I simultaneously traverse countless worlds

Therefore, Li Mo was too lazy to waste time in Kusagakure. Before that, besides planting spies in the ninja world and keeping an eye on people including Orochimaru and Black Zetsu, he also collected various inheritances from the five great ninja villages and other small ninja villages.

It must be said that the ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu of the Naruto world are not things that can be easily created. In any case, Li Moguang gained a lot of insights into ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu by collecting the souls of many ninjas. Although many ninjas did not delve into the essence of chakra, their various studies in ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu were truly eye-opening.

Li Mo's strength improved by leaps and bounds, which can be largely attributed to his fusion of multiple talents and special foundations. The remaining part is the result of the many inheritances he obtained from the ninja world and his own hard work. Therefore, his treatment of the Grass Ninja Village was to take what he wanted and leave the rest to the Grass Ninja to fend for themselves.

Li Mo decided to keep Uzumaki Kina and Uzumaki Karin by his side for the time being, and then focus his energy on the treasure hunt in the ninja world!

That's right!

If it were an ordinary person, someone with Li Mo's strength would probably already be thinking about causing trouble in the ninja world. However, Li Mo knew that while his strength ranked among the top in the ninja world, he was by no means invincible. Jumping out too early would probably mean he hadn't experienced the harsh realities of life.

On the contrary, Li Mo was a wage slave who had been brutally beaten by the modern society before he transmigrated. Naturally, he would not rashly gamble on the fate of the nation like the Japanese. When a nation is weak, it is understandable to gamble everything and decide the outcome through war. But to gamble on the fate of the nation time and time again is the act of a madman. Unless you think you have such incredible luck that you can win every time, you will eventually lose everything. The fact that Japan was arrogant before World War II but could only be a dog for America's godfather after the war fully illustrates the principle that you will lose if you gamble for a long time!

If Li Mo were to join the already powerful Rainbow Country in the Third Shinobi World War, he might end up swallowing a major ninja village like a snake trying to devour a whale, or he might be ganged up on by other major ninja villages, or even targeted by the still-alive Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu. He didn't want to immediately try to test the strength of the hidden mastermind behind the scenes.

Considering the current situation and the fact that time is on his side, Li Mo decided that, apart from a few people, his goal on the Ninja World Continent would be to target all the treasures that appeared in the original Naruto storyline.

For example, after Li Mo made arrangements for the mother-daughter pair Uzumaki Kina and Uzumaki Karin, the "Box of Elysium" that he placed in the "Land of Shadows" to study later was something from the original Naruto anime movie. It was said to be related to the Sage of Six Paths and contained a monster called "Satoru".

Li Mo was naturally very interested in the [Box of Bliss], but instead of immediately stopping to study the [Box of Bliss] he had already obtained, he decided to take advantage of the fact that the Third Shinobi World War was not yet over and quickly acquire some treasures.

The Star Ninja Village possesses a special meteorite called "Star" that can influence chakra nature transformation!

The four celestial beings of the Land of Craftsmanship wield scientific ninja tools and related manufacturing methods left behind by the leader of the Land of Craftsmanship!

The Hero's Water, once possessed by the once-powerful Hidden Water Village...

Knowing that these special treasures existed in the ninja world, Li Mo naturally wouldn't act rashly during the Third Shinobi World War. Instead, he focused his attention on these treasures and began searching for them one by one according to his memory.

The first village to be found was Takigakure. Its ancestors were also once powerful, but they declined after experiencing two Shinobi World Wars. If it weren't for the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki and its specialty, "Hero's Water," which made this small ninja village seem more troublesome, it would probably be in the same predicament as Kusagakure. At present, Takigakure is barely maintaining a neutral status, and its situation is not much better than Amegakure and Kusagakure.

