Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 235 A Country Bumpkin Enters the City

Aburame Shisei's seclusion and the sealing of the passageway this time were not actually out of concern for the war outside, but rather because he trusted them completely.

The reason is simple: their strength speaks for itself.

The current lineup of the Three Kingdoms Alliance is considered luxurious even in the entire ninja world.

Kakuzu, Naoto, Hanzo the Salamander, Kusanagi Negishi, Shirai Uzumaki, and Shiki, plus Shiki the Seven-Tails, make up a total of six Kage-level fighters.

Kakuzu and Hanzo of the Salamander are at the pinnacle of Kage-level combat, just one step away from becoming Super Kage. With such a lineup, even if they can't win, they would never allow the flames of war to spread to the heart of the Land of Waterfall.

What's more, before going into seclusion, Yu Nu Zhicheng left behind a batch of local specialties—centipede-shaped subway lines 1 and 2.

Although these giant centipedes are merely vehicles, their exoskeletons are incredibly hard, making them impenetrable to attacks from ordinary ninjas.

Dozens of centipedes slithered underground, guarding the entire border of the Land of Waterfall so tightly that even a Kage-level ninja would have to think twice before trying to sneak in, let alone a Chunin or Jonin.

He trusted Kakuzu's abilities; what storms hadn't this seventy- or eighty-year-old man weathered? A mere local war was none of his concern.

Unbeknownst to him, just three days after he went into seclusion, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, after overcoming numerous hardships, finally crossed the Land of Rain and entered the Land of Waterfall.

"Is this...the Land of Waterfalls?"

Standing on the border, Yahiko gazed at the lush green forest before him and couldn't help but take a deep breath; there was no smell of gunpowder.

The air is filled with the fresh scent of earth and grass, and occasionally you can hear birdsong.

Besides that, there are the unique buildings, the smooth streets, the clean ground, and the crowds of people coming and going on the streets.

Compared to their impoverished Land of Rain, this place seemed like another world altogether, leaving the three of them completely stunned.

Especially in terms of clothing, compared to ordinary people, they seemed like country bumpkins from the countryside.

There was even a sense of nervousness and helplessness, making it difficult to take the first step.

"Wow, so beautiful!" Xiao Nan said softly, her eyes scanning her surroundings warily. "What a prosperous country!"

Nagato remained silent, merely sensing the surrounding atmosphere. Although he hadn't fully mastered the Rinnegan, he still possessed basic sensory abilities.

The people here didn't react to them at all.

Even though they were dressed in strange clothes and looked like ninjas, it seemed like nothing unusual to these civilians.

Yahiko composed himself, his gaze resolute as he looked at Konan and Nagato: "Konan, Nagato, let's go. I believe that with our efforts, we will soon transform the Land of Rain into the world we are today!"

Yahiko was full of confidence, and neither of them wanted to discourage him, because such a world and such peace could not be achieved by peace alone.

A country like that must need a lot of money, a lot, a lot, a lot of money!

"Nagato, you have strong sensory abilities. Go and look around the area to see if there are any ninjas. Have them lead the way and help us find Lord Kakuzu."

"Hmm!" Nagato nodded and closed his eyes again.

"There's a chakra reaction about three miles to the southeast," Nagato said in a low voice. "Very strong."

Yahiko nodded, his expression turning serious: "We're here to see Lord Kakuzu, not to fight. Remember, be polite."

The three exchanged a glance and stepped forward.

They didn't try to hide their tracks, because it was impossible to. This land was teeming with insects left behind by Aburame Shisei, and these insects were like surveillance cameras, keeping them under surveillance from the moment they stepped into the country.

Unfortunately, the people watching the surveillance were ordinary ninjas who only regarded the other party as someone seeking help and did not take them seriously.

Sure enough, after walking less than half a mile, the three of them discovered a passage leading underground, and the strong chakra fluctuations were coming from underground.

The group stood at the subway exit, hesitant and looking at each other. Then he noticed that quite a few well-dressed businessmen, carrying boxes of goods, were walking into the underground passage.

Yahiko quickly stepped forward to stop him, saying, "Sir, we sensed a very strong chakra fluctuation underground. It's clearly the residence of a powerful ninja. You're recklessly infiltrating here..."

"Are you crazy, you country bumpkin!"

The wealthy merchant looked him up and down with a strange expression, muttered a few words, and then sneered, "Look at you dressed in such shabby clothes, you really are from the countryside. I'm going to take the subway. If you have nothing else to do, get out of the way. I'm worth millions of taels of silver every minute."

What is a subway?

Or is it that the ninja village of Takigakure is actually located underground, and this merchant was there to issue a mission?

But that's not right either. It's said that the Hidden Village of the Land of Waterfalls is behind the Great Waterfall.

The three exchanged puzzled glances, but in order to find out the truth, they decided to follow behind.

After entering the cave, the world inside was completely different from the pitch blackness they had imagined. However, every few dozen meters there was a lamp emitting a yellow light above.

The three sensed something and discovered that the lamp was not burning a candle, but rather had a faint chakra reaction.

It turned out to be a living creature, a special kind of luminous, spiritual beast!

The three were surprised again; they hadn't expected that the Land of Waterfalls was so wealthy that they used summoned beasts as lamps.

Walking down the passage for nearly a hundred meters, the temperature here is already more than ten degrees lower than on the ground.

The air was already a bit chilly; you could see your breath coming out when you spoke.

At this moment, the wealthy businessman standing nearby had already taken out a heavy coat and put it on. He stomped his feet and complained, "This shabby little subway station is no good. There aren't even any geothermal worms."

Another businessman beside him chimed in, "Sigh, don't even think about it, that stuff is incredibly expensive. But as far as I know, geothermal systems are going to be installed soon. I heard it's advanced technology brought in from the Land of Snow, its full name is something like 'underground thermal energy generator.' You can't believe there's such a huge amount of energy underground, comparable to the sun!"

Another merchant raised his head arrogantly and said, "You all lack knowledge. You should read more books!"

As far as I know, there is a huge iron ball underground, and the temperature at its core is even higher than the surface of the sun.

"As long as you drill a hole in the soil, the heat inside will continuously escape. Otherwise, how do you think those lava flows and volcanoes come about?"

Upon hearing this, the other businessmen immediately stepped forward to flatter him, saying, "Brother Murakami, you know so much. Now that you have this information, I wonder if this geothermal business is worth doing..."