For someone born in an inland country like the Land of Fire, Neji naturally rarely saw ships of such size.
Even though the vessel before his eyes was merely an ordinary medium-sized ship, Neji still couldn't help but take a few extra glances.
This ship's speed wasn't slow. Before long, it had already docked at the port ahead of where Yuto stood.
It had to be said that the ninja world, besides possessing the peculiar energy called chakra, also had a rather skewed technology tree.
Ordinary technological products could occasionally be seen in this ninja world, but whether they brought much change to this world was nearly negligible.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
As soon as the ship docked, several figures jumped down from the vessel, hurrying toward Yuto and Neji.
These people were clearly all Kirigakure ninjas.
"Lord Yuto!"
Respectful voices rang out from ahead.
Seeing the blonde Kirigakure ninja standing at the front, a smile appeared at the corner of Yuto's mouth:
"It seems your Kinoshita clan has developed the shipping business quite well."
"All of this is naturally thanks to Lord Yuto. The clan head has always been mentioning Lord Yuto."
The Kinoshita clan ninja revealed a face full of respect, answering cautiously.
"Let's go."
Yuto turned his head to glance at Neji, then lifted his foot and walked toward the port.
That Kinoshita clan ninja hurriedly followed.
"What's the current situation in the Land of Waves?"
As Yuto walked ahead, he suddenly asked.
Possessing a large number of ships as a foundation, the former Gato controlled the entire economic lifeline of the Land of Waves. The Kinoshita clan, having taken over Gato's power, naturally had no issues either.
Even with a great bridge built between the Land of Fire and the Land of Waves.
"Currently, the entire Land of Waves is under our Kirigakure's control."
"Once war breaks out, our Mist can occupy the entire Land of Waves in the shortest time, then use the great bridge of the Land of Waves to directly enter the Land of Fire's border, attacking Konoha, or even entering the inland to strike several other major hidden villages."
"With the Land of Waves as a transit point, even if our Mist temporarily suffers setbacks in war, we can safely withdraw."
The Kinoshita clan ninja spoke with a tone carrying a hint of excitement.
The Land of Waves is located directly west of the Land of Water, separated by a stretch of ocean.
In a certain sense, the Land of Waves with its constructed great bridge was simply a natural war fortress for the Land of Water.
Able to advance and defend!
Before this, when the Land of Water attacked the Land of Fire or entered the inland, they had to take a detour.
In the southwest of the Land of Water, there is a larger country called the Land of Tea. Naturally, it couldn't compare to the Land of Water.
Although the two were also separated by a sea, there were numerous small islands in between. Kirigakure's forces generally passed through these small islands to enter the Land of Tea's territory, then through the Land of Tea to enter the inland or the Land of Fire's border.
As for whether the Land of Tea was willing, Kirigakure had never considered it. After all, this was a country without even a hidden village.
Without strength, there is no autonomy. The Land of Tea proved this point.
In the original story, Morino Ibiki's younger brother lived in seclusion in the Land of Tea. Similarly, Wasabi Jirocho, who had a deep relationship with Tsunade, also lived in the Land of Tea.
If Kirigakure's forces took the Land of Tea route, not only would it take longer, but it would also be easily intercepted by Konoha.
During the Third Great Ninja War, one of the Three Sannin, Orochimaru, set up a defensive line at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Tea, easily blocking Kirigakure's forces for over a week.
Therefore, the appearance of this new route through the Land of Waves had considerable significance for Kirigakure. This was also why this Kinoshita clan ninja was so excited.
Yuto glanced at this Kinoshita clan ninja, a trace of helplessness flashing through his eyes.
Speaking of which, Kirigakure ninjas seemed to have a natural enthusiasm for war.
Neji, closely following Yuto, could naturally hear the conversation between the two clearly.
Especially when hearing words about attacking Konoha, Neji's eyes couldn't help but flicker. However, Neji quickly regained his calm.
Neji understood that from the moment he left Konoha and stood with Kirigakure, he and Konoha had become enemies.
If they met again, there would likely only be battle.
For the current Neji, only becoming stronger was what he wanted to pursue.
Although Yuto didn't turn around, he could clearly sense the change in Neji's emotions.
Truly worthy of being a genius of the Hyuga clan. Compared to emotional geniuses like Uchiha Sasuke, Yuto much preferred rational, calm geniuses like Neji.
A smile appeared on Yuto's face. Clearly, he was in a good mood.
"Lord Yuto, are we heading to the Land of Waves this time?"
The Kinoshita clan ninja, having calmed from his earlier excitement, asked cautiously.
"What is your name?"
Yuto didn't directly answer but asked with some curiosity.
"Kinoshita Mizo, my lord."
Kinoshita Mizo's expression became serious as he answered respectfully.
"We're going to the Land of Hot Springs."
At this point, Yuto and the others had already walked beneath the ship. Yuto grabbed Neji's shoulder, and in a flash, they disappeared from their original position.
When Yuto and Neji reappeared, they were already standing on the ship's deck.
The Land of Hot Springs?
Kinoshita Mizo was somewhat dazed, clearly not understanding why Lord Yuto suddenly wanted to go to the Land of Hot Springs.
But such matters were clearly not something he could question.
Thinking of this, Kinoshita Mizo hurriedly rushed toward the ship.
Splash!
Splash!
As sprays of water rose.
The ship Yuto was on quickly turned around, heading toward the open sea.
A gentle cool breeze and pleasant sounds of water occasionally drifted over, causing Yuto to lazily stretch.
Compared to Yuto's relaxed and enjoying appearance, Neji beside him didn't have such thoughts and could only watch Yuto expectantly.
"Didn't expect you had the potential of a training fanatic."
Seeing Neji's expectant expression, Yuto couldn't help but spread his hands.
"Right now you've only mastered close-range attack methods like Eight Trigrams Palm. What comes next is training for long-range attacks."
On the ship's bow, Yuto looked at Neji, a serious expression reappearing on his face.
"Long-range attack methods?"
Neji froze for a moment, mumbling to himself.
"As expected, given your current status, you probably haven't been exposed to the Hyuga clan's long-range attack methods. But that's fine, I'll teach you."
Yuto saw Neji's bewildered expression and spoke casually.
As Yuto spent more time with Neji, he increasingly felt that the Hyuga clan's so-called main family and branch family system was truly a foolish idea.
[
Hey everyone,
I need to tell you what's actually happening.
I just got hit with mass cancellations. On top of being buried in academics until the 9th. I'm in deep financial trouble right now—like, genuinely don't-know-how-I-cover-next-month trouble.
I want to do more for you. I have another Naruto fic ready to drop the moment this academic hell ends. But I can't keep creating if I can't survive.
I'm not powerless about the work—I know I can deliver for you. But I'm powerless to stop the bleeding alone.
If you've ever thought about supporting, this is the moment. Not "someday." Now.
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]