanks to the Hyuga outpost leader for the timely assistance. However, he concealed the extent of his involvement, maintaining the illusion that the Leaf Shinobi's success was solely due to their prowess. The shadows, his trusted allies, melted back into the darkness as the town began to reclaim its original calm.

After the intense battle, the Leaf Shinobi managed to capture only two Kumo ninja alive—a Chunin and a Genin. Kazuki, however, chose not to disclose the fact that he had captured an elite Jonin. The spoils of the recent conflict promised significant contributions, and although they would be shared among the Leaf Shinobi for their combined efforts, Kazuki decided to keep the credit for capturing the elite Jonin for his own team. He planned to later hand him over to the old man directly, leveraging the benefits he had provided Hiruzen with in the past for a bit of selfish gain.

With Tenma Hyuga, a seasoned Jonin, taking temporary leadership, various arrangements were made to secure the town and the precious cargo. Gai and his team were tasked with taking inventory. During the inspection, Kazuki discreetly examined the contents of a larger box compared to the others and, without hesitation, sealed the box inside his own scroll. Itachi, witnessing Kazuki's actions, merely gave him a bland look, opting not to question his teammate at the moment.

Tenma, having organised a sensor team to survey the site from which the chakra ore was originally extracted, received their report with evident delight. The chakra metal ore was found beneath old Senju ruins, and the mine itself yielded the highest quality chakra metal. Its size was astounding, dwarfing even the largest chakra metal mines discovered in the Land of Iron. Tenma understood the strategic importance of such a discovery—no wonder Kumo had covertly taken control of an entire town. Possessing such a vast and rich mine would be reason enough for any country to wage war. However, this mine was found in the heart of the Fire Country, and Tenma knew that this remarkable achievement would secure him a higher position, contributing significantly to his chances of promotion.

Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the hostages originally being transported to Kumo with haste were none other than people living near the ruins. These individuals had Senju ancestry and constituted a branch of the main Senju line. Their ancestral duty was to take care of the ruins, but even the original residents were unaware of the vast chakra metal mine hidden beneath their ancestral grounds.

Upon receiving this new information, Tenma requested additional reinforcements to secure the mine. The village promptly decided to dispatch a sizable force to defend the mine. Hiruzen also issued orders for Team Gai to act as escorts, bringing back the chakra metal ore and the remaining Senju people to Konoha. The team could only wait as a new convoy was being arranged for transport. Upon discovering the Senju ruins, Kazuki requested permission from Gai to explore them, and Gai readily agreed.

Traveling at a leisurely pace, Kazuki reached the Senju ruins. He noticed four Leaf Shinobi already guarding the site, and upon his arrival, they approached to clarify the reason. After a brief explanation, Kazuki moved in the direction of the ruins.

Upon reaching the centre of the ruins and ensuring no other eyes were on him, Kazuki quickly performed a series of handsigns and placed his open palm on the ground.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu."(Summoning Technique)

Out of a puff of smoke, a pitch-black wolf pup was summoned. It quickly rushed and jumped on Kazuki upon seeing him.

"Hey Kuro, how are you?"

The little wolf pup was special, belonging to the Hell Beasts clan, with whom the Nara clan had signed a contract. However, little Kuro was exceptional even among the Hell Beast clan. Its bloodline was so pure that it nearly rivalled the bloodline purity of their current sage, the oldest entity in the Hell Beast clan. Due to its high bloodline purity, Kuro had an uncanny affinity for Yin nature, endowing the pup with special abilities in addition to the characteristics of the Hell Beasts.

After summoning Kuro, Kazuki began exploring the ruins with care. He copied every detail he deemed significant. After nearly four hours of searching, Kazuki retrieved close to a dozen antiques, of which only two were intact. While examining the items, Kuro howled to grab Kazuki's attention, as Kuro was not yet proficient in human language. Kazuki followed Kuro, and after ten minutes, they reached a small rocky outcrop. Amidst the rocks was a small opening leading underground. Without Kuro, Kazuki might not have found such a place, and with Kuro leading, Kazuki went down the hole.

After following the dark hole, both Kuro and Kazuki reached a vast underground cavern. To Kazuki's surprise, the cavern was illuminated by crystals embedded at the top, covering the entire space. A barrier surrounded the cavern, and its complexity gave Kazuki goosebumps. Despite its strength, the barrier had succumbed to the test of time, showing signs of malfunctioning in various places. With some effort, Kazuki, accompanied by Kuro, bypassed the barrier. Inside, he was greeted by a breathtaking sight: a massive withered tree lay uprooted, bound by numerous golden chains, many of which were broken.

Kazuki immediately recognised the tree's similarity to the God Tree, known for bearing chakra fruits. Approaching cautiously, he examined the tree. After ensuring there was no immediate danger, he poked one of the golden chains, causing it to lose its lustre and turn to ash.

