Great Remnant and the others took thirty subordinates, split into three squads, and left Wolf Valley in a grand manner.
Yang Jiu did not go out with them.
He turned back to the wolf den, jumped onto the stone platform covered with soft fur, and found a comfortable position to lie down.
Then, with a thought, he opened the system panel.
[strongest wolf clan system]
Race: Wolf Clan
Level: 2 (2400/10000)
Members: 68
Racial Talents: Wind Body, Bronze Skin and Iron Bones
Racial Ninjutsu: Storm Blade, Chakra Refining Technique (Wolf Clan Exclusive Edition)
Racial Points: 2800
[individual wolf panel] [mission] [warehouse] [mall]
Yang Jiu glanced at the mission list.
Currently, there were two missions: one was the long-term mission [Strengthen the Wolf Clan], and the other was [Explore the Forest (Map mission)].
He clicked on the map mission, and the progress bar showed: 20%.
Moreover, this number was ticking up bit by bit—it should be Great Remnant and the others exploring new areas; for every area explored, the progress increased a bit.
At this rate, the mission would be completed by tomorrow at the latest.
By then, not only could he obtain another Ninjutsu, but he could also unlock the map function.
The corners of Yang Jiu's mouth curled up slightly.
Once the map function was opened, he would know exactly which corner of the Ninja World he was in.
Was he near Konoha, or near another Ninja village?
Was he within the borders of the Land of Fire, or at the border of another country?
This information was crucial for his next plans.
He comfortably changed his position, his tail wagging gently.
"Wait until I develop a bit more..."
He narrowed his eyes, casting his gaze toward the sky outside the wolf den.
"It will be time to find a way to contact some humans."
Humans, he definitely had to contact them.
Relying only on this forest, how many missions could there be? How many resources could be dug up? No matter how well the wolf clan could fight, they were only kings in this forest.
To truly grow and develop, to turn the wolf clan into the Fourth Great Summoning Beast Holy Land, they had to go out and integrate into the Ninja World.
And humans were that door.
Yang Jiu's mind raced.
Many resources in the forest—herbs, animal skins, ores—could be traded with humans for supplies the wolf clan needed.
For example, salt.
Wolves also need salt, but the small amount supplemented by eating meat alone was far from enough.
For example, ironware.
Although wolves couldn't use Kunai, they could use iron plates to reinforce the den or iron spikes to set traps.
And for instance...
Yang Jiu's eyes brightened slightly.
—He could also have humans help capture wolf packs from other places.
The wolves in this forest were almost all collected by him.
If he wanted to expand the scale further, he would have to bring them in from the outside.
But wolf packs have their own territorial awareness; they aren't that easy to trick.
If there were humans to help, using traps and bait, the efficiency would be many times higher.
"No rush, take it slow."
Yang Jiu withdrew his thoughts, rested his head on his front paws, and comfortably narrowed his eyes.
Wait for the map to come out first.
Wait for Great Remnant and the others to complete the mission first.
Step by step.
Anyway—
He had plenty of time.
—
The next afternoon.
The sunlight was just right.
Yang Jiu lay on a large rock warmed by the sun, narrowing his eyes as he comfortably looked down below.
In the open space in the middle of Wolf Valley, a dozen or so small wolf cubs were rolling together, biting ears and pouncing on tails; their fluffy little bodies rolled around on the grass, occasionally letting out a few milky howls.
Several she-wolves lay nearby, watching lazily, occasionally stretching out a paw to pull back a cub that had rolled too far.
Peaceful times.
Yang Jiu yawned, changed his position, and continued to sun his belly.
The joy of being a wolf king was just this simple and unadorned.
Just then—
[Ding—mission completed: Explore the Forest]
A cold notification sound exploded in his mind.
Yang Jiu snapped his eyes open.
[Obtained mission reward: 100 Experience, 100 Points, Map Unlocked, Ninjutsu-Fireball Technique]
Buzz—
A translucent light screen unfolded before his eyes.
It was a map.
Centered on Wolf Valley, the appearance of the entire forest was fully visible—
Mountains, rivers, canyons, and dense forests; clear lines outlined the ups and downs of the terrain.
Marker points were scattered everywhere: representing wolf packs, other wild beasts, water sources, and dangerous areas.
Yang Jiu scrambled up, his eyes fixed on the map.
Good stuff.
This was what he wanted.
He narrowed his eyes, carefully identifying the markers on the map—
To the east of Wolf Valley, at a place marked "Tiger Mountain", two eye-catching red dots were slowly moving.
Those were the two tiger kings.
To the south, in an area marked "Brown Bear Territory", a huge red dot lay quietly in wait.
That Brown Bear to the south.