Li Mo didn't care about the situation in Takigakure. He had no intention of attacking the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki for the time being. At most, he would first gather some of the Seven-Tails' chakra, then obtain the "Hero's Water" from Takigakure, and incidentally study the peculiar giant tree from which the "Hero's Water" originated. He discovered that it seemed to be a remnant root system related to the "Divine Tree," which had become a sub-plant after thousands of years. The "Hero's Water" it absorbed consumed its own life force to increase its chakra.

Although slightly disappointed, Li Mo still felt that this thing had some research value, so he directly collected some samples from that giant tree and even collected a small amount of [Hero's Water] as a reserve to see if it could be used in the future.

After visiting Takigakure, Li Mo went on to visit Hoshigakure in the Land of Bears, the Land of Craftsmen, and the Land of Birds, quietly taking away things that interested him.

For example, the meteorite [Star] from the Star Ninja Village was taken directly by Li Mo, along with the ninjutsu records related to the [Peacock Technique]. Even though the Star Ninja Village ninjas who studied [Star] paid the price of potentially premature aging and death, it doesn't mean that Li Mo's side couldn't solve the problem. In fact, it helped the Star Ninja Village solve a problem in the process.

In Li Mo's eyes, the idea that the Star Ninja Village could conquer the world with this one trick was nothing short of arrogance. It would be better for him to just take [Star] away and allow the Star Ninja Village to continue living in peace!

While the gains from Takigakure and Hoshigakure might not be immediately useful to Li Mo, his gains in the Land of Craftsmen were immense. The special ninja tools and their manufacturing methods he acquired brought him immense joy.

It is important to know that the Land of Craftsmen, which supplies more than 60% of the ninja tools and weapons to the countries of the ninja world, is not allowed to have its own ninja village by the five great nations. However, the former leader of the Land of Craftsmen did not want to be a craftsman for the rest of his life. He secretly created several special ninja tools that could be worn by ordinary ninjas and made them comparable to Jonin. He even took the method of making them to his grave. However, before the people of the Land of Craftsmen could discover them, Li Mo had already intercepted them.

This made Li Mo extremely happy. He had previously tried to industrialize in the Rainbow Country, but manufacturing ninja tools and special ninja tools was a troublesome matter. Compared with normal industrialization, manufacturing ninja tools and special ninja tools in the Naruto world required highly skilled craftsmen to work with chakra. Just finding suitable materials for a ninja tool would take a lot of effort, and the forging skills were not something that ordinary people could master. The Rainbow Country had barely solved the problems of ordinary kunai, ninja swords, and explosive tags, but it couldn't do anything about stronger or special ninja tools!

The situation in the Land of Craftsmen is different. They have been forging ninja tools and special ninja tools for a long time, and their craftsmen and techniques are outstanding. Otherwise, they would not occupy nearly 60% of the ninja tools and special ninja tools in the ninja world. Even the five great ninja villages have to restrict them from having ninja tools, which shows that their potential is outstanding.

Right now, Li Mo has very happily taken away all the knowledge and development technology data about ninja tool forging from the Land of Craftsmen. He even scattered a lot of [Seeds of Fusion] to fuse with the top craftsmen of the Land of Craftsmen. Even though he was worried that the top craftsmen would easily attract attention, he had already made arrangements in private to transfer at least one hundred craftsmen and a small number of production facilities to the Land of Rainbows for development. On the surface, he did not alarm the five great ninja villages. They never expected that someone would so easily take over the manpower and resources of the Land of Craftsmen.

After gaining a great deal from his trip to the Land of Craftsmen, Li Mo set his sights on the remnants of the next village he planned to visit. In the original Naruto storyline, this was a small ninja village that was destroyed by Konoha, but it possessed technology that allowed ninjas to fly through the sky, and even had an artificial tailed beast called the Zero-Tails and an aerial mothership, which made Li Mo very interested in it.

However, just as Li Mo had taken over the leadership and legacy of the Sky Village in the Land of Birds, a message from the Land of Wind diverted his attention. The reason was that the ceasefire agreement between the Sand Village and the Mist Village that he had been looking forward to had entered a critical moment!