"Woof Woof."

Once again, Kuro sought Kazuki's attention and directed him further into the cavern. Upon arriving, Kazuki was met with another astonishing sight: a colossal wooden construct. Referring to it as a construct would be a mistake, for it emitted a faint vitality, as if the wood itself were alive. After carefully probing the entity, Kazuki realised what it was: resembling an Asura with three heads and six arms, its size was comparable to that of the Ten Tails. The main distinction Kazuki noted was that unlike the Tailed Beasts, which were entities of chakra, the Wooden Aura was an entity made entirely of nature energy.

Kazuki turned to Kuro and inquired, "Kuro, how did you know something like this was here?"

Through various gestures and his connection to Kazuki, Kuro conveyed a response.

"So you mean to say that there is something like this back at your home too? They smell the same but, at the same time, feel different. What is that supposed to mean?"

"Woof Woof."

Kuro confirmed that Kazuki understood, and without answering Kazuki, he continued exploring the cavern. Kazuki, on the other hand, examined the colossal wooden Asura. Its size was so immense that it took hours for him to carefully inspect the entire entity. After the examination, he observed that the wooden construct was damaged at many places, adorned with huge scars as if it had survived a massive battle. Driven by curiosity, Kazuki placed his hand on the construct, but a sudden burning pain shot through his arm, forcing him to retract it. To his astonishment, the entire Asura began to glow brightly, as if preparing to explode.

Drenched in cold sweat, Kazuki braced for the explosion, closing his eyes instinctively. However, the expected devastation did not occur. Kuro's repeated howls prompted him to open his eyes, revealing that the Asura construct had vanished without a trace. Kazuki probed the area using his senses and discovered a human skeleton in the place where the construct was. Though old, the skeleton's bone structure resembled crystal, etched with various fuinjutsu. Careful not to touch it directly, Kazuki promptly sealed the skeleton away in a scroll.

After sealing the skeleton, Kuro eagerly dug at the same spot and pulled out a small, palm-sized wooden construct. It resembled baby Groot from Kazuki's past life but had three heads and six arms, similar to the Asura entity. Despite its appearance, the small entity seemed to be in a state of suspended animation, radiating a faint vitality.

Understanding the significance of the newly discovered place, Kazuki meticulously collected everything of importance. Storing the withered God tree was an immense burden, draining most of his chakra and almost knocking him out cold. Fortunately, thanks to the fuinjutsu ritual and his medicines, he managed to recover his chakra to an acceptable level quickly.

Returning to the town after two days early in the morning, Kazuki found the convoy ready to depart. He had stayed in the cavern for two whole days, exploring its depths. Although he shared some details about the ruins, Kazuki kept the information about the hidden cavern a secret for now. Over the past two days, he gathered every piece of information about the sealing barrier he could find, gaining substantial insights. Additionally, he retrieved a few intact golden chains that had bound the God tree. Of course, Kazuki also made sure to collect every last piece of the God tree he could find.

It took the convoy five full days to reach the village. Although Kazuki had ways to seal the boxes in his scrolls for transport, he couldn't subject the poor Senju remnants accompanying them back to the village to such discomfort. If his master found out about any attempt to pull such a stunt on people from the Senju lineage, he knew he would get a severe beating.

During this week, the entire Shinobi world became aware that the Fire Country had come into possession of the largest chakra metal mine, and the quality of the ore was top-notch. Every major village stirred after getting the news, especially Kumo. The Raikage sent a letter to the Hokage, claiming that Leaf ninja had ambushed their Kumo shinobi, who were exploring the Fire Country in peace, and demanded compensation for the dead shinobi in the form of handing over the mine.

Even Hiruzen, who was usually calm, tore the letter to shreds after reading it. He knew the Raikage was shameless, but he didn't expect him to fall so low. Iwagakure also increased the troops on the border after hearing about the Fire Country acquiring a huge chakra metal mine. The troops dispatched to secure the mine had already been involved in more than a dozen skirmishes launched by various missing-nins and other forces.

The Leaf Village had to send a second dispatchment to reinforce security, and plans for a massive war fortress surrounding the mine were underway. The Fire Daimyo himself went out of his way to fully fund the project and even approved a war fortress in place of a regular town to be built, even before Hiruzen could suggest it.

Even the Land of Iron, which always boasted about its neutrality, couldn't resist its greed when it came to the mine. Their approach, however, was more diplomatic. The Daimyo of Iron sent an envoy team to the Fire Daimyo to discuss taking control of the mine, arguing that a neutral country like theirs should hold control to avoid unnecessary conflicts. From various sources, it was confirmed that the Fire Daimyo had simply flipped the table upon hearing the shameless request from the Iron Envoys. The envoy team was promptly sent packing after the meeting ended.