To the west—
At the edge of the forest, near the west, a black triangle marker was particularly striking.
Below it were a few small words:
Mountain Stronghold (Human Settlement)
Yang Jiu's gaze lingered on that black triangle for a long time.
Mountain Stronghold.
Human settlement.
He licked his lips, his mind spinning rapidly.
According to what Heisha said before, that group had "flying things" in their hands—likely weapons like bows and arrows or Kunai.
And they lived in a Mountain Stronghold, indicating they weren't wandering savages but an organized, large-scale group.
Either Mountain Bandits or Wandering Ninja.
If they were Mountain Bandits, it would be easy to handle; just ordinary people, even with weapons, they couldn't threaten the current wolf pack; sixty-eight Ninja Wolves charging in would scare them witless.
If they were Wandering Ninja...
Yang Jiu narrowed his eyes.
Samurai also use Chakra; although not as varied as hidden village Ninja, their combat power is definitely much stronger than ordinary people, especially those somewhat famous Wandering Ninja; one could fight dozens of Mountain Bandits.
"Must go take a look."
He muttered to himself.
Just then, a new marker popped up on the map—
A flashing yellow question mark appeared three kilometers east of the Mountain Stronghold.
Yang Jiu was stunned for a moment, and with a thought, he clicked it.
[Unknown Area: Suspected traces of human activity, exploration recommended]
The system's prompt surfaced.
The corner of Yang Jiu's mouth hooked up slightly.
This map function was even more considerate than he had imagined.
He withdrew his gaze and scanned the entire map: the two tiger kings at Tiger Mountain, the Brown Bear to the south, the Mountain Stronghold to the west, and that flashing yellow question mark...
Things suddenly became busy.
But no rush.
Wait for Great Remnant and the others to return first.
"Try the new Ninjutsu first!"
With a thought, Yang Jiu's individual wolf attribute interface instantly unfolded before him.
[Name: Yang Jiu]
[Race: Ninja Wolf]
[Strength: Chunin]
[Talent: Wolf Kings Pressure, Wind Body, Bronze Skin and Iron Bones]
[Ninjutsu: Fireball Technique, Storm Blade, Chakra Refining Technique]
[Fireball Technique: Condense Chakra in the mouth to form a fire-attribute Chakra ball to attack enemies]
Yang Jiu stared at the newly appeared Ninjutsu and narrowed his eyes.
Fireball Technique.
According to the saying in Naruto, Fire Release can't kill people—this is a meme, of course, but it's not without reason; Fire Release Ninjutsu looks grand, but in reality, it often hits nothing, and characters never seem to be burned to death by fire.
Yang Jiu licked his lips.
He'd know after trying.
His gaze swept across Wolf Valley, finally locking onto an ancient tree twenty meters away that would take two people to encircle; the trunk was thick and the bark was cracked, looking very old.
This is the one.
He took a deep breath, and the Chakra in his body instantly surged, frantically gathering toward his throat along the meridians.
He opened his mouth.
Buzz—
A mass of scorching red light condensed in his mouth.
It wasn't the pale blue sharp light of the Storm Blade, but a ball of burning, jumping flame emitting a scorching heat wave.
The surrounding air instantly distorted, a heat wave hit his face, and even the grass under his feet was slightly scorched.
Yang Jiu's pupils shrank slightly.
This temperature...
Was even higher than he had imagined.
The next instant—
"Boom!"
He jerked his head, and the fireball shot out of his mouth, trailing a long tail of flame, straight at the ancient tree twenty meters away!
"Boom!"
The fireball slammed into the ancient tree and exploded instantly!
Scorching flames poured out like a waterfall, frantically spreading along the trunk.
The cracked bark quickly blackened and curled under the high temperature, making a crackling sound; the firelight reddened the surrounding ground, and the heat wave hit his face; even Yang Jiu, standing twenty meters away, could feel that scorching temperature.
The flames lasted for about five seconds and then gradually died out.
The ancient tree still stood tall.
But on the trunk, a charred mark the size of a washbasin was left; the mark was deeply recessed, the surrounding bark was completely carbonized, revealing the wood inside that had been burned black.
Wisps of blue smoke curled up from the scorch mark, and the air was filled with a pungent burnt smell.
Yang Jiu narrowed his eyes.
He stepped closer and carefully examined the scorch mark.
Depth... about three inches?
He stretched out a paw and gently touched it. The charred wood fell off in flakes, revealing the core of the tree underneath, which was also dried and cracked from the heat.
If this hit an ordinary animal, it would probably be pierced through, or even directly charred.
Even if a Ninja were hit, they would be crippled if not dead.
"The Ninjutsu rewarded by the system is indeed powerful!"
Yang Jiu thought excitedly.