Chapter 65 The Sand Village's Choice

The Land of Wind, Sunagakure

A sudden, massive sandstorm plunged Sunagakure, the last of the five great ninja villages, into a common desert disaster, where the entire village was almost entirely surrounded by sandstorms. Only Sunagakure, which was shrouded in a barrier, remained relatively normal.

This barrier is a crucial resource used by the Sand Village to protect the village and the surrounding oases. While it has its drawbacks, such as high energy consumption and the fact that it can only be used to intercept giant sandstorms, it is still incredibly valuable to the Sand Village. After all, in the Land of Wind, where over 90% of the land is desert, many oases have been destroyed by massive sandstorms, a situation that would be impossible even in the Naruto world.

After all, even if ninjas in the Naruto world possess extraordinary powers, most are completely powerless against natural disasters, except for a very few who are at the level of being bugged. Since the Land of Wind has not yet produced a bugged-level powerhouse like Hashirama Senju, it is naturally impossible for them to withstand natural disasters like sandstorms.

Even this giant barrier was the result of Sunagakure's painstaking research on the One-Tailed Shukaku, utilizing all their barrier and sealing techniques to barely make it usable when powered by the tailed beast's chakra. It was already the envy of Sunagakure and the entire Land of Wind. Even the Daimyo of the Land of Wind sent people to inquire about it, but unfortunately, since it used the tailed beast's chakra as energy, it was impossible to promote and apply it in the Land of Wind.

However, although the giant barrier of Sunagakure diverted and bypassed the sandstorm, few people would go out to play or relax in such weather. Those who did occasionally go out in Sunagakure all had blank expressions, and their patched clothes and emaciated appearance proved how huge the burden of the more than three years of war had been on Sunagakure and even the Land of Wind. Even Sunagakure could not bear such a painful price of war.

Right now, in a secret room in Sunagakure, Rasa, one of the frontline commanders, is discussing with Chiyo and Ebizo, the siblings who are the true leaders of Sunagakure, about how to end the Third Shinobi World War, which has cost them dearly!

………………

In a secret underground room in Sunagakure, Rasa, who had quietly returned from the front lines of the confrontation with Konoha, looked at Chiyo and Ebizo, a brother and sister. The atmosphere was very subtle, and they tacitly remained silent.

As one of the two Kage-level ninjas who emerged from Sunagakure during the Third Shinobi World War, Rasa was a junior to Chiyo and Ebizo. However, he inherited the Magnet Release ninjutsu from the Kazekage lineage and successfully upgraded it to the [Bloodline Limit * Magnet Release]. It can be said that he was one of the candidates for the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure. Compared to Chiyo and Ebizo, who were veteran Kage-level ninjas of Sunagakure, his status was barely equal. In fact, if Rasa became the Fourth Kazekage, his status would be even higher.

However, in front of Chiyo and Ebizo, Rasa is still a junior powerhouse with a slightly lower status. He had discussed with Chiyo and Ebizo to decide to end the Third Shinobi World War. If he hadn't reached a ceasefire alliance with Konoha and secured a batch of support supplies from Konoha, he wouldn't have had the time to return to Sunagakure. He would probably still be stationed on the front line to guard against Konoha.

As for Yekura, another new Kage-level ninja from Sunagakure facing Kirigakure, she is currently on the coast of the Land of Wind defending against the Kirigakure army and cannot return to Sunagakure for discussions, but she also agrees to end the war with Kirigakure!

"Rasa, take a look at the ceasefire terms from Kirigakure!"

After a few seconds of silence, Rasa took the initiative to greet her and Ebizo. Chiyo nodded slightly but remained expressionless, and handed over a scroll.

"Are the ceasefire conditions from Kirigakure really that harsh?"

When Rasa saw the top-secret scroll that Chiyo handed him, his eyes widened in disbelief as he discovered its contents. He then questioned her incredulously, yet a strange sense of joy welled up within him.

