3.32

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With everyone on board, the meeting was quickly put to an end as the different emissaries returned to their village to report on it to their different leaders.

Personally, I was a little disappointed I hadn't completed any mission by bringing peace earlier on time, although I'm not sure of what I could get from this world as a reward.

After getting the Fists of Randagulf from my time in Skyrim, I had searched it up, and was surprised to find that it was actually part of the Elder Scrolls' lore, which seemed to indicate that rewards given by the system would be from the world the missions were achieved in.

And unlike in Skyrim, Naruto wasn't really filled to the brim with rewards that would be useful to me. Well, I guess it's useless to worry about it before I finish a mission.

In any case, the fact we found peace was good, as it would make my and the team's training much easier. Especially mine, actually, as I intended on moving around the Elemental Nations.

Of course, I intended to be within Konoha by Naruto's birth, but before that there was at least one thing I wanted to do, and that's why only a couple hours after all the emissaries had left, I was on the go too, along with Mifune and his army of Samurai.

That is because, the Land of Iron was my first destination, and the place where I intended on spending the most time.

At first, I thought I would spend all of my time in Konoha, simply because it was the village I knew best, although it was also the only one I knew about, but back in God's Dimension I checked everything a little more thoroughly, and discovered that going to Konoha wouldn't bring me much.

Ninjas were very skilled fighters, and while I'm sure I could learn a lot from them, we didn't really share a similar fighting style. On the other hand, the Samurai were much more similar, using swords as their primary weapon.

Of course, the existence of Chakra made things a little more complicated, but from my own understanding and my conversations with Mifune, all of their techniques used more mundane swordsmanship as a foundation.

Besides, this was only secondary. Although maybe not as developed, I surely would be able to learn great swordsmanship in any of the Shinobi villages.

What really drew me to the Land of Iron was the two other things I wanted to train in, that is, my Force Abilities and my Smithing.

Unlike in Shinobi villages where every weapon and armor were commissioned to civilian crafters, smiths were highly respected figures in the Land of Iron who had pushed the art above and beyond.

I also wanted to develop my Jedi abilities further, and the meditation techniques of the Samurai should be able to help with that.

Sending a last look at Sarah, who smiled at me, I marched away from the Land of Storms.

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If the Land of Storms was covered in rain all year, then the Land of iron was covered in snow. We had entered the Land of Iron for a day now, and were camping in a small clearing for the night.

Sitting within a tent, around a fire with Mifune, I took a sip of the Sake I had been offered. The beverage was strong, and considering my enhancements that should make me nearly immune to alcohol, this had to be enhanced with Chakra in one way or another.

And indeed, Mifune looked at me with a funny look as he said, "Most people spit out blood the first time they drink Shuten's Blood."

I looked down at the transparent liquid, and asked, "That's quite the peculiar name for a drink. And why would anyone drink something that would harm them."

Mifune took a sip out of his own cup, looking completely unfazed as he explained, "Shuten's Blood can cause bodily harm to weak bodies, but it disciplines the mind. Strengthens it. All Samurai are required to drink it when they start learning the way of the sword."

I raised an eyebrow at that, and asked, "Does that mean my training has begun? I don't have a sword though."

Mifune shook his head, refilling my cup as he explained, "Before understanding how to use the sword, you must learn about the sword itself. And that, conveniently, starts with forging your own blade."

I sent a glance at the sword on his hip, and questioned, "Have every Samurai forged their own blade then?"

One of Mifune's arms was leaning against the sword's handle at nearly all time, and as I asked my question his arm twitched slightly, before he answered, "Every Samurai under me has, at least."

The way he phrased it made me honestly curious as I knew next to nothing about the Land of Iron. The place was not really well explored in Naruto. Hence, I asked, "Some are not?"

Mifune drank some more Sake, as if to draw the answer out of himself, "You asked me about the peculiar name of Shuten's Blood earlier. The name comes from Shuten Doji. Have you heard of him?"

I didn't, and Mifune explained, "Shuten Doji, the Drunken Demon. The king of the Oni, as well as the deity of our land."

This, I definitely never heard of. Was this Naruto Canon I knew nothing about, or was this God filling the world's dark areas?

"Several thousands of years ago, long before Chakra appeared, the deities still walked our land. The Oni ruled what would later become the Land of Iron, and naturally, their king, Shuten Doji, was our chief deity."

Sending another glance at the sake, I asked, "So your gods are Oni… demons?"

Mifune snorted, replying, "Our land used to be a savage land, but as the years passed, the deities from all over the world started disappearing, and by the time Chakra appeared, only a few of them were left in our world. And with their disappearance, humans rose up against their former masters, which ended with most of their ways vanishing."

I was hooked by the story, and that seemed to make Mifune smile as he continued, "Most of the Oni were evil beings, but they taught us many things. Shuten Doji more than any of them. For every life sacrificed in his name, knowledge was taught to us too. The way of the sword comes from him too.

"Still, for everything he has brought to us, we have evolved from his barbaric ways. Well, most of us, unfortunately. Some fanatics never moved from the Oni's ways, and formed an extreme religion based on the teachings of Shuten Doji."

Now feeling a little confused, I asked, "How does it work then? Is this religious group hiding or are they a lawful religion?"

Mifune replied, "It is… complicated. Officially, their religion is lawful, so being part of it isn't a crime. However, most of its members are criminals. Normally, a religion that encourages crime in its tenets would be banned, but the situation is complicated. They've had a lot of influence over the years, and while most of their ways are vile, some are beneficial to our country, such as this beverage."

The Taisho of the Land of Iron grabbed the bottle of Shuten's Blood, and swirled the sake in the bottle as he mumbled, "It is said that the way to make this sake traces all the way back to the Oni, and that it was taught by Shuten Doji to his followers."

Tilting my head, I asked, "Couldn't you just have someone infiltrate their cult to learn the recipe?"

Mifune shook his head, "We pretty much know how to make it already. Problem is, it is more ritualistic than anything. Shuten Doji's assistance is required to make this drink, and only through strong faith can his spirit be reached for assistance. And that isn't something that can be faked."