The ceasefire conditions presented by Kirigakure on the scroll were simple: either Sunagakure would pay a piece of land or a huge sum of money as compensation, or they would sell out Pakura's Scorching Release technique as the price for peace talks!

Without a doubt, both conditions were unacceptable to the Sand Village!

Ceding land?

Are you kidding me? If Kirigakure occupies a piece of territory in the Land of Wind, will Sunagakure be able to sit still and not be afraid of being constantly on guard against Kirigakure's surprise attacks? If they are not careful, Sunagakure, which has suffered heavy losses, may be defeated in one fell swoop.

A huge sum of money in compensation?

This was an unbearable burden for Sunagakure as well. If the village were truly well-off, Sunagakure would be foolish enough to start wars for no reason. It was precisely because most of Sunagakure and even the Land of Wind were desert areas that the impoverished Sunagakure, under the leadership of the Kazekage, repeatedly attempted to attack the Land of Fire or surrounding smaller countries in order to find a more suitable place to live. Otherwise, who would want to engage in wars that involve licking blood from the edge of a knife?

Not to mention, the Third Shinobi World War lasted for more than three years, and the Sand Village's warehouses were so empty that rats could starve to death. How could they possibly come up with such a large sum of money to compensate the Mist Village? Even the Daimyo of the Land of Wind would not support such a condition.

As for betraying Yekura's Scorching Release technique...

This was also difficult for Sunagakure to accept. As a rising star of Sunagakure during the Third Shinobi World War, Pakura, who had independently developed the "Scorch Release," was the commander of Sunagakure against Kirigakure, and his subordinates had lost at least three-digit numbers of Kirigakure ninja.

It can be said that among the candidates for the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure, there is also a candidate named Pakura with Scorching Release. The number of Sunagakure ninja who support her is not too small. After all, the first three Kazekage were known for their Magnet Release bloodline limit or puppetry. In addition, Rasa's own battle achievements are no less than those of Pakura with Scorching Release. It is likely that his position as the candidate for the Fourth Kazekage will be challenged by her. Even so, Rasa is actually a little worried about the competition between himself and Pakura with Scorching Release, after all, she is also a true genius.

However, the request made by Kirigakure seemed to open a window for Rasa. He knew that Kirigakure's conditions were extremely harsh, but Sunagakure seemed to have no other choice either...

"Lady Chiyo, is there no room for negotiation between us and Kirigakure?"

A few years had only flashed through his mind for a short while before Luo Sha suppressed his urge to agree and instead asked with a serious expression.

"Heh, the Hidden Mist Village is certain that our Hidden Sand Village suffered heavy losses in this Shinobi World War, which is why they've put forward such harsh conditions..."

Seeing Rasa's angry expression, Chiyo seemed to sense something but said nothing. Instead, she looked at the scroll containing the negotiation terms sent by the secret envoy to Kirigakure and smiled helplessly, revealing a cruel reality: Sunagakure was now the one seeking peace, and Kirigakure was naturally making exorbitant demands.

For Sunagakure, they are really bleeding to death. If they don't find a way to end the war soon, they may really collapse completely!

……

"Sister, are we really going to give up on Yagura's Blazing Release?"

Later, Rasa left the secret room. Ebizo, who hadn't said much, had a sorrowful expression on his face. He knew his sister's personality well. She had told Rasa about the negotiation conditions of Kirigakure this time, but hadn't contacted Pakura, who had the Scorching Release, to explain the situation. The implication was that she was going to abandon Pakura and negotiate with Kirigakure.

"What else can I do if I don't give up?"

Hearing her brother's words, Chiyo's face showed a hint of helplessness. Her hands clenched tightly, but she was powerless to do anything. Looking at Ebizo, she finally sighed silently and explained why she and Ebizo were forced to accept the Hidden Mist Village's negotiating terms: "The situation in the Hidden Sand Village is already extremely bad. The ceasefire agreement signed with the Hidden Leaf Village only resulted in them sending some food at most. If we continue to fight the Hidden Mist Village, there may be no more Hidden Sand Village..."

If possible, no one would be willing to betray their own people to gain peace. As one of the high-ranking figures in Sunagakure, how could Chiyo possibly want to beg for peace with the lives of her own people? However, Chiyo was well aware that Sunagakure was already on the verge of collapse and could be brought to complete ruin by war at any time.

The reason is very simple: neither Sunagakure nor the Land of Wind has ever been a wealthy country. Ninjas are also people who need to eat and support their families. If it weren't for the national ninja army promoted by the Land of Rainbow, if Sunagakure had participated in the Third Shinobi World War, it would have had to bear most of the military expenses for its ninja army. Even though the Daimyo of the Land of Wind invested some military funds and resources, Sunagakure, which did not undertake any missions, was still overwhelmed. The heavy burden of military expenses and the tragic casualties were almost crushing Sunagakure.

Similarly, Ebizo, knowing how bad the situation in Sunagakure was, could not complain about it. Betraying his comrades in pursuit of so-called peace was indeed a very difficult choice, but continuing the fight could really push Sunagakure to the brink of collapse. Faced with the current predicament of Sunagakure, Ebizo could not think of any better way to overturn the decision his sister Chiyo was going to make.

Seeing Ebizo speechless, Chiyo closed her eyes and let out a deep breath before opening them to look at her younger brother, stating without hesitation the firm belief that led her to make this decision:

"At the very least, the Sand Village is truly beyond fighting any longer. Even if it comes at a heavy price, this war must be ended!"

Chapter 66 Betrayal and Rescue

When Chiyo, Ebizo, and Rasa reached a consensus, betraying their own Sunagakure member, Pakura, with her Blazing Release technique, in exchange for a ceasefire with Kirigakure and withdrawal from the Third Shinobi World War became the unanimous opinion of the highest levels of Sunagakure.

Naturally, the highest levels of Sunagakure knew that this was a choice made out of necessity. However, if this matter were to spread, Sunagakure and even the entire Land of Wind would be in ruins. After all, betraying one's own people in exchange for peace would greatly affect the cohesion of any ninja village, and the person who made this decision would certainly suffer a strong backlash.

For example, the Third Hokage, who arrogantly boasted that he was the strongest Hokage, was supposedly negotiating peace with the Hidden Cloud Village when the latter was spying on the Byakugan's bloodline limit. When the Hyuga clan leader killed the infiltrator, the Third Hokage actually agreed to the Hidden Cloud Village's unreasonable demands, handing over the Hyuga clan leader's younger brother in exchange for so-called peace. Later, when he had a duel with his student Orochimaru, a battle of wits between master and disciple, not a single strong ninja from Konoha came to his aid. It would be strange if there wasn't a reason for that.

The Sand Village would never be foolish enough to openly publicize this matter. There are many things you can do but cannot say. If this matter were to be revealed, not to mention the turmoil that would occur within the Sand Village, even Pakura, the Blazing Release user, would likely immediately become a rogue ninja and attack the Sand Village. At that point, the Mist Village would probably easily invade the Land of Wind and achieve victory, which would truly be a case of courting destruction.

Thus, the highest levels of Sunagakure reached a consensus. While privately discussing the matter with Kirigakure, they also subtly hinted at the peace talks to Scorching Release: Pakura, and summoned her back to the village before sending her to the Land of Water!

"The fog in the Land of Water is really thick! Here, even the power of my Scorching Release is reduced a bit..."

Ten days later, wearing a Sand Ninja headband and sporting distinctive orange and dark green hair, she walked through a fog-shrouded canyon, casually speaking to the Mist Ninja leading the way.

Upon closer inspection, Yekura, who possesses the Scorching Release, appears to be no more than twenty years old. Her slender and graceful figure is exceptionally tall and captivating, seemingly stemming from her self-developed bloodline limit, Scorching Release. She is dressed in a long skirt tied in the front and athletic pants, revealing almost her entire back. Her fair skin is unlike the roughness typical of desert dwellers; instead, it possesses a smooth and delicate quality, reminiscent of warm jade. Combined with her beautiful face and confident demeanor, she exudes the impression of a vibrant female warrior.

Or rather, this impression is correct. While Yekura is quite good at fighting and commanding battles, she is clearly not very good at things other than fighting and training, and has not yet noticed the strangeness of this mission!

"There's nothing we can do about it, so please bear with it! Lady Yekura, besides, your trip to Kirigakure is only for private talks with the village, and you don't need to fight!"

Upon hearing Yekura's words, the Mist Ninja who had led the way respectfully began to explain, showing none of the arrogance of a victor. He was extremely respectful in explaining to this Sand Ninja who had killed many Mist Ninja. However, anyone who truly understood the situation in Mist Village and the negotiation process between major ninja villages would likely have already sensed something was amiss and would not believe the so-called reason that the Mist Ninja was spouting.

Pakura, who was skilled in combat and training but knew nothing about negotiation, nodded at the explanation given by the Kirigakure ninja. She didn't question why she was going to Kirigakure to negotiate alone and continued to follow behind the Kirigakure ninja to accumulate strength and move forward!

……

Later, it seemed that the canyon had not yet ended. The fog lessened slightly, but at most it changed from not being able to see more than a hundred meters ahead to being able to see a little more clearly beyond a hundred meters. In fact, it still greatly affected one's vision. Even if a ninja were to move around in this place, his vision would be severely affected.

As for bloodline limits like the Byakugan and Sharingan, they might be less affected. However, Pakura, who possesses the Scorching Release, is a ninja from Sunagakure. Sunagakure's most famous bloodline limit is Magnet Release. Very few people can occasionally innovate and develop new bloodline limits. No family has yet been able to stably pass down a bloodline limit comparable to Magnet Release. The Scorching Release bloodline limit developed by Pakura is known for its offensive power rather than any reconnaissance capabilities.

Anyway, Pakura, who used the Scorching Release technique, didn't notice anything amiss. She was walking instead of using chakra, and she didn't activate any ninjutsu or anything like that, so naturally she wouldn't have noticed that after inhaling the mist, her chakra started to react slightly. However, without using chakra, even Kage-level powerhouses would be ambushed without knowing it.

When they arrived at this point, the Mist Ninja who had led the way quietly retreated to the back, while the Blazing Release Pakura walked in front of him, finally making this Sand Ninja beauty, who was unaware that she had been betrayed, sense something was amiss!

"Strange, what's wrong with me..."

At this moment, Yekura, who was using the Scorching Release technique, vaguely felt that she was somewhat dazed. She was slightly startled and sensed that something was wrong. However, she then felt a chill down her back and instinctively tried to dodge but failed to completely avoid the attack from behind.

"What are you doing? My chakra, how could it be..."

Seeing the Mist Ninja holding a kunai behind her, Scorching Release: Pakura was both shocked and furious. She was not only annoyed that the other party had attacked her directly, but also surprised that she had not completely dodged the attack. This was completely unimaginable for a Kage-level ninja. Even a Kage-level ninja who was known for his bloodline limit and ninjutsu would definitely be rated as a Special Jonin in terms of taijutsu.

The next second, Pakura's expression turned extremely surprised. She found that she couldn't use her chakra at all, and she seemed to be in an extremely sluggish state. Even her dodging became a soft and slow turtle-like posture!

"Ah, I'm sorry, but the dense fog in this Fog Valley has the effect of suppressing a ninja's chakra and causing hallucinations. Without the corresponding antidote, you won't even be able to use taijutsu here!"

At this moment, the Mist Ninja behind the Blazing Release: Pakura said with great pride.